Why Would You Want To Sell When The Sky Is Falling?

November 20, 2008

Are you crazy? Are you so flush with money that you don’t mind giving away $20,000 or $30,000 of your equity? I almost said “hard-earned” equity – but for most of us who’ve bought in the last 10 years, we didn’t have to do much other than sit back and watch our home appreciate. But however we’ve earned the equity, it doesn’t seem on the surface to be a good idea to sell right now.

But what if I told you that by giving away $20,000 I’ll give you back $30,000? You’ve now netted $10,000. Sounds a bit better now, doesn’t it? You’re continuing to earn equity the “easy” way – even in this different market.

Let’s say that you own a house that a few years ago was valued at $200,000 – up 30% from when you bought in 1999. Unfortunately prices have dropped in your area so now your home is only worth $180,000 – down $20,000 from 3 years ago. Ouch! It’s no good wishing you’d sold then – that window of opportunity has already passed. But if you have a stable job in an industry that appears to be weathering the economic downturn fairly well, then you might want to consider taking advantage of lower prices on larger homes. If you’ve had to drop your price 10%, then larger, more expensive homes will have to drop their price also. A home that would have cost $300,000 two years ago may now be listed for $270,000.

Then add in the monthly savings of an incredibly low interest rate (I just spoke to a Mortgage rep and he told me as of December 30, 30 year mortgage rates are holding at between the high 4% and mid 5% range. Fifteen year rates are slightly lower at 4.75%.) So what does this mean to your bottom line? For many, the cost is only a couple of hundred dollars more a month for a much bigger comfortable home. Only you can do your calculate what the cost of moving into a more spacious home would be. If I were looking to move up, and my long-term employment seemed secure, I’d definitely be looking now!

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22125 Eastlake Loop, Land O Lakes FL

Local Information for Land O Lakes, FL

Latitude: 28.203876 -- Longitude: -82.448798

Other Area Cities: Land O' Lakes Lake Magdalene Lutz Wesley Chapel Egypt Lake Carrollwood Village Tampa Zephyr Hills

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Land O' Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 20,971. The city grew rapidly during the 1990s, growing from 7,800 residents to 20,971. The city is still growing rapidly as new housing developments are built, according to city estimates, the city has a population in 2007 of 30,250 residents. A new master planned community is being built in Land O' Lakes with approximately 8,766 homes, shops and restaurants, schools, and many franchises. It is expected to be a community of approximately 20,000-25,000 residents and will help Land O' Lakes to grow even more explosively. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

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