We've all heard the old adage "What goes up, must come down", however the opposite is true in housing.
Home prices tend to rise with commodity prices over the long term. Currently, the Producer Price Index for construction is up 39 percent over the past five years, and prices for commodities like oil, copper, steel and cement are sky-high. Sooner or later the increasing costs of these raw materials will push home prices higher.
As the supreme commodity, every home is full of materials like steel, wood, and copper wiring. Presently, an oversupply of homes may be keeping prices low, but home prices are rooted in hard costs and will eventually adjust to reflect the price of production.
If you are sitting on the fence wondering if this really is the right time to buy, consider that many homes today are being sold for less than their replacement cost due to oversupply and deeply discounted foreclosures. As interest rates begin to creep upward, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage is forecast to rise gradually to 6.8 percent by the end of this year and hold at that level for most of 2009.
©2008 Debbie Small, Long & Foster. All Rights Reserved "Is This The Right Time To Buy?"
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