If you’re like me, you know that the best part of eating cake isn’t the sponge — it’s the icing.

When I was a kid, I straight-up asked my mom if she could bake me a cake made of only icing. No base, no sprinkles, nothing extra. Just pure sugar and some food dye for good measure.

Of course, this was a terrible idea (and not just because, had he seen it, it would have made my dentist cry). But God bless my mom for indulging me anyway.

After squeezing five full canisters of Betty Crocker icing into an unsuspecting cake pan, she explained that it wasn’t actually bakeable. In fact, I was only allowed to eat a spoonful of corn-syrupy goodness before we snapped some pictures and dumped the whole thing in the trash.

Wasteful? Maybe. But as a realtor, I think about this day a lot.

The real estate equivalent of a cake made of icing is buying (or staying in) a house just because “it has a great interest rate.” The property is the cake; the mortgage rate is just the icing on top.

If you love the floor plan, the neighborhood, and the school district, don’t let the interest rate stop you from buying your dream home. You can always refinance later if rates come down!

Likewise, you shouldn’t feel obligated to stay in a house that isn’t working for you anymore just because you locked in a low interest rate. Life happens, you have more kids, those kids move out, your job changes, etc. It is what it is, and everyone’s situation is different.

My point being: interest rates and monthly payments should factor into your calculations as a homebuyer, but they shouldn’t be the only variables at play.

Don’t put the icing before the cake. And if you have questions about buying (or selling) a home here in the St. Croix Valley, give me a call. I’m happy to help.