With tax day coming let’s focus on the positives and review how owning a home can help lower your tax bill.
To be clear you’ll need to do an itemized return to take advantage of the deductions. And the deductions are just that deductions from the income that is subject to tax, not just taking an amount straight off your tax bill.
Onto the benefits! The biggest one, you may already be familiar with – the interest deduction. The money you pay in interest over the year on your loan is fully deductible on the first $750,000 of your loan or up to $1 million if your loan was originated before December 15, 2017. The other biggie is deducting property taxes. You can deduct up to $10,000 in state and local taxes including property taxes. Another deductible is if you paid points to lower your interest rate – this payment is tax deductible. Finally another popular deduction is one many of came to know last couple of years – the home office. However even though many of us have one now – the deduction is meant only for the self employed – if you work full time for a company it may not qualify. Of course talk a certified tax professional regarding your particular situation and if you want to see how much you can qualify for please fill out our quick qual analyzer on our website!

With housing prices rising in recent years, one quarter of home buyers 23-31 received financial help from friends or family for their down payment and 17 percent of those aged 32-41 also received help according to the National association of realtors.
Down payment gifts still need to be documented accurately in a gift letter.

If you’re in the process of buying a home and receiving financial help from a family member or friend, you maybe asked to provide a gift letter. This document is an essential part of the loan application process and helps ensure that the down payment funds you’re using come from legitimate sources.
A gift letter is a written statement from the person providing the gift (the giver) stating that they’ve given you money for the down payment on your home purchase. It also verifies that the giver had the financial means to provide the gift, which is especially important for FHA loans. The letter should include the giver’s name and where the gift came from, as well as evidence of their ability to gift the money and their relationship to you.
Additionally, the gift letter confirms that the funds won’t ever have to be paid back by you, the recipient. If repayment were required, the lender would have to take that into consideration when evaluating your loan eligibility.
To ensure that both parties are protected, the gift letter should explicitly state that there’s no expectation of repayment or service in exchange for the gift. It should also include a statement that the giver will not place a lien on or make any claims to the property, even though they contributed to the purchase of it.
Of course check with us and we can provide specific details for your unique situation and needs to get started – fill out our quick purchase wizard on our website.

We saw more activity in the market as rates dropped in a volatile business environment. Applications were up 7% and Freddie Mac reported the average rate on the average 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.60% this fell to 6.60% this week down from last weeks rate of 6.73%.

In statement by Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist Sam Khater, he said “turbulence in the financial markets is putting significant downward pressure on rates, which should benefit borrowers in the short-term.”
And he continued, “our research concludes that homebuyers can potentially save $600 to $1,200 annually by taking the time to shop among multiple lenders.”
Check with us about your options as the market is in a period of volatility. You can use our quick analysis our website and we will auto-schedule a review of your options.

With increased borrowing costs, many buyers are seeing their options limited, and you might be considering buying a fixer-upper. We’ve all seen the home make-over shows with amazing before and afters, but is it right for you?
Here are a few things to consider:
1. Know Your Limits
How much of the work can you do. How much time do you have to put into renovations. Are you prepared to live in a work zone for a while
2. Work Out Costs In Advance
Have a contractor walk through the inspection with you and get a written estimate for work he would do. If you are doing the work yourself price the costs of supplies, either way add 15% to the costs because surprises are likely.
3. Check Permitting Costs and Procedures
Check with local officials to see if the work requires a permit and the permit costs.
4. Be Extra Careful with Structural Issues
If the house requires structural repairs then double check the work and pricing. Hire a structural engineer to do an inspection and if structural work needs to be done make sure your bid discounts this work
5. Include Inspection Contingencies
Make sure you hire professional inspectors and check for hidden issues like mold, piping issues, pest damage etc., if things come up ask for discounts. And if too many red flags come up or the seller won’t properly discount the costs for repair then stand firm and walk away and keep looking!
With the real estate market in flux check with us to get pre-qualified and know your options – just fill out our quick consultation on our home page to get started!

For many people buying a home is the American dream but saving for the down payment might not be. Here are some tips and strategies to make your down payment.
1. First-time home buyer programs. There are a number of first time home buyer programs such as FHA, VA and USDA loans that have lower down payment requirements than conventional loans.
2. Old fashioned monthly savings – this takes longer but make a monthly budget of your spending – see where you can cut back and see how much you can save monthly – then commit to saving towards your down payment each month.
3. Tax Return – with tax season here, if you are getting a refund, try setting it aside towards your down payment.
4. Get side gig – if you have enough time consider getting a side gig and save the money from that.
5. Ask – its fairly common for parents to help their kids with money towards down payments today (for those lucky enough to have this option), you can also consider asking friends and family for cash instead of gifts to help you put towards your house.
The market is changing and it also helps to see how much you’ll need to save and what you can qualify for – so please fill out our quick qualifier on our website to get a good idea of what you can qualify for.