Trulia Report Finds It’s Still Cheaper to Buy a Home Than to Rent

Reposted from NationalMortgageProfessional.com   Mon, 2013-09-23

Trulia has released its Summer 2013 Rent vs. Buy report, revealing whether buying a home is more affordable than renting in America’s 100 largest metropolitan areas. Looking at homes for sale and for rent on Trulia between June 1 and Aug.31, 2013, this study compares the average cost of renting and owning for all homes on the market in a metro area, factoring in all cost components including transaction costs, taxes, and opportunity costs.

In the last year, the mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed-rate loan rose from 3.75 percent to 4.80 percent, raising the cost of buying a home relative to renting. Home-ownership is now 35 percent cheaper than renting nationally, down from being 45 percent cheaper one year ago. Yet despite their current upward climb, mortgage rates will not tip the housing market nationally in favor of renting over buying until rates hit 10.5 percent nationally, given current home prices and rents.

While home-ownership is still more affordable than renting in all of the 100 largest metros, rising mortgage rates may soon turn the tide. Buying a home is now less than 10 percent cheaper than renting in San Jose and San Francisco—a dramatic shift from being 31 percent and 28 percent cheaper a year ago, respectively. Even in Detroit, where purchasing a home is a no brainer, buying has narrowed to being 65 percent cheaper than renting in 2013, versus being 70 percent cheaper in 2012. If rates keep rising and current rents and prices remain flat, San Jose will become the first housing market to tip in favor of renting once mortgage rates hit 5.2 percent.

“While it’s hard to believe after the recent spike in mortgage rates, it’s still more than one-third cheaper to buy a home than to rent,” said Jed Kolko, Trulia’s chief economist. “Recent mortgage rate and home price increases have made buying significantly more expensive than last year, but not enough to tip the math in favor of renting. This is because rates remain well below historical norms, and prices are still slightly undervalued, too.”

 Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 ·Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com

 

Licensed in: Maryland (MD), Washington, DC, Virginia (VA), Pennsylvania (PA), Delaware (DE), North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), Tennessee (TN).

Visit me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MiddleburgReverseMortgage

                 

What the Hell Are They Thinking?

It wasn’t the first time I have been asked this question, so it must have been the way she asked it: “I can’t find any homes for sale that aren’t huge, or on too much land, or are out of my price range. What the hell are these builders thinking?”

Good question. As a mortgage banker who does a fair number of Reverse for Purchase loans, I have to ask the same thing.

Consider this: if you took all the 62-year-olds who have ever lived on planet earth, and added them together, that number would be less than the number of 62-year-olds alive at this very moment.

And as these boomers move into, or closer to, retirement, many want to downsize, rightsize, or relocate closer to family.

But where are the homes designed to meet the needs of this cohort?

Not five miles from my house, hundreds of new homes are going in. Their median price: $431,000. And the median square footage? 2,200, on half-acre lots. This is not what many consider a moderate retirement home.

The issue of appropriate housing is not simply one of square footage: plenty of existing smaller homes are not optimal for aging in place. Homes can be remodeled – and this is often a good option – but it can be costly for those looking to buy a move-in-ready home.

There are indeed new single-level homes being built, but much of these are in 55+ communities. Boomers self-report being less inclined to live in what often prove to be essentially ethnic monocultures. Condos can be a good option, but the monthly condo fees are a turn-off for some potential buyers.

For this article I called three, family-owned builders and asked them what they could build in the $250,000 range. First question I was asked: “Do they have land?”

No, they don’t have land. They have a home with stairs and a large yard, where they have lived for 40 years. And now they want an appropriate, safe, smaller home with a small yard, proximate to shopping, medical facilities, and amenities.

As a group, boomers are the best educated, most traveled, wealthiest group ever to hit retirement age. And, boomers have always been a force. They have always found a way to change the very framework of a question.

And now their question rightfully is, “Where are the homes that meet the specific, long-range needs of aging boomers?”

Builders? We’d like to hear from you.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 ·Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct

LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com 

Licensed in: Maryland (MD), Washington, DC, Virginia (VA), Pennsylvania (PA), Delaware (DE), North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), Tennessee (TN).

