As the economy continues to improve, more and more Americans are seeing their personal financial situations also improving. Instead of just getting by, many are now beginning to save and find other ways to build their net worth. One way to dramatically increase their family wealth is through the acquisition of real estate. For example, let’s assume a young couple purchases and closes on a $250,000 home in January. What will that home be worth five years down the road? Pulsenomics surveys a nationwide panel of over one hundred economists, real estate experts and investment & market strategists every quarter. They ask them to project how residential prices will appreciate over the next five years. According to their latest survey, here is how much value that $250,000 house will gain in the coming years. Over a five year period, that homeowner can build their home equity to over $40,000. And, in many cases, home equity is large portion of a family’s overall net worth.

Bottom Line

If you are looking to better your family’s long-term financial situation, buying your dream home might be a great option.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently. You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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According to the latest Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index homeownership is a better way to produce greater wealth, on average, than renting. The BH&J Index is a quarterly report that attempts to answer the question:

Is it better to rent or buy a home in today’s housing market?

The index examines that entire US housing market and then isolates 23 major markets for comparison. The researchers at use a “’horse race’ comparison between an individual that is buying a home and an individual that rents a similar quality home and reinvests all monies otherwise invested in homeownership.” Ken Johnson, Real Estate Economist & Professor at Florida Atlantic University, and one of the index’s authors states: “The U.S. as a whole is still in clear buy territory. The cities of Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, and New York City are deep into buy territory.” Miami and Portland had been inching closer toward renting being the better option but have “pulled back from the edge.” Johnson goes on to say, “that’s a good sign for home pricing as it suggests prices are going to level off in these metro areas.”

Bottom Line

Buying a home makes sense socially and financially. Rents are predicted to increase substantially in the next year, so lock in your housing cost with a mortgage payment now.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently. You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Parts 1 and 2 of this series explained building wealth is not about quick profits! It’s about steadily increasing your net worth over time.

Home ownership is one of the easiest ways of building wealth that’s available to the general public, non-investors, and average middle-class Americans. Part 1 and 2 contained Rules #1 thru #7…

Rule # 8: Be careful about the costs of home improvements.

Typically, most improvements do not increase your home’s value dollar for dollar. That does not mean they aren’t worthwhile. Just understand they are not always building wealth. There is a difference between making improvements to enhance living and enhancing property value. Most improvements are a combination of both.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you want to add carpet to a room. You can pay $12/sq.yd. for carpet, or pay $24/sq.yd. Will you get the difference in price back when you sell? Probably not, because a future buyer may not think the difference in the carpet is worth the price to them. So, you must decide if the difference in price is worth it for your own enjoyment. Watch here for a future article for more details.

Rule # 9: Understand the difference between appreciation and inflation.

Many people talk about homes as “investments,” and how they “appreciate” in value over time. True investments produce a return on money invested. That is not truly the case with private homes. Homes actually depreciate in value because structures deteriorate if not maintained properly, which costs money.

Typically, a home increases in value through inflation, not appreciation. As general economic inflation increases the cost of goods and services, it is also inflating the cost of housing. This increases your potential wealth because home ownership is a type of hedge against inflation. Paying attention to Rules 5,6, and 7 creates wealth.

Rule # 10: Know your financial position when it’s time to sell.

Stay in touch with your Realtor to keep current on local home values. Pay attention to economic inflation rates. Maintain your home with an eye toward cost of living. If you are careful and thoughtful you will be successful at building wealth.

Information courtesy of Orlando Realtor Teri Isner, Orlando Avenue Top Team.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently. You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

Part 1 of this series explained building wealth is not about quick profits! It’s about steadily increasing your net worth over time.

Homeownership is one of the easiest ways of building wealth that’s available to the general public, non-investors, and average middle-class Americans. Part 1 contained Rules #1 thru #4…

Rule # 5: Understand the difference between paying costs of living and paying toward wealth building.

Costs of living contribute nothing to wealth building. Examples of these are property taxes and insurance, utilities costs, mortgage interest, etc.

Some of these costs are hidden when you rent because the landlord pays them. Utilities are costs you pay. In both cases, once they are paid, the money is gone. On the other hand, mortgage principle payments build equity.

Rule # 6: Understand how your mortgage works.

When you make a monthly mortgage payment, it’s not just paying the mortgage company. It’s also paying YOU! Part of the mortgage payment is interest on the outstanding balance of the loan. Interest pays the lender for loaning money and is a cost of living.

However, part of the mortgage payment reduces the principle loan amount owed. Every month you make a payment the loan amount gets smaller. Therefore, the interest you pay the next month is a little smaller. Since the monthly amount you pay is a fixed number, as the interest amount gets smaller the amount paid toward reducing the loan gets larger. That is money you are paying yourself.

Think of payments that reduce your loan as a forced savings account…it’s increasing your wealth. Your equity is the portion of the value of the property that you actually own. To find the value of your equity you must subtract what you owe from the property value. Therefore, as you make payments that reduce how much you owe, each month you increase your equity and are building wealth.

Rule # 7: Consider making extra payments on your mortgage.

You should have the right to pay extra toward reducing the principle on your loan anytime you choose. Your monthly mortgage payment has two parts: first, you pay interest based on the outstanding amount of the loan; and second, the rest of the payment reduces the loan itself. When you add extra money to your payment it will reduce the loan even more, and build equity and wealth faster.

Watch for Building Wealth With Home Ownership 103 for more rules to follow while you own.

Information courtesy of Orlando FL Realtor Teri Isner.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently. You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

This blog is not about quick and easy profits! True wealth building rarely is. It’s about steadily increasing your net worth over time. It is not about speculative investments to get rich quick. It’s about how to build meaningful wealth while enjoying your home.

There are many variables and moving parts to the home ownership puzzle. But, it’s not brain surgery either. Home ownership is possibly the most accessible means of building wealth that is available to the general public, non-investors, and average middle-class Americans. Here’s how to make it work…

Rule # 1: Consider the “5-year Rule” before you decide to buy.

Don’t consider buying a home unless you plan to own it for at least 5 years. That is because the wealth building cycle starts very slowly during the first 5 years.

After 5 years, the wealth building cycle begins to accelerate. Selling before then may cause you to lose money because you won’t necessarily get back all the up-front costs of buying.

Rule # 2: Make sure you don’t pay too much when you buy!

Any retailer will tell you they make their profit when they buy. That’s because consumers in the marketplace will dictate the final sale price. The retailer can’t control that. The retailer can only control what he pays for an item. The difference between what he pays and what he can sell it for is his profit.

It’s the same with housing. Get proof of the current value of the property you’re buying by researching the comparative values (“comps”) of similar properties actually sold recently. These are available for free from your Realtor.

Rule # 3: Shop to get the lowest interest rate you can.

But, don’t accept fancy terms of a loan like adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) or deferred (balloon) payments. A fixed rate over the length of the loan is more preferable so you know what to expect over time. Remember, this is about wealth building, not speculative investing!

Rule # 4: Pay for a professional home inspection after you are under contract.

Then be insistent that everything is in top condition before you buy. Remember, there are a lot of moving parts. You must minimize how many of them are likely to breakdown soon after you buy.

Watch for Building Wealth With Home Ownership 102 for rules to follow while you own.

Information courtesy of Orlando Realtor Teri Isner.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently. You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!