Nov. 30, 2011 – The monthly cost of owning a home is more affordable now than in the past 15 years, and is less expensive than renting in numerous cities, according to The Wall Street Journal’s third-quarter survey.
Low home prices mixed with low mortgage rates – hovering at 4 percent or lower – create an appealing buyer’s market, analysts say. For example, buyers today have a 77 percent increase in their borrowing power compared to 1991, according to Dan Green, a loan officer with Waterstone Mortgage in Cincinnati. He says that in 1991 a $1,700 mortgage payment allowed a borrower to take out a $200,000 mortgage. Today, at current interest rates, a home-buyer can get a $350,000 loan for that same monthly mortgage payment.
In 12 our of 28 cities tracked by The Wall Street Journal, monthly mortgage payments on a median-priced home – including taxes and insurance – were lower than the average rent levels.
In Atlanta, owning was the most favorable compared to renting. The monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home there was $539 during the third quarter (with a 20 percent downpayment) compared to the average asking rent, of $840.
Nationwide, apartment rents are expected to rise by about 4 percent this year, which may make the owning vs. renting picture tilt even more in favor of homw ownership.
Yet despite the appealing housing picture for home-buyers, many continue to stay on the sidelines, unable to sell their current home, qualify for a mortgage due to the tighter credit requirements or keep a steady job, housing experts say.
Source: “Stronger Lure for Prospective Home Buyers,” The Wall Street Journal