What is it with these people? Do they not have any core values at all? First they spend years telling everyone that home ownership is the only way to go. Then when the housing market hits the skids they’re now singing the praises of renting??

I guess that anyone can justify anything. Now renting of all things is part of the American Dream.

What a crock of BS. This reminds me of the 70’s. Jimmy Carter induced malaise. High unemployment, high oil prices. High inflation. Job losses in the midwest and a ton of foreclosures as well (yes there were actually foreclosures back then). Not to beat you over the head, but are you seeing ANY similarities with today?

And so what was Carter’s solution. The man with absolutely no vision whatsoever?

His solution – unbelievably – was that Americans should LOWER their expectations. That’s right. Americans, members of the greatest country in the greatest society ever to exist on the face of the planet – should start to think SMALLER and not bigger. Children should STOP thinking that they would have it better than their parents. We should stop striving for bigger and better opportunities. We should start having a scarcity mentality like Europeans have instead of our usual abundance mentality.

Something that Americans had never, ever done.

Well thankfully the small thinker carter was bounced out of office on the heels of one of the largest electoral landslides to date by Ronald Reagan. And that ushered in the greatest peacetime expansion in the economy ever seen.

Fast forward to today. Read all the doom and gloom in the media. Hear it around the water cooler at work. If you listen closely, it’s pretty much the same doom and gloom as we heard 40 years ago. And again we hear the calls that America is heading into the sunset and that our best days are behind us.

Bullcrap.

That’s the fodder for small thinkers. It always has been.

This is the greatest country on earth. It always has been and it always will be. We have more opportunity and potential than any other society on earth.

There has never been a better time to start a new business. To think big and follow your dreams. It’s easy to get caught up in all the hysteria – because everyone’s doing it.

It’s harder to separate yourself fromt the crowd and think rationally and realize that things are never as bad as the naysayers shout from the rooftops.

But if you do the rewards are endless. The saying is true – there’s a lot of room at the top.

Anyway – here’s the article. Try not to laugh out loud at the backwards thinking. This guy definitley drank too much of the carter kool-aid.

From Parade Magazine . . . . 

Who says you have to own a home to live the American dream? Renting can actually be better for your pocketbook and lifestyle.

By Mike Hammer, Parade

Before the housing boom went bust this year, homeownership was considered a good investment. But now, with the rash of mortgage foreclosures, renting may be a more attractive option. Here’s why.

1. Renting can save money
According to popular myth, renters are just throwing their money away. But the reality is that when you buy a home, you’re paying for closing fees, mortgage interest, property taxes, private homeowners’ insurance and maintenance — costs that return nothing on your investment. You’d be better off banking that money or putting it into the stock market. In fact, a recent study by Fidelity Investments indicates that stocks provided investors with nearly 4.6% higher average returns in the past 45 years than real estate.

2. Homeowners’ tax deductions are overstated
Conventional wisdom says that buying a home saves you money because the mortgage interest is tax-deductible. But a study by the National Multi Housing Council – a national advocacy group representing the interests of large apartment firms in the U.S. — points out that half of homeowners don’t get a break, because even with mortgage interest and property taxes, their total deductions do not exceed the standard federal tax deduction ($10,900 for couples and $5,450 for singles).

3. More options are available to renters
With fewer houses and condos selling, more owners are converting their properties into rentals or providing incentives to lure prospective tenants. In condo-heavy cities such as Palm Beach, Fla., for example — where the vacancy rate has jumped 2.5% — investors are undercutting apartment rates to generate interest. “A lot of people are offering three free months to attract renters,” says Robert Smith, a real-estate adviser in Orlando, Fla. “And modern apartments offer amenities that may be unaffordable in a new home.”

4. Renting gives you flexibility
Buying a home is a big commitment. If you have to move for any reason — say, for work — your property would need to appreciate by at least 10% for you to recover your sales costs, which typically takes about five years. Renting allows you the freedom and mobility you need to find the right job before you tie yourself to a massive home investment.