[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fv4r5q4o2as9j":3,"$ffeh0925h8cuz":51,"$fbwk2pqjjqsc7":55},{"item":4,"previous":39,"next":45},{"id":5,"slug":6,"title":7,"description":8,"excerpt":9,"contentType":10,"featuredImage":11,"bannerImage":9,"body":12,"agentsBottomLine":13,"bodyImage":14,"isInfographic":15,"categories":16,"isVideo":15,"videoThumbnail":9,"videoSource":9,"publishedAt":37,"updatedAt":38},15784,"invest-in-yourself-by-owning-a-home","Invest in Yourself by Owning a Home","\u003Cp>Are you wondering if it makes sense to buy a home right now?\u003C\u002Fp>","","blog","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20231023\u002F20231025-Invest-in-yourself-by-owning-a-home.png","\u003Cp>Are you wondering if it makes sense to \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F17\u002Fhow-buying-a-multi-generational-home-helps-with-affordability-today\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">buy a home\u003C\u002Fa> right now? While today’s \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F16\u002Fare-higher-mortgage-rates-here-to-stay\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">mortgage rates\u003C\u002Fa> might seem a bit intimidating, here are two compelling reasons why it still may be a good time to become a \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F09\u002F21\u002Fthe-many-non-financial-benefits-of-homeownership\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">homeowner\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>Home Values Appreciate over Time\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh4>\u003Cp>There’s been a lot of confusion around what’s happened with home prices over the past two years. While they did dip ever so slightly in late 2022, this year they’ve been \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F03\u002Fhome-prices-are-not-falling\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">appreciating\u003C\u002Fa> at a more normal pace, which is \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F09\u002F26\u002Fthe-return-of-normal-seasonality-for-home-price-appreciation\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">good news\u003C\u002Fa> for the housing market. And while looking at price movement over just a year or two can make you worry prices are usually this unpredictable, history shows in the long run, \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F12\u002Fgrowing-your-net-worth-with-homeownership\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">home values rise\u003C\u002Fa> (\u003Cem>see graph below\u003C\u002Fem>):\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp> \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20231023\u002F20231025-Price-Appreciation-over-the-Last-60-Years.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20231023\u002F20231025-Price-Appreciation-over-the-Last-60-Years.png\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Using data from the \u003Cem>Federal Reserve\u003C\u002Fem> for the past \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffred.stlouisfed.org\u002Fseries\u002FASPUS\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">60 years\u003C\u002Fa>, you can see the overall trend is home prices have climbed quite steadily. Sure, there was an exception around the housing \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F09\u002F27\u002Fwhy-todays-housing-inventory-shows-a-crash-isnt-on-the-horizon\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">crash of 2008\u003C\u002Fa> that caused prices to break the usual trend for a time, but overall, home values have been consistently on the \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F11\u002Fthe-latest-expert-forecasts-for-home-prices-in-2023\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">rise\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Increasing home values is one great reason why buying may make more sense than renting. As prices rise, and as you pay down your mortgage, you build equity. Over time, that growing equity gives your \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F12\u002Fgrowing-your-net-worth-with-homeownership\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">net worth\u003C\u002Fa> a boost.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>Rent Keeps Going Up Through the Years\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh4>\u003Cp>Another reason you may want to consider buying a home instead of \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F13\u002Fthe-difference-between-renting-and-buying-a-home-infographic\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">renting\u003C\u002Fa> is the never-ending rent hike. If you've ever felt the pinch of rent increasing year after year, you're not alone. That’s because, rents have \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fipropertymanagement.com\u002Fresearch\u002Faverage-rent-by-year\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">climbed steadily\u003C\u002Fa> over the past six decades (\u003Cem>see graph below\u003C\u002Fem>):\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20231023\u002F20231025-Increase-in-Rents-over-the-Last-60-Years.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20231023\u002F20231025-Increase-in-Rents-over-the-Last-60-Years.png\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>By \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F02\u002Funpacking-the-long-term-benefits-of-homeownership\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">buying a home\u003C\u002Fa>, you can lock in your monthly housing costs and bid farewell to those pesky rent hikes. That stability is a game-changer.