Go Home Shopping Today!

This morning as I left my home, I remembered when my husband and I had bought this home. We were working hard and having a hard time making it financially. To this day I remember exactly where I was standing in my kitchen. I remember what he was wearing and the look on his face when he came into our farm home in Iowa and asked me what I thought about moving back to Kansas City. My response, "I'm packing!"

In the space of 30 days we sold our acreage, our livestock, and our equipment. We both got our old jobs back and bought a house in Shawnee, KS. We closed on the house in October, 1979 at an incredibly good interest rate of 9.75%. As you may or may not remember, interest rates at that time climbed to over 18% for 30 year mortgages. If we had not bought at 9.75%, we would have probably not been able to buy at all. Certainly we could not have purchased as much house as we did. So many times in subsequent years we talked about how that move had been ordained--how if we had not bought when we did, we would not have been able to buy our home.

I regard that moment in our kitchen as a moment of destiny.

This morning as I left my front door, I was grateful for the house that has been my home all these years. Then this thought crossed my mind. I wonder how many buyers will let their moment of destiny pass by. The tax credit that exists for buyers today is like the cherry on top of the sundae. It is a great time to buy a home. Interest rates are lower today than they are likely to be in the future. I don't know how high they will go, but I'm very confident that the direction is up. Higher interest rates mean less house for the same money. There are great values in homes today. Housing prices in our market are lower today than in recent years. Over the long haul we can be fairly confident that houses in our market will appreciate. In short, your housing dollars go a long way today.

How many of today's potential buyers are in that moment of destiny?

How many of today's potential buyers may miss the opportunity to own a home because of hesitancy?

If you are thinking of buying a Shawnee, KS home and hesitating, I invite you to examine the reasons for yor hesitancy. It may not be the right time for you to buy a home, based on your individual circumstances and situation. At times I have advised potential clients to rent because that was in their best interests.

On the other hand, it may be your moment of destiny. It may be the cornerstone of your future net worth. Make sure that you are carefully considering your situation.