Investing in a bank savings account?  Consider that you’ll make less than 1% and will have to pay income tax on the earnings.  On the other hand, when you contribute extra cash to your house payment on a regular basis, you’ll essentially, earn at the mortgage interest rate which is certain to be more than you’re earning in the bank.

Making additional principal contributions on your mortgage will save interest, retire debt and build equity sooner.  An extra $100 a month in the example shown will save thousands in interest and shorten the term of the mortgage as well.

Reducing your cost of housing is another way to improve the investment in your home.  Achieve success!  Becoming debt-free is a worthy goal that is achieved with discipline and good decisions. Suggestions like this are part of my commitment to help people be better homeowners when they buy, sell. . . and all the years in between.

Use My Equity Accelerator App to Calculate Your Savings.
Visit FieldofDreamHomes.com

 

Forced Savings…Really?

Part of the American Dream is to own a home. A home is a place to call your own; a place to raise your family and share with your friends. A home is a place to feel safe and secure. A home is a good investment?

In a recent report by Beracha and Johnson, it is suggested that buying a home is the right thing to do but not necessarily for the reason that people expect. A home is, in many instances, the largest investment that homeowners have and it accounts for the majority of their net worth.

The report suggests that the self-imposed savings due to amortization has a significant contribution to a person’s net worth. The premise was determined by comparing the net worth of buyers to renters over a 31 year period of time.

When the savings in rent and down payment were reinvested, renters had a greater net worth than buyers after each 8-year cycle by a margin of 91% to 9%. On the other hand, when the requirement to reinvest the savings was dropped and renters were allowed to spend the savings on consumption, the Buyers had a greater net worth 84% compared to 16% for renters.

Appreciation, tax savings and amortization contribute to lowering the cost of housing and help homeowners build equity. The forced savings due to amortization benefits the individuals who may not be disciplined enough to invest the savings otherwise. Regardless of which benefits apply in different situations, owning a home can be a satisfying investment both emotionally and financially.

*Factor Sensitivities in the Making of Buy vs. Rent Decisions: Do Homeowners Make the Right Decision for the Wrong Reason by Eli Berach and Ken J. Johnson of Florida International University writing for the Journal of Housing Research.

Orlando Florida MLS Homes For Sale at OrlandoFL-HomesForSale.com

Work At  Home To Get Rich

 

The “Right Size” Home

Work hard, buy a home, start a family and continue to upgrade your home until everyone has enough room. This has been the blueprint for lots of homeowners for the last fifty years but there is certainly a shift in thinking that could change all of that.

Interestingly, Americans live in much larger homes than most people in other countries throughout the world. The U.S. Census reported in 2006 that the average single family home completed had 2,469 square feet which was 769 feet more than in 1976.

Once the children are grown and have moved out, homeowners are finding they have too much room. Even if their home is paid for, they have higher property taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance on the larger home than they’d have if they were living in the “right size” home.

Some homeowners state thaty they’re keeping their larger home because it has luxury features that smaller homes don’t have. There’s a movement that seems to have started in the United States to find the “right size” home with the amenities and convenience that homeowners want.

This philosophy has been expressed by Sarah Susanka in her book Creating the Not So Big House. It proposes a house that “values quality over quantity with an emphasis on comfort and beauty, a high level of detail, and a floor plan designed for today’s informal lifestyle.”

 

© 2011 247hometour.net Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha