This Might Be The Best Time In History To Be A Homebuyer

In a new blog post, A Wealth of Common Sense’s Ben Carlson argues that there’s never been a better time to buy a house. Surprisingly, housing prices have nothing to do with his argument.

“Everything is online these days, and you can typically see 20-30 pictures of every house that’s on the market on the Internet,” Carlson noted.

In addition, modern houses are better than houses on the market 40 years ago in a number of key ways.

“Houses today have wireless Internet connectivity, better appliances, and are generally more energy efficient,” he explained.

While investors have complained about record-low interest rates, homebuyers have celebrated the cheapest mortgages in history.

Related Link: Just Because It Doesn't Break The Bank: Rethinking Affordability

Housing prices are much more expensive than they were in the '70s or '80s and have even been on the rise since the trough following the housing bubble of 2007. However, Robert Schiller has shown house values generally appreciate at right around the rate of inflation in the long term.

“Once you factor in the tax savings on the deductible interest costs you can basically get a mortgage interest rate today that will be equal to or less than the future rate of inflation,” Carlson concluded.

So far this year, the iShares Dow Jones US Home Const. (ETF) ITB is up 4.2 percent.

Disclosure: The author holds no position in the stocks mentioned.