North Idaho Fine Homes - Josh Ivey and Jennifer Ivey, REALTORS
  • Home
  • Properties
    • 714 Church St >
      • 714 Church St Photo Gallery
    • 24557 Highway 2 >
      • 24557 Highway 2 Photo Gallery
    • 306 Shepherd Rd >
      • 306 Shepherd Rd Photo Gallery
    • NNA Dufort Rd >
      • NNA Dufort Rd Photo Gallery
    • 11295 N Avondale Lp >
      • 11295 N Avondale Lp Photo Gallery
    • NNA Crooked Ear Dr >
      • NNA Crooked Ear Dr Photo Gallery
    • The Cottages - Waterfront Community in Sandpoint, Idaho >
      • The Cottages Photo Gallery
    • 20 Acres - Lone Cedar Lane >
      • 20 Acre Lone Cedar Lane Photo Gallery
    • 180 Deerhaven Dr >
      • 180 Deerhaven Dr Photo Gallery
    • 206 E Third Ave >
      • 206 E Third Ave Photo Gallery
    • 714 Church St >
      • 714 Church St Photo Gallery
    • 6850 Spurwing Loop #204 >
      • 6850 Spurwing Loop #204 Photo Gallery
    • 3921 W Accipter Dr
    • 6416 River Rd
    • 660 Gemini Trail
    • 210 W Third Ave >
      • 210 W Third Ave Photo Gallery
    • 822 Northview Dr
    • Coeur d Alene Area Search
    • Sandpoint Area Search
  • Destinations
    • Coeur d Alene
    • Sandpoint
  • Lifestyles
    • Amusement Park
    • Bicycling
    • Fishing
    • Golfing
    • Outdoor Adventure
    • Skiing
    • Snowmobiling
  • Professionals
  • Perspectives


​I am the master of my fate, i am the captain of my soul

~ William Ernest henley

Fair Skies on Horizon

2/26/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

​Buyers who have been concerned about what might happen to the tax laws affecting home ownership should feel more comfortable about moving forward with their decision to purchase. The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act passed by Congress and signed by the President continues to treat real estate as a favored investment.

Whether it is for a home to live in as your principal residence or to use as rental property, the tax laws are in place but other dynamics to be concerned with are not; mortgage rates are expected to rise as well as prices.


​Reasons to buy now:
​
  1. The mortgage interest deduction is intact for most taxpayers.
  2. The capital gain exclusion for principal residences up to $500,000 remains in place.
  3. Taxpayers can elect annually to take newly increased standard deduction or itemize deductions whichever will benefit them the most.
  4. The house payment with taxes and insurance is most likely cheaper than the rent.
  5. Rents will continue to rise making the difference even greater in the future.
  6. Lock-in the principal & interest payment with a fixed-rate mortgage.
  7. 30-year mortgage terms are available to most borrowers.
  8. Prices will likely increase due to lower inventories and several years of low housing starts.
  9. Section 1031 exchanges, capital gains and depreciation remain the same for rental properties.

​For a summary of specific real estate provisions in the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, click here.

0 Comments

Historical Perspective

2/19/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
In 1968, mortgage rates were 8.5%. The next    year, rates went down to 7%. Homeowners could buy a 15-20% larger home for the same payments if they could find someone to assume their mortgage.

FHA and VA mortgages were very popular in certain price ranges and they allowed anyone to assume the mortgage regardless of the credit. If you could find a person to take over your note, you were free to qualify for another mortgage.

In October 1981, mortgage rates reached 18.63%. A $250,000 mortgage had a monthly principal and interest payment of $3,896.46. As astronomical as that rate sounds, people were still buying homes and were good investments.

Four years later, they were still over 12%. The monthly payment was $2,571.53. Believe it or not, people were excited to be paying only 2/3 what they had to pay a few years earlier.

Fast forward to late 1991 when the rates went below 9% and that same payment was to $2,015.16. At the turn of the 21st century, rates were 8.15% and that made the payment $1,860.62. Not much change in rates during that decade.

