6 Financial Reasons for Homeownership in Raleigh, North Carolina

March 23, 2022 by Kevin Martini

Homeownership has so much to offer financially but it can also positively impact your life today and impacts future generations too! Raleigh Mortgage Broker and Certified Mortgage Advisor Kevin Martini published a special episode of the Martini Mortgage Podcast highlights 6 Financial Reasons for Homeownership.

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Raleigh Homeownership Provides Leverage

Leverage is the use of borrowed money to increase your return. Housing is one of the only leveraged investments available today.

Raleigh Homeownership Locks In Your Housing Costs

The only way one can escape rising rents is to consider purchasing a home and locking in your monthly housing payment with a fixed rate mortgage payment.

Raleigh Homeownership Is Usually A Form Of Forced Savings

Every month when you write the check for your mortgage you are not only paying interest, you are also paying principal.

Raleigh Homeownership May Provide Substantial Tax Benefits

If you itemize your taxes you may be able to deduct the mortgage interest you pay on your Federal taxes and State and Local Taxes (SALT) may also be tax deductible on Federal and State taxes too.

Raleigh Homeownership Provides Protection From Inflation

Owning a home is typically a hedge against inflation.

Raleigh Homeownership Provides Non-Financial Benefits

When considering to buy a home you need to to have price and cost clarity of the the dollars and cents but you cannot forget to weigh the non-financial benefit that could truly change your life.

It is never too soon or too late for homeownership

It is never too soon to explore your homeownership options…it is never too late to explore your homeownership options either. If homeownership is right for you and your family then know this…the first step is always the loan not the home.

There is never a substitute for having price and cost clarity before you start looking for a home. Get pre-approved before your home search not just pre-qualified! To a seller a pre-qualification says you are just ready and willing whereas a pre-approval with a Certified Mortgage Advisor with the Martini Group says you are ready, willing and able. It also communicates to the seller you are making a ‘same-as-cash’ offer and that is important to share in any market, especially in a tight real estate market like we are in today.

If you want trusted advice with a digital mortgage process that offer a great rate call either Logan Martini or Kevin Martini with the Martini Mortgage Group.

martini mortgage podcast best raleigh mortgage broker kevin martini financial reasons for homeownership — 6 Financial Reasons for Homeownership

There is nothing wrong with renting. In fact there is a time to rent however that time is not now. Do not fret, I am going to unpack this bold statement in a few moments in this special episode of the Martini Mortgage Podcast.

Welcome and thank you for tuning in, my name is Kevin Martini and I am not just the host of the Martini Mortgage Podcast, I am also a Certified Mortgage Advisor with the Martini Mortgage Group which is located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. We may have our headquarters in North Carolina however myself and my crew help families all over the U.S. create generational wealth with financing real estate.

Episode 135 is called – 6 Financial Reasons for Homeownership you could also call this episode 6 reason to buy a home in Raleigh or anywhere city in North Carolina or any city in the U.S. for that matter.

Now let me share, recently I was a the grocery store buying my Cocoa Pebbles, yes – – – you know he cereal, and yes, it turns the milk chocolate. Any who, I heard someone say:

‘Excuse me Mr. Martini’

…I immediately got excited because I thought my dad was in the cereal aisle at the grocery store with me but then I realized the chap was talking to me. I responded by saying…

‘I know I have been in the financial services since the mid 80’s however I am just Kevin, my dad is Mr. Martini’

The young man’s name was Stephen and he is a younger millennial an he asked me if he should buy a home now or wait. My response was not yes not no — it was, ‘it depends’.

I know what you are thinking, I should of just said ‘ yes you should’ but if I did that it would be wrongs. You see no one on YouTube, no one on Facebook or Instagram and no one on a Mortgage Podcast or any podcast for that matter and most definitely no mortgage app that can take you to the moon on a rocket can tell you if it is a good, or a smart idea for you to buy a home. Homeownership is right for many but not all. You see, every family I have the privilege to work with is different. There is not a cookie cutter response to Stephen’s question.

Think about this for a moment…getting a mortgage is a big deal, it is a financial instrument just like a stock or a bond that you may buy in your portfolio. You would never buy a stock without making sure it properly fit into your portfolio, would you? You should not just buy a house because someone says you should…everyone is different.

