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Five Real Estate Tips from Warren Buffett

Tara-Nicholle Nelson

Billionaire. Oracle of Omaha. The most successful investor in the world. All of these are used frequently -- and accurately -- to describe Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company with upward of $130 million. Though his stock in trade is, well, stock and trade, over the years, Buffett has actually spun quite a bit of wisdom on real estate, and much of the advice he has given to investors in traded assets would also stand the average American homeowner in good stead.

Looking for some wisdom on the best approach to owning a home? Here's a sampling of real estate tips from Buffett, right, the third richest human being on the planet.

1. The Basic Premise of Home Ownership -- That Homes Increase In Value Over Time -- Is Sound

Last spring, the Congressional Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission called Buffett in for an interview. He was asked to explain some of his bubble-era investment decisions, as well as to give his take on what in the heck had happened to the economy. In the process, Buffett expressed his belief that the housing bubble was inflated by an irrational, widespread belief that home prices would only ever go up -- an extreme corruption of a generally valid premise. "It's a totally sound premise that houses will become worth more over time because the dollar becomes worth less," Buffett declared.

The sound premise, Buffett explained, got distorted and eventually caused the housing crisis when Americans started buying multiple homes to cash in on what they assumed was guaranteed appreciation, taking out "liar's loans," buying homes with no down payment and with unaffordable monthly payments -- and lenders let them -- all because of the assumption that prices could never go down.

Clearly, this assumption was wrong. As Buffett said in an earlier shareholder's letter: "A pin lies in wait for every bubble."

2. Buy Low (And Now Would Be a Good Time for That)

Buffett writes a letter to Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders every year that is chock-full of his review of the company's fortunes (literally) over the preceding year, his analysis of the stock market and the economy in general, and his smart, plain English tips on life and money and on life.

In last month's annual shareholder letter, Buffett addressed the industry-leading 2010 performance of one of his company's holdings, which sells and finances manufactured homes. During that discussion, the money maven declared that now would be a sensible time to buy a home, in light of record-high affordability: "Home ownership makes sense for most Americans, particularly at today's lower prices and bargain interest rates."

And Buffett didn't stop there. He pointed out his own tenure as a homeowner as an example. "All things considered, the third-best investment I ever made was the purchase of my home, though I would have made far more money had I instead rented and used the purchase money to buy stocks," he wrote. Then, to clarify for the readers who'd want to know what numbers one and two were, Buffett elaborated: "The two best investments were wedding rings."

3. But Don't Wait Too Long To Take Advantage of Low Prices

Buffett wrote a 2008 Op-Ed in the New York Times, explaining that buying while prices are low is stressful, because economic markets are volatile and impossible to predict in the short term, even for him. So, when conditions make an investment -- in stocks or in a home -- particularly advantageous, Buffett says not to hesitate too long. Painting a vivid verbal image to illustrate the likelihood that market prices "will move higher, perhaps substantially so, well before either sentiment or the economy turns up," Buffett warned: "if you wait for the robins, Spring will be over."

4. The Smart Way to Own a Home Has Three Elements

Those elements are: fixed mortgage, affordable payments and long-term hold. Detailing why his manufactured housing holding has done so much better than the rest of the real estate market, Buffett pointed out that "[o]ur approach was simply to get a meaningful down-payment and gear fixed monthly payments to a sensible percentage of income. This policy kept [the company] solvent and also kept buyers in their homes." And that was the ultimate difference between smart home-buying and the home-buying that led to the real estate bubble and the foreclosure crisis.

"If home buyers throughout the country had behaved like our buyers, America would not have had the crisis that it did."

See photos of homes for sale in your area and across the country on AOL Real Estate

In the stock world, Buffett has been quoted as advising investors to "only buy something that you'd be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years." Well known for practicing what he preaches, we can presume a long-term hold strategy would also be an integral part of Buffett's advisory to homeowners, too. Despite his net worth of somewhere around $50 billion, according to the latest Forbes tally, Buffett still lives in the 5-bedroom Nebraska home he bought 52 years ago for $31,500.

5. Buying Your "Dream Home" May Lead to Nightmares

In the 2010 shareholder letter, after he pointed out the right way to own a home, Buffett went on to caution Americans against the wrong way. When dream homes are bought for ever-escalating prices, using rapidly adjusting mortgage payments and unsustainable monthly costs vis-a-vis the homeowners' income, the dream can go bad quickly. Buffett warned, "a house can be a nightmare if the buyer's eyes are bigger than his wallet and if a lender -- often protected by a government guarantee -- facilitates his fantasy. Our country's social goal should not be to put families into the house of their dreams, but rather to put them into a house they can afford."

