Archive for Home Finance
FHA Fees Going Up April 1st
FHA has raised the annual Mortgage Insurance Premium to 1.25% beginning April 1st. MIP is required on all FHA loans and used to fund losses by lenders for borrowers who default on their mortgages. As of June 1st, FHA loans in excess of the standard maximum of $625,500, in high-cost areas, will have a premium of 1.5% of the loan amount.
In addition to the increase in the annual MIP, FHA also announced it plans to raise the fee on the up-front MIP from 1.00% to 1.75%. No date was reported for its implementation.
The bottom line will result in a borrower’s payments going up. However, it might not be restricted to the MIP. Freddie Mac’sPrimary Mortgage Market Survey showed that both 30 year and 15 year mortgages have gone up too.
One way to avoid the increase is to have a completed sales contract and have your lender order the FHA commitment prior to April 1, 2012. If you plan on buying a home this spring, there is a reason to do it earlier rather than later.
Great Investment
If you invest in a savings account, you’ll make less than 1% and will have to pay income tax on the earnings. On the other hand, contribute something extra to your house payment on a regular basis and you’ll essentially, earn at the mortgage interest rate which is certain to be more than you’re earning in the bank.
Making additional principal contributions on your mortgage will save interest, retire debt and build equity. An extra $100 a month in the example shown will save thousands in interest and short the term of the mortgage as well.
Reducing your cost of housing is another way to improve the investment in your home. Becoming debt-free is a worthy goal that is achieved with discipline and good decisions. Suggestions like this are part of my commitment to help people be better homeowners when they buy, sell and all the years in between.
Risk Determines Rate
Regardless of what a lender quotes on mortgage rates, the actual rate paid by a borrower is based on a number of variables. Lenders determine whether to loan money and at what rate based on the risk involved with the transaction.
Factors that increase the risk that the loan will be repaid will proportionately increase the interest rate charged to the borrower. If the risk becomes too high, the loan will not be approved.
- Loan amounts – conventional loans for more than the conforming limits set by Fannie Mae are considered jumbo loans and generally have a higher interest rate.
- FICO score – the lowest interest rate is reserved for the highest credit scores; the lower the score, the higher the rate borrower will pay.
- Occupancy – borrowers occupying a home as their principal residence are considered a better loan risk than second homes and investment properties.
- Loan purpose – purchase transactions generally have the lowest interest rate while refinancing a home is generally higher.
- Debt-to-Income ratio – a borrower’s monthly liabilities divided by their gross monthly income develops a ratio that helps lenders to assess the borrower’s ability to repay the mortgage.
- Loan-to-Value ratio – the lower the percentage of the loan to the appraised value of the property will generally lower the interest rate.
Choose Your Deduction
One third of all U.S. households, 75% of households with more than $75,000 income and most homeowners itemize their deduction on their federal income tax returns. It makes sense because the interest paid on their mortgage and their property taxes probably exceeds the allowable standard deduction.
However, with interest rates as low as they have been in the last two years and the price of homes having come down considerably, it is possible that the standard deduction may be the better choice.
Each year, the taxpayer can compare the total of the itemized deductions to the standard deduction to select which method will result in the most benefits. The 2011 standard deduction is $11,600 for married couple filing jointly and $5,800 for single filers.
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 allows homeowners to take the standard deduction and the lesser of their actual property taxes of $1,000 if filing their return married jointly. For more information, see Schedule L found on www.IRS.gov and consult your tax advisor.
Home Buying Homework!
The Best Way Home
“It’s not far, if you know the way.” Maybe it is an obvious statement but there are some definite steps that will improve your success in buying a home in today’s market.
- Know you credit score – the best mortgage rates are available to borrowers with the highest scores. Unless you know what your credit score is at all three major bureaus, you don’t really know what rate you’ll have to pay.
- Clean up your credit – it is estimated that about 90% of credit reports have errors. Some are not serious but others could affect a borrower from getting the best loan terms. It is your responsibility to know what is on your different reports and correct them if possible. You’re entitled to a free copy of your credit report each year from Experian, Trans Union and Equifax.
- Get pre-approved – Taking the time to make a loan application with a qualified lender even before you start looking at homes will provide peace of mind, make sure that you are looking at the “right” homes and may help you negotiate the best price on the home you select.
- Do your homework – when you find the home that meets your needs and desires, research the tax assessments, school ratings, crime activity, possible zoning changes and comparable sales in the area.
As your real estate professional I can definitely help you with these important strategies to invest in a home to call your own, raise your family, feel safe and secure and share with your friends. Call for a recommendation of a trusted mortgage professional; there really is a difference.
Waiting To Buy Might Cost MORE!
The housing market has been in a downward trend for four years. There is some speculation that inventories will not reduce any time soon which will be necessary for prices to rise. Texas and Austin, in particular, have been spared the worst. However, there are other factors that can increase the cost of housing, specifically mortgages. FHA accounts for a large percentage of the current housing loans and is expected to be even more prominent when the Qualified Residential Mortgage Guidelines go into effect next year.
- Rising rates are almost certain, due to looming inflation fueled by higher gas and food prices and the enormous amount of deficit spending
- FHA loan limits have been reduced – they are lower than conventional limits in most markets and FHA has suggested that they might be reduced further.
