Zillow’s Math – Does Buying a Home Now Make Sense?

Zillow recently published an article titled "If you buy now, it could take 13.5 years to make a profit on your home sale". This article is catching a lot of attention with various media outlets, and I thought I should use my resources to analyze this article.

To do my comparison, I tried to use as much of Zillow's information as possible, including the average price of a home in Seattle and average rents, using credit scores between 720-739. If you would like me to provide scenarios for you based on your neighborhood and financial situation, please let me know!

On this page, you'll find:

• My video (above) using Zillow's data with the resources I have available.
• Total Cost Analysis | Rent vs. Own which includes a short video reviewing the report. Compares renting to buying with 5%, 10% or 20% down payment.
• Rent vs. Buy Report for Zillow's Seattle home scenario based on a 10% down payment. *Rent vs. Buy Report for Zillow's Seattle home scenario based on a 10% down payment

NOTE: Mortgage rates have DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED since I created this resource guide. Please contact me for current rates!

SPOILER ALERT!!! My research shows that it SHOULD NOT take 13 years (or even 10 years) to have a profit on selling a home - even with a 10% down payment! In fact, the Rent vs Buy Report shows that a person could have around a $500K selling their home just after 10 years even factoring in the monthly cashflow difference between renting and owning!

Ultimately, buying a home is not for everyone. However, if you qualify for a mortgage and are interested in the appreciation and investment opportunities available with home ownership, I encourage you to check it out. It's also important to keep in mind that when rates trend lower, people who have been sitting on the fence waiting for lower rates will re-enter the market which will increase demand on the limited supply of homes for sale. This pushes rates higher. Higher mortgage rates can actually provide an opportunity to those who are willing to have the mortgage payment until they can refi (which may take a couple of years).

I wrapped up my video (above) with a teaser about the All In One Loan, which pays off mortgages far more rapidly than a traditional 30 year (making owning a home even more affordable). You can learn more about this program here:

Mortgage rates are subject to change and WILL change. Mortgage rates are based on mortgage-backed securities (bonds) and are similar to bonds. Please contact me for current mortgage rates as the rates you're viewing here (and probably anywhere) are expired.

Questions? Considering buying a home? Please contact me - I am happy to help you!