PICTURE Continued from page C54 ties. “When you’re looking at Orange County, you have to be very, very careful,” Appleton-Young said. “It’s very difficult to generalize about a county as a whole. You need to look behind the numbers.” Generally speaking, homeowners should only sell if they have to, Adibi said, adding that when people buy homes they plan to live in they should not only look at them as investments. Homeowners should first weigh their options and the circumstances they are dealing with, he said. “If somebody is out of their job, if they can’t afford the monthly payment, then yes, they maybe have to sell,” Adibi said. “If they do not have the urgency, then there’s no rush to sell.” Thomas said when interest rates rise, and they are likely to rise in the next few years, buyers will lose purchasing power. And therefore, this could be the best time to buy, not sell. “People are taking interest rates for granted,” he said. “It’s a great time to buy.”
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