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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Local Information for Saint Cloud, MN

Latitude: 45.556833 -- Longitude: -94.172499

Other Area Cities: Saint Cloud Sauk Rapids

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St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is a major place in the state's central region. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 64,308. It is the county seat of Stearns County6. Although mainly located in Stearns County, the city extends into Benton County and Sherburne County as well. It is the main city of a small metropolitan area, with Waite Park, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, Rockville, and St. Augusta directly bordering the city, and others such as Kimball, Clearwater, Clear Lake, St. Joseph, and Cold Spring nearby. The Mississippi River flows through the city. St. Cloud is northwest of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area along Interstate 94, U.S. Highway 10, and State Highway 23. It is sometimes considered to be part of the Twin Cities region, and the media markets for the two areas overlap. A commuter rail line running into the Twin Cities known as the Northstar Corridor may reach the city in a second phase. The line is still in planning stages. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Minnesota 2000 Census Population Profile Map

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