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You'll Be Worth More.

By
Real Estate Agent with Don L Andersen Real Estate

 

 

You’ll Be Worth More
*

People want to have a home of their own where they can raise their family, share with their friends and retreat from the world to feel safe and secure.  The emotional reasons for owning a home have never changed.
We live in one of the few countries of the world who values homeownership so much that we have supported it in our laws.  Since the beginning of personal income tax in 1913, the U.S. has had a mortgage interest deduction and it was later expanded to include second homes also.
In addition to the mortgage interest deduction, we can also deduct the interest on up to another $100,000 over acquisition debt and use the money for any purpose such as to pay off high interest rate credit cards or consolidate loans.
If we make a profit on the sale of our home, a substantial part of it, if not all, is excluded from capital gains tax.  For the part that may taxes, it's at a lower rate than our ordinary income rates.  There are even certain protections from homeowners against bankruptcy.  All in all, our Federal Government encourages taxpayers to be homeowners.
Homeowners have a higher net worth than renters as is exhibited in the 2007 Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances.  Between 1998 and 2007, a homeowner had between 31 and 46 times greater net worth than that of a renter.  Most of that new worth is due to the equity in their home.
Even taking into consideration that values in real estate have come down considerably in the last few years due to the housing crisis, NAR estimates that homeowners still have 41 times more net worth than renters.
Combine all of the reasons cited along with the low, low mortgage rates that are available today but may be starting to creep up and now is a GREAT time to buy a home...if you can afford it and have good credit.  If you don't own a home currently, it is certainly worth exploring your individual situation with an expert.  There may never be a better time to buy a home than now...whether it is your first home or you're moving up.
Don L Andersen
don@donsproperties.com

 

John Whittinghill
Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta - Marietta, GA
Marietta, GA Real Estate Agent

Nice visual, Don....those are powerful percentages!

Dec 04, 2010 02:43 PM
Don Wixom
RE/MAX Executives Nampa, ID - Nampa, ID
"Looking out for your next move..."tm

Don, this is a great point that renters should consider, along with fabulously low prices, incredible interest rates and amazing choices of inventory!

Dec 04, 2010 02:44 PM
Brian Rugg
Rugg Realty LLC Sun City Texas 512-818-6700 - Georgetown, TX
Sun City TX Real Estate - Georgetown, TX Real Est

Hello Don:

 

Interesting perspective. The numbers don't tell us if home ownership causes high net worth or is just correlated to it i.e high net worth people own homes. Never-the -less a good take on the value of home ownership.

 

Dec 04, 2010 03:03 PM
Dan Edward Phillips
Dan Edward Phillips - Eureka, CA
Realtor and Broker/Owner

Good Morning Don and Welcome to Active Rain!  Excellent post!

Dec 04, 2010 07:24 PM
Letitia Stevenson
BHHS Fox & Roach | www.DelawareValleyRE.com - Greenville, DE
Listing Agent DE/PA/MD, Digital Marketer & Coach

Don, Thanks for Sharing & Welcome to the Rain! Active Rain is a great place to share your knowledge, expertise and thoughts, as well as network and learn so much from the vast pool of talent already onboard.

Welcome Aboard and Much Success!

Dec 10, 2010 01:23 AM
Olympus Executive Realty Inc.
Olympus Executive Realty INC. - Orlando, FL
Home Of The Top Producers

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Dec 16, 2010 05:33 AM