As Rents Rise, Vanderbilt Mortgage Highlights Benefits of Homeownership

MARYVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of high housing rents, Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, is highlighting the benefits of homeownership compared to those of renting.

As the housing bubble burst during the Great Recession, millions of homeowners moved out of homes and into rental properties. As demand for rental housing began to skyrocket, so did the cost of renting. The country's economic situation has improved greatly since 2008, but even as the economy recovers rent prices have remained high. In fact, the Out of Reach 2015 study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition indicates that there is a shortage of reasonably priced rental housing and rapidly rising rents have outpaced wages.

"While renting provides certain benefits, the cost of rent has risen so dramatically that many people are priced out of enjoying those benefits," said Eric Hamilton, President of Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc. "One thing people may not realize is that sometimes owning your own home can be less expensive than renting."

There are several reasons why one might prefer to rent. Renting offers flexibility for moving, since most people typically sign leases with terms of one year. There is typically less maintenance and yardwork involved, since maintenance is usually performed by the landlord. However, owning a home also has several great benefits, such as:

• Ownership— when renting, 100% of the rent payment goes straight to the landlord meaning you are paying the equivalent of 100% interest to the landlord.  A typical mortgage payment consists of both interest and principal payments with the principal applied toward reducing the loan balance. Eventually those mortgage payments will result in full ownership of a home unlike rental payments which are not applied toward the purchase of a home.
• Flexibility—whether it's owning a pet, making renovations or even something as simple as painting the walls, a lot of lease agreements restrict what a renter can do with and in his or her rented living space. Homeowners, on the other hand, have the freedom to change aspects of their home whenever they want.
• Outdoor spaces—gardens, grills, hammocks, outside pets, a tire swing in the backyard—these are all things that may not be allowed when renting. Homeowners have much more freedom when it comes to customizing their outdoor living spaces to suit their family's needs. 

"Homeownership provides lots of benefits in several different areas, both on emotional and financial levels," said Hamilton. "Between the high cost of rent and restrictive lease agreements, it makes a lot of sense to own your own home in today's housing climate."

For tips on how to financially prepare for homeownership, view the Guide to Credit, as well as other useful guides for homebuyers, on vmfhomeloan.com.

About Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc.

Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc. is a national housing lender that specializes in financing manufactured homes. In business for more than 40 years, the company currently services more than 180,000 home loans and works hard to tailor loans to each family's needs. Vanderbilt has an A+ grade from the Better Business Bureau and is a Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information, visit VMFHomeLoan.com.

NMLS Disclosure

Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc., 500 Alcoa Trail, Maryville, TN 37804, 865-380-3000, NMLS #1561, (http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/), AZ Lic. #BK-0902616, Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law license, GA Residential Mortgage (Lic. #6911), Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee, KS Licensed Mortgage Co. (SL.0000720), Licensed by the NH Banking Department, Mississippi Licensed Mortgage Company, MT Lic. #1561, Licensed by PA Dept. of Banking.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150820/260025

SOURCE Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vmfhomeloan.com