Mortgage

Most Germans don't worry about owning their home. They just don't care and that is a fact. The country’s homeownership rate ranks among the lowest in the developed world, and nearly dead last in Europe, though the Swiss rent even more. Here are comparative data from 2004, the last time the OECD updated its numbers. (Fresh comparisons are tough to find, as some countries only publish homeownership...

Whether to rent or buy the place you intend to live in is such a critical decision that everyone will have to make sooner than later. It doesn’t just affect how much money you have left at the end of the month, it also affects your lifestyle and the size of the savings you accumulate over the years. Every day, people buy homes when financially they’d be better off renting because it’s important to...

When it comes to buying vs. renting a house, there is always a passionate debate about which makes the most financial sense. Both sides have valid points, so it can be a bit confusing. For example, in the US, recent changes in the tax law have also made owning a home less financially advantageous, so the buy vs. rent dispute continues to evolve. A common argument for buying is, ‘Why would you pay...

Housing finance whether public, corporate or end-user has various levels of accessibility to Ghanaians. The government, in national, regional and local forms, has sought to strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation to sustain infrastructure investments, including those for housing. Beyond this supply-driven residential development initiative, the government, through the Ministry for Water Resources, Works...

Ghana has a growing housing finance sector. As the mortgage market does not yet meet the breadth of the population who might afford a mortgage, most households still finance their housing independently, with savings or non-mortgage credit. The lowest recorded interest rate on a mortgage in Ghana is 29 percent, and requires at least a 20 percent down payment. The cheapest newly built house by a developer...