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How to hedge against housing price declines?


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2022 Apr 25, 1:41pm   3,757 views  68 comments

by Zak   ➕follow (0)   💰tip   ignore  

Hi all,

After purchasing a house a few years ago, even though I swore I was going to lose money, it turns out that for the time being, and on paper, I'm way up. But I, like many of you, feel that this entire market is back in 2007 levels of crazy, and ripe for decline with the interest rate hikes. That said, I live in a house I am comfortable with the payment on, but the "equity" I would get if I sold would be a significant difference in our retirement vs if that "fake money" just evaporates back to nothing.

So, finally, instead of hemming and hawing about sell, or not sell, it finally occurred to me that what people do in volatile asset situations is hedge. But here, I am a bit lost on how to hedge. So... does anyone else here have a similar predicament, and are any of you taking specific steps to hedge a house price decline?

Thanks!

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59   NuttBoxer   2022 Apr 27, 8:19pm  

porkchopexpress says
This makes me think the Fed is less nervous because the banks will be safe unlike last time.


What banks went under? As far as I can tell, only the ones they planned to sacrifice. I was a Washington Mutual customer, closed my account before they went under. I remember clearly their management saying JP Morgan had forced their acquisition, despite other banks including Morgan, being in worse financial shape.
60   FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut   2022 Apr 27, 9:47pm  

rent isnt going down, just saying guys.

i still want to sell my house in CA, but kind of considering just renting it out to pay mortgage and lets face it... in 10 years it'll be worth a lot more.
61   Tenpoundbass   2022 Apr 27, 9:48pm  

I bought my house for $160k in 2010, my mortgage was supposed to go until 2040. How ever I paid it off in just 10 years. My Mortgage was $1500 a month, actually more with rising taxes, and an out of control insurance market, that raises rates with impunity because they can. But I'll stick with $1500 a month. But as you'll see later it should be more.
Now I count that $1500 a month I'm not paying in Mortgage as Rental income I'm paying myself. Over the remaining 20 years, I'll be paying myself $360,000. My house will be paying me more than double than I paid for it. But if you factor to rent my house in today's market, I should really be calculating $3500 to $4500 a month.

That's $840,000 my house is going to give me almost a million dollars even if the value of my house loses value, it still paid me $840,000 free and clear.
This isn't counting the increase in value that it's worth since buying it, I know is the opposite scenario than the original inquiry. Regardless no matter how much you paid for it and how much it's worth then or now, pay it off is the best thing you could do. Especially if it's losing value.
62   HeadSet   2022 Apr 28, 11:38am  

Tenpoundbass says
no matter how much you paid for it and how much it's worth then or now, pay it off is the best thing you could do.

+1,000.
63   Goran_K   2022 Apr 28, 11:44am  

FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut says
rent isnt going down, just saying guys.

i still want to sell my house in CA, but kind of considering just renting it out to pay mortgage and lets face it... in 10 years it'll be worth a lot more.


The only risk I see in that is California sucks for landlords. You're only one CDC emergency away from losing rental income for 2 years.
64   Bitcoin   2022 Apr 29, 8:43am  

HeadSet says
Tenpoundbass says
no matter how much you paid for it and how much it's worth then or now, pay it off is the best thing you could do.

+1,000.


And why is that? The lender gives you a 2.75% rate (my primary), inflation runs at 8.5%. Why would I use my cash to pay off the mortgage? my PITI is enormously lower than the rent would be for the house.

Paying off the mortgage means i allocate my cash to something that gives me little return or benefit. Instead I can invest the money and be ahead long term. For instance....these huge stock market correction is a fantastic buying opportunity.
65   Tenpoundbass   2022 Apr 29, 9:01am  

Bitcoin says
Paying off the mortgage means i allocate my cash to something that gives me little return or benefit. Instead I can invest the money and be ahead long term. For instance....these huge stock market correction is a fantastic buying opportunity.


You're not factoring in Rent inflation you wouldn't be paying.
Inflation wont write you a check like not having to pay a huge monthly expense like Rent or Mortgage.
To realize the savings you calculate the remaining payments you would have made to the banks over the time left that you paid off.
That will add to a hell of a lot more than some 8% unrealized saving/earning potential.
With inflation you either buy or you don't, you can't consider buys you didn't make as income. Unless your doing so to avoid or offset your outflow.

When your house is paid off just think of all of the money you're not putting toward your mortgage, you'll have to play with on investment opportunities.
Doubling up your mortgage every month for the next 5 years, will pay off your house.
That might not be doable for people in a Jumbo mortgage, but those swinging a little piddly $225 or less Mortgage, pay the damn thing off.
Especially when you consider people with far worse off economic position than yourself is having to cough up $3500 or more in this economy to pay Rent.
$3500 would be about two mortgage payments for your average Burbdale median mortgage. $3500 is nuts, that rents are anywhere near that but they are.
So paying that $3500 now puts you in a better spot in 5 years.

The Democrats want to tax unrealized income. I wonder if people who paid off their houses would be taxed one day by the Evil Libs as rental income?
66   Bitcoin   2022 Apr 29, 10:01am  

I see what you are saying: pay off your mortgage and you will have basically a pay raise because now you are not paying x amount for the mortgage going forward.
Plus, think about what you are actually paying for your house (interest over the lifetime of the loan). You might pay twice than the purchase price considering the interest you pay off to the bank.

I understand all that. What I am hung up on is this:
Lets say I have a few hundred K and have to decide, do I pay off the mortgage or do i invest it.
If you pay it off, you have opportunity costs of x amt of cash * expected return per year.
Since my locked in rate is below 3% and inflation is so high, dont I get ahead by investing the cash in the market conservatively (say index funds) because the return on investing in the SP500 historically speaking is much higher than 3%.
67   Tenpoundbass   2022 Apr 29, 10:22am  

I would eventually like being in the position to have the capital to invest in business or assets. I'll never throw my money at this crooked market.
My buddy that just jumped in the market last month, is now singing the blues. He thought GAFAM or FAANG was a sure bet.
68   Bitcoin   2022 Apr 29, 11:53am  

Tenpoundbass says
I would eventually like being in the position to have the capital to invest in business or assets. I'll never throw my money at this crooked market.


Okay, from that perspective I understand your strategy. Bascially, " i dont care what others tell me the stock market will make, i play it safe and pay off my house"

I guess, in my case, its like If I dont believe that the stock market will make me signficantly more than 2.75% annually than I am fucked long term because all of my retirement is in stocks and some is in crypto.

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