Loans Are Going To Get More Expensive

The administration recently announced increases to the insurance premiums that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) charges. FHA is the dominant loan program in the marketplace today.  The FHA has two types of Mortgage Insurance Premiums - Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP)  and the  Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premium (MMIP). Let's see how these impact a borrower's ability to purchase. UFMIP is typically added to the loan amount and financed over the term of the loan. MMIP is part of the monthly mortgage payment for a minimum of five years and a maximum of fourteen, depending on the loan-to-value. For the majority of FHA Insured loans, the MMIP will be increasing .25% effective April 18th which is, in effect, equivalent to a .25% increase in interest rates. The income ratios that lenders use in qualifying borrowers look at the total payment. Therefore, the MMIP hike has the same impact on affordability as a rate hike. Higher monthly costs mean lower loan amounts and lower loan amounts mean lower offers that borrowers can make on houses. This will translate into lower sales prices. Nothing is good in this news. The increase in Annual Mortgage Insurance Premiums for forward mortgage amortization terms is effective for case numbers assigned on or after April 18, 2011. Now, in my market, the average sales price is double this example. A $66 increase in monthly cost is like a $12,000 reduction in borrowing power.which will eventually result in another 3% drop in home values. Cross your fingers that rates don't surge up because it could perpetuate a slide in prices with no real value for buyers. Sellers get less (hurts the recovery) and buyers' mortgage payments stay the same. AAAARRRGGGHHH!

Selling Your House? 5 Reasons To Do It NOW!

The conventional wisdom when selling a home has always been to wait until the 'Spring Buying Season'. Over the years, that has seemed to make sense and is now accepted as a good strategy for those who want to sell their house and receive the best possible price. This real estate market has shattered many previously held beliefs. The wisdom of waiting for a spring market is another belief that is about to fall. Here are five reasons why? 1.) Interest Rates Are On the Rise Interest rates have spiked up rather dramatically over the last ninety days and are now over 5%. Initially, an increase in rates has a positive effect on the market as it forces buyers off the fence. However, it also eats into a buyer's purchasing power. As rates increase, the mortgage amount a buyer qualifies for decreases. This will eventually have a negative impact on prices. 2.) Your Dream Home Will Never Be Cheaper If your family goal is to sell your current house and take advantage of the fabulous selection of properties currently available to buy the home of your dreams, DO IT NOW! Prices will continue to soften in most markets. However, if you are buying, COST should be more important than PRICE. Cost can be dramatically impacted by rising mortgage interest rates. Do the math and decide if now is the time. 3.) Buyers Are Out Early There is mounting evidence that buyers are coming out earlier this year. A belief that now is a good time to buy coupled with the increase in interest rates has started the buying season early. Pete Flint, CEO of Trulia: "We're seeing a national resurgence of buyer and seller activity on Trulia.com. In January alone, we experienced an unprecedented level of site traffic including 11 million unique visitors - which is more than 70 percent year-over-year growth. We've are now experiencing 100,000 property views per minute." The National Association of Realtors just reported that the number of house  sales increased 12.9% over last month. 4.) Inventory Increases Every Spring Every year there is an increase of inventory which comes to market as we approach the spring. Here is the number of listings available for sale in 2010. � February - 3,531,000 � March - 3,626,000 � April - 4,029,000 We believe there will be an increase in these numbers in 2011 as there is a pent-up selling demand created by the weak market of the last few years. You won't have to worry about this increasing competition if you sell now. 5.) We Are in the Eye of the Foreclosure Storm While banks are trying to rectify their foreclosure procedures, there is a large supply of discounted properties which has been delayed coming to market. This inventory will be released sometime in the next few months. Foreclosures sell on average at a 41% discount. When released they will be competing with your house for the buyers in the marketplace. If you are looking to sell in 2011, you want to sell before this inventory becomes your competition. CNN Money quoted the leadership Of RealtyTrac on this issue: "We've now seen three straight months with fewer than 300,000 properties receiving foreclosure filings, following 20 straight months where the total exceeded 300,000," said James Saccacio, CEO of RealtyTrac. "Unfortunately," he added, "This is less a sign of a robust housing recovery and more a sign that lenders have become bogged down in reviewing procedures, resubmitting paperwork and formulating legal arguments related to accusations of improper foreclosure processing." "We expect a spike in the first quarter," said Rick Sharga, a RealtyTrac spokesman. Bottom Line These are five strong reasons to sell now instead of waiting until later in the year. Sit down with a local real estate professional today and decide the best options for you and your family.

10 Common Errors Home Owners Make When Filing Taxes

Since we are in the tax season, I thought I would share an article from National Association of Realtors about tax tips. Below are 10 common mistakes homeowners make when filing their taxes.

