Home Buyers Seek Low Carrying Costs

价格是the number one factor for home buyers, according to the annual Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers recently released by theNational Association of Realtors(NAR).

No surprise there—except total purchase price isn’t the overriding factor; more important to buyers is how that price breaks down into monthly carrying costs.

In 2012, buyers’ top five factors were:

• 61% – quality of neighborhood
• 43% – job commute
• 39% – overall affordability
• 35% – convenient to friends/family
• 26% – design of neighborhood

Commuting expenses are “very important” for 37% of this year’s buyers and “somewhat important” for another 29%. In fact, buyers are 50% more likely to compromise on price than on a home’s distance from the office.

Thatcommuting timeis nearly as important asoverall affordabilityspeaks to buyers’ concerns over carrying costs. Mortgage rates are low and likely to stay that way, but othercosts of homeownershipare escalating or volatile, so today’s buyers are focusing on those variables.

The NAR’s breakdown of core monthly homeownership expenses found that buyers cited as “very important”:

• 39% – heating and cooling cost
•24%,节能电器
• 24% – energy-efficient lighting
• 11% – landscaping for energy conservation
• 11% – environmentally friendly community features

By way of contrast, the least important factors are:

• 6% – access to public transit (though that was important to 21% of urban buyers)
• 5% – convenient to airport (though that was important to 14% of resort area buyers)
• 5% – ‘green’ features

The bottom line onoverall affordability:Document the core budget items for owning the house and when selling, emphasize the cost-efficiency of upgrades.

For more on buying and selling homes, consider:

Buy for Your Buyer
See Your House Through Appraisal Goggles
3 Ways Your Neighbors Affect Your Home’s Value