Consider Your Time Horizon
How long do you plan to live in this house? One year? Twenty years? If you are planning to stick around for more than 7 years, then we suggest you ignore the short-term market bumps and just purchase the property. You are not in this to make a quick buck or to roll the dice on a fast market turnaround. Additionally, fixed rate mortgages are still historically low, and you may even have an opportunity to purchase a home at (or even below) its fair market value.
On the other hand, if you plan on living in this property for a year or two, with fingers crossed that the real estate jackpot is eighteen months away, then now is not a good time for you. Home prices continue to plummet and many experts agree there's no end in sight. Besides, your house is not a casino; it's not meant to satisfy your gambling streak and to entertain your ambitions of fame and fortune.
Indicators Indicate an Indication
As we've been writing about for a while now , the U.S. housing slump is real, and it's here to stay for a while. Just today, Standard & Poor's announced a drop in first quarter home prices from a year ago...the first year-over-year price drop in more than 15 years. S&P index committee chairman David Blitzer sums it up: "We still don't see anything that looks like a clear bottom. We're still headed down."
Labels: Family/Home