31 AugNext Round of Home Buyer Tax Credit is a Bad Idea
Coming from a mortgage lender you might expect that we would be hopeful, even anxious, about a new home buyer tax credit, right? Well, not us and here is why… Each time the government has announced a home buyer tax credit business increases temporarily. After the expiration of the tax credit the buyers seem to [...]
Read More ...22 AprTax Credit Deadline and “Binding Contract”
The information contained in the post is based entirely on my OPINION based on the research we have done surrounding this issue. Please note that we are not attorneys or tax professionals therefore we are not providing legal advice surrounding the Federal tax credit for first time homebuyers or move-up buyers. Whenever we get questions about [...]
Read More ...12 AprTax Credit Extended for Some
Members of the military and certain other federal employees serving outside the U.S. have an extra year to buy a principal residence in the U.S. and qualify for the credit. Thus, an eligible taxpayer must buy, or enter into a binding contract to buy, a principal residence on or before April 30, 2011. If a binding contract is entered into by that date, the taxpayer has until June 30, 2011, to close on the purchase.
Read More ...09 AprMortgage Credit Certificate Extended
Many of you have heard us tout the awesomeness of the CHFA Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC). This program gives first time home buyers a dollar for dollar credit on their federal income tax return of 20% of all the mortgage interest they pay each year that they live in the home. This program was offered [...]
Read More ...12 FebIs it Double Dipping?
On February 17, 2009, in Denver, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This bill had substantial changes to the federal First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, including eliminating the 15-year repayment obligation of the Borrower which was part of the 2008 Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA). However, and most pertinent, Section 1006 [...]
Read More ...05 FebWhy Buy Now?
We generally write about specific programs, changes and situations, but I want to recap some of the thingsI feel are important to consider in today’s market. Let’s look at the reasons to buy now. Long term mortgage rates are at 20-30 year lows According to Freddie Mac, in a press release yesterday, the average rate on a 30-year fixed [...]
Read More ...15 JanDrop Your Rate from 5.5% to 4% – NO JOKE!
Would you like to drop your mortgage rate from 5.5% to 4%? Crazy question, right? In Colorado, qualified homebuyers can apply for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) to do just that. That was a mouthful! Everyone knows that their monthly payments for the first several years of their home [...]
Read More ...08 JanDon’t have a lot of money for down payment?
(All stories shared on Lending A Hand contain fictitious names with changes to insignificant details. The privacy and trust of our customers is our top priority.) I received a call from a customer who was interested in a condo and wanted a maximum monthly payment of $1,000. We’ll call him Gaston (obviously a fictitious name). [...]
Read More ...11 Dec2010 Home Buyer Tax Credit for “move up buyers”
As you may have heard, when the tax credit was extended for first time home buyers it was expanded to include qualified move-up or repeat home buyers purchasing any kind of home. How do you know if you qualify? The law defines a tax credit qualified move-up home buyer (“long-time resident”) as a person who [...]
Read More ...03 JunTax Credit for Down Payment
On May 12, 2009 Cindy posted about the possibility of using the tax credit for down payment on FHA mortgages. At that time we had shared that “We have to find out if there are any government agencies or non-profits in your area are willing to provide this financing AND if they have funds to [...]
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