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Home Ownership

Real Estate Blog

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Infographic:
Real Estate consistently voted best investment

July 1, 2022

Based on a recent Gallup poll, real estate has been rated the best long-term investment for nine years in a row. Owning real estate is more than just a place to call home. It’s also an investment in your future. That’s because it’s typically a stable and secure asset that can grow in value over time.

Real estate consistently voted best investment

If you’re ready to buy a home and invest in your future, let’s connect.

Filed Under: Home Ownership Tagged With: Appreciation, Home Equity, Infographics

Retirement may be changing what you need in a home

November 27, 2021

Retirement may be changing what you need in a home

The past year and a half brought about significant life changes for many of us. For some, it meant entering retirement earlier than expected. Recent data shows more people retired this year than anticipated. According to the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, 2021 saw a retirement boom:

“At least 1.7 million more older workers than expected retired due to the pandemic recession.”

If you’ve recently retired, your home may not fit your new lifestyle. The good news is, you’ve likely built-up significant equity that can fuel your next move. According to the latest Homeowner Equity Insights report from CoreLogic, homeowners gained more than $50,000 in equity over the past 12 months alone. That, plus today’s sellers’ market, presents a great opportunity to sell your house and address your evolving needs.

You can move closer to the ones you love

The 2021 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) provides a look at the reasons people buy homes. For those reaching retirement age, the number one reason to buy is the opportunity to be closer to loved ones, friends, or relatives. If you find yourself farther from your loved ones than you’d like to be, retirement and the equity you’ve built in your home may enable you to move closer to the people in your life who matter most.

You can find the right home for your needs

Not only can your equity power a move to a new location, but it can also help you purchase the right size home. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at NAR, says many homebuyers 55 and older choose to downsize – or buy a smaller home – when they make a purchase:

“Clearly from the age patterns, young people want to upsize, and the older generation is looking to downsize. . . .”

Whatever your home goals are, I can help you to find the best option for your situation. I’ll help you sell your current home and guide you as you buy your next one while you move into this new phase of life.

Filed Under: Home Ownership Tagged With: Retirement

4 ways homeowners can use their equity

November 22, 2021

4 Ways Homeowners Can Use Their Equity

Your equity is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your goals as a homeowner. And chances are, your equity grew substantially over the past year. According to the latest Equity Insights Report from CoreLogic, homeowners gained an average of $51,500 in equity over the past year.

If you’re looking for the best ways to use your growing equity, here are four options:

1. Use your equity to buy a home that fits your needs

If you’re finding you no longer have the space you need, it might be time to move into a larger home. Or, it’s possible you have too much space and would like something smaller. No matter the situation, consider using your equity to power a move into a home that fits your changing lifestyle. Moving into a larger home can provide extra space for remote work or loved ones. Downsizing, on the other hand, may mean saving time and money by caring for a smaller home.

2. Move to the location of your dreams

If the size of your home isn’t a challenge but your current location is, it could be time to relocate to a new area. Maybe you enjoy vacationing in the mountains, at the beach, or another area, and you’re dreaming of living there year-round. Or perhaps the distance between you and your loved ones is greater than you’d like, and you want to close the gap. No matter what, your home equity can fuel your move to the location where you really want to live.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Home Ownership Tagged With: Home Equity

Infographic:
Your home equity can take you places

July 9, 2021

The amount of wealth Americans have stored in their homes has increased astronomically. On average, homeowners gained $33,400 in equity over the last 12 months, and the average equity on mortgaged homes is now $216,000. When it’s time to sell, your home equity can help accomplish your goals.

INFOGRAPHIC: Your home equity can take you places

Let’s connect to discuss how you can take advantage of today’s sellers’ market to get the most out of your home sale.

Filed Under: Home Ownership, Market Trends Tagged With: Appreciation, Home Equity, Infographics

A look at home price appreciation through 2025

July 6, 2021

A look at home price appreciation through 2025

Home prices have increased significantly over the last year, which in turn has grown the net worth of homeowners. Appreciation and home equity are directly linked – as the value of a home increases, so does a homeowner’s equity. And with these recent gains, homeowners are witnessing their financial stability and well-being grow to record levels.

In more good news for homeowners, the most recent Home Price Expectations Survey – a survey of a national panel of over one hundred economists, real estate experts, and investment and market strategists – forecasts home prices will continue appreciating over the next five years, adding to the record amount of equity homeowners have already gained over the past year.

Below are the expected year-over-year rates of home price appreciation from the report:

A look at home price appreciation through 2025

What Does This Mean for Homeowners?

Home prices are climbing today, and the data in the survey indicates they’ll continue to increase, but at rates that approach a more normal pace. Even still, the amount of household wealth a homeowner stands to earn going forward is substantial. This truly becomes clear when we consider a scenario using a median-priced home purchased in January of 2021 and the projected rate of appreciation on that home over the next five years. As the graph below illustrates, a homeowner could increase their net worth by a significant amount – over $93,000 dollars by 2026.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Home Ownership, Market Trends Tagged With: Appreciation, Home Equity, Home Prices

What home insurance does (and doesn’t) cover

November 14, 2020

What home insurance does — and doesn’t — cover

Getting homeowners insurance when you purchase a house is a non-negotiable. But while standard home insurance policies provide a high level of coverage and protection, they don’t cover everything — and in order to protect your home (and your investment), it’s important to understand what potential issues might fall outside your home insurance umbrella.

