$18,000 IN COMBINED HOMEBUYER TAX CREDITS FOR A LIMITED TIME

Californians have a brief window of opportunity to receive up to $18,000 in combined federal and state homebuyer tax credits. In Marin County, to take advantage of both tax credits, a first-time homebuyer must enter into a purchase contract for a principal residence before May 1, 2010, and close escrow between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010, inclusive. Buyers who are not first-time homebuyers may use the same timeframes to receive up to $16,500 in combined tax credits if they are long-time residents of their existing homes as permitted under federal law, and they purchase properties that have never been previously occupied as provided under California law.

Under the federal law slated to soon expire, a first-time homebuyer may receive up to $8,000 in tax credits, and a long-time resident may receive up to $6,500, for certain purchase contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 that close escrow by June 30, 2010. Additionally, under a newly enacted California law, a homebuyer may receive up to $10,000 in tax credits as a first-time homebuyer or buyer of a property that has never been occupied. The new California law applies to certain purchases that close escrow on or after May 1, 2010 (see Cal. Rev. & Tax Code section 17059.1(a)(4)). California law generally allows buyers of never-occupied properties to reserve their credits before closing escrow, but buyers seeking to combine the federal and state tax credits will not be able to satisfy the timing requirements for such reservations (see Cal. Rev. & Tax Code section 17059.1(c)(1)(A)). Other terms and restrictions apply to both tax credits.

For more information, call me at 415.302.7787 right away. Cheers!

Don’t miss this: Take $6,500 to $8,000 off your Federal income tax

First time homebuyer? Trading up? Uncle Sam is here to help. Seriously.

You can reduce your taxes by buying a house this year. But you better hurry. First-time homebuyers who qualify can subtract up to $8,000 from their income tax, and homeowners who buy another residence can cut their taxes by up to $6,500. The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 has established these tax credits, which have been extended until June 30, 2010.

Generally, if you’ve lived in and owned your current residence for at least five consecutive years and you choose to buy another residence you can take up to $6,500 off your taxes. Likewise, if you haven’t owned your own home before you can deduct as much as $8,000. And if you don’t owe that much in taxes, the government will send you a check for the difference. But you need to hurry, because in order to qualify, you must be in contract by April 30, and close no later than June 30. And, yes, you can use the credit as part of your downpayment. There are maximum limits on the price of the homes, and other qualifying criteria, but most Marin homes sold today will qualify.

Call me at 415.302.7787 or mail me at jmclaughlin@fhallen.com for more information, or Go here. Cheers! Jack

Visualizing the Effect of Tax Credits

Guest blog from Altos Research

Ah the glorious Home Buyer Tax Credit. Consumers lust for it, and NAR spent a fortune getting it extended. Realtors are indeed finding it a valuable incentive for business this year.

40 Largets Metros, by price quartile. Days on Market and Absorption Rate. 90-day Rolling Average, single family homes. (Click for full image)

And housing stimulus goes beyond the tax credit too, the feds are pumping money into mortgages, keeping rates on conforming loans ridiculously low.

But Uncle Sam doesn’t do jumbos.  And while eight grand makes a big impact on a $150,000 home. For a $750,000 home, not so much. Besides, if I can’t get a jumbo loan, who’s going to use it anyway? So all the money is aimed at the entry points in the market.

All sounds good, I suppose. But is it working? Maybe too well. In city after city, housing demand is active at the entry level and dry everywhere else.

Check it out. This chart shows the 40 largest metro markets in the US, each divided into four price range quartiles. We looked at the Days on Market and Absorption Rate for each. (note: the absorbed stat is measured as of last Friday and is not exactly a count of everything “sold”, closings take a while, contracts fall through. The actual sold won’t be known for a few months, so this number is close enough.) Red is bad relative to the whole country. Green is good. Click through to get the full chart.

Notice that in almost every single metro housing demand, as indicated by higher absorption rates and lower time on market, is significantly more active  in the bottom price quartile (4) and gets weaker as you climb the price range.

As a result of all these goodies, the US Housing market is now like the retailer with a predictable clearance-sale schedule. No one wants to buy at regular prices. I can wait till Boxing Day.

More reading on the tax credit and how Realtors should get it while it’s hot.

Take Advantage of the “Sleeper” Tax Credit

Most of us have heard that the first-time buyer $8,500 federal tax credit has been extended until June 30, 2010. But did you know that if you are a homeowner now, and you buy another house, and you fit certain easy criteria, you can qualify for a $6,500 tax credit on the spot? That’s right. And that means that potentially hundreds of thousands of Americans are eligible for it … right now.

How can you qualify?

1. You have to have owned and used your current home as your principal residence for five consecutive years out the past eight
2. Your adjusted household annual income cannot exceed $125,000 if you file taxes as a single, or $225,000 if you are married and file  jointly.
3. You need to sign a contract to purchase a replacement residence before next April 30, and close the transaction by June 30, 2010.

 

Reduce the Tax You Owe by $6,500

This is  huge for all of us who never thought we would qualify for a tax credit under any circumstances, because we’ve owned our home for years.

 

By the way, although the new program has been called the “move up” tax credit, there is no requirement that you buy a more expensive home. You can downsize if you want and still get the credit.

Want to know how this will effect you? Cal me now 415.300.0432, or mail me at Jack@mmsmarin.com.

Buyers Race to Get $8,000 Tax Credit

· Finding the right house can take some time, so I recommend home buyers start looking for a home as soon as they are able and ready to purchase. You also should build in extra time to accommodate the lending process, which is taking approximately two weeks longer to process this year compared with last year, at least 45 days.

· The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the purchase price, up to $8,000, subject to income limits. Single taxpayers are eligible if their modified adjusted gross income is $75,000 or less, while married taxpayers filing jointly must have a modified adjusted gross income of $150,000 or less.

· Only primary residences are eligible for the federal tax credit, including new or existing single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums, manufactured homes, custom homes, and houseboats. Vacation homes and investment properties do not qualify.

· Purchases must be arm’s-length transactions, meaning the seller cannot be the buyer’s parent, grandparent, child, grandchild or spouse.

· Married people filing as such cannot claim the credit if either spouse has owned a primary residence within the last three years. However, unmarried joint purchasers may allocate the credit in any way they see fit, as long as it does not exceed the $8,000 maximum.

· The government will allow those who finance their purchases with a federally insured loan to apply their anticipated credit immediately toward closing costs or as additional down payment, rather than waiting until they file their 2009 taxes to receive the refund.

So don’t delay, call me today and let’s get started. Cell 415.302.7787 Now. Cheers!