When To Buy

Financial advisors in our newspapers and magazines love to write about this subject, suggesting that we buy when sellers are willing to negotiate, when interest rates are low, when others are buying, etc., etc.

Financial advisors in our newspapers and magazines love to write about this subject, suggesting that we buy when sellers are willing to negotiate, when interest rates are low, when others are buying, etc., etc.

The reality is that there is no ideal time—in the abstract—to buy your home. The best time to buy is when you can afford to buy, and need to buy a home that suits the needs of your household, and have found the right home to fulfill your needs and wishes.

It’s true that we’ve seen home prices skyrocket in certain years, and that people who bought when home prices reached their peak weren’t always pleased with the results. But the problem didn’t reside in the home, nor did problems show up in the real estate deals, nor even position of the stars in the heavens. The problem showed up when people bought more than they could afford to buy, particularly when they used a mortgage loan they didn’t understand and found, months after the deal closed, that the monthly payment started to rise insidiously.

There may be no better time to buy than that magical moment when very few people think they should, and interest rates are low, and the market is coming into recovery. But that is a moving target, very hard to hit. A good home at a fair price with financing that fits the buyers’ profile—that is surely the definition of a good deal for a buyer. For assistance call Beth at 425-450-5208 and visit her website at www.bethbillington.com.