Listen, if you are looking for someone that who just peddles mortgages, then hit the stop button because this is not me! Again, for many, buying a home makes sense — for some it does not. This is something I can help determine when we first connect together. With an open heart, in order to create generational wealth, one needs to own real estate. If homeownership is right for you taking action sooner than later could save you tens of thousands.

Now if buying a home is right for you and your family then I want to share some of the financial benefits associate with buying a home and getting a mortgage with the Martini Mortgage Group with PCL Financial. In this episode, episode 135 of the Martini Mortgage Podcast, I am going to share 6 Financial Reasons to Buy a home.

Are you ready? Let is start making this mixing this cocktail.

Number 1 is leverage.

Housing is one of the only leveraged investments still available today. Simply put, leverage is the use of borrowed money to increase your return. To illustrate let us assume that you want to buy a home in Raleigh and home is priced at say $500,000 and you have twenty percent saved. For this that are not quick with math, 20% of 500,000 is 100,000.

So let us look at the transaction in detail…You would buy the home for $500,000 and you would put 20% down, that is $100,000 and you would get an epic mortgage rate on your $400,000 mortgage with me, Kevin Martini, your Certified Mortgage Advisor.

Now let us fast forward say 1-year…in other words, you own the home and you secured the mortgage and you are moved in and lived there for 12-months. For purpose of conversation, let us assume the home appreciation is 5%.

This $500,000 home you purchased just 12-months ago is now worth $525,000. Assuming this is your only asset, your net worth is now $525,000.

Now think about this, let us say you did not buy a $500,000 home in Raleigh and let us assume that you purchased a one-hundred thousand dollar home for cash in Raleigh 12-months ago. Using the same 5% appreciation in the previous example, then your net worth would be $105,000. Make sense so far?

OK, what does it mean? With leverage you made $20,000 more!

Let me share a quote from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University on this topic…and I quote:

“Homeownership allows households to amplify any appreciation on the value of their home by a leveraged factor.” End quote.

The Number 2 of 6 financial reason of homeownership is crazy simple and so very obvious but many people miss it.

You are paying for housing whether you own or rent.

Here is a fact, when you rent you are paying for a mortgage, you are just paying your landlord’s mortgage for them.

For the people that were multitasking let me say it again,

when you rent you are paying for a mortgage, you are just paying your landlord’s mortgage for them.

I mentioned earlier that there is nothing wrong with renting and there is a time to rent and that time is not now in my opinion. Census data shows the median monthly rent continues to go up year after year, in fact, since 1988 it has just gone up and up and up. The only way one can escape rising rents is to consider purchasing a home and locking in your monthly housing payment with a fixed rate mortgage payment. I truly believe that homeownership is a much more stable long-term investment.

Perhaps your concern is credit score or that you are self-employed or maybe it is the down payment required.

On the topic of credit score, I think you will be shocked to know that there are home loan solutions that the Martini Mortgage Group offers families that have experienced a bump and a bruise in the past. I get it, bad things happen to good people and the the bad thing that you have moved passed does not need to prevent you from owning a home.

Perhaps a limiting belief is that you are self-employed…many of the families I work with was a Certified Mortgage Advisor are self-employed and they have a very creative accountant. This week, my business partner and fellow mortgage strategist, Logan Martini helped a self-employed person to qualify for a mortgage just using his bank statements for the last 24-months and we did not even look at his tax returns.

Another concern is downpayment, there is a common misconception in the marketplace that one needs to have a 20% down payment to buy a home. One does not need to make a 20% downpayment to secure a home loan. With with the Martini Mortgage Group there are low and no down payment mortgage solutions that we offer.

Remember you are paying for housing whether you rent or own. For me, if I am paying for something, I want to own it. Please do not let myths about credit score or downpayment or the fact that you are self-employed stop you for exploring your options. I said it earlier, homeownership is not right for everyone and it may or may not be right for you however you owe it to yourself and your family to see if it is right for you.

Let me extend an invitation to you, if you would like to have a confidential conversation with me, I am here, just go to CallWithMartini.com to get access to my schedule and book a time for us to connect or if you prefer, call me by dialing 919.238.4934.

The third financial benefit is associated with the fact that owning a home I usually a form of forced savings. Let me breakdown forced savings.

