Is Real Estate Actually a Good Investment?
Video Transcript: Real estate can be a great investment, but if you don’t fully understand your numbers, it can be a disaster. A couple that I met with recently, loved getting their monthly rental checks and keeping close tabs on the fluctuations of the housing market. When the market started to rise, they began to Read more ➝
Do You Own Too Much Real Estate?
Video Transcript: Which elevator would you choose if you were riding to the top of the Empire State Building? One with a single, thin cable? Or one with several strong cables? Obviously, we all want the safest option. When it comes to investments though, many families latch their nest egg to a single cable. It’s Read more ➝
Should You Pay off Your Mortgage? A Difficult Decision.
In most cases, it would be optimal to pay off your mortgage before retirement. However, we do not live in a perfect world. Not everyone can afford to pay off this massive amount of debt. According to Fannie Mae, only 1 in 2 homeowners entering their retirement years will pay off their mortgage—within the near Read more ➝
Update on Your Real Estate: Portland Is Cooling Off (Part Five)
2 symptoms that housing in metro Portland/SW Washington is cooling off Do you own too much real estate? Portland Real Estate Still Obeys the Laws of Gravity What goes up might come down (especially in a sizzling market). After 8 strong years of relentless price gains, the party is cooling off in the US. This Read more ➝
Your Home: Do You Own Too Much of a Good Thing? (Part Four)
Why too much home and other real estate could put your financial health at risk (like many Americans). Case study of how we help families to find potential relief Read our analysis of the health of the overall US housing market, why our local region has experienced such a housing boom, and what might pop Read more ➝
Your House: Is a Bubble about to Pop in Metro Portland/Clark County? (Part Three)
Several factors have aided the housing bubble recovery both in Portland and the US at large. Jobs, interest rates, and the interaction of rent vs. purchase decisions have bolstered housing. While today they are helpful, some risk exists that these factors might turn into headwinds in the future. Job Growth Although wages have not shown Read more ➝
Your House: Low Supply Has Inflated Prices in Portland/Clark County (Part Two)
Home Supply in the US Is Low by Historical Standards Why have home prices recovered so strongly? Are these factors sustainable? What might this mean for the value of one’s property? The limited supply of housing (new and existing) has been a major support for the housing recovery. Lack of new home starts and high Read more ➝
Your House: Are Homes in Metro Portland/Clark County a Bubble Waiting to Pop? (Part One)
Housing Prices Nationally Now Above Previous Bubble Peak Americans’ biggest investment just made up its losses from the correction of 2008: US housing. In fact, home prices are at an all-time high and surpass levels of 2008. Despite this recovery, Zillow.com estimates that 10.4%, or 1 of every 10 homes, in the US remains in Read more ➝