Why you Should Buy a House, Even in Todays Market.
In todays economic situation buying a home will be the largest and best investment most people will ever make. Lots of people correctly believe that owning their own home will create a nest egg and is something to be proud of at the same time. On this side of the Atlantic it does seem largely a British dream as opposed to Germany and France where the people are quite happy to rent a house all their lives. In the current financial climate some people are starting to wonder if this premise will hold true but check out few facts here and you’ll see this is a constant financial fact.
The Property Market has consistently shown appreciation over the years. Real estate has generally appreciated about 5% a year overall. Having 5% down on a 200,000 house is an investment of 10,000. That house would increase about 10,000 to 11,000 for the first year in normal growth years. Earning 10,000 on an investment of 10,000 is equivalent to 100% earnings which would be virtually impossible to do in the stock market unless you were extremely lucky.
If you put 5,000 into the stock market and got a 5% gain, you would receive a 250 profit. Clearly, the property market lets you come out much further ahead in average years. It must be stressed that we do have some exceptional years where the value of your property could possibly go up by even a 1/3rd! but this is exceptional.
There will always be blips and temporary downturns in the market. These are always caused by other economic factors such as Government Policy, Oil Prices, what our American Friends have been up to, etc. This could be difficult for new homeowners who may be stretched a little but if you’re an established home owner then you just don’t try to move during these periods and wait for the good times to return.
Here’s another example of how the property market is the best and most consistent investment over time. Let’s say a semi detached house was worth 80,000 in 1997. The value of that house today would be in the region of 150,000. Your investment in that house could have been as little as 4,000. If yu had invested that 4,000 in the stock market in 1997 you would now be worth around 7,800. Where would you rather have had your money?
The beauty of the property market is that home values tend to increase more or less steadily over the period of time. There are spikes and troughs but these are nowhere near as dramatic as those when you are dealing with stocks and shares. It is a true fact that the housing market has NEVER yet failed to recover from a slump in prices. The British attitude to owning property will always ensure that this remains constant.
If people are careful about when to trade up on their property they can also avoid the necessity of paying Capital Gains Tax which means over the years a person can develop a small house into a much larger one or even a portfolio of properties without paying Capital Gains Tax. Tax free investments is definitely the way to go!
There is no reason to fear home ownership in the market in the current market with all the doom and gloom around. Simply look for the type of property and payment mechanism that you can afford and resist the temptation to use your home for a “bank” when you need money as in an equity line of credit. The home will be by far your best asset in your future financial portfolio and will continue to make you feel secure in your financial future for the rest of your life. Everybody’s circumstances are different and a really important task is to make sure you are in the best mortgage for you! There are lots of different mortgage options out there and it can make a massive difference to your lif if the get the best advice for you.
As the economy takes a bit of a slump if you find your finances are getting a bit difficult to handle then a good option is to consider a debt consolidation mortgage. Your monthly outgoings can be significantly reduced by taking this option as opposed to paying other high interest loans and credit card balances.
