Cora Carleson.................... 4

Hey Cora, I know you are a realtor, and you want to sell homes, but wouldn’t I be better off just renting? Then I won’t have maintenance issues, no mortgage, and just freer to move etc. What do you think? Signed, Mr. Tenant

Dear Mr. Tenant, well, I can see where freedom might be a big pull for renting. But let me plant this little nugget into your brain – that will never leave... no matter where you live, you are going to be paying a mortgage. It just depends on if it’s yours, or your landlords! Now I don’t mean to sound “kitchie” but it’s true. I have rental properties, so I love tenants. But for the past 20 years, my beloved tenants have paid my mortgage, my property taxes, my insurance, my utilities, and my maintenance on this building. Yes, I said 20 years! They have been great! Some of them, I have helped buy their own home, and other tenants moved in. There are always tenants.

So, let’s ask that question: Is it better to rent or own a home? There is no answer to that. Because it all depends on you and your situation, your finances, your lifestyle, and your own personal goals in life.

Renting is a very predictable expense for the length of your lease, then it all changes. But you aren’t investing. Investing may not be important to you at this stage of life, or you would rather invest in something else other than real estate.

Homeownership can also be a good investment. Of course, there are several factors that determine if your investment will be a good one or not. There’s location, local economy, style, trends, maintenance... it’s never the same, things change.

Recently, I had a couple move here from Idaho. They know that they plan to be here 4 years. We did not have the discussion about renting vs buying because they knew, they wanted to buy! Here is their logic: 1) We want a place where we can make memories for our children. 2) We want somewhere to call our own and make it our own without asking for permission. 3) When it’s time to leave, we want to sell our home and leave with some cash in our pocket. We have done the research and seen that we can expect an increase of about 2.5% per year conservatively. We won’t leave with a huge amount of money, but we will have more than we came with. 4) We want to write off the interest on our taxes. 5) We want to belong to our community and take pride in ownership.

Reasons they didn’t want to rent: 1) It felt temporary. 2) We did not like the location of the rentals that we saw. 3) We want to be able to have a pet if we wanted to and not pay pet rent. 4) We needed a larger place than most rental properties. 5) We wanted more land than most rental properties had. 6) We enjoy working on our home. 7) We wanted chickens. 8) We did not want all that money going to our landlord’s mortgage payments.

Let’s play a game... like Jeff Foxworthy in “You Might Be a Redneck”, but we will call it “You Might Be a Homeowner”. 1) Do you own a lawn mower and like the pattern it makes on your grass? 2) Do you love home remodeling shows? 3) Are dogs and kittens in your future sprinkled with a chicken or two? 4) Are you into bright colors, wallpaper, and drawer pulls? 5) Is a garage, a waterbed, or a woodstove on your “must haves” list? 6) Financially, do your housing costs need to stay the same? 7) Do you know the difference between a screwdriver and a caulk gun? (I don’t mean a drink and a firearm)

If you answered yes to any of these questions... You might be a Homeowner!

Okay, so now let’s see if you might be a renter!

1) Do you like having your weekends free to go out, or go camping every weekend? 2) Do you travel frequently? 3 Has yard work never “tickled your fancy” and only “gets your goat?” 4) Can you change gears quickly if you are asked to move out in 30 days? 5) Do you like to keep your options open? 6) Do you change your mind frequently? 7) Are you and tools like screwdrivers, wrenches, and paintbrushes on friendly terms?

If you answered yes to any of these questions... you might be a Renter!

Either way, you have to live somewhere. You do not need to have a huge down payment to purchase a house. So, if you think you Might Be a Homeowner, give me a call and let’s see if we can make it happen.

Remember, experience matters, and that I have, I can help you on this road. Call me!

Experience Matters!

Call Cora Today!

Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group Of Wasilla 621 S Knik-Goose Bay Rd Wasilla, AK 99654

www.clcandassoc.com 907.982.5700