Renters Feel Pressured to Buy Property due to Rising Rent, but Where Does the Money Come From?

Pricing increases for homeowners and renters are putting pressure on people deciding whether to buy or rent a property. Renters are feeling pressured to buy their own place because it could be more cost-effective. At the same time, the end of mortgage forbearance is pricing people out of their homes, so there are more and more lower-earning families in the rental market.

Rent has increased 14% year over year according to records from December 2021, which makes the national median price $1,800, and in some cities, it gets to $2,000. The median home price jumped 16%, reaching $375,000 in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Homebuyers need to know their maximum when it comes to home search and seeking a preapproved mortgage could help set the limit. Having a top number and sticking to it helps avoid buyer’s remorse.

Banks allow less than 30% out of a gross monthly income as payment for real estate, but this is without other debt payments and loans. And that should go for all house owning costs, mortgage, insurance, and property tax should fit into that 30%.

Lenders usually look for the debt-to-income ratio to be less than 37% when overwriting a loan, and although there is an allowed range outside that threshold, it shouldn’t go over 40%. This means that the mortgage can take 30% out of your monthly income only if you don’t have more than 10% of any other loan or debt.

Millennials coming into their homebuying years are eager to stretch their budgets to fit their American dream. They buy houses well above the asking price and are more than willing to bid on the offer. More than 50% of properties on the market sold after a bidding war, and some were sold for more than 30% over the asking price.

Experts advise against this tactic, as they predict it could lead to buyer’s remorse and financial difficulties in the future. Realtors suggest setting the limit lower than what a family can afford and leaving room for bidding wars.

All of this bears little significance for the renters who are struggling to save up money for the down payment, due to skyrocketing rents. Rent is going up so fast, that some renters pay $200 more than last month.

Landlords sustained a decline in revenue during the eviction moratorium, so while the value of their properties increased they lost money on unpaid or late rent. After the end of the moratorium, landlords took it upon themselves to get out of a financial ditch and upped the price to match the rising demand on the rental market.

This makes renters hesitate, on the one hand, they want to make the most of the still low mortgage rates and use the money to invest in real estate. On the other hand surging rent makes it impossible to save up and get out of the renting cycle.

Some homebuyers made savings out of Fed funds for post-pandemic economic revival and the experts suggest just that - paying the extra living costs with any other means besides savings. Renting over buying is worth it only in a market where a monthly rent payment is significantly smaller than a mortgage payment.

Author:

Cesar Gomez , Broker /

Cesar has worked as a real estate agent and broker in the southern California region since 2013.

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