Home ownership is the greatest AMERICAN DREAM, is it not? But listen up, my friends: If you do not have a clue what it really costs to own a home, how much of a house you can truly afford, and if you are just plain capable of owning a home, I am here to tell you that your dream will most likely turn into your greatest financial nightmare.
Not that any of those issues has scared off anyone from diving into home ownership recently. Did you know that the percentage of U.S. households that now own, rather than rent, is at an all-time high? We have super-low interest rates to thank for that.
So I can imagine that those of you who are still renting might be mentally kicking yourself right about now. I am willing to bet all you can think about is how much money you would have made if you had already purchased a home. I have to tell you that sort of thinking sounds dangerously like the investors in 2000 who thought they were losers if they hadn’t jumped on the technology stock craze. And we all know how that story ended.
Feeding the housing craze right now is the panic over higher interest rates. With the rumor that rates have bottomed out and will be heading higher in the next few months, there is this rush to “get into” a house before rates rise. But before you rush to beat a rate increase, you need to understand the true cost of buying versus owning. If you can’t afford the true cost of homeownership – no matter how low rates are – you better not make the purchase.
Let me show you how to make an informed decision on whether you can truly afford to buy a home or not.
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