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It’s a great time to buy!
The Home Builders Association of Billings designed this webpage with the homeowner and consumer in mind. We try to give you all of the resources needed in order to make the right decision.
Billings Named Best Small City for Launching a Business
Billings has topped 50 competitors as the best small city in which to start a business, according to a cover article in the November issue of Fortune Small Business Magazine!
Read Article by clicking here!
Housing Pays its Way in Billings!
At a summit co-hosted by the Home Builders Association of Billings and the Billings Association of Realtors, local business people learned that housing really does pay its way in Billings!
http://www.ktvq.com/Global/story.asp?S=11309358
http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/64181072.html
http://northernbroadcasting.com/TOOLS/ListenNow/VoicesofMontana/tabid/115/Default.aspx
Billings Ranked #1 in Expected Housing Appreciation for 2009
According to HousingPredictor.com, Billings is expected to be one of only 10 markets with positive appreciation in 2009. Click the link below for more information on why Billings is a great place to buy a home.
http://www.housingpredictor.com/topmarkets.html
Billings Rated #3 in “100 Best Places to Raise A Family” List
Best Life Magazine evaluated 257 cities across the country, and Billings ranks third in the “100 Best Places to Raise a Family” list. Click on the link below for more information.
http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/family-fatherhood/The_100_Best_Places_to_Raise_a_Family.shtml
Billings Listed as the 10th Best Housing Market
In a BusinessWeek article, Billings was listed among the 10 best housing markets across the United States. Click on the link below for more information. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/12/1210_bestworst_housing/index_01.htm
Opportunity Knocks for Home Buyers
Homeownership is an important part of the American way of life, and for most people, the question isn’t if they will buy a home, it’s when that purchase will occur.
Brochure
Opportunities
With low interest rates to qualified buyers and our area’s beautiful location, our market is indicating favorable conditions for home buyers. Never before have home buyers had such a variety of choices when it comes to living space – it’s a great time to buy a new home!
Contact A Member
There is a neighborhood and a home to fit every lifestyle. Today’s housing market, with it’s low interest financing, is the perfect one in which to buy a new home. Please contact our builder and/or realtor members for more information about homes for sale in this area – click here to view our online membership database.
Investment Information
Homeownership Calculators
Find three different calculators (buy vs. rent, affordability, and loan estimator) that will help you plan ahead for your dream home. http://www.ginniemae.gov/ypth/index.asp?subTitle=YPTH
Is Buying a Home in Today’s Economy a Good Idea?
As a long-term investment, homeownership is still one of the best investments for individual households. “Why” you may ask? After all, the headlines say the housing market is down and out, with defaults rising at an alarming rate, and mortgage markets so frozen that buyers can’t get a home loan at any price.
What buyers need to realize is that housing markets, like all markets, inevitably have their ups and downs. And homeownership has a track record that is virtually unmatched by any other purchase in terms of its real benefits.
Despite the turmoil in mortgage lending, if you have good credit, a job and steady income, you will find there is still plenty of mortgage credit to be had at good rates. For well-qualified buyers, rates are running at near historical lows.
Homeownership’s Real Value
Here are a few examples of why, dollar for dollar, homeownership is a solid stepping stone to a future of financial security and the single largest creator of wealth for many Americans.
Over the long-term real estate has consistently appreciated, even through periodic adjustments in local markets in response to economic conditions. On a national level, home appreciation has historically increased 5-6 percent annually, report economists at the National Association of Home Builders.
Five percent may not seem much at first, but here’s an example that will put it into perspective: Say you put 10 percent down on a $200,000 house, for an investment of $20,000. At a 5 percent annual appreciation rate, that $200,000 home would increase in value $10,000 during the first year. Earning $10,000 on an investment of $20,000 is an extraordinary 50 percent annual return.
In contrast, putting that $20,000 down payment into the stock market and getting a 5 percent gain would only yield a $1,000 profit.
Compared to Stocks
Looking at it another way, over a longer period of time, if someone put $10,000 into the stock market in 1996, the average annual S&P return would make that investment worth $21,500 today—an increase of $11,500. The median home price in 1996 was $140,000. Today, that same home would have gained nearly $100,000 in value.
Don’t miss out on the benefits of homeownership.
article from http://www.nahb.org
Consumer Resources
The following websites will offer you even more information when it comes to buying a new home. Feel free to take advantage of all the information that is out there – just for you!
NAHB’s “For Consumers” Webpage
Everything you need to know about buying, financing, building, maintaining, or remodeling your home is right here. This section guides you through every stage of homeownership and helps you understand more about home building, as well as the environmental and community growth issues facing our neighborhoods. Whether you’re a current or prospective home owner or just an interested consumer — there’s something here for everyone.
http://www.nahb.org/page.aspx/category/sectionID=112
HBA of Billings “Links & Info” Webpage
Find useful information about building, financing, and maintaining your home in our area. Links & Info page.