By Joni Ribera, Let’s Talk Real Estate

While listening to the radio the other day, I heard the old song by The Clash that asks again and again: “Should I stay or should I go now?”

The lyrics almost sound like a “pros and cons” list, with Mick Jones pondering aloud: “If I go there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double.”

I suspect this song has stuck in the minds of more than a few homebuyers and sellers since it was first written in 1981. But here’s another golden oldie from that same year that may help them: The average price of a home in King County was $85,000. Local home prices have risen by 465 percent in the past 27 years, and though the headlines may not always reflect this, history tells us that they will continue to rise in the coming decades.

For example, some friends and I were chatting about their home in Madison Park that they sold for $55,000 in 1983. Last year, they saw that same home sell for more than $1 million. This was a unique opportunity for this couple to see, firsthand, how their previous home had increased by nearly 2,000 percent since they handed over the keys.

In today’s market, it can be hard to remember that real estate is inherently a long-term investment. And with news media telling us to buy one day and sell the next, you just might find yourself singing, “Should I stay or should I go now?”

So what do you do? The reality is that if you have been in your home for more than two years, your house is likely worth more today than when you bought it, making this an OK time to sell. If you’re looking to buy a home, there are a lot of available homes that are certain to gain in value over time. Though there is no crystal ball, these simple truths remain.

So if you’re not sure whether to “stay” or “go,” just take a trip down memory lane as I did. You’ll see for yourself that, over time, real estate has always been and will always be a great investment.

Federal Way real estate agent Joni Ribera: (253) 632-5779 or jribera@windermere.com. Also visit www.JoniRibera.com.