Thursday, October 2, 2014

This Motley Fool Didn't Do The Math...

The Motley Fools, specifically David Hanson, states that, compared to the stock market, home appreciation values are horrible, only generating a 19% return since 1958.
Considering the amount of money Buffett is used to dealing with, one would expect Buffett to live in gaudy mansion or even his own private island. Surprisingly, that couldn't be further from the truth. Buffett still lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska home he purchased in 1958 for a measly $31,500. Now, $31,500 today doesn't buy you what it did in 1958, but even adjusted for inflation, that amount in today’s dollars is only around $260,000.
The Douglas County, Nebraska, Treasurer's website appraises the house at $660,200.

660,200 / 31,500 = 20.9587301587302
Multiply by 100, you get 2095.5%, which is comparable to the 2785% return on U.S. stocks MF graphs. (No idea what data they use for the stock returns number. Dow Jones? S&P?)

Now, of course, the Motley Fool is an investing website, and most of their money is made on reporting on the stock market.  So, yes, their reportage will be biased towards investing in the stock market, and less on other forms of investment.

But it appears that the Oracle of Omaha knew what he was doing when he bought that home.  It's in a nice neighborhood, near a major city park and university, with easy access to downtown Omaha.  It was built in 1921, has five bedrooms, and 2.5 baths.

And let's face it...  real estate can be a very lucrative investment!  Smart homeowners pay off their mortgage quickly, buy another house or property, rent that, and use the rent payments to pay off the second mortgage.  Looking to buy?  You might want to try Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.  (See, Warren knows what he's doing...)