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

So…Is the Sun Setting on Reverse Mortgage? Mortgage Reform and What it Means for Seniors

The last call I took last night and the first call I took this morning were basically this: What do upcoming changes to the reverse mortgage program mean for senior homeowners?

First, let me hasten to say no one yet knows exactly what the changes will look like – but, we do have a general idea. Following is a rundown on proposed changes and a brief explanation as to why Congress deems changes necessary.

Change: Financial Assessment

What: It has always been required that homeowners pay their homeowners insurance and property taxes, and maintain routine upkeep on their home. With the proposed changes, lenders will be required to perform a financial assessment to determine if potential borrowers can meet these obligations.

Why: Only a minority of reverse mortgages get into trouble. But, on the ones that do, tax and insurance defaults are the number one reason.

Change: Limits on Initial Draws

What: An initial draw is the amount the homeowner requests when the loan closes. Currently, the upfront draw can be up to the full amount homeowners qualify for, as determined by their age, the value of the home, and the prevailing interest rate. Changes will likely limit the amount homeowners can take upfront.

Why: The assumption is that limiting the upfront draw will help with long-term financial planning.

Change: Inclusion of Younger Spouse

What: Currently, only homeowners aged 62 and older can be on a reverse mortgage loan. Under the proposed changes, both spouses would be on the loan, even if one is under the age of 62.

Why: This change would give the younger spouse more options regarding staying in the home if the older spouse passes away.

Both Congress and the largest senior advocacy groups remain highly supportive of the FHA-insured reverse mortgage program. Additionally, Congress has specifically said it views reverse mortgage as an important component of long-term financial planning for the retirement years.

Proposed changes appear to be well thought-out, and designed to safeguard the long-term availability of reverse mortgages.

Give me a call with your questions or concerns. I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 · Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

NORC? What the Heck is a “NORC”?

Laurie Denker MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562]

I don’t know why, but certain words just sound funny: “chubby,” “flop,” “kerfuffle,” “spork.” Ok, so I concede spork may be marginal in its usage.

Add to this funny-sounding list “NORC,” a term I hear with increasing frequency.

NORC is an acronym, and stands for “naturally occurring retirement community.” And chances are high this funny-sounding term is going to become an increasingly important part of each of our vocabularies.

So what the heck is a NORC?

A naturally occurring retirement community – NORC – is a neighborhood that was not actually built as a retirement community. Through the years, as residents have remained in their homes, the community has aged and now is home to an older population. NORCs harken back to the hometown, shtetl, village, or tribe that dominated most of human history, where the needs of the individual were accepted as the responsibility of the community.

To see an example of a NORC many need look no farther than their parents’ community. I myself am just back from visiting my widowed mother in Tucson. In her small neighborhood of a couple dozen homes, only a handful has changed ownership since I was a child. All the other homes still have names I know well on the mailboxes, and the neighborhood which once was home to growing families is now home to a close-knit community of retirees.

Some NORCs affiliate with the national Village to Village Network, known as the “The Village Movement.”  These neighborhoods embrace a volunteer-driven approach in providing services to help senior neighbors remain independent as long as possible in the community they love. Villages are membership-driven, and members receive services provided by neighborhood volunteers. Among services typically provided are educational and cultural programs both within and outside the immediate community, transportation to shopping and medical appointments, and help with minor household repairs.

Not all NORCs are officially organized and affiliated, however, and some NORCs evolve over time as needs of the neighborhood continue to change.

Overwhelmingly, most homeowners desire to continue living in their own home, so the NORC model likely will become more important in the years to come. Economics also play in its favor, as a high density population of seniors makes delivery of services more efficient.

Reverse mortgage fits well into the NORC model, as it can make available monies to fund Americans’ ever-increasing longevity. Reverse mortgage is a home equity loan repaid when the last homeowner permanently leaves the home. After the loan is repaid, all remaining home equity goes to the senior, or to the heirs or estate. Reverse mortgage will never be the full solution to financial needs in retirement, but when used as part of a comprehensive financial plan, it can be an important piece of retirement funding.