By: G. M. Filisko

Published: January 25, 2011

Don't rouse the IRS or pay more taxes than necessary-know the score on each home tax deduction and credit.

Sin #1: Deducting the wrong year for property taxes

You take a tax deduction for property taxes in the year you (or the holder of your escrow account) actually paid them. Some taxing authorities work a year behind-that is, you're not billed for 2010 property taxes until 2011. But that's irrelevant to the feds.
Enter on your federal forms whatever amount you actually paid in 2010, no matter what the date is on your tax bill. Dave Hampton, CPA, tax manager at the Cincinnati accounting firm of Burke & Schindler, has seen home owners confuse payments for different years and claim the incorrect amount.

Sin #2: Confusing escrow amount for actual taxes paid

If your lender escrows funds to pay your property taxes, don't just deduct the amount escrowed, says Bob Meighan, CPA and vice president at TurboTax in San Diego. The regular amount you pay into your escrow account each month to cover property taxes is probably a little more or a little less than your property tax bill. Your lender will adjust the amount every year or so to realign the two.
For example, your tax bill might be $1,200, but your lender may have collected $1,100 or $1,300 in escrow over the year. Deduct only $1,200. Your lender will send you an official statement listing the actual taxes paid. Use that. Don't just add up 12 months of escrow property tax payments.

Sin #3: Deducting points paid to refinance

Deduct points you paid your lender to secure your mortgage in full for the year you bought your home. However, when you refinance, says Meighan, you must deduct points over the life of your new loan. If you paid $2,000 in points to refinance into a 15-year mortgage, your tax deduction is $133 per year.

Sin #4: Failing to deduct private mortgage insurance

Lenders require home buyers with a downpayment of less than 20% to purchase private mortgage insurance (PMI). Avoid the common mistake of forgetting to deduct your PMI payments. However, note the deduction begins to phase out once your adjusted gross income reaches $100,000 and disappears entirely when your AGI surpasses $109,000.

Sin #5: Misjudging the home office tax deduction

This deduction may not be as good as it seems. It often doesn't amount to much of a deduction, has to be recaptured if you turn a profit when you sell your home, and can pique the IRS's interest in your return. Hampton's advice: Claim it only if it's worth those drawbacks.

Sin #6: Missing the first-time home buyer tax credit

If you met the midyear 2010 deadlines, don't forget to take this tax credit into account when filing.
Even if you missed the 2010 deadlines, you still might be in luck: Congress extended the first-time home buyer credit for military families and other government workers on assignment outside the United States. If you meet the criteria, you have until June 30, 2011, to close on your first home and qualify for the tax credit of up to $8,000.

Sin #7: Failing to track home-related expenses

If the IRS comes a-knockin', don't be scrambling to compile your records. Many people forget to track home office and home maintenance and repair expenses, says Meighan. File away documents as you go. For example, save each manufacturer's certification statement for energy tax credits, insurance company statements for PMI, and lender or government statements to confirm property taxes paid.

Sin #8: Forgetting to keep track of capital gains

If you sold your main home last year, don't forget to pay capital gains taxes on any profit. However, you can exclude $250,000 (or $500,000 if you're a married couple) of any profits from taxes. So if you bought a home for $100,000 and sold it for $400,000, your capital gains are $300,000. If you're single, you owe taxes on $50,000 of gains. However, there are minimum time limits for holding property to take advantage of the exclusions, and other details. Consult IRS Publication 523. 

Sin #9: Filing incorrectly for energy tax credits

If you made any eligible improvement, fill out Form 5695. Part I, which covers the 30%/$1,500 credit for such items as insulation and windows, is fairly straightforward. But Part II, which covers the 30%/no-limit items such as geothermal heat pumps, can be incredibly complex and involves crosschecking with half a dozen other IRS forms. Read the instructions carefully.

Sin #10: Claiming too much for the mortgage interest tax deduction

You can deduct mortgage interest only up to $1 million of mortgage debt, says Meighan. If you have $1.2 million in mortgage debt, for example, deduct only the mortgage interest attributable to the first $1 million.
This article provides general information about tax laws and consequences, but is not intended to be relied upon by readers as tax or legal advice applicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Readers should consult a tax professional for such advice, and are reminded that tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.
G.M. Filisko is an attorney and award-winning writer who was once mortified to receive a letter from the IRS-but relieved to learn the IRS had simply found a math error in her favor. A frequent contributor to many national publications including AARP.org, Bankrate.com, and the American Bar Association Journal, she specializes in real estate, business, personal finance, and legal topics.