Every month when you write the check for your mortgage you are not only paying interest, you are also paying principal. When you pay principal you are reducing the amount you owe.

Let me illustrate. If you purchased a $500,000 home and you put 20% down and for example let us assume, for illustration only a 4% rate for with a 30-year fixed mortgage, just like the example we talked about earlier when we were discussing that housing is one of the only leveraged investments still available today.

In this example your Principal and interest would be, $1,909.66 a month. Every month when you make a mortgage payment you are retiring your debt every month.

In this example, you are making a forced saving deposit of $576.33 a month. In this example you are making a forced saving deposit of $6,915.96 a year.

There may be substantial tax benefits to owning a home and having a mortgage is the 4th financial reasons to buy a home

A unique financial reason to buying a home is if you itemize your taxes you may be able to deduct the mortgage interest you pay…assuming you are in a twenty eight percent tax bracket and for illustration ONLY, this would mean the month tax benefit for that $500,000 home we have been discussing would be $373.33 a month. The annual tax benefit would be $4,479.96.

When you rent there is no tax benefit nor ability to write off your rent on your Federal or State taxes however do not fret, your landlord most likely will get the benefits and I am sure your landlord is thankful you are participating to their forced savings.

Inflation is the 5th financial reason for homeownership and to buy a home.

Owning a home is typically a hedge against inflation.

Let me define inflation…inflation is a general increase in prices and a fall in purchasing value of money. At the time of this recording inflation is at a 40-year all-time high.

Housing costs and rents have tended over most periods of time to go up higher than the rate of inflation and for this reason owning a home is an attractive proposition because it provides a hedge against inflation.

Finally, the 6th financial reason for homeownership is the non-financial benefits of homeownership. I know it is crazy to say that a non-financial benefit is a a financial benefit but it is and sadly many people overlook the the feeling of gratitude, security, pride and comfort that homeownership offers.

When considering to buy a home you need to to have price and cost clarity of the the dollars and cents but you cannot forget to weigh the non-financial benefit that could truly change your life.

Let me wrap this special episode of the Martini Mortgage Podcast up with a recap the 6 Kevin Martini financial reasons for homeownership.

Number 1 , housing is one of the only leveraged investments still available today.

Number 2, when you rent you are paying for a mortgage, you are just paying your landlord’s mortgage for them.

Number 3, owning a home I usually a form of forced savings.

Number 4, there may be substantial tax benefits to owning a home and having a mortgage.

Number 5, owning a home is typically a hedge against inflation.

Number 6, homeownership provides non-financial benefits.

In closing, getting qualified and ultimately approved for the right home loan and getting mortgage for your home is NOT like shopping for the lowest priced gas for your car.

Listen, every mortgage company secures the money from the same source so everyone at the end of the day has the same mortgage rates however not everyone provides trusted advice with a secure digital mortgage platform that provides certainty like the Martini Mortgage Group provides. In addition, our job is not done after closing since it is our obligation, duty and responsibility to manage your mortgage for you after closing.

Thank you for tuning in to episode 135 of the Martini Mortgage Podcast which was about the 6 Financial Reasons for homeownership.

Thank you in advance for sharing this episode with someone you care about that may benefit from its contact.

If you want trusted advice with a digital mortgage process that offer a great rate with certainty check out my website by going to: www.MartiniMortgageGroup.com – you can find some real world information in the learning center and you can also securely apply online or book an appointment with me.

Now it is time for the disclaimer:

This material has been prepared for marketing purposes only. This is not a loan commitment or guarantee of any kind. Loan approval and rate are dependent upon borrower credit, collateral, financial history, and program availability at time of origination. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice. The Martini Mortgage Group at PCL Financial is a division of Celebrity Home Loans, NMLS # 227765 with a Branch address of 507 N Blount St Raleigh, North Carolina 27604. You can contract Certified Mortgage Advisor and Producing Branch Manager, Kevin Martini NMLS# 143962 by calling the Branch and that number is 919.238.4934. For a full list and more licensing information please visit: www.NMLSConsumerAccess.org or by visiting www.MartiniMortgageGroup.com – Equal Housing Lender

It is going to be a big day for Raleigh real estate today

March 16, 2022 by Kevin Martini

On the economic calendar is the Fed Interest Rate Decision! It is expected they will hike their benchmark Fed Funds Rate however it is CRITICAL to know the Fed does not directly control mortgage rates.

