This article just was posted on Yahoo:
The national housing bust has hit the outdoor wonderland of Medford, Ore., with a one-two punch. Because its timber industry is crucial to the local economy--wood-processing jobs represent at least a quarter of all manufacturing positions--the collapse of the new-home building market triggered higher unemployment in the area. Meanwhile, after moving significantly higher during the first half of the previous decade, home prices have dropped more than 23 percent in recent years. As a result, Medford's already affordable housing market has become even more so. Its price-to-income ratio stood at just 1.01 through the third quarter of 2009, well below its average of 1.46 for the 15 years ending in 2003. Moody's Economy.com expects home prices to hit bottom this year.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-Cities-for-Real-Estate-usnews-375742734.html?x=0&mod=real-estate
Right now a first time homebuyer can buy a modest home in Medford and have payments slightly higher than what they already be paying in rent, but with the tax benefits of owning, maybe even equal cost to rent as own.
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