27
Dec
By First Rate Financial Group
Real Estate

4 Reasons Why Home Ownership Is Better Than Renting

4 Reasons Why Home Ownership Is Better Than RentingAre you trying to decide if you should rent or buy? There are many reasons why home ownership is better than renting. Here are just a few to consider when you’re making your decision.

1. Stability For Your Family

When you own your home, the life of your family will be more stable. If you have children, this is a an even more valuable benefit. Your kids will be able to settle down into the routine of school and extracurricular activities. They’ll be able to make lifelong friends in the neighborhood. You and your spouse will be able to feel a strong sense of community and belonging.

2. Personalization

Owning a home is better than renting because you can personalize and customize your living environment. In many rentals, you can’t even paint the walls if you want to.

When you own, you not only can paint walls whatever color you want; you can knock them down if you like! You spend so much time at home, being able to make stamp your personality on it is a huge benefit!

3. Peace And Quiet

When compared to renting an apartment, there is a lot more peace and quiet in your own home. In an apartment, walls are shared. Often, there isn’t a lot of insulation inside the walls, either. It’s likely you’ll be able to hear your neighbors, their kids or their barking dogs. When you own your home, you’ll be able to enjoy the peace and quiet you deserve.

4. Outdoor Property

When you own your home, you may have access to outdoor space in addition to your house. That property is yours to do as you wish. You could make an outdoor living area, plant a garden, install a pool or erect a badminton set. The outdoor property around your house certainly adds to the satisfaction of owning your home.

It’s likely that these four benefits will give you some reasons to pursue home ownership. Chances are you’ll never want to go back to renting again!

When you’re ready to begin the search for your next home, contact a trusted mortgage professional in your area to get your financing pre-approved!

21
Dec
By First Rate Financial Group
Real Estate

Big Cities vs. Secondary Markets: Where to Buy?

Big Cities vs. Secondary Markets Where to BuyAtlanta, Charlotte, New York and Los Angeles are always on the real estate radar because of big ticket sales and good media coverage. The secondary markets – those markets without the celebrity undertones – may actually be better deals. With the price of borrowing money rising and occupation rates dropping in primary markets, places like Nashville and Birmingham are looking better to investors.

Where Are the Secondary Markets?

A secondary market is generally defined as a mid size or large city that has recorded an uptick in growth in the immediate past. They do not have quite the economic clout or media presence of a primary market, although they may rival each other in terms of population.

Generally, the influx of new attention for a secondary market will be from young professionals. These are people who are upwardly mobile and seeking new forms of skilled employment. This is what has driven the markets of cities like San Antonio, San Jose, San Diego, Phoenix and Philadelphia to new heights in recent years.

What Do Experts Think?

Experts believe that primary markets have topped out for the time being. With occupancy rates dropping from highs in the lower 90 percentiles, primary markets are just too saturated for their own good. Landlords in these areas are more unwilling to lower rents in these areas, because there are usually more high income earners established there who want to stay in the area to keep a legacy job or maintain a family.

Rising real estate prices and interest rates also put the primary housing market out of the reach of many outsiders. Researchers have found that doing real estate business in a secondary market can provide an investor with a 16% premium. The cost of real estate itself is around 38% lower. So are the costs of maintaining a property (energy costs 22% lower; labor costs 14% lower).

The New Primary Markets?

With respect to income, secondary market housing prices are up to 45% more affordable. Individuals notice this, and so do commercial investors and developers. This is why the mad rush to cities like Phoenix and San Diego will be red hot for the next few years, say investors, even in relation to established cities like Los Angeles and New York.

No matter where you are looking to purchase your new home, it is essential that you rely on your trusted mortgage professional to explore your financing options. Finding out how much you can afford can be a key element in deciding which market could be the best fit for you. 

20
Dec
By First Rate Financial Group
Real Estate

How To Choose Between Laminate And Hardwood Flooring

How To Choose Between Laminate And Hardwood FlooringPicking out a new flooring can be exciting. After all, as anyone knows, new flooring in a home or business property can completely change the entire atmosphere. A common question asked by commercial and residential property owners is “Should I go with laminate or hardwood flooring?”

If you have found yourself asking this question, understand that both types of flooring materials each have their own pros and cons. For the most part, hardwood flooring tends to be more expensive than laminate but this isn’t always the case.

Let’s take a quick look at the benefits and disadvantages of laminate and hardwood flooring.

Pros And Cons Of Laminate Flooring

Most times, laminate flooring will be about 50 percent less expensive than hardwood flooring. It has a beautiful finish and can give the appearance of a real hardwood floor. Also, being that it is made of pressed wood, it tends to be a bit more durable than hardwood as well as more scratch resistant.

Although it’s usually easier to clean, if you don’t invest in high-quality laminate, you’ll end up with flooring that looks as if it has fake wood grains. In all actuality, this is what cheap laminate flooring is: cheap wood grains pressed together.

Pros And Cons Of Hardwood Flooring

Although hardwood flooring is more susceptible to scratching, you may like this characteristic because it gives it a more natural look. When it comes to beauty, nothing beats real hardwood flooring, and best of all, it tends to last many years longer than laminate. Because of this, even though such flooring is a bit more expensive than laminate, being that it lasts longer, it’s considered to be a very good investment.

Think About The Lighting In Your Home

One very important aspect to think about when choosing flooring for your home is whether or not your floors see a lot of daylight. The sun and its UV rays will cause real hardwood flooring to fade. Laminate on the other hand is usually made with UV protection. If you like to keep your blinds open and let natural sunlight in, it’s usually best to invest in laminate flooring.

Don’t let choosing the perfect flooring material for your home stress you out. With a bit of research, you’ll be well on your way to deciding whether laminate or hardwood is a better investment for your lifestyle and personal needs.

If you are in the market for a new home or interested in refinancing your current property, be sure to enlist the help of your trusted mortgage professional.