First time Home Buyers Program- A Key to your Own Home-The Federal Government’s Incentive Program
PATRICIA BARDOWELL asked:
The housing crisis has virtually brought the housing market to a standstill. Houses are now worth half the price, they were three years ago. Even with the low prices, the recession was so crippling to the economy, that people still would not buy these homes. Prospective home buyers were also in fear that they may lose their jobs, and would not want to commit themselves based on an uncertain future. Banks have frozen lending, and mortgage funding has all but dried up. Thousands of homes went into foreclosure, and many people filed bankruptcy to save their homes. The crisis is so severe, that many real estate
The Banks and mortgage companies have thousand of unpaid mortgages on their books, and many homes that were foreclosed on, in their inventory, that they either have to sell at a loss, or keep the houses until the value is closer to the balances on the mortgage. Even homeowners find themselves in an upside down position. Their homes are valued much less than their mortgages. The housing crisis is at the heart of the recession, and the near collapse of the banking sector. The government as a part of the stimulus package, tried to help the housing industry by offering help to first time home buyers.
1. Tax credits
2. Down payments assistance
3. Lower interest rates
In order to speed up the sale of the houses on the market, the government offered $8000 as a tax credit to first time home buyers, who purchased their homes between January 1, 2009 and November 31, 2009. The claim must be made within two years of buying the home. Congress recently extended the program to April 2010, and include current home owners, who have been living in their homes for 5 years and over.
The second option is a down payment assistance program of 10% of the sales price, for example, $10,000 on a $100,000 house. The government also offers you a loan with lower points, which results in lowering the closing costs or a lowering the monthly mortgage. This program is designed to assist individuals with income of up to $75,000, or couples with joint income of up to $150,000.
A final alternative is a tax rebate on the loan’s interest. Persons who own investment properties can avail themselves of the tax rebate. This can be used to upgrade the property’s value and can be claimed as an income tax deduction.
Your real estate agent, and mortgage broker, will guide you through the process, while you search for your dream home.
Sylvia
The housing crisis has virtually brought the housing market to a standstill. Houses are now worth half the price, they were three years ago. Even with the low prices, the recession was so crippling to the economy, that people still would not buy these homes. Prospective home buyers were also in fear that they may lose their jobs, and would not want to commit themselves based on an uncertain future. Banks have frozen lending, and mortgage funding has all but dried up. Thousands of homes went into foreclosure, and many people filed bankruptcy to save their homes. The crisis is so severe, that many real estate
The Banks and mortgage companies have thousand of unpaid mortgages on their books, and many homes that were foreclosed on, in their inventory, that they either have to sell at a loss, or keep the houses until the value is closer to the balances on the mortgage. Even homeowners find themselves in an upside down position. Their homes are valued much less than their mortgages. The housing crisis is at the heart of the recession, and the near collapse of the banking sector. The government as a part of the stimulus package, tried to help the housing industry by offering help to first time home buyers.
1. Tax credits
2. Down payments assistance
3. Lower interest rates
In order to speed up the sale of the houses on the market, the government offered $8000 as a tax credit to first time home buyers, who purchased their homes between January 1, 2009 and November 31, 2009. The claim must be made within two years of buying the home. Congress recently extended the program to April 2010, and include current home owners, who have been living in their homes for 5 years and over.
The second option is a down payment assistance program of 10% of the sales price, for example, $10,000 on a $100,000 house. The government also offers you a loan with lower points, which results in lowering the closing costs or a lowering the monthly mortgage. This program is designed to assist individuals with income of up to $75,000, or couples with joint income of up to $150,000.
A final alternative is a tax rebate on the loan’s interest. Persons who own investment properties can avail themselves of the tax rebate. This can be used to upgrade the property’s value and can be claimed as an income tax deduction.
Your real estate agent, and mortgage broker, will guide you through the process, while you search for your dream home.
Sylvia
Do I Qualify For the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit If I Buy a Mobile Home?
William Thompson asked:
The first time home buyer tax credit is made available after the present Obama administration took a big leap in reviving the declining market of housing realty. This tax credit is part of the stimulus package approved by the federal government to resuscitate the ailing US economy. Some of the home buyers can have the $7,500 tax credit available for them if they are qualified in the mentioned tax credit qualifications.
So if you’re planning to buy a mobile home you can take advantage of the tax credit the federal government offers to would be home buyers like you. But you must be certain that you understand all the details of the tax credit before you apply for it.
First time home buyer tax credit is available only if you buy a mobile home as your principal residence. This means that your mobile home will be the home where you plan to reside almost all of the time. This tax credit is also available to principal purchase of a condominium, town house, houseboat or a detached house as long as it is your principal residence. Accordingly, your mobile home must be in the US. Please keep in mind that it is not eligible if you buy your mobile home from your parents, or siblings.
Although mobile homes fall under the category of qualified homes for availing tax credit, there are other requirements you should take into consideration to avoid waste of your time and effort in applying the tax credit. Here are the following qualifications necessary for your application:
1. The tax credit is only available to first-time homebuyers. The rules provide that anyone will be a first-time buyer if he or she has not owned a principal residence for three after buying a house. If you owned a vacation house that is not your principal residence, you can apply for the tax credit. Married couples must fit to the definition. But the rules on married couples are vague because the rules did not provide if the situation occurs where only one is qualified and the other is not.
