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Owning A Home Has Its BenefitsBy Scott ThompsonPrudential California Realty1-510-410-2003www.ScottThompson.bizLooking to buy or sell a home, income property or real estate in Oakland, Piedmont, Berkeley, San Leandro, East Bay or Alameda County can be challenging. Can I afford a home Will I qualify for financing Where should I live Consumer doubts about the purchase of a first home are sometimes considerable. However there are at least eight reasons you should add Purchase My First Home to your list of New Years resolutions. Consider these benefits of homeownership. 1. Pride of OwnershipOwning your own home adds to your own sense of self-esteem and personal pride. The satisfaction that comes from feeling connected to the land you occupy and the home in which you live is ages-old. 2. Security of Tenancy With homeownership comes stability. When renting, you never know when you may have to move because of new ownership, rent increases or other changes. As a homeowner, you decide when and if you want to move.3. PrivacyWhile there are usually some limits on the access landlords have to property, almost all landlords can access your property for necessary inspections and maintenance. For many renters, this lack of privacy is a significant discomfort. Homeowners on the other hand generally have much stronger property rights and experience an increase in perceived and actual privacy.4. DecoratingHomeowners are free to decorate, remodel and accessorize a home any way they want. Not only do you have the right to make improvements, but the value of those improvements becomes yours as well. Having your living space and exteriors just the way you want them can significantly increase your satisfaction with your living environment.5. Financial PredictabilityWhen you buy a home with a fixed-rate mortgage, you have more predictability over future housing costs. Because your interest rate never changes, the amount of your payment never changes. Financial planning and credit are more easily managed with a fixed-rate mortgage compared to renting.6. Building EquityWhen you own your own home, you pay rent to yourself instead of a landlord. Most homeowners pay for their purchase by obtaining a mortgage. As you pay off that mortgage, your equity builds and you gain an increasingly larger share in a valuable asset. Over time, that asset can work for you in many ways, such as home equity lines of credit. And of course, a home is a wonderful asset to pass along in an estate.7. Investment AppreciationThere are certainly no guarantees of property value appreciation. In the long-term, however, real estate valuations almost always increase. This means that when you decide to sell your home, its value may be significantly higher than when you purchased it. The difference in value is called appreciation. You can reinvest that appreciation in other real estate or you may wish to downsize and keep the value of that appreciation for retirement or other purposes. 8. Tax BenefitsIn the United States, the cost of home mortgage interest and property taxes are usually tax-deductible. Depending on your circumstances, thousands of dollars in taxes can be saved each year. These tax savings are not limited to federal taxes either. Many states and localities either base their tax system on the federal system or offer similar incentives to homeownership. Some additional benefits are designed specifically for first-time homebuyers.If you still have doubts, contact a real estate professional in your community. He or she can answer questions you may have about homeownership and explain the buying process to you. Make Purchasing A Home one New Years Resolution you keep.Scott Thompson can be reached at 1-510-410-2003. Prudential California Realty is an independently owned and operated member of The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.###
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Scott Thompson
(510) 410-2003
Let me help you relocate to a new home or property in Oakland, Piedmont, Berkeley, San Leandro and Alameda as well as the Montclair, Crocker Highlands and Alameda County county areas. I can direct you to a church or synagogue, public or private schools, golf courses, recreational facilities, cultural events, or a hotel. I can provide you with local news, maps, city info, city statistics, and more -- everything you need to become familiar with all aspects of the greater Oakland metropolitan area.
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