Should You Rent or Buy Your Home?

<div class="embed-container" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="282" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FEsEsf0_JXI" width="502"></iframe> </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wanted to give you a little breakdown of the home buying process and why now is such a great time to buy in Boston.</span></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I read the other day that </span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the average net worth of a homeowner is 36 times greater than the average net worth of a renter.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It's also expected that this gap will expand to 45 times greater in 2016. </span><br /> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many reasons why, but simply put, homeownership is a form of forced savings. Every time you make a mortgage payment, remember, you're just contributing to your net worth. If you're currently renting, it might be painful to think that you're contributing to your landlord's net worth.</span></div> <span id="docs-internal-guid-8ef1acd8-bd3c-9dc5-2ddd-28e297c3db3a"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div> <div class="quote-box"> <div class="quote-text"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"> Homeowners have a net worth 36x higher than renters.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Rental rates have skyrocketed this year, up 3.8% year over year, marking the largest increase since 2007. Buying a home offers you stability. With a fixed rate, you can take comfort in knowing that your mortgage payment isn't going to increase. With interest rates near historical lows, now is the time to buy a house if you haven't already done so. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thinking you don't have enough for a down payment, or an insufficient credit score? In 2015, the average credit score for an FHA loan was 686. The average home buyer put 10% down, with the average first-time buyer putting just 6% down. Thinking you need 20% down just isn't true anymore. </span></div> <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you're thinking about buying or selling a home in the Boston Metro Market, I'd love to speak with you about how we can accomplish your goals. Give me a call or send me an email and let's talk soon!</span></div> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /></span></div> <span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>