Welcome to summer.  The warm weather which seemed to take forever to arrive came with a vengeance this week.  Summer weddings are right around the corner.  School is already done for some, others within the week.  And Festival of The Arts begins today in downtown Grand Rapids.  Enjoy your summer my friends.  And if your summer involves a move, remember to give me a call.

First off, I have no connection to this camera or company.  But if you are considering home security, this might make sense.  Traditionally, you pay an alarm company to set up sensors and pay a monthly monitoring fee to them.  It is effective but costly.  Basic system setup normally is about $50-300.  And $30-$70 a month monitoring fee.  

If those costs are more than you'd care to spend or if you only would want coverage occasionally, check this out.  Wyze has released an amazing 1080p tilt & pan camera.  It gives 360 degree coverage in under 3 seconds.  It automatically detects and follows motion.  It has night vision and shoots clear video up to 30 feet away.  It has two way communication if you want to talk to the person or pet on camera.  If it senses motion or sounds, it will take a 12 second video.  It can let you know immediately or not, depending on your settings.  It also saves the video(s) in the Cloud for 14 days.  So if you have a break-in or unauthorized person in your home, you can show the police who broke in.  

I'm not going to take up all my newsletter space talking about this.  You can check out the link below.  The price on this camera is only $29.99 plus $7.99 shipping.  The monthly monitoring fee is ZERO.  That.s right.  No cost.  It is a one time cost.  If you get one of the cameras, let me know how you like it.  You can own this for less than the cost of a single month of security monitoring.  To find out more or place an order, here is the link.

With home prices and interest rates rising, you may be wondering if now is the best time to buy a home. The answer is always yes but there are ways to buy wisely and safely.

Save for a down payment. The more money you can put down, the better borrowing terms you’ll get on your mortgage. Establish a firm budget. Limit credit card spending and pay down your debts. Put your next raise into savings.

Choose wisely. Your home should improve your lifestyle, but not cripple you with debt. It should serve your household’s needs for at least five to ten years, so consider location, neighborhood, commute times, size, number of bedrooms, amenities and condition.

Buy within your means. Your payment, including interest and taxes, should be no more than 28-30 percent of your gross income or 40-42 percent of your income including existing debt. As your income improves, you’ll be able to meet other life goals, such as growing your family, starting a business, or buying more property.

Buy for the long term. The longer you own your home, the more equity, or ownership, you have and the less you owe the bank. Think of equity like savings you’ll get back when you sell or rent the property some day.

Take care of your property. Keeping your home repaired and updated is the best thing you can do to protect your investment. A home in top condition always sells for more money than homes in less desirable condition.

It always a good idea to consult your financial advisor.

Home prices have been rising for over seven years, and mortgage interest rates for five years. Should you wait to buy a home? The numbers say no.

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, the median existing home price is more than $250,000, the highest it’s ever been. If you wait to buy a home, you’re losing the opportunity to build equity, or ownership, in a home of your own.

If you’re worried that homes are priced too high and you’re afraid of losing money, consider this: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for housing were 50.88% higher in 2018 versus 2000, for an average increase of 2.31 percent a year. The average inflation rate for the same period was 2.07 percent. Home ownership beat inflation by 0.24 percent. 

Mortgage interest rates hit all time highs in October 1981, when a benchmark 30-year fixed rate was 18.45 percent (with 2.3 points paid by the borrower), according to Freddie Mac. The lowest took place November 2012 at 3.35 percent with 0.7 points. At about 4.5 percent for a conforming fixed-rate for those with good credit, mortgage interest rates are tantalizingly low.

The best time to buy a home is when you want to, not when you think the market timing is best. Unless you have a crystal ball, you don’t know if prices and interest rates will recede, plateau and or rise. Look at homebuying for the long term, and you’ll be glad you didn’t wait.

As always consult your financial professional for interest rate information and advice.