Lighthouse Realty Group, 170 Diana St, Encinitas, CA 92024, US

Coastal Country Real EstateYour Professional Real Estate Firm Serving Encinitas and North County San Diego Residents! Call Today to Speak with a Professional. (760 ) 500-6755Real Estate values in California...specifically your home...are always on your mind. Is the market going to soften and crash...is your home going to continue to rise in value or is it going to stay put for awhile?A good barometer of value can be found in the history of real estate appreciation in California. Primarily Coastal Southern California. Since 1940 real estate has doubled in value from the decade year to the decade year. That means whatever the value of a home in 1940, in 1950 it doubled. Whatever the value of your home was in 1990, in the year 2000 it had doubled.If you and I use this as a barometer of things to come then what you want to do is go back to the year 2000 and let us Coastal Country Real Estate & Mortgage determine roughly what the value of your home was. Double that and that will give you an idea of what to expect by the year 2010. If your home has already doubled in value since 2000 then you can likely expect the market in your neighborhood to be flat through the year 2010. If it has not yet doubled then you will have some idea of the rate of appreciation over the next few years.Historically the most active time in appreciation run-up occurs from the middle of the "8" year through the start of the "1" year. Also, the most likely slowdown in real estate has always occurred in the dead middle of a decade. Values tend to adjust from the "4" year through the "7" year. Sometimes values actually decline during this period. But again they tend to spurt again (adjust ) at the end of the decade.Given the foregoing you have to remember that you bought your home as yes, an investment, but also as your home. If you are in your home for the long run then you will see very nice appreciation over time. If you are a speculator and your stress levels go up and down with the changing market, then it is wise to have some idea of trends.A friend gave me a wise piece of advice when I was young. He told me that the only time he has ever lost money in real estate is when he sold it. Not because of commissions and closing costs, but because over time those properties increased dramatically in value. Therefore in his view...he lost money. My advice is enjoy your home, pay your mortgage, don't sweat the fluctuating market place and if you wish to sell don't worry about values. If you are selling at a price that is lower than you wanted, keep in mind, you will be buying your next home at a price that is lower than you expected also.When you have an experienced and wise mortgage counselor like Marisa here at Coastal Country Mortgage, who can get you into your next home with very little cash and a very manageable mortgage payment then it is always a wise decision to hold onto that home and convert it into rental property. Remember, you only have to live in your home two years over a five year period prior to its sale to take advantage of the huge capital gains avoidance of $250, 000 if single and $500, 000 if married.