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home affordability

Q&A: Newlyweds wonder if it’s the time to buy a home

May 20, 2024 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: My husband and I are newlyweds and looking into purchasing a home. However, many homes in our area sell for $50,000 and more over the asking prices, which already are pretty high. We have stable jobs, but our dilemma is whether we should go into the market now or continue to save and wait a year or two.

Answer: The best time to buy a home is when you can afford to do so. It’s hard to time any market, but that’s especially true for real estate. If you put off buying a home hoping for a correction, you could be waiting a long time.

The supply of houses for sale is low in many areas. Often homeowners are reluctant to sell, even if they want to trade up, downsize or move, because they don’t want to give up their low-rate mortgages. A drop in mortgage rates likely will induce more people to put their homes on the market, but also could increase competition as buyers get access to more affordable loans.

Also, many homes for sale in tight markets are deliberately underpriced. Sellers hope to spark a frenzy of offers over asking price. You’d be smart to get clear on how much you can afford to pay — consider consulting a fee-only financial planner — and to enlist the services of a good real estate agent who understands your local market.

Filed Under: Q&A, Real Estate Tagged With: buying a home, home affordability, home buying, homeownership, rent vs own, rent vs. buy

Q&A: Managing mortgage debt in retirement

April 29, 2024 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: My husband and I are Gen Xers who are renting. We have enough cash from the sale of our last home to make a small down payment on another. If we moved to a more affordable community, we could manage the payments, but it would still be a stretch. That scenario would not have bothered me 10 years ago, but now I’m close to 50. Is it a good idea to take on a mortgage at this point? What is the best way to ensure I can afford to keep the roof over my head when I can no longer work full time?

Answer: Having a mortgage in retirement used to be uncommon, but that’s no longer the case. The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University found 41% of homeowners 65 and older had a mortgage in 2022, compared with 24% in 1989. Among homeowners 80 and over, the percentage with mortgages rose from 3% to 31%.

The amounts owed have skyrocketed as well. Median mortgage debt for those 65 and older rose more than 400%, from $21,000 to $110,000 (both figures are in 2022 dollars). Median mortgage debt for those 80 and over increased more than 750%, from $9,000 to $79,000.

Mortgage debt doesn’t have to be a crisis if you can afford the home and the payments don’t cause you to run through your retirement savings too quickly. In fact, some retirees are better off hanging on to their loans. It may not make sense to prepay a 3% mortgage when you can earn 5% on a certificate of deposit, for example. Paying off a mortgage early also could leave you “house rich and cash poor,” with not enough savings to deal with emergencies and later-life expenses.

But the key is affordability. A mortgage that’s a stretch now might become easier to afford if your income rises, which was almost a given when you were younger. Now, however, you’re approaching the “dangerous decade” of your 50s, when many people wind up losing their jobs and failing to ever regain their former pay, according to a study by ProPublica and the Urban Institute.

Renting has its risks as well, of course. You aren’t building equity and you typically have little control over rent increases, other than to move.

For help in sorting through your options, consider talking to a fee-only, fiduciary advisor. Among the most affordable options are accredited financial counselors and accredited financial coaches, who typically are well-versed in the money issues facing middle-class Americans. You can get referrals from the Assn. for Financial Counseling & Planning Education at www.afcpe.org.

Filed Under: Mortgages, Q&A, Retirement Tagged With: home affordability, mortgage, mortgage in retirement, Retirement

Monday’s need-to-know money news

September 16, 2019 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: Car buyers could save thousands with just an hour of research. Also in the news: Home affordability is boxing out Americans who dream of relocating, the 15 best and worst US cities for young families, and why you should plan now to deal with holiday credit card debt.

Car Buyers Could Save $2,000 (or More) With an Hour of Research
60 minutes could save you thousands.

Survey: Home Affordability Boxes Out Americans Who Dream of Relocating
Almost 25% of Americans would like to relocate.

The 15 best—and worst—US cities for young, growing families
Is the West Coast the best coast?

Make a plan now to deal with holiday credit card debt. Here are four tips to follow.
The holidays are right around the corner.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: car shopping, holiday credit card debt, home affordability, relocating, tips, young families

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

March 12, 2019 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: Home affordability watch: the priciest and cheapest time zones. Also in the news: 5 things you don’t have to pay a tax preparer to do, cheap flights to Hawaii, and the 10 cities most prepared for retirement’s financial realities.

Home Affordability Watch: Priciest and Cheapest Time Zones
NerdWallet crunches the numbers.

5 Things You Don’t Have to Pay a Tax Preparer to Do
You can handle these on your own.

Say Aloha: Southwest Flights to Hawaii Are Now on Sale
Time for a vacation?

The 10 cities where seniors are the most prepared for retirement’s financial realities
Did yours make the list?

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Hawaii, home affordability, real estate, Retirement, retirement costs, tax prep, travel sale

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