Even if lakeside homes weren't in such demand, there would still be high costs associated with them since there is often a certain amount of scenery being added to the landscape. Often times the lake isn't even naturally formed- real estate companies form them to make for more valuable property. And lucky for the buyers, the expense is passed onto them.
The first benefit most will notice about a lakeside home is that the view is simply amazing. Lake homes carry a certain sense of homely life in the summer, where the beautiful glimmer of the lake supplements the summer sky and green summer grass. This scenery comes at a cost, however, as real estate brokers know that a more detailed scenery is going to mean thousands in markup price because of the demand.
Entertainment is never a problem when one lives by the lake- yet another benefit of choosing a lakeside home over less appealing town houses. Lake homes allow the home owners to swim, enjoy water sports, ice skate during colder seasons in some locations, and overall provide the perfect setting for picnics and family reunions. The entertainment value is almost worth the extended price tag alone.
While it isn't always the most politically correct way to add up the benefits of a lakeside community, most will agree that the fact that there are more wealthy neighbors brings the fact that there is less crime on average. This has been proven in areas where inner-city life has more crime, which correlates to the data that a lesser per capita income promotes crime of certain nature.
Home owners that are trying to get lakeside property should be warned that the process isn't going to be very cost effective. Even the less gracious lakeside homes will have steep price tags associated them. And if near busy locations, the price can easily double or triple the cost than what the cost would be in a rural area. This is the main reason why lakeside homes are primarily composed of the wealthy or those with good credit scores.
Final Thoughts
The Internet can be consulted from here on out for a complete listing of lakeside homes in your area. Most real estate brokers will have online listings of their clients, although it never hurts to pick up a newspaper or classifieds paper for more results to review.
San Ramon, CA -- Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Alan Greenspan, commented best when he stated "Homeowners might have saved tens of thousands of dollars had they held Adjustable-Rate mortgages rather than Fixed rate mortgages during the past decade". If you own a 30year fixed mortgage, the first 10years of your payments will be applied towards paying down your mortgage interest; on average only 15% of your original principle balance will have been reduced. Considering the fact that most people will live in their homes approximately 5 to 7years, it makes since to plan what your goals will be before deciding on a loan program; your decision could affect your financial planning for the next 10years.
Statistically speaking, if you have a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids), a loan balance of $400K with an interest rate of 4.5% (4.642% APR), you'll need a Combined Yearly Income of $140,000 just to Almost Break Even each month; actually you could have a loss of approximately $478 per month.
Here's the breakdown: Income $140K per year x 35% (tax bracket) = $91K per year ($7,583 mo.) Monthly Expenses: $2,027 (Principle + Interest) + $417 (taxes) + $117 (home insurance) + $1K (2 car payments) + $800 (food) + $500 (health insurance) + $2K (family of 4 living expenses) + $300 (student loans) + $300 (credit cards) + $600 (childcare services) = $8,061 Total Expenses. These figures don't include any increases from your local county assessor's office, car repair bills, cost of living increases, cable or satellite services, utilities, etc.
Rather than considering shorter termed loans (with more favorable rates and payment options), the customer will keep their existing loan (they like the current low rate) and take out a Home Equity Line of Credit.
Currently our economy is prospering; this good news creates a rising Prime Rate, which increases the payment rate on your Equity Line of Credit. Some people are using their Equity Line of Credit accounts in order to maintain their current standard of living. One of two things will eventually happen: a) The client will have to prematurely sell their home because they can't afford the payments or b) The client will maximize their existing equity and be forced to make higher payments; this scenario has the possibility of a foreclosure waiting to happen.
In addition to establishing your goals and determining the right loan program, you should also understand the character of a real estate investor. Treat your property as an Investment and NOT a Retirement! Learn to use your equity as leverage in order to obtain greater wealth! Ask yourself what are you trying to accomplish with this transaction? In our opinion, "rate shopping" is the old process for selecting a mortgage loan and it should be replaced with "payment shopping". Did you know there's a loan program available that may have a higher interest rate than you currently have, but provides you with a lower monthly payment (plus extra monthly cash-flow), and no negative amortization? Also, don't view negative amortization as a dark cloud in terms of loan programs; depending on how long you plan on staying in your home, this lower payment option could be a blessing in disguise for the true Real Estate Investor.
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