Extend Tax Credit Please…

Should the First Time Home Buyer tax credit be extended?
We love the $8,000 first-time homebuyer (“FTH”) tax credit! We’ve deemed this credit “the stimulus that actually stimulates!” because it made our mortgage firm phone ring with buyers wanting to take advantage of it, unlike the other dozen stimulus measures that have had no obvious, direct results on the consumers we work with.
If you’ve been underneath a real estate-free rock for the first half of the year, let us brief you on the details of this program. Folks who (a) haven’t owned a home for the past three years, (b) earn a “modified adjusted gross income” (don’t even ask — check with your tax pro) of $75,000 or less for singles/$150,000 or less for married filing jointly, and who (c) close escrow on a home purchase no later than Nov. 30, 2009, can qualify for the tax credit. Why, you might ask, does this particular tax work so well? Mostly in the ways that it is different from previous credits: It doesn’t have to be paid back (like its Bush-era predecessor), it is accessible immediately (buyers can actually file an amended 2008 return right after closing to get their dough), and it is fully refundable — eligible FTHs can actually walk away with a check from the IRS for $8,000, rather than the credit working only to offset tax liability.
The FTH tax credit question I’ve been asked increasingly over the last few weeks has nothing to do with the pros and cons of the credit itself, but rather, with its duration. Inquiring minds (buyers, sellers and Realtors alike) all want to know: Will the $8,000 FTH tax credit be extended another year? There are really two intertwined questions latent in the issue: 1) Should the tax credit be extended? and 2) Is an extension likely?
There are scores of arguments in favor of extending the program — well, for those who agree that the goal should be to stimulate home buying. (If you think this goal is way off-base, which, believe it or not, some folks do, feel free to stop reading now.) Some might argue the tax credit should be extended for another year (or even more) or broadened to encompass move-up buyers (not just first-timers) because it has been effective: The combo meal of low home prices plus the FTH credit has definitely driven buyers off the fence and into the market in the first quarter of 2009, especially in the areas hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis.
But, even though it wasn’t broke, the Department of Housing and Urban Development went right on ahead and fixed the FTH tax credit — or announced its intention to fix it anyway — a couple of months ago when it announced a plan to allow buyers using FHA loans to monetize the credit upfront, to be applied toward down payment in excess of the 3.5 percent minimum or toward closing costs. The catch, if you want to call it that, is that the upfront monetization logistics haven’t yet been completely worked out, so by the time the FTH tax credit becomes available for upfront use, it will be available for only five months, perhaps less, if the current deadline for the program remains in place. Just when the program gets turbocharged, if the Dec. 1 expiration is not extended, it will go away.
While we’ve seen more and more activity in the market lately, and things appear to be looking up, there are lots of reasons why we still need and could really use the FTH tax credit going forward another year or more. While actual foreclosures seem to be slowing down, this might be an artifact of the various moratoria that were imposed during the first half of the year — we’ll see what happens during the rest of the year. Also, the adjustable-rate-mortgage reset numbers peaked last year, but there are still many hundreds of thousands scheduled to reset this year and next.
Should the FTH tax credit be extended?
Yes, please! If you are in the market to refinance or purchase, we offer the lowest rate and fee combination.

Homebuyer Tax Credit Details

When it comes to the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, it seems there’s a new program every week to help tap that money today.

The credit can be claimed on 2008 or 2009 tax returns. Homebuyers who get a loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration can use the money to cover closing costs and other fees, and at least 10 states offer ways to use the tax credit faster.

“There are some real neat tax planning strategies you can apply now,” said Bob Meighan, vice president of TurboTax.

To be eligible, a buyer cannot have owned a home in the past three years. So if you’re ready to buy, here are some tips:

INCOME CONSIDERATIONS: The tax credit, for home purchases made through end of November, comes with income thresholds, $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for joint filers. After those limits, the credit begins to phase out. If you bought a home this year and expect your 2008 income to be lower than next year’s, it makes sense to file for the credit this year using a 2008 amended return.

However, if you think your income will decrease, due to job loss, wage cuts or hour reductions, it makes more sense to file for the tax credit on your 2009 tax returns to get the most out of the credit, Meighan said.

TAX WITHHOLDING: Another benefit to waiting until 2009: You can increase your take-home pay. By taking the credit next year, you can change your tax withholding status with your employer now and get more on a paycheck-to-paycheck basis, Meighan said.

You’ll be giving up a “fatter” tax refund next year, but each month you’ll have more change in your pocket.

Also, don’t forget to reduce your federal and state tax withholding to account for the tax deduction you can take on the mortgage interest and property taxes you pay.

BRIDGE LOANS: Ten states (and the list keeps growing) are offering so-called “bridge loans” for the federal tax credit, so homebuyers can take advantage of the $8,000 before the 2010 filing season. Qualified homebuyers in Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee can receive a loan with little to no interest and repay it with the tax credit refund next year.

“I see it as an upside,” Meighan said. “It gives homebuyers more flexibility,” with the money.

Each state program varies and some require a minimum down payment contribution from the buyer.

Some nonprofit organizations like NeighborWorks America are also offering bridge loans for the tax credits.

California also enacted its own one-time home buying credit for newly built homes purchased between Feb. 28 and March 1, 2010. The nonrefundable credit, which is for all buyers, not just first timers, is equal to 5 percent of the purchase price up to $10,000. It can be claimed over a three-year period. The property must be a single-family residence, the principal residence and eligible for the property tax homeowners exception.

A California resident can take both the federal and state tax, according to Kathleen Thies, a state tax analyst at CCH Inc. However, only $100 million has been put aside for the state credit and that money is expected to run out this month or next. And there are no plans to add more funding to the program.

“It’s on a first-come, first-serve basis,” Thies says.

ADVANCE CREDIT: Last month, the FHA said its borrowers can receive advances on the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit from lenders, so they don’t have to wait to get the money next year from the Internal Revenue Service.

Borrowers will still have to come up with the FHA’s required 3.5 percent down payment, but the advance from the tax credit can be applied toward closing costs, fees or to increase the down payment.

John W. Roth, a senior tax analyst at CCH, believes some lenders won’t participate. The process involves more work for lenders, but lenders can only charge an additional 2.5 percent fee for that.

Florida Mortgage News

Today March 12th, 2009 the retail sales for February fell 0.1%, however, this was a bit better than expectations of a 0.5% drop. Adding to the positive tone was a significant upward revision to January’s Report to 1.8% from a previous number of 1%. Retail Sales is a very volatile Report on a month to month basis, but the last couple of readings are encouraging – perhaps showing some signs of economic stabilization. We encourage now is a very good time for a Florida Refinancing.

One area of the economy that continues to struggle is the Job market…654,000 filed for Initial Jobless claims this past week, a bit more than expectations of 644,000. The number of people receiving unemployment checks in the week ending Feb. 28 rose 193,000 to a record 5.32 Million. Let’s hope that this economic stimulus plan gets to work and starts boosting confidence and creating jobs, so that this negative jobs trend can reverse.

Also today at 10am, the curtains open on what could be an extremely important hearing on mark-to-market accounting. Today, the SEC’s Chief Accountant, the FASBs Chairman and the Deputy Comptroller for Regulatory Policy in the Treasury Department are expected to testify in front of the House Financial Services committee on mark to market. We will be watching this very closely, as this will no doubt have a dramatic effect on market trading today and well into the future. Fl Mortgage Rates are very low.