2. You must have a $75,000 modified gross income, or MAGI, on your federal tax return if you are married head of a household or single. If you’re filing a joint tax return with your wife, your MAGI must be $150,000.
3. If you have more than $75,000 MAGI and if you’re single or married head of household, you may get a partial credit subject as long as it is below $95,000. The same applies for the second category, where your joint tax return indicates a MAGI of more than $150,000 but less than $170,000. MAGI beyond the marked limits will be not qualified for a tax credit.
4. You cannot apply for a first time home buyer tax credit if you bought your home before April 9 2008. 2009 home buyers are likely to have the tax credit.
To further your knowledge about the first time home buyer tax credit that is currently being offered by the federal government, you should visit the nearest authorities in your state. You could also learn information related to this in the net. You can benefit much from this opportunity, but you must seek advice and make plans to avoid credit problems in the future.
Warren
The first time home buyer tax credit is made available after the present Obama administration took a big leap in reviving the declining market of housing realty. This tax credit is part of the stimulus package approved by the federal government to resuscitate the ailing US economy. Some of the home buyers can have the $7,500 tax credit available for them if they are qualified in the mentioned tax credit qualifications.
So if you’re planning to buy a mobile home you can take advantage of the tax credit the federal government offers to would be home buyers like you. But you must be certain that you understand all the details of the tax credit before you apply for it.
First time home buyer tax credit is available only if you buy a mobile home as your principal residence. This means that your mobile home will be the home where you plan to reside almost all of the time. This tax credit is also available to principal purchase of a condominium, town house, houseboat or a detached house as long as it is your principal residence. Accordingly, your mobile home must be in the US. Please keep in mind that it is not eligible if you buy your mobile home from your parents, or siblings.
Although mobile homes fall under the category of qualified homes for availing tax credit, there are other requirements you should take into consideration to avoid waste of your time and effort in applying the tax credit. Here are the following qualifications necessary for your application:
1. The tax credit is only available to first-time homebuyers. The rules provide that anyone will be a first-time buyer if he or she has not owned a principal residence for three after buying a house. If you owned a vacation house that is not your principal residence, you can apply for the tax credit. Married couples must fit to the definition. But the rules on married couples are vague because the rules did not provide if the situation occurs where only one is qualified and the other is not.
2. You must have a $75,000 modified gross income, or MAGI, on your federal tax return if you are married head of a household or single. If you’re filing a joint tax return with your wife, your MAGI must be $150,000.
3. If you have more than $75,000 MAGI and if you’re single or married head of household, you may get a partial credit subject as long as it is below $95,000. The same applies for the second category, where your joint tax return indicates a MAGI of more than $150,000 but less than $170,000. MAGI beyond the marked limits will be not qualified for a tax credit.
4. You cannot apply for a first time home buyer tax credit if you bought your home before April 9 2008. 2009 home buyers are likely to have the tax credit.
To further your knowledge about the first time home buyer tax credit that is currently being offered by the federal government, you should visit the nearest authorities in your state. You could also learn information related to this in the net. You can benefit much from this opportunity, but you must seek advice and make plans to avoid credit problems in the future.
Warren
It’s a Real Estate Boom for First Time Home Buyers
Roy Landers asked:
The subprime mortgage real estate fiasco has created a glut of residential real estate in the real estate market. Foreclosures are on the rise and it doesn’t look like the end is in sight for at least another year. Thousands of home owners are losing their homes because adjustable mortgage rates have adjusted upward and caused increases of monthly mortgage payments so high that the affected home owners just can’t make the payments. It is inevitable, under these circumstances that many homes go into foreclosure and banks have to take them back.
While it is unfortunate that many home owners are losing their homes, the opposite and upside effect is that the real estate market is now a boom for the first time home buyer.
Mortgage interest rates are still low and banks and real estate lending institutions have 30-40 year fixed loans for home buyers. With home values in many areas around the country, such as California, plummeting anywhere from 30-50 percent of what they were a year ago, the market is wide open for buyers who have never owed a home and would like to do so now.
Lending institutions and sellers are very motivated now and are readily lending their ears to home buyers saying “lets make a deal” and deal they will. Here are some of the innovative and sensible ways home buyers can now acquire a home of their own when they are armed with some real estate homebuyer education.
1. Use government grants and loans for down payment assistance.
The federal government in 2003 established the American Dream Down Payment Act. This federal law has allocated $200 Million a year since 2003 to assist with arranging down payments for first time home buyers. This is a good indication of just how serious the government is about helping Americans make the American dream of home ownership come true.
Fannie Mae, one of the many federally supported programs for home buyers has programs such as the MyCommunity Fixed Rate Mortgage. This unique program is ideally suited for the first time home buyer. It provides for low down payment, high loan to value with broad flexibility, including nontraditional credit considerations allowing for the buyer to qualify for the loan. It also has special financial options to serve public servant professions such as teachers, police officers, firefighters and health care workers, and people with disabilities.100% financing is available with 30-40 year fixed rates. Check out the details at http://www.efannie.com.
