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10 Reasons To Buy a Home
Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership.
Brett Arends explains why owning a home is a good thing.
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By BRETT ARENDS
Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership.
Sure, maybe there’s more pain to come in the housing market. But when Time magazine starts running covers that declare “Owning a home may no longer make economic sense,” it’s time to say: Enough is enough. This is what “capitulation” looks like. Everyone has given up.
![[roiA0915]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-JZ603_roiA09_DV_20100914164033.jpg)
The Sept. 6 cover of Time magazine: This is what capitulation looks like.
After all, at the peak of the bubble five years ago, Time had a different take. “Home Sweet Home,” declared its cover then, as it celebrated the boom and asked: “Will your house make you rich?”
But it’s not enough just to be contrarian. So here are 10 reasons why it’s good to buy a home.
1. You can get a good deal. Especially if you play hardball. This is a buyer’s market. Most of the other buyers have now vanished, as the tax credits on purchases have just expired. We’re four to five years into the biggest housing bust in modern history. And prices have come down a long way– about 30% from their peak, according to Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Index, which tracks home prices in 20 big cities. Yes, it’s mixed. New York is only down 20%. Arizona has halved. Will prices fall further? Sure, they could. You’ll never catch the bottom. It doesn’t really matter so much in the long haul.
Where is fair value? Fund manager Jeremy Grantham at GMO, who predicted the bust with remarkable accuracy, said two years ago that home prices needed to fall another 17% to reach fair value in relation to household incomes. Case-Shiller since then: Down 18%.
Brett Arends discusses why he thinks now is a particularly good time to buy a home.
2. Mortgages are cheap. You can get a 30-year loan for around 4.3%. What’s not to like? These are the lowest rates on record. As recently as two years ago they were about 6.3%. That drop slashes your monthly repayment by a fifth. If inflation picks up, you won’t see these mortgage rates again in your lifetime. And if we get deflation, and rates fall further, you can refi.
3. You’ll save on taxes. You can deduct the mortgage interest from your income taxes. You can deduct your real estate taxes. And you’ll get a tax break on capital gains–if any–when you sell. Sure, you’ll need to do your math. You’ll only get the income tax break if you itemize your deductions, and many people may be better off taking the standard deduction instead. The breaks are more valuable the more you earn, and the bigger your mortgage. But many people will find that these tax breaks mean owning costs them less, often a lot less, than renting.
![[roiB0915]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-JZ604_roiB09_DV_20100914164117.jpg)
The June 13, 2005 cover of Time.
4. It’ll be yours. You can have the kitchen and bathrooms you want. You can move the walls, build an extension–zoning permitted–or paint everything bright orange. Few landlords are so indulgent; for renters, these types of changes are often impossible. You’ll feel better about your own place if you own it than if you rent. Many years ago, when I was working for a political campaign in England, I toured a working-class northern town. Mrs. Thatcher had just begun selling off public housing to the tenants. “You can tell the ones that have been bought,” said my local guide. “They’ve painted the front door. It’s the first thing people do when they buy.” It was a small sign that said something big.
5. You’ll get a better home. In many parts of the country it can be really hard to find a good rental. All the best places are sold as condos. Money talks. Once again, this is a case by case issue: In Miami right now there are so many vacant luxury condos that owners will rent them out for a fraction of the cost of owning. But few places are so favored. Generally speaking, if you want the best home in the best neighborhood, you’re better off buying.
6. It offers some inflation protection. No, it’s not perfect. But studies by Professor Karl “Chip” Case (of Case-Shiller), and others, suggest that over the long-term housing has tended to beat inflation by a couple of percentage points a year. That’s valuable inflation insurance, especially if you’re young and raising a family and thinking about the next 30 or 40 years. In the recent past, inflation-protected government bonds, or TIPS, offered an easier form of inflation insurance. But yields there have plummeted of late. That also makes homeownership look a little better by contrast.
7. It’s risk capital. No, your home isn’t the stock market and you shouldn’t view it as the way to get rich. But if the economy does surprise us all and start booming, sooner or later real estate prices will head up again, too. One lesson from the last few years is that stocks are incredibly hard for most normal people to own in large quantities–for practical as well as psychological reasons. Equity in a home is another way of linking part of your portfolio to the long-term growth of the economy–if it happens–and still managing to sleep at night.
8. It’s forced savings. If you can rent an apartment for $2,000 month instead of buying one for $2,400 a month, renting may make sense. But will you save that $400 for your future? A lot of people won’t. Most, I dare say. Once again, you have to do your math, but the part of your mortgage payment that goes to principal repayment isn’t a cost. You’re just paying yourself by building equity. As a forced monthly saving, it’s a good discipline.
9. There is a lot to choose from. There is a glut of homes in most of the country. The National Association of Realtors puts the current inventory at around 4 million homes. That’s below last year’s peak, but well above typical levels, and enough for about a year’s worth of sales. More keeping coming onto the market, too, as the banks slowly unload their inventory of unsold properties. That means great choice, as well as great prices.
10. Sooner or later, the market will clear. Demand and supply will meet. The population is forecast to grow by more than 100 million people over the next 40 years. That means maybe 40 million new households looking for homes. Meanwhile, this housing glut will work itself out. Many of the homes will be bought. But many more will simply be destroyed–either deliberately, or by inaction. This is already happening. Even two years ago, when I toured the housing slumpin western Florida, I saw bankrupt condo developments that were fast becoming derelict. And, finally, a lot of the “glut” simply won’t matter: It’s concentrated in a few areas, like Florida and Nevada. Unless you live there, the glut won’t have any long-term impact on housing supply in your town.
