DON’T LET RISING RENTS TRAP YOU: Consider Buying now

There are many benefits to homeownership. One of the top ones is being able to protect
yourself from rising rents while locking in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage.
Don’t Become Trapped
Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com recently reported on what he calls a “Rental
Affordability Crisis.” He warns that,
“Low rental vacancies and a lack of new rental construction are pushing up rents, and we expect
that they’ll outpace home price appreciation in the year ahead.”
The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University recently released their 2015 Report
on Rental Housing, in which they reported that 49% of rental households are cost-burdened,
meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. These households struggle
to save for a rainy day and pay other bills, such as food and healthcare.
It’s Cheaper to Buy Than Rent

In Smoke’s article, he went on to say,
“Housing is central to the health and well-being of our country and our local communities. In
addition, this (rental affordability) crisis threatens the future value of owned housing, as the
burdensome level of rents will trap more aspiring owners into a vicious financial cycle in which
they cannot save and build a solid credit record to eventually buy a home.”

“While more than 85% of markets have burdensome rents today, it’s perplexing that in more than
75% of the counties across the country, it is actually cheaper to buy than rent a home. So why
aren’t those unhappy renters choosing to buy?”
Know Your Options
Perhaps you have already saved enough to buy your first home. HousingWire reported that
analysts at Nomura believe:
“It’s not that Millennials and other potential homebuyers aren’t qualified in terms of their credit
scores or in how much they have saved for their down payment.
It’s that they think they’re not qualified or they think that they don’t have a big enough down
payment.” (emphasis added)
Many first-time homebuyers who believe that they need a large down payment may be
holding themselves back from their dream home. In many areas of the country, a first-time
home buyer can save for a 3% down payment in less than two years. You may have already
saved enough!
Bottom Line
Don’t get caught in the trap so many renters are currently in. If you are ready and willing to
buy a home, find out if you are able. Let’s get together to determine if you are eligible to get
a mortgage.