- FHA might increase the down payment to 5% or higher in an effort to have a more secure loan that will have less likelihood of going to foreclosure.
- FHA might decrease the amount of seller contributions in a similar move to require the buyer to have a larger investment in the home and therefore be a more “qualified” borrower.
- Congress may decide to increase the up-front MIP to build up the FHA reserves. The annual MIP has been adjusted twice since October 2010 when the Up-Front MIP was actually reduced.
- Due to tougher conventional requirements, demand for FHA loans could exceed maximum annual insurable limits. If Congress is having a hard time raising the limit on national debt, they might not even consider raising the limits for FHA.
In an effort to solidify the lending industry, qualifying is becoming harder for the buyer and more expensive at the same time. Many of the rules changes could go into effect next year. In addition, market factors could easily play a role in increasing buyer’s costs. Waiting will very probably require a larger up-front investment for buyers in the future.
One Size Does Not Fit All!
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Rarely, does one size fit everyone and the same goes for advice. The following suggestion is not right for everyone. However, for people with job security and who don’t own a home; for people with good credit and enough savings for a down payment, there may never be a better time to buy a home.
Homes have had a significant price correction but in many markest, they have started to rise again. The lower prices combined with historically low interest rates make this an opportune time to buy a home if you can afford it.
One of the reasons homes are an attractive investment is that fact that you can use a small down payment and finance the balance for 30 years. The principle, called leverage, allows you to earn a return on the value of the home rather than the actual cash investment. Small appreciation can create a large rate of return on the initial investment of the down payment and closing costs.
The following example is a projection at the end of five years for a $175,000 home with 3% closing costs and a 5% interest rate for a 30 year term. The rate you see in each column is an annual rate of return based on the equity of the home at the end of the five year period due to both appreciation and amortization of the loan.
The nature of positive leverage will cause the returns to be higher with a smaller down payment. As you see in the table, the return is higher on the 3.5% down payment than with the 10% or 20% down payment.
If you’re curious to see if this advice might fit your situation, you really need to sit down with a knowledgeable real estate professional who can help you assess your position. It’s worth the time because there may never be a better opportunity than now.
Real Estate Update, Affordability Driving Buyers Market
Examining the nation’s real estate uncovers that people buying real estate are doing so because of the incredibly high affordability levels. While mortgage rates have been dipping and rising in recent weeks, housing prices have continued to drop, if ever so slightly in comparison to a year or two ago. The high inventories in most markets are keeping prices from rising and sellers are forced to swallow the fact that if they want to sell they have to do so for less than originally thought.
Low home values, low mortgage rates and high inventories have created an ideal time to buy real estate. These are the best affordability levels with respect to real estate that have been seen in years and those buying are the people who do not want to look back in a few years and think if only I had bought then.
The best investments are those that are timed right. Buying low and selling high is the motto, and those that can get it right are those that stand to make the most profit over time. In a nutshell, there couldn’t be a better time to be a real estate investor.
Sourced from: Kinetic Content Library
Keep Track of Your Home Improvements
Keep Track of Improvements
People are staying longer in their homes according to the National Association of Realtors and the U.S. Census. Over time, even a modest appreciation could result in a significant gain and homeowners should have a strategy to minimize possible taxes.
Maintenance on a principal residence is not deductible but improvements can add to the basis which can reduce the gain in the sale. Improvements are easily identified if they add to the value of a home, prolong its useful life or adapt it to new uses.
Receipts and other proof, such as pictures, should be kept during ownership and for several years after the sale of the home. They can include the closing statements from the purchase and sale of the home and all receipts for improvements, additions or other items that affect the home’s adjusted basis or cost.
For a principal residence, basis includes the price paid, plus certain acquisition costs and capital improvements made. When the property is sold for more than the basis, there is a gain. Currently, homeowners that meet the requirements can exclude up to $250,000 of gain if single or up to $500,000 if married filing jointly.
A simple strategy is to put documents that affect the basis of the home in one envelope. Any receipt for money spent on the home that isn’t the house payment or utilities, goes into the envelope. Your tax advisor will be able to sort through them to determine the capital improvements.
For more information on determining basis or capital improvements, see IRS publication 523, Selling Your Home.
Sale of Home by the Surviving Spouse
Sale by Surviving Spouse
The loss of a spouse is not something we like to contemplate, but if we are home owners, such a sad event can complicate our home ownership. The IRS has given special consideration regarding the sale of a jointly-owned principal residence after the death of a spouse. If the surviving spouse does not remarry prior to the sale of the home, they may qualify to exclude up to $500,000 of gain instead of the $250,000 exclusion for single people.
- The sale needs to take place after 2008 and no more than two years after the date of death of the spouse
- Surviving spouse must not have remarried
- Both spouses must have used the home as their principal residences for two of the last five years prior to the death
- Both spouses must have owned the home for two of the last five years prior to the death
- Neither spouse may have excluded gain from the sale of another principal residence during the last two years prior to the death
If you have been widowed in the last two years and have gain in your principal residence, it would be worth investigating the possibilities. Contact your tax professional for advice about your specific situation. Contact me to find out what your home is worth in today’s market. See IRS Publication 523 – surviving spouse.