GIBSON INTERNATIONAL SELECTED AS A MEMBER OF LEADING REAL ESTATE COMPANIES OF THE WORLD®
Brentwood-based firm joins prestigious real estate network
LOS ANGELES, CA – Gibson International http://www.gibsonintl.com/, a prominent real estate company serving the Westside and beach communities of Greater Los Angeles, has been selected for membership in Chicago-based Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE), Scott L. Gibson, the company’s president and founder, announced today.
Gibson International joins Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, a global network comprising 600 of the best-known local and regional real estate firms, with 5,000 offices and 150,000 sales associates in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries. Collectively, these firms sell almost 1 million homes annually in the U.S. valued at nearly $250 billion, which is more than that of any national brand or franchise.
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® is the country’s largest network of residential real estate firms. Its network affiliates are widely recognized as the premier providers of quality residential real estate and relocation services. Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® also excels in the upper-end market.
As an affiliate of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, Gibson International can assist individuals purchasing or selling property in virtually any community in the U.S. or abroad with services including real estate assistance, comprehensive destination orientation programs, household goods move management and more. The membership also enhances Gibson International’s ability to assist with corporate relocation accounts through RELO Direct®, LeadingRE’s third party relocation company.
Gibson notes that selection as an affiliate of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® network represents another step in the development of the firm and its ability to meet the high-end real estate needs of its Los Angeles clientele.
“I credit our success and business growth to the progressive, entrepreneurial structure of our brokerage and to an outstanding team of results-oriented agents,” Gibson said. “This affiliation brings added value to the personal service-based experience our agents can offer.”
Gibson continued, “Our Westside agents and their clients have reacted very favorably to our business model, which allows agents to use advanced technology and powerful networks to their advantage. The agents joining us were specifically chosen for their sales success and professionalism with the highest integrity. This affiliation strengthens the extensive support system we offer to our team.”
Gibson International, with 65 highly qualified sales associates, was selected for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® membership only after meeting the network’s exacting standards.
“We are delighted to welcome Gibson International to Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®,” commented Pam O’Connor, President and CEO of LeadingRE. “Their selection was based on the company’s outstanding reputation, as well as its demonstrated ability to deliver the same high quality service and reliability as our other affiliates. This level of service is the foundation of our network and is the basis for our longevity and success as one of the industry’s leading providers of real estate and relocation services.”
About Gibson International: Founded in 2008, Gibson International is a high-quality real estate brokerage based in Brentwood, California. The fast-growing firm, headed by leading real estate veteran Scott Gibson, presents a unique, full-service business model, which incorporates the latest in technological advances with enhancements to help its agents achieve success and “work-life balance.” Its team of agents includes some of the most respected names in Westside real estate, and each agent averages more than 10 years of real estate sales experience. Gibson International can be reached by telephone at 310-820-0195. More information about Gibson International is available online at http://www.gibsonintl.com.
About Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®: Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (www.LeadingRE.com) is a global real estate network comprising over 600 of the best-known local and regional real estate firms. With nearly 5,000 offices and 150,000 sales associates in the United States and more than 30 countries abroad, LeadingRE affiliates sell $250 billion in home sales, representing nearly one million transactions annually. The network has among its members the #1 market leader in 41 of the top 90 markets in sales volume, transaction sides or both – nearly double that of the closest competitor.
Editor’s Note: Scott Gibson is available for interviews to discuss the company’s performance as well as the continued 2010 outlook for residential real estate in Southern California.
Brief Window For Tax Credits
$18,000 IN COMBINED HOMEBUYER TAX CREDITS FOR A LIMITED TIME
Californians have a brief window of opportunity to receive up to $18,000 in combined federal and state homebuyer tax credits. To take advantage of both tax credits, a first-time homebuyer must enter into a purchase contract for a principal residence before May 1, 2010, and close escrow between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010, inclusive. Buyers who are not first-time homebuyers may use the same timeframes to receive up to $16,500 in combined tax credits if they are long-time residents of their existing homes as permitted under federal law, and they purchase properties that have never been previously occupied as provided under California law.
Under the federal law slated to soon expire, a first-time homebuyer may receive up to $8,000 in tax credits, and a long-time resident may receive up to $6,500, for certain purchase contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 that close escrow by June 30, 2010. Additionally, under a newly enacted California law, a homebuyer may receive up to $10,000 in tax credits as a first-time homebuyer or buyer of a property that has never been occupied. The new California law applies to certain purchases that close escrow on or after May 1, 2010 (see Cal. Rev. & Tax Code section 17059.1(a)(4)). California law generally allows buyers of never-occupied properties to reserve their credits before closing escrow, but buyers seeking to combine the federal and state tax credits will not be able to satisfy the timing requirements for such reservations (see Cal. Rev. & Tax Code section 17059.1(c)(1)(A)). Other terms and restrictions apply to both tax credits.
For more information, C.A.R. offers a Homebuyer Tax Credit Chart with a side-by-side summary of the federal and California laws. C.A.R. also offers a legal article entitled Homebuyer Tax Credit Update.
C.A.R. provides REALTORS® with many other legal articles covering a wide range of topics of interest. Some of the new or newly revised legal articles available at http://qa.car.org
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