Sep 25, 2015 | Home Mortgage Tips
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.
Sep 24, 2015 | Home Seller Tips
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.
Communication Is Key With Potential Buyers
The occurrence of having multiple offers on your home may put you in the power position, but you’ll want to keep potential buyers in the loop and aware that you’re fielding other offers. Ensure that each buyer supplies you with a pre-mortgage qualification letter and an offer by a deadline you choose, and let them know the tentative timeline on making a decision. This will keep your buyers aware of the situation, and reduce the chance of missing out on a potential sale.
Weigh Your Offers Before Making A Decision
Right off the bat, it may be tempting to go with the offer that seems the best on paper, but make sure to carefully consider the reliability of each potential buyer. It’s important to look over each buyer’s offer and determine if they seem like a consistent candidate that won’t change their mind. Once you’ve determined your ideal buyer, you can move on to negotiating the sale of your home, just do this in a timely manner because any serious buyer will expect a timely response!
Don’t Forget About Following Up
It can sometimes happen that the seller will get so excited about an offer on their home that they’ll forget about everything else and prep for the moving vans. However, it’s important to follow-up with each potential buyer to ensure selling success. Not only will this instill good will with each potential buyer, it may even provide a back-up offer in the event that the initial deal falls through.
Having a number of offers on your home is a great situation to be in, but you’ll want to make sure you handle it appropriately so you don’t miss out on the best deal. By keeping your potential buyers in the loop and following-up in a timely manner, making the sale might end up being the easiest part of your move. For more information on selling your home successfully, contact your local real estate professional today!
Sep 23, 2015 | Market Outlook
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.
Sales of existing homes have risen 6.20 percent year-over-year; stronger labor markets and low mortgage rates were seen as contributing factors. Although economists expect the Federal Reserve to raise its target federal funds rate before year end, home sales are expected to stay strong through 2016. A Fed rate hike would mean that lending rates for consumer credit and mortgage loans would increase.
Analysts noted that July sales of pre-owned homes hit a post-recession high and characterized August’s lower reading as a “hiccup.” Month-to-month readings often reflect volatility caused by transitory influences; analysts typically rely on month-to-month rolling averages to track trends in housing markets.
Home Sales Thwarted by Slim Supply of Available Homes
Low inventories of homes for sale are likely keeping sales of previously owned homes from achieving their potential. In August, there were 2.29 million homes on the market, which represents a 5.20 month supply under current market conditions. August’s volume of available homes was 1.70 percent lower than for August 2014.
The national median sale price for a home was $228,700 in August; this represents a year-over-year increase of 4.70 percent.
First-time Buyers Getting Back in the Game
First-time home buyers accounted for 32 percent of existing home sales in August as compared to a normal reading of 40 percent of existing home sales. Investors purchased 12 percent of pre-owned homes sold in August as compared to a post-recession high of 25 percent. Less competition from investors should allow more owner-occupant buyers to purchase homes without being priced out of bidding wars.
On another positive note, distressed sales of pre-owned homes comprised only 7 percent of sales, this is a strong indication that the tide of post-recession foreclosures is ending.
FHFA House Price Index Also Shows Higher Home Prices
FHFA, the agency that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reported that home prices of homes associated with mortgages owned or backed by the two government-sponsored entities rose by 0.60 percent in July as compared to June’s reading of 0.20 percent. Home prices were up 5.80 percent year-over-year in July, which is 1.10 percent below the peak index reading of 2007 and was near the November 2006 index reading.
Year-over-year home price readings for the nine census divisions were all positive and ranged from + 2.20 percent in the New England division to +9.40 percent in the Mountain division. Month-to month house prices ranged from -1.20 percent in the New England division to +1.60 percent in the Mountain division.
Sep 22, 2015 | Home Buyer Tips
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.
It’s A New Home Benefit That’s Often Guaranteed
Currently, there are a number of places in North America where a third-party warranty or a builder’s warranty are now required so the quality of a builder’s work can be assured. While some builder’s may offer a warranty when you purchase a home through them, a third-party warranty that is guaranteed in many regions will mean that you don’t have to worry about paying out of your own pocket when a problem occurs with your new home.
The Coverage Included In New Home Warranty
Generally, a new home warranty will include insurance on your deposit and a guarantee against flaws with the work, the materials or the structure that may appear down the road. While this type of warranty will commonly cover standard issues that can occur with a new home, there’s often the option for more extensive warranty coverage that will safeguard you in the event that issues beyond the basic appear.
What You Can Expect From Your Builder
If you’ve decided on a new home, you will want to research your builder and choose one that is reliable, up-front and will follow-up on any issues you may have with your new home. Once your house is close to completion, you’ll have the opportunity to do a home inspection with the builder to take notes of any issues with your house – like a sticky drawer or a chipped cabinet – that may be present. The builder should be able to offer a completion date for these issues, and also provide you with information you need to keep your new house in tip-top shape.
There are no assurances when it comes to buying a house, but new home warranties are a good guarantee that you’ll be covered in the event that a problem occurs. If you’re interested in learning more about making a new home purchase or this type of warranty, you will want to contact your local real estate professional for more information.
Sep 21, 2015 | Market Outlook
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.
Inflation Rate Remains Well Below Fed Benchmark
The Federal Reserve has set a goal of reaching an inflation rate of 2.00 percent as one of several considerations for raising the target federal funds rate that currently stands at 0.00 percent to 0.250 percent. The Consumer Price Index for August fell from July’s reading of 0.10 percent to -0.10 percent in August. Lower prices were driven by lower fuel costs. The dip in consumer costs was the first since January.
The Core Consumer Price Index, which excludes volatile food and energy sectors, was unchanged at 0.10 percent in August, which matches analyst expectations and July’s reading.
NAHB: Home Builder Confidence Hits Highest Level in Nearly 10 Years
The Wells Fargo/NAHB Housing Market Index reached its highest reading since November 2005 with a one-point increase to a reading of 62 in September. Readings over 50 indicate that a majority of builders are confident about housing market conditions. September’s reading was the highest since November 2005, when the NAHB Housing Market Index achieved a reading of 68.
Housing Starts Lower, But Building Permits Rise
The Commerce Department reported that August housing starts fell to a seasonally-adjusted annual reading of 1.13 million starts against projections of 1.16 million starts and 1.16 million housing starts in July. Residential building permits were higher in August with a reading of 1.17 permits issued for residential construction and 1/13 million permits issued in July.
Mortgage Rates Rise
Freddie Mac reported that mortgage rates rose across the board last week. The rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose by one basis point to 3.91 percent. The average rate for a 15-year mortgage also rose by one basis point to 3.11 percent and the average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage also rose by one basis point to 2.92 percent. Discount points averaged 0.60 got 30-year fixed rate mortgages, 0.70 percent for 15-year mortgages and 0.50 percent for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage.
What’s Ahead
Next week’s scheduled economic news includes reports on new and existing home sales, FHFA’s House Price Index, along with regularly scheduled weekly reports on new jobless claims and mortgage rates.
