The Seattle Condo Blog

If you’re looking to take advantage of the home buyers tax credits, time is short. Last November, Congress extended and expanded the home buyers tax credit portion of the economic stimulus through April 30, 2010. That leaves just about 2 1/2 months left to purchase a home. Unlike the prior deadline where the transaction had to closed by the expiration date, this time it only needs to be under contract by the April 30th deadline with closing occurring no later than June 30, 2010.

To recap, there are two tax credits available – an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and a $6,500 tax credit for repeat buyers for homes priced up to $800,000. Income caps are $125,000 for single buyers and $225,000 for married couples.

The attached file provides an overview the tax credits. Click image to download (PDF).

Members of the military, foreign service and the intelligence community who served outside the U.S. for at least 90 days between December 31, 2008 and May 1, 2010 have a one year extension. The deadline to purchase a home is April 30, 2011 with closing no later than June 30, 2011. Additionally, members may be exempt from the 3-year recapture rule if they need to sell or move from the residence as a result of an official extended duty.

To learn more about the tax credit or to start your home search, please contact our condo specialists.

In an effort to continue pushing the nation’s economy along the road to recovery, President Obama recently signed a bill that extends the first-time home buyer tax credit and expands the credit to include more buyers.

Previously, the $8,000 first time home buyers tax credit was set to expire on November 30, 2009 but has now been extended, uninterrupted through April 30, 2010. A second credit of up to $6,500 has been added allowing existing homeowners to “move-up” and take advantage of the incentive.

EXTENDED: First-time buyers who have not owned a home in the past three years are eligible for up to an $8,000 tax credit.

• Tax credit does not require repayment.
• Credit is available to couples with gross income of less than $225,000 and individuals making less than $125,000. Previously, the limit was $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples.
• Buyers must secure a binding contract by April 30, allowing 60 days to close. Previously, the sale had to closed by the expiration date, now the purchase must be under contract by the expiration date and closed by June 30, 2010.

EXPANDED: Qualified homeowners who have lived in their current home for at least five of the past eight years are eligible for up to a $6,500 tax credit to buy a home, effective as of November 7, 2009.

• Tax credit does not require repayment.
• Credit is available to couples with gross income of less than $225,000 and individuals making less than $125,000.
• Credit is limited to homes priced $800,000 or less.
• Buyers must secure a binding contract by April 30, allowing 60 days to close.

The National Association of Realtors put together this chart outlining the tax credit changes. To download the PDF file, click on the image:

For more information about the tax credit, please consult with your Realtor, loan officer and/or tax advisor.

Related references:
Federal Housing Tax Credit website (lots of info, FAQs)
IRS – First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit
NAR – Tax credit basics

HUD announced today that it has approved the monetization of the $8,000 first-time home buyers tax credit, making it available to buyers at the time of purchase.

Here’s a few highlights:

• Housing Finance Agencies such as the Washington State Housing Finance Commission and certain non-profits will be able to monetize the tax credit, offering a loan against the tax credit at the time of purchase, which buyers can apply towards the down payment.
• For buyers using other FHA-approved lenders, the monetized tax credit can only be applied in excess of FHA’s required 3.5% down payment or towards other closing costs. In other words, it cannot be applied towards the initial 3.5% down payment requirement. As a result, most people will be able to use the monetized funds for closing costs rather than towards the down payment.
• This option only applies to FHA-insured mortgages, not conventional loans. As such, it’ll benefit buyers of single family homes or townhouses more so than condos. The reason for this is that FHA-insured loans are only available to HUD-approved condos. With only about 300 approved buildings in Seattle, many condos are not eligible. Additionally, HUD limits the number of FHA-insured units in a condo complex to 10% (e.g. only 2 units in a 20 unit complex will be eligible for FHA).

While this particular monetization option isn’t likely to help Seattle condo buyers much, it’s definitely a great option for first-time buyers who are taking advantage of FHA-insured mortgage loans. At the very least, buyers can increase their down payment amount or cover closing costs. The recently passed state version would help condo buyers but that seems to be dead in the water at this point.

The $8,000 first-time home buyers tax credit will expire on November 30, 2009. So if you’re interested in taking advantage of the credit, keep in mind, there’s only about 4.5 months left to get under contract. Also, the King County courthouse will close beginning Wednesday, November 25th for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, you’ll essentially need to close/fund/record the purchase by November 24th to qualify for the credit.

More information:
HUD/FHA: Donovan announces recovery act’s homebuyer tax credit can immediately help thousands of first-time homeubyers to buy a home
SeattlePI.com: Feds will allow tax credit for down payment, closing costs