Let’s get technical with you for a hot second. Recently, the yield spread between the 10-year Treasury and 2-year Treasury has been trending lower. This increase in yield over time is known as the yield curve, which naturally moves up with maturity. But there is a phenomenon called an inverted yield curve, which has longer-term maturities yielding less than shorter-term maturities. This occurs when investors feel that prices in the future will decrease beneath present levels. When this goes inverted, it has been a very reliable recession indicator – YIKES!

Again, the Fed is expected to hike their benchmark Fed Funds Rate at their meeting on Wednesday March 16, 2022. This hike will push the short end of the yield curve higher, while the long end could move lower if it’s perceived that inflation is being reduced. This will cause an inversion at an even faster rate.

How will Raleigh real estate be impacted by a recession

If we are to see a recession, how will it impact housing? It is important to know recession does not mean housing bubble. Let me say it again, recession does not mean housing bubble. If look back at recessions since 1960, housing either remained essentially stable or increased in almost all of them.

Fresh on the minds of many is the recession in 2009. Please remember this fact, the recession was caused by the housing bubble, the recession did not cause the housing bubble. With the most recent recession in 2020, home prices rose.

Historically, home values perform very well during periods of inflation like we are experiencing today and during recessions too.

Is Raleigh real estate afforable?

Shifting gears, homes are still affordable today! In the most recent episode of the Martini Mortgage Podcast, episode 134 called “Home Affordability Today”, that dropped this week unpacks home affordability today. Spoiler alert, homes are less affordable today than they were 12-months ago however less affordable does not mean unaffordable. Real estate today remains what some call a ground floor opportunity level.

Buying a home this spring is smart and starting or continuing your homeownership journey can pay off significantly especially you take action sooner than later.
Raleigh Mortgage Broker & Certified Mortgage Advisor, Kevin Martini

Connect with a Mortgage Strategist with the Martini Mortgage Group by calling (919) 238-4934 if you want to learn more about what you have read or if you want to talk about the options available to you any your family.

Home Affordability Today

March 15, 2022 by Kevin Martini

Affordability, are homes affordable today? What are the components to home affordability? Is buying power the same as home affordability? OH MY, so many questions! In this special episode of the Martini Mortgage Podcast, Certified Mortgage Advisor Kevin Martini answers these questions and unpack home affordability today.

What is home affordability?

Home affordability is a measure of whether someone earns enough to qualify for a loan on a typical home based on the most recent price, mortgage rate and wage data.

…I want to share this with you. Remember, when you think affordability there are many factors to consider such as home prices, mortgage rates and income. Yup, when home prices rise and home loan rates rise, it does impact affordability, and experts project both of those things will climb in the months and years ahead. Simply put, that is why it’s less affordable to buy a home than it was over the past two years when prices and rates were lower than they are today. Keep top of mind that wages need to be factored into affordability as well. It is a fact that wages have been rising, and higher wages is a big reason along with historic low rates that, while homes are slightly less affordable, homes are not unaffordable today.
Raleigh Mortgage Broker and Certified Mortgage Advisor, Kevin Martini

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It seems like today that whenever you hear the word real estate, you will also hear the word affordability. Right now, from a historical perspective, homes are still affordable. Granted, in spring 2021 homes were more affordable than they are right now in spring 2022. It is important to share, less affordable does not mean unaffordable.

My name is Kevin Martini and I am not just the host of the Martini Mortgage Podcast, I am also a Certified Mortgage Advisor with the Martini Mortgage Group which is located in Raleigh, North Carolina however I help families all over the great state of North Carolina and many other states too. Welcome to episode 134 of the Martini Mortgage Podcast where I am going to unpack home affordability today.

Let me share the Kevin Martini definition of home affordability. Home affordability is a measure of whether someone earns enough to qualify for a loan on a typical home based on the most recent price, mortgage rate and wage data. Buying power is sometimes confused with home affordability and it should not be. Sure thing, when mortgage rates rise, it will impact how much home you can afford but higher mortgage rates is not the only thing that impacts home affordability.

