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

Real Cost of Housing

10/26/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
A variety of factors have led to a shortage of rental units, especially single family homes, and as a result, rents have been steadily increasing nationwide. In most markets, it is considerably less to own than to rent.

In some cases, the total house payment is less than the rent for a similar size and condition home which supports a purchase. However, when you factor in some of the financial benefits like principal reduction, appreciation and tax savings, the difference becomes even more dramatic.
​
Let’s look at an example of a $250,000 home with 3.5% down payment and a 4.50% mortgage for 30 years. We’ll assume a 3% annual appreciation, 25% federal tax bracket, $1,200 annual maintenance and current rent of $2,100 a month.
​
The total house payment with property taxes, insurance and mortgage insurance premium would be $1,834 a month. Once the principal reduction, appreciation, tax savings and maintenance have been considered, the net cost of housing is about $673 a month. It costs a tenant over $1,400 more a month to rent than to own which would amount to $17,000 in the first year alone. That’s almost twice as much as the down payment to get into the home.

Picture
In this example, the down payment of $8,750 grows to almost $94,000 in seven years due to appreciation and amortization of the loan. Owning a home is one of the few investments available that allow these personal and financial benefits.

One of the obstacles in the past five to seven years has been a borrower’s inability to qualify for a mortgage but new programs and relaxed requirements have allowed more people to be eligible for mortgages. The important step is to talk to a trusted mortgage professional very early in the home search process. Your REALTOR® can make recommendations based on experience from actual closed transactions.
​

Use the Rent vs. Own calculator to see what the benefits might be in your price range.
0 Comments

6 Reasons for Rentals

10/19/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Rental homes have several distinct advantages compared to alternative investments. These advantages coupled with the opportunity for a higher yield make it a clear choice for some investors.
  1. Most investments must be paid for in cash. Stocks can be purchased with 50% cash but if the value goes down, more cash has to be used to keep the margin at 50%. Rentals can readily be financed with only a 20-25% down payment.
  2. Most loans made for business or investment purposes are at a floating interest rate compared to the prevalent fixed-rate mortgage on non-owner occupied real estate.
  3. Terms for investment loans if possible are generally six months to a year with a possible renewal but real estate commonly has long term loans up to 30 years.
  4. Real estate has a long-term history of appreciation.
  5. Real estate enjoys tax advantages like long-term capital gains treatment, cost recovery and tax deferred exchanges that are not available to many other types of investments.
  6. Single family homes and similar properties give the investor a reasonable amount of control to make improvements and manage the property which are limited to simply determining when to buy and sell for other investments.
The ins and outs of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities and other investments are unfamiliar to most people. It is possible for anyone to invest in them but the lack of knowledge about how they work could make it more difficult to have a successful outcome. On the other hand, homeowners can use their experiences to select, manage and sell with much more confidence using a single family home for rental purposes.
To find out more about investing in rental properties, contact your real estate professional.
0 Comments

Your Best Investment

10/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
According to a Federal Reserve report on Consumer Finances, homeowners' net worth is 36 times greater than that of renters. Building on that study, the National Association of REALTORS® believes that by the end of 2015, the factor will grow to 41 times greater.

There can be several factors that contribute to this disparity but an important one is the forced savings that is achieved due to an amortized mortgage. A portion of the payment goes to the reduction of the principal balance of the mortgage which increases equity in the home.

Appreciation is also a major contributor to homeowners’ equity. Homes, in most areas, have consistently increased in value over the long term and during the past four years have experienced solid growth. Many economists expect home prices to increase in the next five years.

Let’s look at a scenario where a qualified buyer considers three different options to see what their investment would be in five years: purchase a certificate of deposit, invest in the stock market or buy a home. The following assumptions are made: a $250,000 home with an $8,750 down payment with a 4.5% mortgage for 30 years and 3% annual appreciation; CD rate at 2% and a 5% return in the stock market.

The $8,750 would grow to $9,661 in the certificate of deposit, to $11,167 in the stock market, and to $69,900 in equity with a home purchase. That is over a six times growth in the same period of time due to the amortization of the loan and the appreciation.
​ 
Check out Your Best Investment to compare possible differences in your price range.

Picture
0 Comments

The Cost of Co-Signing

10/5/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
It seems fairly innocuous; a friend or family member wants you to co-sign on a loan because they don’t qualify. They assure you that they’ll make the payments; they’re quite convincing and very appreciative. You don’t want to disappoint them and after all, it’s not like it’s going to cost you anything…is it?

Think of it this way. They couldn’t get a loan unless you co-sign for them. If they don't make the payments, the lender is going to look to you to repay the loan plus late fees and collection fees. The lender may be able to sue you, file a lien on your home, or garnish your wages. 
It’s not just money that you could be losing, it could be your credit too. Co-signing a loan is a contingent liability that could affect your debt-to-income ratio and your ability to borrow. 
Co-signing is an obligation to repay the debt if the other signer is unable. You could be out the money and unable to recoup the loss because you don’t have control of the asset. The impact on your credit could take years to recover. 
Before you obligate yourself, consider all of the ramifications involved in co-signing a loan for someone.

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.