As the American population ages, seniors’ skills and experience increasingly are viewed as a valuable community asset. And one way of preserving this asset is supporting strategies for successful aging in place – including the model with the funny-sounding name of NORC.

Give me a call and let’s chat – I always love hearing your stories.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] ∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club ∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road ∙ Ashburn, VA 20147 ∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com ∙ www.MiddleburgReverse.com

Visit me on the Web at: middleburgreverselady.com

Who Is My Neighbor, Part II

What would make a couple dozen people spend one of the summer’s most beautiful weekends working on a total stranger’s home?

Why would a half dozen local businesses donate thousands of dollars in building supplies to repair the home of woman who will never walk through their door?

And who would load kids in the car and head over to an old, country home, only to spend the next 10 hours sawing, sanding, scraping, drilling, digging, pounding, painting?

I asked this very question of the many people who contributed to last weekend’s work on behalf of an elderly, ill homeowner whose home had fallen into disrepair.

And the answer? Invariably it was a version of what I have come to call “NIMBY in Reverse”:

Not in my backyard am I going to know about this kind of suffering and turn away. Not in my backyard am I going to allow an aging, suffering woman to live in unsafe, unsound conditions. Not on my watch are the needs of the needy going to go unmet.

So here’s a word of thanks to all who turned out at a moment’s notice to do an enormous amount of work on the home of a resident they had never met and may well never again see.

A huge word of thanks goes to Rankin’s Hardware, The Paint Shop, and The Home Depot, all of Warrenton, and Lowe’s of Gainesville, for donating building supplies; to Domino’s Pizza and Chick-Fil-A, both of Warrenton, for providing food for the volunteers; and to Fauquier Jewish Congregation, Saint James’ Episcopal Church, and members of the Fauquier community for turning out en mass to volunteer.

A special thanks also goes to thank Julie Randall, Nancy Lagasse, Dorothy Smith, and Rabbi Rose Jacob for their extraordinary efforts in helping pull this together in a matter of days.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] ∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club ∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road ∙ Ashburn, VA 20147 ∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com ∙ www.MiddleburgReverse.com

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

Who is my neighbor?

Who is my neighbor? In this case, it’s our actual neighbor.

In the shadow of Virginia’s mightiest wealth sits a little farmhouse. Once darling, it now suffers from years of deferred maintenance.

In the house sits a little woman. Still darling, she now suffers severely from Parkinson’s. Due to illness she cannot remedy her home’s repair issues, and her medical bills have consumed her savings.

Over the past two weeks local businesses, including Rankin’s Hardware in Warrenton, Lowe’s in Gainesville, and Golden Rule Builders in Catlett donated materials. Service providers performed pro bono inspections. A professional contractor surveyed the scope of the undertaking.

Still needful, however, was manpower – hammer-wielding, paintbrush-wrangling volunteers.

Into this space stepped three local congregations, including Saint James’ Episcopal Church and Fauquier Jewish Congregation, both in Warrenton, and Church of the Word in Gainesville. Saint James’ is coordinating the effort, and, along with Fauquier Jewish Congregation and Church of the Word, is providing both teen and adult work crews.

This homeowner has never lived large. She has not spent extravagantly. She is not bitter, she is not self-pitying, she is not morose. But she does need help. When told local businesses and congregations would be repairing her home, the homeowner openly wept. “I can’t believe people really care,” she says. “I can’t believe there are still people like this out there.”

Work begins Friday, June 28^th, and is expected to take one week.

If you would like to contribute to this effort, please contact Dorothy at DorothySJE@aol.com.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] ∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club ∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road ∙ Ashburn, VA 20147 ∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com ∙ www.MiddleburgReverseLady.com

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

Don’t Tell Me You Missed National Nursing Home Week?

Last month’s National Nursing Home week is unlikely to ever find itself prominent on calendars across America. Why do I say this? Primarily because the vast majority of Americans want to remain as long as possible in their own home.

Anyone surprised?

This being said, however, as a reverse mortgage specialist who deals every day with aging-related housing matters, I can attest to the fact there are issues to address when planning for aging in place.

