As I travel across the country speaking with thousands of agents a month, I am always amazed at the first two questions I am usually asked:
What impact will the European economic crisis have on real estate here in the U.S.?
Shouldn’t people wait until after the election to find out who will be the President before buying a home?
Today, I want to tell a story about Kevin Miller who works here at Keeping Current Matters and just signed contracts on the home he and Crystal, his wife, are purchasing. Kevin got married about a year ago and recently found out that he is about to become a father. He’s a great guy who truly loves his bride and wants the best for her and their family. It is for that reason that Kevin and his wife started to look for a home of their own.
What About Greece?
Kevin and I have discussed the purchase at times and the interesting thing is the European situation never came up – not even once! It isn’t that Kevin is naive to the situation. He probably understands it better than most as he has a degree in International Business and Economics. But, he isn’t buying a house in Greece or Spain. He is buying a home in Babylon, New York – in a wonderful neighborhood with a nice backyard that his future children will play in. Does the world economy impact his purchase? Yes it does. It is one of the major reasons he is getting a 30-year mortgage rate under 4%What About the Election?
Again, it never came up. We did talk about the fact that he is buying the home for a fraction of what it would have sold for just a few years ago. We did discuss the great school district. We did talk about how convenient the neighborhood is to the things he and Crystal love. Did we talk about the election? No.Not that the election won’t have an impact. It was just announced that Congress will postpone its decision on the government’s role in mortgage financing until next Spring (a/k/a until after the election). The new rules, which are anticipated to be more stringent than the current rules, won’t be enacted until after Kevin, Crystal and their child are comfortably living in their dream home financed by a 30-year mortgage at an historically low interest rate. Meanwhile, no one knows what the new mortgage requirements will even be next year.
Is the situation in Europe important? Of course. Is this election one of the most important in our nation’s history? Many believe so. Did either of these situations enter Kevin’s mind while he was deciding to buy a home? No.
He was too busy caring about his wife, his new child and his family’s happiness.
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