Become a Homeowner, Set Yourself Free!

Time to rewrite the headlines on homeownership.

If you’re reading this, it’s likely you wasted a lot of money this month. I mean, A LOT of money…and probably not in the way you think. 35% of Americans are renting their homes right now according to the Census Bureau. That means a whole lot of money thrown away to a landlord when you could be investing in a mortgage. Let me explain.

1. Rent Money is a Wasted Mortgage Payment. The first one is the most obvious for a reason! Consider that $1000 you send your landlord every month. If you were to own a home valued at $100,000, you’d be paying around $663 a month all in with 5% down! Not so bad, huh? That should make you think twice beforing renewing that lease next year.
2. You May be Able to Afford More Than you Think. First time homebuyers are eligible for loans with as little as 3% down with an FHA loan. Every dollar counts, and in the lifelong goal to build wealth, saving a huge chunk of your rent money while OWNING your house is a no-brainer.
3. Knock, Knock! Wouldn’t it be nice to only worry about answering the door for expected guests? Owning your own home means no more pesky landlords or taping your paintings to the wall. Having a secure, comfortable home to confidently call all yours is a hugely important foundation for a successful life.
4. Lower Taxes. Lets say you make the leap and become a happy homeowner. When it comes to your favorite time of year — tax time, duh! — when you send the IRS your hard-earned money, it might be nice to keep some extra this time. As a homeowner, you can deduct mortgage interest paid on a personal loan from your total tax liabilities. Remember, the market is going to purr for many years to come.
5. It’s All in the Walls! How many times have you looked at your monthly utility bill for your house and gasped? It’s likely that your landlord isn’t as concerned about your electricity bill as you are. As a tenant there isn’t much you can do about the problem except to take the hit every month. Homeowners can tear apart every wall they want and replace them with modern insulation along with a whole slew of other energy efficient solutions like LED lighting and solar.
6. Borrowing is Crazy Cheap. If you go to get a loan right now, you’re one of the lucky few homeowners who gets to take advantage of the lowest interests rates…in, well, ever really. When adjusted for inflation, borrowing money is almost free. Yes, you’ll still have to pay interest on that loan, but the money you’re spending is cheaper than anything in history.
7. Rentals Suck, Usually. As a former landlord myself, I can vouch for the current state of the rental market. You’re not going to get the same quality home renting as you would as a homeowner. Period. More often than not, landlords build homes that are “idiot-proof” and easy to repair on the backend. That means lower quality building materials, and a lower quality home overall. Paying more for a lower quality home doesn’t make much sense, does it?
8. Hello, Savings Account! Lets face it, Americans don’t value saving as much as we should. We’re a proud consumer culture for the most part and savings accounts reflect that. As a homeowner, you’ve put a huge chunk of money in savings, in the form of your house. With all that equity stashed away in the walls, selling your house could result in a big payday.
9. You’ve Got a Hot Commodity. Homes sell. When it comes to listing your home on the open market, you’re in luck. Housing supplies aren’t keeping up with demand. Currently there’s only a 4.8 month supply of house accoridng the National Association of Realtors and that number is dwindling. The fact is that builders can’t keep up with demad. Translation: there’s a great chance you’ll sell your home, and quickly!
10. Low Risk is Good Risk. The stockmarket is volatile. It’s also not easy for common folks to own a quarter million dollars in stocks. But, you can easily become a homeowner and immediately become the proud owner of an appreciating asset. When/if the stockmarket takes off again, that’s usually a pretty good predictor of rising home values without all that pesky risk of owning stocks.