Investing In Home Purchasing Isn’t Possible
Posted on September 3rd, 2010
A home mortgage was known as “the most essential investment a person ever makes” for decades. Then the housing crisis arrived and long overstayed its welcome. Home prices dropped a ton from what they were. In the last 15 years, home sales have not been this low. Deflation concerns are going up because of falling home prices. Investing in homes is a bad decision, as outlined by a Federal Reserve official. One financial expert advises that when it comes to housing, individuals shouldn’t confuse an expense with an investment.
Why is housing a bad investment to make?
Some think, including experts in real estate, there will never be as much wealth in real estate as there was at the end of the 20th century. The New York Times reports that the inventory of homes for sale may soon rise to a 12 month supply — twice the level of a healthy housing market. Home values are dropping, although 30 percent was already lost. This is because sellers are trying desperately to get buyers. Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, told the Times it will need 20 years to recoup $ 6 trillion in housing wealth lost since 2005. Then you’ve to add inflation to the mix. That means home values may never catch up.
Living expense for housing
When assuming a house is an investment, one is making a huge personal finance mistake. This is the opinion of Charlie Farrell from CBS Money Watch. Think about a house as a living cost. It is just like purchasing a car, says Farrell. A house is just like a car in that it is a depreciating asset. The home will fall apart. The only way to avoid this is to pump money into it constantly. Economists say in the next 20 years home values will only keep up with inflation. A home will return the money an owner puts in each month, but will not multiply the investment in the mortgage. More money will be put to the home than is received out of it when it comes to the maintenance and taxes on it.
Getting a mortgage for yourself
After the housing bubble occurred, the U.S. housing market turned out to be the worst place to keep money as an investment. This is explained by Thomas Hoeing, president of Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. During testimony at a hearing held by the House Financial Services Committee’s oversight and investigations subcommittee, he said “If the American people are looking at the housing market to be their investment opportunity, I think they’re making a mistake.”. With a 4.5 percent loan interest rate, Linda Stern thinks that it might be a good idea to get a home and have others pay for it with rent, although she admits Hoenig is right. Stern works at CBS Money Watch as well. Paying rent for 30 years returns nothing. With a mortgage, there’s a house at the end of the tunnel. At least it is something at the end.
Discover more details on this subject
CBS Money Watch
moneywatch.bnet.com/retirement-planning/blog/retirement-roadmap/housing-dont-confuse-an-expense-with-an-investment/3376/
CBS Money Watch
moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/blog/daily-money/is-housing-still-a-good-investment/1259/
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Fannie Mae Rolls Out New Website In An Effort To Help Struggling Home Owners
Posted on August 3rd, 2010
This week in an effort to reach out to distressed homeowners, Fannie Mae launched a new website www.knowyouroptions .com. The site is a place that homeowners can visit and learn what all their options are if they are having trouble keeping up with their mortgage payment. Many people do not realize that they have options and wait until it is too late to get help. Fannie Mae is hoping that this website initiative will keep less people from going into foreclosure and walking away from their homes.
Fannie Mae has been working hard to curb their losses in the collapsed housing market. They currently own over $3 trillion in mortgages and mortgage securities and are doing everything they can to ensure their losses are kept to a minimum. In today’s housing market crisis one of the roadblocks to helping home owners has been reaching them before it is too late and this site is meant to do just that. It is meant to be a friendly place for loan holders to go where they can find out how they can get help.
“Not only does it educate, but there’s a call to action,” Jeff Hayward, a senior vice president in Fannie Mae’s mortgage servicing unit, said of the new website. “The way you move on is you either talk to your servicer or call a housing counselor.”
On the site visitors are given hope through testimonial videos of people who have been able to get help and avoid going into foreclosure. There are numerous options available on the site for homeowners to explore including refinancing options, information on how to get a home loan modified, information on short sales and more.
Another site feature is polling questions that visitors can partake in. To follow up the polling Fannie Mae explains options that may help. There is also a tool that will help you look up your mortgage servicer as well as information on how homeowners can find a housing counselor to assist them.
The site could be up for some criticism from housing groups. The site doesn’t just offer options on how you can stay in your home but also options on how to get out, like short sales and deed in lieu of foreclosure. Most housing groups believe that the best thing is for people to stay in their home but at the same time Fannie Mae realizes that that just may not be realistic for everyone.
Fannie Mae plans to promote the site heavily through on line adds and SEO. They will also be marketing to mortgage servicers and mortgage counselors.
Filed under Avoid Foreclosure, Interest Rates, Mortgage News, fannie mae, foreclosure, home mortgage | No Comments »