 |
Buying or renting in Bellingham Washington
- Real Estate Relocation
See the AskMe Feature Below.
Many potential home owners hesitate about entering the Bellingham Washington real estate market because they feel that “owning costs too much.” But the fact is that after you consider income tax deductions, personal freedom, rent increases, and the accumulation of wealth through growing home equity, renters actually not only pay more, they also stand to lose tens of thousands of dollars of net worth.
Tax Deduction
As someone owning real estate in Bellingham Washington, you will be able to deduct most of your monthly mortgage interest payments from your taxable income. As a result, your actual out-of-pocket home costs will run – depending on your combined federal, state and local income tax rates - 20 to 40 percent less than the amount of the check you write each month for your mortgage payment.
Freedom to make where you live your “home”
If you decide to rent a home in Bellingham Washington, you are living in someone else’s property. Any improvement, decoration, change has to be approved by the landlord. Some landlords here in Bellingham Washington are great to rent from – others may not be such diligent landlords! You are not free to express yourself and make the place your own if you decide to rent a home in Bellingham Washington. Homeownership gives you the freedom to do what you want with your home – whether it’s purple walls, beautiful wallpaper or a hand laid brick patio for your enjoyment!
Rents will go up
Sometimes, even after allowing for tax benefits, the monthly costs of owning may still look higher than renting. But that is a short term view. Today’s rent and mortgage payments are 10 to 20 times higher than they were 30 years ago. Back in the late 50’s you could rent or buy an average home for between $25 to $150 a month. Those wise buyers who locked in their housing payment 30 years ago avoided all the increases over the years that their renting contemporaries had to endure. Similarly, locking in your housing payment today will insure insulation from future cost-of-living increases that will affect the rental market over the next 10 to 20 years. In the year 2020, today’s rent and mortgage prices will seem ridiculously low! The difference will be that you will still be paying those ridiculously low housing payments if you choose to buy a home from one of the many houses for sale in Bellingham Washington!
Equity Build Up
Over the last 200 years, home prices in across the country have appreciated rapidly, at other times depreciated. But on the whole, homeowners have always built more wealth than renters. Even if your home doesn’t appreciate (a highly unlikely event), at the end of your mortgage term, you will own a valuable asset free and clear. You’ll own nothing if you continue to rent during that time. But if your home does appreciate, your equity will be worth much more than you have paid for it, even factoring in interest payments.
When is it a good time to rent?
If you are only going to be in Bellingham Washington for a short amount of time you may want to consider renting rather than buying. Normally you have to own a home for a couple of years to realize enough profit from appreciation to pay for selling expenses. Talk to your Bellingham New Quest City agent to see how long you would have to own a home to be able to break even when you sell.
Chose a real estate agent with experience to help you!
Many buyers start their Bellingham Washington home search randomly. They see a home listed on a Bellingham Real Estate site and in their initial excitement call the listing agent. Firstly, that agent is already working for the seller and cannot represent the buyer’s best interests. You need a Bellingham Real Estate agent with a proven track record of not just sales, but of helping buyers. This is especially true if you are interested in Foreclosures in Bellingham Washington. Bellingham Real Estate agents referred by New Quest City have experience in helping buyers relocating to Bellingham WA buy a home for the right price!
So to find out if buying a home in Bellingham Washington is an option, request your FREE “Relocation to Bellingham Washington” relocation package (click on link above). Then, a top Bellingham Real Estate agent will contact you and send you information on homes in Bellingham Washington.
Topics on this site include: Bellingham homes, Bellingham new homes, Bellingham real estate and Bellingham newspaper including homes Bellingham real estate, Bellingham WA real estate and check Bellingham MLS homes for sale and houses for sale, find realtors and real estate agents, get new houses plus Bellingham new homes and homebuilders, find Bellingham foreclosures, Bellingham houses for sale, condominiums and Bellingham Condos, and Bellingham WA newspaper reports, lofts and Bellingham lofts homes, look for apartments townhomes townhouses, search jobs and help wanted, movies, bars, restaurants and events, Bellingham luxury homes.
Bellingham, Washington is the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the largest city in Whatcom County and tenth largest in Washington. It is situated on Bellingham Bay, which is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia. It lies west of Mount Baker and Lake Whatcom (from which it gets its drinking water) and north of the Chuckanut Mountains and Skagit Valley. Whatcom Creek runs through the center of the city. Census Bureau estimate placed Bellingham's 2003 population at 71,289, and a recent calculation pushes it to 74,770. Bellingham has recently experienced an increase in real estate prices. As of Spring 2007, real estate prices seem to be leveling out as the market decreases. The boundaries of the city encompass the former towns of Fairhaven (now home to the southern ferry terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway System), New Whatcom, and others. -- Source: Wikipedia.com
AskMe a Question About Bellingham, Washington
To ask a question or make a comment about Bellingham, Washington Click Here.
Census Data for Bellingham, Washington
| Bellingham | Washington | United States | |
| Population | 67,171 | 5,894,121 | 281,421,906 |
| Median age | 30.4 | 35.3 | 35.3 |
| Median age for Male | 29.5 | 34.4 | 34 |
| Median age for Female | 31.4 | 36.3 | 36.5 |
| Households | 27,999 | 2,271,398 | 105,480,101 |
| Household population | 62,578 | 5,757,739 | 273,643,273 |
| Average household size | 2.24 | 2.53 | 2.59 |
| Families | 13,990 | 1,499,127 | 71,787,347 |
| Average family size | 2.83 | 3.07 | 3.14 |
| Housing units | 29,474 | 2,451,075 | 115,904,641 |
| Occupied units | 27,999 | 2,271,398 | 105,480,101 |
| Vacant units | 1,475 | 179,677 | 10,424,540 |
Visit US Census
Visit Wikipedia.com.
Local Weather |
Stock Market |
|
Weather Forecasts | Weather Maps | Weather Radar |
 NASDAQ  |
News
Cities
Other Area Cities: Bellingham Ferndale Lynden
Other Popular Washington Cities: Bellingham Bremerton Edmonds Everett Longview Moses Lake Mount Vernon Olympia Richland Seattle Spokane Tacoma Vancouver
Go to the NewQuestCity.com Home Page
|
Buyers USA Buyers USA Relocation Chronic Pain Film Composer HomeBuyersUSA NLP USA QuestClassifieds Realty Directory RePagesOnline The Integral Center Transformation Solutions Infignos |