Common considerations include:

• Are homeowners able to take care of daily needs – or is in-home care required?
• Are there available community resources, such as day centers, medical facilities, recreation, and transportation?
• Do homeowners have family, friends, neighbors, or a faith community who can be involved in their care?

But the biggest factor is the home itself, as most homes were not built with aging in place in mind. For this reason, homeowners must ask themselves if their current home can be adapted to meet their needs as they age.

Fortunately for those of us in the greater Washington, D.C. area, close by are some of the nation’s most recognized contractors specializing in retrofitting homes to meet the needs of aging occupants.

Aging in place adaptations usually involve three elements, including:

1)    adding hardware such as grab bars, lever-handled faucets, and hand-held showerheads;

2)    installing ramps, lifts, and extra lighting;

3)    making architectural changes such as wider doorways and curbless shower stalls, and relocating master bedrooms, full baths, and laundry rooms to the main floor.

While some modifications can be done by a general handyman, larger projects, particularly ones involving actual design changes, should be done by a contractor specializing in aging in place remodeling. Specialists who carry the Certified Aging in Place Specialist, or CAPS, designation are typically the most versed on industry standards and age-related modifications.

While some municipalities offer low-cost or no-interest home modification loans to seniors, these are not universally available, and often are for relatively small amounts. Additionally, many include a monthly repayment schedule.

Reverse mortgage fits perfectly into home modification needs, as there is never a monthly mortgage payment required. When the last homeowner permanently leaves the home, the loan is repaid, and all remaining equity goes to the senior or to the heirs or estate.

Reverse mortgage is never going to be the full solution to financial needs in retirement. However, when used as part of a comprehensive financial plan, it is going to be an increasingly important part of funding our ever-increasing longevity.

If you are, or someone you know is, looking into reverse mortgage, give me a call – I always love hearing from you.

    Laurie

 Laurie Denker MacNaughton[NMLS# 506562]∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road∙ Ashburn, VA 20147∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com

Visit my informational blog at:  MiddleburgReverseLady.com

Planners who Plan, Fixes that Fix – and Real Solutions for Real Life

Solutions Looking for a Problem

I stood at the paper towel machine waving my hands like a feeble magician trying to conjure paper towels when the thought occurred to me: I frankly can’t remember the last time I heard someone complain about pulling a paper towel from a dispenser. Self-dispensing paper towels solve a problem that was never a problem.

This got me to thinking: how many other fixes fix problems that aren’t problems? And if you can believe it, I actually came up with several – but that’s a different commentary altogether. It’s the corollary that hit home.

Finite choices

Remember functions? Those funky f(x) equations in math class? Basically, a function is a set of inputs and their corresponding outputs. Put another way, a function says if I do this, I get that – one solution for each problem. There is a finite list of outcomes.

Fortunately, most day-to-day issues are not direct functions, and multiple solutions exist for many of life’s problems. But often, the farther one travels into retirement the more limited the solution set becomes. Options become limited and outcome becomes a direct function of input.

Larger solution sets

In what I consider one of the most encouraging transformations in the history of the reverse mortgage product, I am seeing a regular stream of clients referred from the financial planning community. Seniors seeking informed input are turning to an informed source, namely their financial professional. Of course, I’ll never know how many financial professionals steer their senior clients away from reverse mortgage – but I do know an increasing number tell me they view reverse mortgage as a legitimate financial tool when used in concert with a comprehensive financial plan.

Financial professionals refer clients well before catastrophe strikes, before clients’ means have dwindled, before financial limits are reached – before the financial boat plunges over the cliff of desperation. Planners understand multiple inputs equal a bigger solution set.

Real solutions for real life

I hear the same stories everyone else in the financial industry hears: seniors unable to return to full-time employment. A spouse lost, and the resulting 50% drop in income. A catastrophic event – or a chronic condition that became financially catastrophic. Or, simply, too much life left at the end of the money.

Unlike the motion-detecting paper towel dispenser, reverse mortgage is a real solution to a real problem.  When put in place preemptively, before it’s just a crisis management tool, reverse mortgage can be part of a sound retirement plan that maintains independence as long as possible and slows burn-through on other retirement instruments.