This Month In Real Estate (US): January 2011

Builder Plans 14 New Homes in South County

Fieldstone Group is restarting its local homebuilding operation from Irvine with plans for 14 new homes at two sites in South County.
Led by CEO William McFarland, a former Irvine Co. vice president, Fieldstone has acquired home sites in Dana Point, Rancho Santa Margarita, Encinitas and San Marcos. Fieldstone’s roots date to 1981, historically building 26,000 homes in Southern California, Texas and Utah.

• In Dana Point, Fieldstone is taking over a previously failed project and building at The Cove at Dana Point — “a cozy enclave of six architecturally distinct homes ranging in size from 3,100 to 3,600 sq. ft, and many with ocean views. The homes will be available for sale in early 2011.” The project’s website notes homes will have up to 5 bedrooms.
• In Rancho Santa Margarita, Fieldstone will work on a rare undeveloped property building “eight homes on large view lots that will have both the benefits of a small private cul-de-sac street and also be part of the large master planned community of Trabuco Highlands with all its amenities. The new single-family detached homes, all of which boast mountain or valley views, will average 3,500 sq. ft. on large 7,400 sq. ft. lots and be open for sale in January 2012.”

“Fieldstone is back on the offense and we’re opportunistic -– we are nimble and flexible, and able to consider a wide variety of project sizes, locations and financial structures,” said David Greminger, president of California operations of Fieldstone.

Real Estate Hot Spots: Mission Viejo Real Estate

Posted at January 1, 2011 at the Business Hub:

With the real estate market struggling in many parts of the country would be home buyers look to specific areas where market conditions have created unique opportunities. These opportunities might include homes at vastly reduced prices, areas with high rates of foreclosures, and even those areas that have great real estate agents working in them. These types of opportunities allow home buyers to purchase a home at a price lower than expected and can also give buyers a piece of mind that they won’t get when considering other areas.
One such area is Mission Viejo. Mission Viejo located in the heart of Orange County California is a very popular city among those looking at Mission Viejo real estate for their next purchase. With cities like Aliso Viejo and Irvine surrounding the community schools, jobs, shopping, and good eating are always no more than just a few minutes away. Mission Viejo real estate has been and remains popular because of the economic opportunities the city offers to it’s residents as well as those offered by it’s sister cities. Parents working in Mission Viejo or in a nearby city can rest easy knowing that the school their child will be attending is also within close proximity to the home.
Some home buyers consider Mission Viejo real estate because the city is home to numerous upscale homes, many of which that have undergone dramatic price reductions. Luxurious homes with reduced price tags give home buyers and investors a great opportunity to buy a great home for far less than it’s actually worth. Investors and even families can buy Mission Viejo real estate now and turn an enormous profit should they sell the house years down the line. Mission Viejo real estate at lower that expected prices also gives many hard working people and opportunity to buy a home that normally might fall just outside of their budget.
In today’s real estate market home buyers are not only very picky about where and how they spend their money but they also want to work with Mission Viejo real estate agents who bring experience, area knowledge, and personality to the table. The Mission Viejo real estate agents whom are most successful in today’s market are those that go above and beyond for their clients. Buyers looking for a reputable Mission Viejo real estate agent will also want to work with someone who has great listings and can help match the buyer to a home that not only satisfies their personal needs and desires but falls within their budgetary constraints as well. There are many Mission Viejo real estate agents but not all of them are equal in terms of experience, reliability, honesty, and dedication to their clients. People considering the purchase of Mission Viejo real estate will however find Mission Viejo real estate agents that stand out above their fellow agents.
All in all Mission Viejo real estate remains popular even in a market like the current one because the city is home to several fantastic Mission Viejo real estate agents and the city continually sees fantastic homes put on the market at prices that are even more fantastic. Whether it’s a family looking for a home, or a Mission Viejo real estate investor one things for certain. They’ll find exactly what they’re looking for in Mission Viejo.

Another one gone...

Where did this month go?  SO looking forward to 2011.  I have a lot to look forward to and cannot wait to start this next book (not chapter) in my life. 

I will never apologize for being happy.  Ever. 

Appreciating the much deserved smiles...

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