Non-homeowners in SF could spend $2.5 million in rent by age 60

A new report finds that those who put their money into rent rather than home equity blow an

estimated $2.5 million between the ages of 25 and 60.

The study by the personal finance site Go Banking Rates (see the article by Gabriele Olya - June 6, 2018) looked at how much someone who starts paying rent at 25 would spend by ages 30, 40, 50 and 60 in America's 25 most populous cities.

I like to put things in perspective: in real life most people would move at some point or other, relocate, change jobs or change their family situation.

Purchasing a home is not always the best option: it depends on many factors - job stability, savings, goals in life, priorities, family situations etc...  Still, the information is an important part of the equation when considering a home purchase.
.... As is the current home ownership rate in the US: 64.4%.

Any question regarding a real estate purchase or sale? Or trying to understand the parameters? Let me know!   
Thanks for reading,

Francis

My Home Valuation tool
Detailed, local trends etc...
Current mortgage rates   (came down a bit, thank you Wall Street  ;-) 

All Cash Deal - Time to Save on Title Insurance?

NOT!

One may think that Title Insurance is an unnecessary cost in a real estate transaction. After all, what can go wrong if you have excellent sellers' disclosures, and all looks so good and simple?

Title Insurance is mandated by the bank when one has to finance the purchase. But it is not mandated when one buys cash: in that case, it is up to the buyer to request Title Insurance.

There are many reasons why it is not a great idea to purchase without Title Insurance, and they are well summarized in this post from Cornerstone Title insurance.

Getting Title Insurance is the only way you can have some vision on the history of the property, and whether or not it has liens or encumbrances.  I also personally think it is a good idea (i.e. a very good idea) to talk to the Title company and ask questions about the preliminary title report and what it means exactly, when you are in contract to purchase a property.

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Thank you for reading,
Francis


Home Valuation tool
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A worthy local non-profit to remember: Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Clara County.

7 Types of Lighting Fixtures

7 Types of Lighting Fixtures.

Light fixtures fascinate: when you go into a light fixture store, don't you want to buy them all? They radically change the room where they are installed, depending on the style, intensity, location.

Here is a professional recap by the Dwell website of the options and more details when it comes to this eye-pleasing upgrade:

Dwell-Lighting Fixtures
..and how to arrange and design your inside lighting for a more gentle environment for your eyes.

Beware! You will be tempted to spend money! 

Thanks for reading, and do not hesitate to contact me for your real estate questions.

Francis

Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc...

Current mortgage rates   steady...  (under 5% !!) (stock market volatility...)

Real Estate: Average Down Payment by State

The average size of down payments by state usually follows prices, as a rule of thumb. These figures tell us a bit more:

Down payments are:

Highest in California, with a 21.44% average DP (about $97.8k)

And                 Hawai, with a 21.32% average DP (about 69.9k)

Lowest in Alaska, with a 15.4 % average DP (about 36.4k)

And                 West Virginia at 15.4% average DP (about $21.4k)

And                 Mississippi at 15.8% average DP, averaging $22.9k.

This information is provided by the digital loan sourcing site LendingTree, and is reported by Alcynna Lloyd of HousingWire in her article dated Oct 26, 2018.

LendingTree also shows the following graph, which recaps the subject pretty well:

As always, thank you for reading, and share if you like!
Francis

Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc...

Current mortgage rates   steady...  (stock market volatility...)