There are some hard and fast metrics you can use to ACTUALLY know if it is cheaper to buy than to rent in your MSA. Would you guess that it is cheaper to own in 17 out of the 33 largest major metro areas?<\/p>\n
Buying is more affordable than renting when homebuyers are able to:<\/p>\n
That’s a short list, but it says a lot about skyrocketing rent prices in those areas. So what are the top 5 locations to buy vs. rent? Here they are:<\/p>\n
Get the full list of MSAs and calculations here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Median home values increased 8.7% on average nationwide from April 2017 to $215,600, according to a new report from real-estate website Zillow<\/a>\u00a0ZG,\u00a0-0.14%<\/a>That represents the faster pace of acceleration since June 2006 \u2014 right before the start of the housing crisis that triggered the Great Recession \u2014 when they rose 9% annually.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n San Jose’s values rose 26% from last year to a median value of $1.26 million. The next highest was Las Vegas with 16.5% appreciation and Seattle with a 13.6% uptick.<\/p>\n Marketwatch<\/a> has the full analysis.<\/p>\n Nathan Miller<\/a>\u00a0writes about the tricky parts of interviewing for new tenants in his recent biggerpockets<\/a> post. Putting a quality tenant into your rental home is one of the hardest things to do, and it is arguably the MOST important thing to do in order to retain your rentals value and protect your bank account. After a quick scroll through landlord forums, you may think twice about renting your home when you see some of the damages and costs landlords need to flip the bills for when poor quality tenants leave. At the same time, you need to make sure you’re screening tenants in accordance with The Fair Housing Act<\/a>. It was created to make sure all applicants are treated equally, so it is important to familiarize yourself with some of its points.<\/p>\n Here are the 4 things you should always bring up in a tenant interview:<\/p>\n Here are 4 things to always AVOID in an interview:<\/p>\n
\nHome values are skyrocketing at the fastest pace since 2006<\/h2>\n
\nInterviewing a New Tenant<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n