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>In the end, it all boils down to this: your housing payments are an investment, and you've got a choice to make.\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003Cstrong>Do you want to invest in yourself or your landlord?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>By becoming a \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F06\u002Fhow-homeowner-net-worth-grows-with-time-infographic\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">homeowner\u003C\u002Fa>, you're investing in your own future. When you rent, that’s money you never get back.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>When you factor in home values consistently rising, plus the opportunity to get relief from never-ending rent hikes, homeownership can be a path to financial security. As Dr. Jessica Lautz, Deputy Chief Economist and VP of Research at the \u003Cem>National Association of Realtors\u003C\u002Fem> (NAR), \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fadvisor\u002Fmortgages\u002Freal-estate\u002Fis-buying-a-home-worth-it\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">states\u003C\u002Fa>: \u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cem>“If a homebuyer is financially stable, able to manage monthly mortgage costs and can handle the associated household maintenance expenses, then it makes sense to purchase a home.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>","\u003Cp>When it comes down to it, buying a home offers more benefits than renting, even when mortgage rates are high. If you want to avoid increasing rents and take advantage of long-term home price appreciation, let’s connect to go over \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2023\u002F09\u002F22\u002Fhow-remote-work-helps-with-your-house-hunt-infographic\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">your options\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20231023\u002F20231025-Price-Appreciation-over-the-Last-60-Years.png",false,[17,21,25,29,33],{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},5,"For Buyers","buyers",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},9,"Home Prices","home-prices",{"id":26,"name":27,"slug":28},11,"First-Time Buyers","first-time-buyers",{"id":30,"name":31,"slug":32},35,"Mortgage Rates","mortgage-rates",{"id":34,"name":35,"slug":36},38,"Move-Up","move-up","2023-10-25T10:30:00Z","2023-10-25T10:30:02Z",{"id":40,"slug":41,"title":42,"featuredImage":43,"publishedAt":44,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},15781,"the-perks-of-selling-your-house-when-inventory-is-low","The Perks of Selling Your House When Inventory Is Low","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20231023\u002F20231024-The-Perks-of-Selling-Your-House-When-Inventory-Is-Low.png","2023-10-24T10:30:00Z",{"id":46,"slug":47,"title":48,"featuredImage":49,"publishedAt":50,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},15785,"affordable-homeownership-strategies-for-gen-z","Affordable Homeownership Strategies for Gen Z","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20231023\u002F20231026-Affordable-Homeownership-Strategies-for-Gen-Z.png","2023-10-26T10:30:00Z",{"cover":52,"open":53,"shareSpread":54},"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Cover-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Spread-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Magazine-original.png",[56,60,61,65,69,73,74,75,79,80,81,85,89,93,97,101,105,109,113,117,121,125,129,133,137,141,145,149,153,157],{"id":57,"name":58,"slug":59},1,"Uncategorized","uncategorized",{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},{"id":62,"name":63,"slug":64},6,"For Sellers","sellers",{"id":66,"name":67,"slug":68},7,"Foreclosures","foreclosures",{"id":70,"name":71,"slug":72},8,"Infographics","infographics",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},{"id":26,"name":27,"slug":28},{"id":76,"name":77,"slug":78},34,"Senior Market","senior-market",{"id":30,"name":31,"slug":32},{"id":34,"name":35,"slug":36},{"id":82,"name":83,"slug":84},41,"For Sale by Owner","for-sale-by-owner",{"id":86,"name":87,"slug":88},42,"Featured","featured",{"id":90,"name":91,"slug":92},45,"New Construction","new-construction",{"id":94,"name":95,"slug":96},52,"Luxury \u002F Vacation","luxury--vacation",{"id":98,"name":99,"slug":100},53,"Rent vs. Buy","rent-vs-buy",{"id":102,"name":103,"slug":104},80,"Time-sensitive","time-sensitive",{"id":106,"name":107,"slug":108},81,"Outdated","outdated",{"id":110,"name":111,"slug":112},147,"Internal","internal",{"id":114,"name":115,"slug":116},148,"Do Not Autopost","do-not-autopost",{"id":118,"name":119,"slug":120},320,"Inventory","inventory",{"id":122,"name":123,"slug":124},321,"Agent Value","agent-value",{"id":126,"name":127,"slug":128},322,"Affordability","affordability",{"id":130,"name":131,"slug":132},323,"Buying Tips","buying-tips",{"id":134,"name":135,"slug":136},324,"Downsize","downsize",{"id":138,"name":139,"slug":140},325,"Economy","economy",{"id":142,"name":143,"slug":144},326,"Equity","equity",{"id":146,"name":147,"slug":148},327,"Forecasts","forecasts",{"id":150,"name":151,"slug":152},328,"Selling Tips","selling-tips",{"id":154,"name":155,"slug":156},339,"Expired\u002FWithdrawn\u002FCanceled","expiredwithdrawncanceled",{"id":158,"name":159,"slug":160},340,"Price It Right\u002FOverpricing","price-it-rightoverpricing"]