The Advantages Of Homeownership - A Primer For First-Time Buyers

For most first-time home buyers, homeownership marks a major personal accomplishment. It’s part of the American dream, and a great way of controlling your own destiny.

Renting has its advantages. It allows for greater flexibility and ease of movement. Renters are also spared property taxes, although they pay for them indirectly through their rent payments. And renters usually incur few, if any, property repair charges.

But the disadvantages to renting are even more profound, both from financial and psychological perspectives. Your rent payments may be keeping you under a roof, but they are not doing very much more for you. And as a renter you are usually obliged to allow the property owner in for inspections at their convenience, and to dictate how you decorate your home.

The fact is millions of American homeowners have realized that owning their home is the best thing for them. And with a little planning they were able to accomplish that goal, even when they had poor credit or large financial obligations. If they can do it, you can too.

But before you purchase your very first home it’s important you know the benefits of homeownership, and plan your financial future around them.

Homeownership Tax Benefits

Perhaps the biggest advantage to homeownership comes in the form of mortgage interest tax deductions. Nobody likes paying interest on a loan, but at least homeowners can leverage them when it’s tax time.

As long as it’s your primary residence, the interest you pay on your new home over the year should be tax deductible the following year. And that can equate to thousands of dollars per year when you consider that the majority of an amortized monthly mortgage payment goes towards interest. Property taxes are usually tax deductible too. And under certain circumstances mortgage insurance, homeowner’s insurance, and hazard insurance are as well.

Check with your tax advisor or preparer to find out which homeownership benefits you’ll be eligible to leverage on your tax returns. But chances are these deductions will equate to much more than the standard Federal tax deduction, and help to get you back more money from Uncle Sam.

Property Appreciation

While local property markets sometimes encounter short-term declines, over the long-haul almost every homeowner sees the value of their home steadily increase. Regular maintenance and occasional home improvements can increase your home’s value at an even faster pace, as well as making life more comfortable for you on a daily basis.

And it doesn’t take much to attack your mortgage from two sides. Making your mortgage payments on time, and ensuring you pay a little on principal each month, reduces your mortgage balance. That in turn increases your home’s available equity, which you can use later to refinance to a lower interest rate or get money out via a home equity loan.

Be Prepared

Before you buy your first home it’s also important you properly prepare. To take full advantage of your first home, evaluate your own needs. How long will you be in your home? How large a house do you really need? How much home can you realistically afford? All of these questions will play a critical role in how much of an advantage homeownership will be for you.

Additionally, read up on mortgage terminology and learn the mortgage industry’s nuances. Understanding the details and knowing the right phrases will better prepare you to find the most advantageous deal.

Last, but certainly not least, read up on the differences between the various mortgage products. There is no universally right or wrong type of mortgage. Some people are best served with a flexible adjustable-rate or interest only mortgage, while for some the stability of a fixed-rate mortgage is the right choice. Each product has its advantages. The question is which advantages are right for you.

For further insight on choosing the right mortgage, consider using a Mortgage Broker, or better still a Mortgage Planner. A Mortgage Planner is similar to a Broker, but can provide extra knowledge on a range of advanced and long-term mortgage topics, including cash flow management and debt analysis. This additional expertise can prove critical when determining the best path for a mortgage - one of the biggest financial obligations you’ll make. Only a few businesses, among them America’s Lending Partners, provide mortgage planning as a service.

The Achievable Dream

It doesn’t matter what your current situation: homeownership, and the benefits that come with it, can be achieved with a little patience and planning. But it’s up to you to reach that goal. So take that next step, and join the millions of Americans who have seized control of their own destiny.

Andrew Carey works at America’s Lending Partners, a leading online mortgage business that has been providing homeowners and homebuyers with a variety of resources and mortgage services since 1999. For more information please visit: lendingpartners.com LendingPartners.com.