One of the three components of home affordability is home prices. An industry leader is CoreLogic and they are a trusted resource of real estate data. In their most recent U.S. Home Price Insights Report they highlight that home values increased 19.1% from January 2021 to January 2022. If you compare month-over-month data, home prices increased 1.4% in January 2022 over December 2021.This increase in home value has impacted home affordability but again, home are less affordability based on this metric, they are not unaffordable. Here is the good news, there is forecasted to be a deceleration of home values by CoreLogic.

Please don’t freak out with the word deceleration. In the simplest form, it just means homes are still going to appreciate, they are just not going to appreciate at the level they have. Make sense?

Oh by the way, real estate is hyper local and that data from CoreLogic is national data not local data about say Raleigh, North Carolina. Some markets like Raleigh, North Carolina are like to exceed national numbers.

Let me shift gears to talk about mortgage rates. I know that mortgage rates are higher this spring versus last spring. In fact, they are about one percent higher today. Yes, home loan rates are higher as compared to this time last year however but from a historical point of view, they are epic. Let me get very personally right now, mortgage rates today are more than 50% less than when my wife and I purchased our first home. When my wife and I purchased our first home we were able to secure an adjustable-rate mortgage in the mid 9’s and to be transparent, we thought it was a killer rate and looking back, it really was.

Where are mortgage rates headed? It is difficult to predict where home loan rates are headed with the current global uncertainty. The opinion of experts is mortgage rates will drift higher especially with the level of inflation we are experiencing. You see mortgage rates are based on Mortgage Bonds. A bond is a fixed assets and the return is eroded by inflation, so inflation typically accelerates mortgage rates however did you know that homeownership is a hedge against inflation. Again, mortgage rates are low even though thye have moved up over the last several years but these low home loan rates are a positive factor to home affordability.

The third component to home affordability is wages. Right now, wages is a very positive factoring mixed with the historical low mortgage rates. Wages are up right now and this increase in income has offset a portion of the higher home prices experienced.

Today, buyers’ income is still greater than required to qualify for a mortgage. On a national level the median family income was $88,417 and the qualifying income needed for a home loan was $60,096. As you know, the Martini Mortgage Group is located in Raleigh and that is considered in the South. Since real estate is hyper local let us look at the data for the South of the U.S. – median family income in the South was $80,683 and only $57,768 was needed to qualify.

Since we are getting hyper local, let us talk about the Raleigh Real Estate Report Card for March 2022. Raleigh is located in Wake County North Carolina and the population is over one million. Today there are over 400K renters in Wake County and over 25% of them, over 100,000 of the 400,00 renters can afford to purchase a home. It is important for me to highlight, the Wake County North Carolina affordably index is indication homes in are still affordable considering home prices, mortgage rates and wages.

Before I wrap episode 134 of the Martini Mortgager Podcast I want to share this with you. Remember, when you think affordability there are many factors to consider such as home prices, mortgage rates and income. Yup, when home prices rise and home loan rates rise, it does impact affordability, and experts project both of those things will climb in the months and years ahead. Simply put, that is why it’s less affordable to buy a home than it was over the past two years when prices and rates were lower than they are today. Keep top of mind that wages need to be factored into affordability as well. It is a fact that wages have been rising, and higher wages is a big reason along with historic low rates that, while homes are slightly less affordable, homes are not unaffordable today.

To find out more about home affordability in our local area, just call a mortgage strategist with the Martini Mortgage Group by calling 919.238.4934. We can discuss where home prices are locally, what’s happening with mortgage rates and how you and your family will be impacted by them.. Know this important fact, it should always be loan first and then go find your home. Deploying the loan first strategy will allow you to make an informed financial decision not an emotional one.

In closing, there is still a massive opportunity to buy a home today. Perhaps the home will not be as affordable as the one your buddy purchased last year but it will still be affordable and homes are not unaffordable today.

If you want trusted advice with a digital mortgage process that offer a great rate with certainty check out my website by going to: www.MartiniMortgageGroup.com – you can find some real world information there and you can also securely apply online or book an appointment with me. Be sure to check out the Raleigh Real Estate Report Card which can be found in the learning center.

My name is Kevin Martini and thank you for tuning into episode 134 which has been called; ‘Home Affordability Today’