There is still an underlying value in home ownership that does not involve dollars and cents.

The perception that one could lose money by buying a home is flawed.  If you sell for less than you paid, it is a cost of living, not a loss.  A would-be homeowner needs to consider the most important investment in his/her life.  That is an investment in their family's quality of life.  Delay a decision by a year, and lose 10% of your eight year old's opportunity to experience that quality.  How many dollars is that worth? 

Dreams are meant to come to fruition before they become missed opportunities.

Your photograph of the two rockers really has a warm, homey feeling to it.  It is a perfect picture to accompany your blog post.

beautifully said. Home is more than just a monthly payment. Its a memory bank to build on for years to come.

Yes, even in this market (especially in this market) one needs to remember to place the cost of ENJOYMENT in the equation before they look at the bottom line.

Nice post.

Nice post Richard. I think it's something that we need to remind clients about all the time - this your HOME - not simply a house!

Richard, I love this.  This is the very reason it's so hard for people to part with their homes...they place more value on it because so much of their lives are tied into the house.  Also, great photo selection.  I envisioned a couple growing old in those chairs. 

Richard, this is one of my favorites of yours. It's a reblog in Southern Maryland now!

You keep out doing yourself Richard.  Well said and well written, thanks.

Thanks for the good post today. I enjoyed it. 

Patricia

This is such an awesome point.  Home is so much about belonging - and it's different from just somewhere to live.

Case in point: a friend's daughter is having to move after just moving into a lovely upscale home last year because the owners want to move back. So now she has had to uproot her kids again and the hung for a rental in the same neighborhood wasn't easy. New house is too small but will have to work. There is a security (if you make the payments) that just isn't there in a rental. A feeling of permanence (even though we move every 5 to 7 years). It's way more than the investment.

I love it! I love it!  And, I'm reposting it.

Great post, Richard. I am re-blogging it.

This is the most beautifully written post of the value of home ownership. You can't put a dollar value on a home where you hang your heart. The picture is beautiful. 

I know I'll always remember bringing my boys home from the hospital. 

Also - a lovely photo.

Richard - beautifully written post and so, so true.  HOME is where the heart is and where we make so many memories. 

Very good post Richard!  You make an excellent point!

Richard,

I had missed this fantastic post but saw a reblog!  So true.....our gardens do age more gracefully...LOL

Hi Richard,

Couldn't agree more.  We try to impress this upon our clients but it does fall on deaf ears sometimes.  We generally find clients who don't really consider this have "messy" personal lives.

~Lisa

Richard - so many people started playing investors, and it is a weird phenomenon. they lost the "innocense" of owning a home as just a home, and not investment, but they did not reach the status of an investor.

I had a client, who was a high worth gentleman, lived in fancy homes and condos, and was selling them every 2 years and moving to yet another one.

There was a strategy behind it, the tactics, but what he was missing on was the sense of a home, something where you have your heart and which is not for sale.

He became a high worth homeless