REAL ESTATE IN SILICON VALLEY
R ENT OR B UY ? B Y M ICHELLE K ENNEDY
money away every month. Being a homeowner allows you to use your monthly payment as a way to save money, it’s like paying yourself! When I moved to the Bay from Wash- ington DC, I found a house I was really interested in but de- cided that the cost was too steep and that I should wait for a downturn. I would have almost doubled my money had I bought that place and sold it in today’s market! You can’t time the market you need to find the house you want and make the jump. Once you decide that you are ready to purchase, you will find that talking to an agent can open your eyes to much more of a house then you thought possible. I did not think I would ever qualify for a loan high enough to purchase a house in this market but was lucky enough to connect with a very helpful Real Estate agent that helped me though the qualification process, obtain pre-approval and ultimately purchase a home. I am so grateful for the help that agent pro- vided for me and am excited to pass the gift of home owner- ship on. My goal is to help you drive up to your dream home every day, not drive by to take a look. If that’s your goal too, let’s talk!
Deciding between renting and purchasing a home is dif- ficult. Before purchasing my first house I spent years debat- ing with myself (and then with my partner) the desire to have a place of my own with the high cost of making that happen. I did not do much actual research beyond just “browsing” on residential web sites and making assump- tions on what I could afford. I had a cycle of finding a house I liked on the web, using the mortgage calculator that comes on the site and comparing what I could afford monthly with howmuch the calculator said it would cost me. I would then give up in disgust for several months until I started browsing again and the cycle would repeat. I honestly felt like I was stuck being a renter forever. However, you aren’t. I can help you navigate the best path for your future, because, not only have I faced, and over-come, this situation myself but have helped others make the decision that best suits their own goals. Quite honestly, I was not really sold on the need to pur- chase a house. I had a vague notion that paying rent every month was not really doing me any financial favors and every place I rented I had grand designs for modifying into something that would work better for me. But I never un- derstood what I do. Now, owning a home is so much more than having an ability to hang a picture wherever you want or have a pet without hiding it. Owning a house is key to building wealth. Renting a house is basically throwing
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