I am hoping someone here will be able to clear this one up for me. One of the frequently-repeated arguments that real estate salesmen use to try to convince the renter-serfs to buy a home is that once you buy a home, your costs are fixed. While that’s not entirely true (taxes, insurance, and maintenance…
The Tim on AM 570 KVI 3:00 Today!
I just got off the phone with the producer of the Brian Suits show over at KVI (570AM). Brian will be discussing yesterday’s P-I article, and thanks to a heads-up from Eleua, I’ll be a guest for a part of the discussion. Tune in at 3:00. They have a web feed for those of you…
Rent vs Purchase: A Comparison
Also posted at Priced Out Forever. Buy If You Must. Why Must You Buy? by guest poster Eleua (with contributions and spreadsheets by Tim) Click here to download the Excel Spreadsheet that the numbers below are based on. I need to take a step back and insert a personal note. While I disagree with the…
"Market fundamentals are extraordinarily strong."
By now most of you have probably already seen today’s article in the P-I: Homes overvalued by 31.7% in city, report finds. It’s pretty much the usual shtick. “Homes are expensive here, but…” followed by lots of quotes from various real estate “analysts” and “professionals” yammering on about how wonderful the “fundamentals” here are, what…
Seattle Immune to Financing Woes?
When the question is “how will the current home lending meltdown affect the housing market in Seattle,” the answer depends on who you ask. For instance, if you ask #1 Seattle real estate cheerleader Elizabeth Rhodes, the answer is something to the effect of: “Seattle is special. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”…