One of the major benefits to purchasing a home with a mortgage are the tax credits that can be taken advantage of when April 15 comes around.
Many homeowners are unaware of what mortgage related expenses can be deducted and, more importantly, which ones can no longer be deducted.
Receive A Tax Deduction For Interest Paid On The Mortgage
The most common tax credit associated with mortgages is the interest paid credit. This allows borrowers to deduct the cost of the interest paid on their mortgage on their taxes, which in many cases is the largest tax break available to homeowners.
Interest paid deductions on taxes are available to second mortgages as well as first time mortgages and are available on home equity lines of credit as well as home equity loans.
Mortgage Insurance Is No Longer Tax Deductible
Unfortunately, as of 2014 any mortgage insurance paid was no longer considered tax deductible. This came as a shock to many borrowers who planned their finances around receiving the tax credit.
Although mortgage insurance is no longer tax deductible, there are still other home related deductions that can be taken advantage of. Real estate taxes can be deducted the year they are paid and discount points purchased at the time of the sale can also be used as a deduction.
The IRS treats discount points as mortgage interest that is pre-paid and allows deductions on certain loan types.
Using Tax Information To Plan Ahead When Buying A Home
There is a limit imposed by the Internal Revenue Service on how large a loan can be to qualify for an interest paid tax deduction. Any loan that is over $1 million dollars is not allowed to have the interest paid towards it deducted when tax time rolls around.
This knowledge can be used to put the borrower in a beneficial situation in years to come when they plan to purchase a home. Limiting any loan to under $1 million dollars, no matter what the cost of the property, will allow the interest paid into it to be deducted the following year.
The tax laws are always changing and differ from state to state, so it is advised to contact a mortgage specialist with knowledge on mortgage tax laws to provide more information on which deductions you qualify for.
With the real estate game in a state of constant flux, getting an offer on your house or condo might seem encouraging enough. However, there’s always the possibility that your property might hit the market hot, and this could mean more than one offer on your home. While having multiple offers can be the best of all outcomes, there are a few ways to handle this situation and make the most of your home sale.
Sales of previously owned homes dropped in August by 4.80 percent on an annual basis for the first time in four months; the dip was likely caused by rising home prices. August sales were reported at a rate of 5.31 million; July’s rate was 5.58 million sales of previously owned homes.
When making the decision to purchase a home, there can be an array of questions to ask regarding location, size, style and additional features that will complicate things. If one of the considerations among these is whether to buy new or old, though, you may want to be aware of new home warranties. While buying new can seem like a risk, this type of warranty may help make at least one decision easy when it comes to your home purchase.
Last week’s economic releases included several reports related to housing. The Wells Fargo/NAHB Housing Market Index achieved its highest reading in nearly 10 years. Housing Starts dipped in August and Building Permits issued in August exceeded July expectations. The week’s big news was actually no news. The Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee decided not to raise interest rates. Fed Chair Janet Yellen followed up on the FOMC statement with a press conference and said that the Fed is not yet ready to raise rates, but that a majority of FOMC members are prepared to raise rates before year-end.
Selling a home is more than real estate listings and making the home appealing to potential buyers. One factor to take into account when buying a home is its location, meaning the community surrounds the home.
It might seem like selling a home and moving to a new place is enough pressure on its own, but buyer’s remorse is a well-known phrase for a reason. If you’re currently considering a home and are concerned about taking the plunge into purchasing, here are three strategies you will want to utilize before making a final decision.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) / Wells Fargo Housing Market Index reported that home builder confidence rose by one point to a reading of 62 for September. This was the highest reading since November 2005, when the NAHB reported a reading of 68 for home builder confidence. Any reading above 50 indicates that more builders are confident about housing market conditions than those who are not.
With mortgage bubbles and real estate issues still in recent memory, one might feel that their best option is to buy their next home using cash instead of borrowing the necessary funds. In today’s article we’ll explore the pros and cons of paying cash for that next house or condo.
It’s amazing that in a year with extremely low mortgage rates being reported around the country, closing costs are up by as much as 6% from the previous year. Part of the reason for this is that the stricter regulations on loans have increased the costs to banks, and they always find a way to pass on new costs to the consumer.