Although the holiday season isn’t really considered the best time to sell, the real estate market is much tighter, resulting in less competition for sellers. At the same time, motivated buyers are still in the market for homes, in hopes that they can make a purchase.

During the holidays, you can liven up your home with some lights and ornaments to attract buyers. Although you can make your home “shine” during the holidays, try not to overdo it. Homes often look their best during the holidays, but sellers should be careful not to overdo it on the decor. Too many ornaments could have a negative effect, and actually turn buyers away. Obviously, you don’t want to offend people, so be sure to go with tasteful decorations, as opposed to large and gaudy ones.

Also keep in mind that emotions play a big role in a homebuyer purchases. A well organized home with a few tasteful decorations shows much better than a cluttered home with your kid’s toys lying around the living room. People will often purchase a home solely based on their gut feelings. If a buyer “falls in love” with your home, chances are they’re going to be more inclined to purchase it.

On a final note, it’s also a good idea to make it easy for people to stop by to see your home. In this case, flexibility is a key factor. People are busy during the holidays, and the chances of selling your home will be much greater if make it available for them to see.

Despite the fact that many people feel that the holidays aren’t a good time to buy or sell a home, this really isn’t the case. With a little knowledge and effort, you can sell your home in a timely manner, relax, and enjoy the Holidays!

Article from the KCM Blog

Many have reported on Robert Shiller’s recent comments on the investment aspect of homeownership. Shiller, a Yale professor and co-founder of the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, is famous for making provocative comments on house prices and the financial benefits of owning a home. In a recent Bloomberg Television interview, Shiller responded to a question about homeownership as an investment this way:

“So, why was it considered an investment? That was a fad. That was an idea that took hold in the early 2000?s. And I don’t expect it to come back. Not with the same force. So people might just decide, ‘Yeah, I’ll diversify my portfolio. I’ll live in a rental.’ That is a very sensible thing for many people to do.”

Today, we would like to debate Shiller’s notion by offering three FINANCIAL reasons to purchase a home:

1.) You Can’t Live in Your IRA

When you buy your own home you are not taking available dollars away from another investment. You are replacing one housing expense (rent) which has no potential for a return on investment with another (mortgage payment) that does give you an opportunity for a return. We realize that there has been research showing that over the last 30 years renting has been less expensive than owning. That research also says that if you invested the entire difference between the rent payment and mortgage payment you may have done better financially. There are two challenges with this conclusion:

• § Today, in the vast majority of the country, renting is actually more expensive than owning a home.
• § History has proven that tenants DO NOT invest the difference in their rent and mortgage payments.

2.) Homeownership Creates Wealth

Paying a mortgage creates what financial experts call ‘forced savings’. The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University released a study titled America’s Rental Housing: Meeting Challenges, Building on Opportunities. In the study, they actually quantified the difference in family wealth between renters and homeowners:

“[R]enters have only a fraction of the net wealth of owners. Near the peak of the housing bubble in 2007, the median net wealth of homeowners was $234,600—about 46 times the $5,100 median for renters. Even if homeowner wealth fell back to 1995 levels, it would still be 27.5 times the median for renters.”

3.) There Are Tremendous Tax Advantages to Investing in a Home

There is no doubt that selling an investment such as gold is easier than selling your home. However, this liquidity comes at a price. The price is called capital gains. That is the tax you pay on any financial gain you receive from the investment. This tax doesn’t apply the same way when you sell your primary residence:

Theresa Palagonia, a CPA and the Accounting Manager for the firm G.S. Garritano & Associates, was good enough to explain the Home Sale Exclusion Rules:

“You may qualify to exclude from your income all or part of any gain from the sale of your main home.

Maximum Exclusion

You can exclude up to $250,000 of the gain on the sale of your main home if all of the following are true:

• § You meet the ownership test.
• § You meet the use test.
• § During the 2 year period ending on the date of the sale, you did not exclude gain from the sale of another home.

If you and another person owned the home jointly but file separate returns, each of you can exclude up to $250,000 of gain from the sale of your interest in the home if each of you meets the three conditions listed above.

You may be able to exclude up to $500,000 of the gain on the sale of your main home if you are married and file a joint return and meet the requirements. (Special rules apply for joint returns.)

We will let you decide for yourself whether homeownership makes sense financially.

Article from the KCM Blog