Home Equity & Senior Housing
Bob Carlson’s ideas and strategies for managing home equity and choice of housing to maintain a budget
Found 129 Articles.
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Empty Nesters: Move or Remodel?
An as retirement approaches an important issue for empty nesters is what to do with the family home. The homeowners can move to a more suitable home, usually by downsizing into a smaller residence. The other choice is to remodel the home to make it more compatible with the new lifestyle. Often, remodeling was considered […]
Retirement Housing Myths Shattered
Some of the biggest retirement planning mistakes occur because pre-retirees believe common myths and rules of thumb that often are featured in the media. Most of these retirement platitudes do not stand up to basic research or investigation. Retiree housing has been a subject of some of the premier and enduring retirement myths. The media […]
Is It a Good Time to Buy a Second Home
In our Feb. 2002 visit I advised, “If a second home interests you, now is a good time to take a serious looking at buying one.” Those who took my advice have done well. Vacation and second home prices were stagnant then because of the economic downturn but doubled in many areas between 2000 and […]
The Surge in Reverse Mortgages
Reverse mortgages suddenly are booming. The number of reverse mortgages insured by the federal government surged by 77% in 2006. Areas with high home prices and a high percentage of older people see the greatest number of the mortgages issued. Several factors are behind the increase in reverse mortgages. The aging population increases demand, as […]
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Housing Bubble Revisited
The headlines about housing certainly changed over the last year. Talk of unending years of double digit appreciation have been replaced by stories of unsold homes, sharp price declines, and forecasts of how long and how steep the decline might be. Throughout the housing boom we maintained that there was not a national housing bubble. […]
Should You Keep Your Mortgage or Pay it Off?
A home is the most valuable asset owned by most Americans. A key and confusing financial issue for many is how to manage the home equity. Proper management of the equity can increase net worth and enhance one’s life style. Managing home equity means determining the trade off between a mortgage and unencumbered home equity. […]
Factors to Consider when Using Home Equity as a Retirement Fund
Is home equity the mainstay of your retirement fund? Apparently it is for a number of people. Both anecdotal evidence and some consumer surveys indicate that a number of Baby Boomers plan to “retire on the house.” The plan is especially prevalent along the coasts and in resort areas. These are the areas in which […]
Should You Buy or Rent the Second Home
The real estate markets are changing, especially those in resort and vacation areas. Home prices streaked upward from 2000-2005, causing us to address the possible “housing bubble” several times in this newsletter. Those articles are on the web site Archive. Now, the forecasts we made the last few years are looking accurate. The hottest housing […]
