| If you want guarantees, use CD deposits at the bank.
Or do a decent amount of research so you have a handle on where the market in the area you plan to buy is trending. Over the long term, real estate tends to increase in price. Short term is not generally the way to look at RE values. There are many other intangables that also make owning a home a good thing. Quality of life, tax incentives, and the fact that the appreciated value is on the basis of the total property value- and not the dollar amount you invested to purchase it (which is really unlike almost any other investment).
As a general rule, New construction is costlier, therefore plan to stay longer in a newly constructed home in order to see an increase in value than if you bought an existing construction. The same appliesgto expensive additions/remodels, like a gut and redo of a kitchen and bath. The cost of the improvements cannot immediately be recovered in the sale price in many cases.
__________________
Adoptive parents ARE "real" parents. Sharing genes is not what makes you a "parent"!
Last edited by nextwife; 07-06-2004 at 02:32 PM.
| 
07-06-2004, 01:59 PM
Linear Mode
