How to Get the Most Value When Buying Your Next Home
 
By: Marti Hampton

Date: 12-01-10

Real estate has topped national headlines for the last 3 years. In the 7 Rules for Smart Home Buyers presented on this site, we show a chart depicting the real estate cycle. Of course, no one knows where we are in this cycle, but a keen observer of real estate will certainly make an educated guess that we are at bottom, near bottom or moving upward from bottom of our local Raleigh and Cary real estate market.

The local Raleigh real estate market is not nearly as negatively affected as other national markets. Indeed, North Carolina real estate markets have compared as ‘winners’ and are more stable than the markets that grab all the ‘headlines’ on your evening news.

In late 2006 and the beginning of 2007, the headlines warned of the real estate ‘bubble’ to come. It is human to think ‘bubbles’ are going to affect the other guy. Alas, as time has proven, even though mild in comparison, real estate sales in Raleigh, Cary, and surrounding areas have seen a slower season. Which brings me to answer to the question: “How to Get the Most Value when Buying Your Next Home?”

First, let’s discuss other ‘bubbles’. The dot.com bubble comes to my mind. Remember when everyone’s stocks were going up like ‘wildfire’ with the last and greatest new dot.com to hit? That was a bubble that hit and burst in early 2000’s. Currently, we have gold prices doubling and tripling. The common thing about a ‘bubble’ is that ‘everyone’ including your cousin Harry is BUYING! When ‘EVERYONE IS BUYING’ and you have prices rising sharply, you have the makings and the high probability of a ‘bubble’.

Why do we buy stuff when everyone else is buying? Maybe it has something to do with ‘critical mass’ or some other physiological or scientific mumbo-jumbo.  Maybe, just maybe, there is just a touch of plain old fashion greed. We Americans are always afraid we’re going to ‘miss’ something.

Next in answering the question “How to Get the Most Value from Your Next Home’, we’ve got to agree that real estate is good investment. Negative headlines make us doubt real estate. Statistics prove that your home is indeed an excellent long term investment. Consider that most Americans have the bulk of their net worth in real estate. If you believe in America, I believe you should believe that even though real estate may take some ‘hits’, if America comes back from recession, then real estate will come back. Strong.

I believe that real estate is going to come back bearing ‘gifts’ of profit for homebuyers who bought while others waited. I love what Dave Ramsey said, “Buy a home in today’s Buyer’s Market, and look like a genius 5 years from now!” I believe that a home is a high qualify, safe investment with benefits of immediate enjoyment.

Our team has guided more home buyers than anyone in the Triangle to their ‘biggest’ investment. This level of expertise is of great value to you when buying your next home.  We will guide you to a ‘genius’ investment in real estate, click here to get started.