asianautica, almost anything can be rationalized. If you buy a house at 2003 prices and it drops to 2000-2001 prices, you’re still going to lose money. You’ll be paying more money any way you slice it, with a comparable interest rate. An agent at one of the new developments has been bugging me for weeks, trying to get me to qualify for one of his stupid houses. What he always asks is “can you afford xxx payment?” Well, that’s like your argument, it’s not whether you can afford the payment, it’s the price of the house that’s important. The reason, obviously is whatever that payment is (affordable or not) when the price goes lower, that payment goes lower.
Gullible people buy based on that rationalization. It’s like the sleazy car salesmen: “Can you afford xxx payment?” It’s not the payment. You want to get the best deal and the best deal is the overall price. Sure, individual situations have to be taken into account, I’m talking about those who plan on staying in their home for long term with a fixed rate mortgage.
It’s always best to get the lowest price. Not to mention, you’ll pay less on property taxes.
