I am not sure that there is a better business than real estate but I am also not sure if there is a tougher one in today’s market. Home values countrywide are incredibly low and continuing to drop in places. Those in really bad shape now are the ones that bought five or so years ago when homes were way overpriced. Those in really, really bad shape are those who also got into a mortgage that seemed like a good idea at the time but made little sense in the long-term.
Here in California, where I live, people were literally and figuratively banging down doors to get into homes five years ago. And they were paying way more than the homes were worth. I was one of these people. Having just moved to LA and wanting to buy something rather than rent, I spent way too much on a home and got into an interest only mortgage.
I knew I couldn’t afford the place I ended up with. But, they gave me the mortgage so maybe they knew something I didn’t. My house was overpriced and my mortgage was way too pricey and not a good deal at that. I had little equity and no more coming anytime soon. Then, my wife and I had our second daughter and my wife left her job to stay home. We lost her full-time salary and were heading up-creek further without a paddle. We were literally sitting on collapsing furniture with home space heaters at our feet because we couldn’t afford to repair anything when it broke.
As everyone knew it would, the housing market took a dive and prices dropped along with the economy’s deflation. Our condo was worth much less than what we paid, although our mortgage was still the same amount. We couldn’t survive in our current situation and we couldn’t make money selling our house if anyone even agreed to buy it. So, after filing bankruptcy we attempted a short sale.
Now we are in a rental and much better off but we learned many valuable lessons. If I had it to do all over again, here is what I would do.
Income property is where I would put my money. I would have a tenant to pay the bills for me. The home would need some work when we bought it but not too much. Nor more than a coat of paint and a few cheap home decor accents wouldn’t take care of. The home would not be more expensive than I could afford and would even be quite a bit below my price range. Finally, the mortgage would be fixed and income earning.
This way, I would not have to worry about covering mortgage every month. Plus, my home would have real value and, I could hang on to it long enough to make it a truly valuable resale property, no matter the market conditions.