If we look around the housing bubble, late 2008, the rates were 6.04% and the payment was $1,505.31. By 2009, mortgage rates had fallen below 5%. The lowest mortgage rate was 3.31% on November 2012 with a payment of $1,096.27.

Rates fluctuated for the next few years until now, and most of the experts are expecting them to be above 5% by the end of 2018.  Rates have increased each week for the last six weeks to 4.38% with payments of $1,240.12.

​The average mortgage rate for the past 47 years is a little over 8%. The real estate and mortgage markets are cyclical. Rates have been historically low for a long period but will probably continue to rise. Most buyers don’t pay cash and mortgages enable them to purchase now. Based on history, even 8% would be an excellent rate. Until it reaches that point again, everything lower is a bargain.

0 Comments

The "Right" Agent and the "Right" Home

2/12/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Some buyers think that finding the right home is the critical part of the buying process and that is how they determine which agent to use. While it is important, there may be a broader skill set to consider when selecting your real estate professional.

The most recent NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers indicate that 52% of buyers do want help in finding the right home to purchase. There was a time when the public did not have access to all the homes on the market, but the Internet has changed that.

Helping to negotiate the price and terms of sale were identified by almost 25% of the buyers. No one wants to pay more than is necessary and the terms of the sale can be as important as the price.

The next largest area of assistance that buyers value has to do with financing and the paperwork. Even if a buyer has been through the process before, it very likely could have been several years and things have probably changed.

Since the cost of housing is dependent on the price paid for the home and the financing, a real estate professional skilled in these specialized areas can be very valuable in finding the “right” home. An agent’s experience and connections to allied professionals and service providers is equally important.

​Ask the agent representing you to specifically list the tools and talent they have available to address these areas.

0 Comments

Convincing Advantages with Standard Deduction

2/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
​The new tax law doubles the standard deduction and it is estimated that over 90% of taxpayers will elect to use it. However, even without considering tax benefits, homeownership has convincing advantages.

Besides the personal and social reasons for owning a home, one of the most compelling is that it is cheaper. Principal reduction and appreciation are powerful dynamics that reduce the effective cost of housing.

​Amortized loans apply a specific amount of each payment to the principal amount owed to retire the loan over the term. Some people consider it a forced savings account; when the payment is made, the unpaid balance is reduced.

​The price of homes going up over time is appreciation. While there are lots of variables and it is not guaranteed, it is easy to research the history of an area and make predictions based on supply and demand.

​Interest rates are still low and can be locked-in for 30 years. Without considering the tax benefits at all, the appreciation and the amortization dramatically affect the “real” cost of owning a home.
Consider a $250,000 that appreciates at 2% a year for the next seven years instead of paying $2,000 a month in rent. In the example, the payment is less than the rent being paid even including the property tax and insurance.

Picture
When you factor in the monthly principal reduction and appreciation and consider additional owner expenses like maintenance and possible homeowners association, the net cost of housing is considerably lower than the rent. In this example, reduced cost in the first year alone is more than the down payment required on a FHA loan.

Based on the assumptions stated, the down payment of $8,750 could grow to $73,546 in equity in seven years. Can you name another investment with this kind of potential that also provides you a place to live, enjoy, raise your family and share with your friends?

​Use this Rent vs. Own to make projections using your own numbers and price range. We’re available to answer any questions you have and to find out what it will take to own your own home.
0 Comments

    Author

    Josh & Jennifer Ivey - Your trusted real estate advisers for all of North Idaho.

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Home Buying
    Home Cleaning
    Home Design
    Home Finance
    Home Maintenance
    Home Selling
    Investments
    Lifestyle

    RSS Feed

221 E Sherman Ave
Coeur d' Alene, Idaho 83814

200 Main St
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864
Tomlinson Sotheby's International Realty
Josh Ivey (208) 946-7355
josh.ivey@sothebysrealty.com

Jennifer Ivey (208) 946-7816
jennifer.ivey@sothebysrealty.com

©2016 North Idaho Fine Homes. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated.