If you are interested in buying Maryland real estate, you might want to consider your finances and seek counsel from financial advisers. Though the state is a great place to settle in with a bustling business district and good life standards, there are certain issues about Maryland real estate that you must know. The issues are not as bad as property fraud, but they could wreck havoc in your finances. But if you have high income and can afford a high-priced property, then, you are most welcome in Maryland.
Maryland real estate prices are continuously rising prompting realty analysts to conclude that housing will be less affordable to Maryland families and others planning to settle in the state. Maryland Association of Realtors surveyed state residents and reviewed the current housing trends in Maryland. The association found that the cost of purchasing a home and its maintenance are further complicated by unmet strong housing demands and supply shortage across the state. Alan Ingraham, the association’s top realtor assessed that the current issues will affect real estate for the succeeding 15 years.
Deborah Ford, a professor of economics from Maryland, affirms statements by Ingraham that Maryland real estate has not yet reached its most affordable price. She even asserts housing prices are not likely to go down in the near future due to the law of supply and demand. According to Ford, the demands for housing are not met by developing new properties so there is a housing scarcity. The law of supply and demand understandably functions like this — higher demands with lower supplies merit higher prices. So unless Maryland developers and builders start building and developing new properties, it is unlikely that the cost of Maryland housing will decrease.
The study by the realtors’ organization also points out other factors in the rise of housing costs. It is likely that housing affordability in Maryland will be an impossibility if the following are not taken care of: population growth, high interest rates, continued house-value appreciation, slow income growth, and added real estate taxes. Rising costs of energy are also starting to factor in housing costs. Ingraham states that the problem of Maryland real estate is not an isolated case; other states are suffering the same thing.
However, statistics show that entry-level home buyers suffered from a four-fold price increase which began in 2003. The future does not bode well with Maryland real estate as employment rate is only expected to increase by 8% while salary increase is only pegged at 1.9% over a period of five years. Significant population growth is expected within the next 15 years. The property market in Maryland will continue to suffer because of no-growth policies; this means that no new properties are to be built. If you feel that you can handle the pressure and you’re up for high-risk investment, Maryland real estate is a good opportunity to exploit the real property market.