If you are – or someone you know is – looking for ways to increase financial options, give me a call. I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie Denker MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 · Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com · www.middleburgmortgage.com/lauriem

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

Silver Separation and the Forty-Year Itch

They call it Silver Separation, or the Forty-Year Itch, and it’s one of the nation’s fastest-growing trends: divorce among couples aged 60 and older. In fact, though divorce rates nationally have dropped over the past decade, among older baby boomers divorce rates have risen more than 50%, according to a 2012 study published in the academic journal Gerontologist.

Experts cite many reasons for this trend, including longevity, greater financial independence among women, and less social stigma toward the divorced.

A study conducted by Bowling Green State University states, “Lengthening life expectancies decrease the likelihood that marriages will end through death and increase the length of exposure to the risk of divorce.”

For many, retirement becomes the watershed moment: kids are grown and gone, career battles fought, most major life-choices made.

“It’s a time some boomers look around and ask, ‘Is this how I want to spend the next 30 years?'” says Beth Von Keller, an elder law attorney in Manassas, Virginia. “In some cases a spouse decides the answer is “no.'”

However, later-life divorce can create vulnerabilities. “When older couples divorce, there is less time to recover financially,” Von Keller states. “Also, historically husbands and wives played a major role in spousal caregiving, and couples relied upon each other for emotional support. That falls away when older couples divorce.”

No one plans to divorce, but no life unfolds according to plan. And no amount of planning can insulate one from the unexpected. However, a solid “Plan B” can determine how successfully one navigates a new reality.

Reverse mortgage can play an important role in later-life divorce, providing funds for property settlements where one party wishes to remain in the home. It can also be an important means of income stream replacement.

If you need – or someone you know needs – to assess options, give me a call. I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] ∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant ∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road ∙ Ashburn, VA 20147 ∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com ∙ www.MiddleburgReverse.com

Navigating the Retirement Labyrinth

Retirement planning can be confusing. Here are some major milestones on the retirement timeline:

Age 55. If you leave your job after age 55, you can begin taking penalty-free 401(k) withdrawals. Withdrawals from traditional 401(k)s will be taxed as income.

Age 59 ½. IRA withdrawals are allowed without penalty and are taxed as income.

Age 62. Social Security eligibility begins, but your checks will be reduced 25 to 35 percent if you begin claiming at this age. If you are under full retirement age and you work and earn above the annual earnings limit of $15,120 in 2013, excess earnings are deducted from your benefits.  If you plan to continue to work, benefits are also reduced by 50 cents for each dollar you earn above $15,120 in 2013.

Age 65. Medicare eligibility kicks in. Beneficiaries may sign up for Medicare Part B during a 7 month window around their 65th birthday, beginning 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ending three months after. It’s a good idea to sign up right away because your Medicare Part B monthly premium increases 10 percent for each 12-month period you were eligible for Medicare Part B, but did not enroll. If you or a spouse are still employed and covered by a group health plan after age 65, you have 8 months to sign up after you leave the job before the penalty kicks in.

Age 66. Baby boomers born between 1943 and 1954 are eligible to receive full Social Security retirement benefits at age 66. For boomers born between 1955 and 1959 the full retirement age gradually increases from age 66 and 2 months to 66 and 10 months. The month you reach your full retirement age, your benefit checks are no longer reduced if you continue to earn income from work.

Age 67. For those born in 1960 and later, the age you can receive full Social Security retirement benefits is 67.

Age 70. Your Social Security benefits further increase by 7 to 8 percent each year you delay claiming up until age 70. After age 70 there is no additional incentive to put off collecting.

Age 70 ½. Those aged 70½ or older must take annual required minimum distributions from retirement accounts. The proceeds will be taxed as income. Seniors who fail to withdraw the correct amount must pay a 50 percent tax penalty and income tax on the amount that should have been withdrawn.

Contact your financial planner to discuss your specific situation.

To access the Social Security website, click here.

Laurie

Laurie Denker MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 ·Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com · www.middleburgmortgage.com/lauriem