The government’s First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit program expires November 30, 2009 — a scant 60 days from today.
Considering it can take up to 60 days to close on a home, first-time buyers have 2 weeks at most to find a home.
Buyers not under contract by October 15 have little chance of meeting the November 30 deadline and, therefore, little chance of claiming the tax credit.
This is especially true for purchases involving short sales and foreclosures.
Congress passed the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit program as part of the 2009 economic stimulus plan. IRS Form 5405 outlines the program criteria and includes the following stipulations:
The credit is capped at $8,000 or 10% of the purchase price, whichever is less. And don’t forget – the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit is a true tax credit. It’s not a deduction.
This means that a tax filer who claims the full $8,000 and whose “normal” tax liability is $5,000 would receive $3,000 cash from the US Treasury when their tax return is processed by the IRS.
If you can’t close by November 30, 2009, though, you can’t claim the credit.
The clock is ticking. If you’re planning to use the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, the time to act is now.
Getting approved for a mortgage is about to get harder.
For the second time in less than 3 months, Fannie Mae announced changes to its mortgage guidelines.
In its official announcement, Fannie Mae details the updates, meant to reduce the mortgage firm’s overall risk.
The first major change is with respect to credit scoring. All Fannie Mae loans — whether underwritten electronically or manually — require a 620 credit score minimum. There are very few exceptions.
A second change relates to loans with private mortgage insurance. Homeowners whose loan-to-value exceeds 80 percent now have a choice:
Both options pass higher costs to consumers.
Then, a third change relates to maximum debt-to-income ratio. As announced in a separate document, Fannie Mae will no longer approve expense ratios exceeding 45 percent except with very strong assets and credit to back it up. In no case can expense ratios exceed 50 percent.
There are other changes, too, including the elimination of seldom-used mortgage products and new risk-based pricing on “expanded level” approvals.
Fannie Mae implements its updates during the weekend of December 12.
Therefore, if you’re going to need (or want) a new mortgage later this year, consider moving up your timeframe to October or November. Once the guidelines change, getting approved for a mortgage is going to be tougher.
If you plan to use the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit program, time is running out. The program expires November 30, 2009 and closing on a home can take up to 60 days.
That leaves you 6 weeks from today to find a home and go under contract.
The First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit program was passed as part of the 2009 economic stimulus plan. It credits up to $8,000 in tax payments to qualified buyers.
The qualification criteria are as follows:
Furthermore, not everyone who’s qualified will get the full $8,000. The credit can’t exceed 10 percent of a home’s purchase price, for example, and households with income approaching program limits get lesser benefits, too.
Meanwhile, an interesting note about the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit is that it’s a true a tax credit and not a deduction. A person claiming the $8,000 credit whose “normal” tax liability is $5,000 would get a $3,000 refund from the IRS on April 15, 2010.
Review the program’s criteria at your leisure, but don’t wait until October to start looking for homes. If you can’t close by November 30, 2009 for any reason whatsoever, you won’t qualify for the tax credit.
Better to be ahead of the deadline than chasing it.
First Heritage Mortgage, LLC
6550 Rock Spring Drive, Suite 260, Bethesda, Maryland 20817-1131
Direct: 240.223.1730 • Toll-free: 866.833.LOAN • Fax: 240.223.1703