Here are a few things that you may be surprised to learn that your homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover:

  • Floods. While home insurance typically covers water issues like burst pipes, if your home is flooded due to a hurricane or excessive rain, most standard home insurance policies won’t cover the damage. In order to get coverage, you’ll need to purchase additional flood insurance.
  • Earthquakes. Similar to floods, most standard home insurance policies don’t cover earthquakes—so if you want coverage, you’ll need to buy a separate earthquake insurance policy.
  • Renovation damage. If you’re doing major renovations on your home—like gutting the interior or replacing the roof—most home insurance policies won’t cover the damage. If you want to protect yourself in the case of damage caused by the contractor, you’ll need to purchase a renovation policy.
  • Termites. Pest control and insect infestations can be prevented with proper maintenance, so the cost to remove termites and repair their damage is generally not covered by your homeowners insurance.

So, what does this mean for you? If you’re thinking about buying a home, it’s important to understand the limits of your home insurance policy, and that you purchase additional coverage or maintenance agreements when necessary to protect your home.

Filed Under: Tips for Home Buyers, Home Ownership Tagged With: Insurance

VIDEO: How home ownership multiplies your net worth

October 1, 2020

Home ownership is one of the best ways to build your financial future. In fact, homeowners have an average net worth that is 40 times greater than that of renters. Watch:

Let’s connect so we can begin planning your first step toward building your financial future.

Filed Under: Tips for Home Buyers, Home Ownership

Home improvement, DIY projects are here to stay

September 21, 2020

Home improvement, DIY projects are here to stay

COVID-19 has caused many people to spend significantly more time at home than they’re used to—and all that time at home has led to a serious rise in the popularity of home improvement and DIY projects.

But it looks like this DIY/home improvement trend is here to stay — COVID or no COVID. The home improvement and DIY trend has staying power beyond the pandemic, according to a recent report by CNBC:

  • The shift to suburban areas. Many buyers are leaving large cities in favor of larger, more spacious homes in the suburbs — and larger homes means more home improvement projects.
  • Consumers are ready and willing to spend on home improvement and DIY projects. While COVID has caused many consumers to up their spending, one category they’re willing to spend in moving forward? Home improvement. According to a survey from Wells Fargo (highlighted in the article), 88 percent of consumers plan to increase their retail spending on home improvement items (for example, appliances and electronics) in the second half of 2020.

Bottom line: While COVID may have inspired the uptick in home improvement and DIY projects, the trend is showing no signs of slowing. So if you’ve been thinking about tackling a project at home (either for your own satisfaction or to get your property ready to sell), now is a great time to make a move.

Filed Under: Home Ownership Tagged With: Home Improvement

The economic impact of buying a home

March 31, 2020

Economic impact of buying a home

We’re in a changing real estate market, and life, in general, is changing too — from how we grocery shop and meal prep to the ways we can interact with our friends and neighbors. Even practices for engaging with agents, lenders, and all of the players involved in a real estate transaction are changing to a virtual format. What isn’t changing, however, is one key thing that can drive the local economy: buying a home.

If you’re in a position to buy a home today, know that you’re a major economic force in your neighborhood. And while we all wait patiently for the current pandemic to pass, there are a lot of things you can do in the meantime to keep your home search on track.

Every year the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shares a report that notes the full economic impact of home sales. This report summarizes:Continue Reading

Filed Under: Home Ownership Tagged With: Home Equity

5 financial benefits to owning your home instead of renting

January 3, 2020

Owning will always be better than renting

Owning a home has great financial benefits.

In a recent research paper titled “Homeownership and the American Dream,” Laurie S. Goodman and Christopher Mayer of the Urban Land Institute explained:

“Homeownership appears to help borrowers accumulate housing and non-housing wealth in a variety of ways, with tax advantages, greater financial flexibility due to secured borrowing, built-in ‘default’ savings with mortgage amortization and nominally fixed payments, and the potential to lower home maintenance costs through sweat equity.”

Let’s break down five major financial benefits of homeownership:

1. Housing Is Typically the One Leveraged Investment Available

Homeownership allows households to amplify any appreciation on the value of their homes by a leverage factor. A 20% down payment results in a leverage factor of five, meaning every percentage point rise in the value of your home is a 5% return on your equity. If you put down 10%, your leverage factor is 10.

Example: Let’s assume you purchased a $300,000 home and put down $60,000 (20%). If the house appreciates by $30,000, that is not only a 10% increase in value but a 50% increase in equity.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Tips for Home Buyers, Home Ownership Tagged With: Home Equity, Rent vs. Own

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Russ Fortuno, Associate Broker

I'm a Southern Arizona native and Quail Creek resident. Whether you’re buying or selling a home in Quail Creek, you’ll experience unsurpassed service and professionalism at all stages of your real estate transaction. I welcome the opportunity to assist in your next home sale or purchase.
Meet Russ

Tierra Antigua Realty

18745 S. I-19 Frontage Rd., Ste. A105
Green Valley, AZ 85614
(520) 333-0446
Contact Russ

This site is not affiliated with Robson Communities or the Quail Creek Country Club Property Owners Association.
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