These funds, in addition to other government funding sources, are made available through federal, state and local government agencies that provide down payment assistance to their citizens on a case by case basis.
Every major city and county has one of these programs. One need only exercise a little initiative and these funds can be acquired. Contact your local housing authority, city managers office or county administration department to find out about them and how to apply.
2. Use non-profit agency down payment assistance
Another little known, but long existing opportunity for first time home buyers to acquire help with down payment assistance is the numerous numbers of non-profit agencies around the country that provide free down payment assistance to home buyers. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, enacted by Congress in 1977 and revised in 1995, requires banks located within identified communities to make loans and reinvest the depositors’ deposits within that community.
For decades now and continuing into the future banks have been making huge amounts of funds available to invest in targeted communities. However, the availability of the funds was not publicized in a significant way and many people did not and still do not know about these funds. Many non-profit agencies became aware that they could help in the community revitalization effort by creating a means whereby the banks could channel the funds through various home assistance programs that non-profits created. The non-profits that specialize in this type of program have grown over the years. Some are very large and are nation wide such as the Nehemiah Corporation – www.nehemiahcorp.org.
They get funding from the banks via the Community Reinvestment Act and other funding sources and then provide for down payment assistance and other housing assistance to persons desiring to own a home.
One of the high points of these programs is that the funding is often times not limited to first time home buyers and certainly is not limited to only low income home buyers. This creates yet another source of down payment assistance for the prospective home buyer. Given the numerous avenues of funding to assist in buying a home and the present market swing in favor of home buyers, buyers are now firmly in the driver’s seat.
Kim
The subprime mortgage real estate fiasco has created a glut of residential real estate in the real estate market. Foreclosures are on the rise and it doesn’t look like the end is in sight for at least another year. Thousands of home owners are losing their homes because adjustable mortgage rates have adjusted upward and caused increases of monthly mortgage payments so high that the affected home owners just can’t make the payments. It is inevitable, under these circumstances that many homes go into foreclosure and banks have to take them back.
While it is unfortunate that many home owners are losing their homes, the opposite and upside effect is that the real estate market is now a boom for the first time home buyer.
Mortgage interest rates are still low and banks and real estate lending institutions have 30-40 year fixed loans for home buyers. With home values in many areas around the country, such as California, plummeting anywhere from 30-50 percent of what they were a year ago, the market is wide open for buyers who have never owed a home and would like to do so now.
Lending institutions and sellers are very motivated now and are readily lending their ears to home buyers saying “lets make a deal” and deal they will. Here are some of the innovative and sensible ways home buyers can now acquire a home of their own when they are armed with some real estate homebuyer education.
1. Use government grants and loans for down payment assistance.
The federal government in 2003 established the American Dream Down Payment Act. This federal law has allocated $200 Million a year since 2003 to assist with arranging down payments for first time home buyers. This is a good indication of just how serious the government is about helping Americans make the American dream of home ownership come true.
Fannie Mae, one of the many federally supported programs for home buyers has programs such as the MyCommunity Fixed Rate Mortgage. This unique program is ideally suited for the first time home buyer. It provides for low down payment, high loan to value with broad flexibility, including nontraditional credit considerations allowing for the buyer to qualify for the loan. It also has special financial options to serve public servant professions such as teachers, police officers, firefighters and health care workers, and people with disabilities.100% financing is available with 30-40 year fixed rates. Check out the details at http://www.efannie.com.
These funds, in addition to other government funding sources, are made available through federal, state and local government agencies that provide down payment assistance to their citizens on a case by case basis.
Every major city and county has one of these programs. One need only exercise a little initiative and these funds can be acquired. Contact your local housing authority, city managers office or county administration department to find out about them and how to apply.
2. Use non-profit agency down payment assistance
Another little known, but long existing opportunity for first time home buyers to acquire help with down payment assistance is the numerous numbers of non-profit agencies around the country that provide free down payment assistance to home buyers. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, enacted by Congress in 1977 and revised in 1995, requires banks located within identified communities to make loans and reinvest the depositors’ deposits within that community.
For decades now and continuing into the future banks have been making huge amounts of funds available to invest in targeted communities. However, the availability of the funds was not publicized in a significant way and many people did not and still do not know about these funds. Many non-profit agencies became aware that they could help in the community revitalization effort by creating a means whereby the banks could channel the funds through various home assistance programs that non-profits created. The non-profits that specialize in this type of program have grown over the years. Some are very large and are nation wide such as the Nehemiah Corporation – www.nehemiahcorp.org.
They get funding from the banks via the Community Reinvestment Act and other funding sources and then provide for down payment assistance and other housing assistance to persons desiring to own a home.
One of the high points of these programs is that the funding is often times not limited to first time home buyers and certainly is not limited to only low income home buyers. This creates yet another source of down payment assistance for the prospective home buyer. Given the numerous avenues of funding to assist in buying a home and the present market swing in favor of home buyers, buyers are now firmly in the driver’s seat.
Kim