Home Buyer FAQ’s: Should I Rent or Buy?

Home Buyer FAQ's: Should I Rent or Buy?
People all around San Diego County and, frankly, the United States are looking at their respective markets and trying to decide whether they should buy or rent. It can be a difficult decision and one that can alter the way you and your family live day-to-day for years to come. Interest rates are historically low and home prices have dropped (search current San Diego County home prices), but is it the right time for you? As the summer moving season approaches, let’s discuss the positives and negatives to the question, “Should I Rent or Buy?”
Positives to Owning a Home, Negatives to Renting…
In a “typical” market, home ownership allows you to gain equity over time as you pay down your mortgage and your home value increases. We cannot ignore that for the last few years the real estate market in San Diego and most of the country has been far from “typical.” Depending on who you talk to and where in San Diego County…the market is nearing the bottom, at the bottom or rising from the bottom. Frankly, there are arguments for and against each. The point is, I believe San Diego County is entering into a phase where the market will begin on a more “typical” path. You will not see the equity increases of four or five years ago, but instead a more sustained increase over time. We counsel all potential and current clients that they should be willing to hold on to their home for at least five years. If not, now is probably not the best time to buy. The bottom line is that the opportunity for equity, over the long term, is once again a reality. Read the rest of this entry »





