Tax Tip #3: Paying Property Tax

#3: Paying Property Tax

If you own a home, you were definitely responsible for property tax. The good news is that it is deductible. You usually pay these taxes as part of your monthly mortgage payments, so your lender will have all the information you need spelled out on your annual statement. Sometimes real estate taxes can be deducted on your federal tax return whether they are deductible by the state's rules or not.

If you happened to buy a house this year, you no doubt paid plenty of property tax upfront. Be sure to find out how much of that you can deduct. It can be found on your settlement documents. Ask a tax professional for help if you have any questions.

Click here to view Tax Tip #2.  If you have any questions regarding your mortgage or a future mortgage, Crosscountry Mortgage can help! Give us a call at 877-828-8851.

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Prudential Real Estate Outlook Survey

According to the newly released Prudential Real Estate Outlook Survey for the past quarter, Americans have shown an increase in confidence in homeownership. Residential real estate is recovering which leads to people being more optimistic about buying a home. Many are taking advantage of the record low mortgage rates and the record high housing affordability. The survey shows that 69% of respondents believe that real estate is still a good investment despite what the last new years have brought. 64% have a favorable perception of the U.S. housing market, and 72% believe that the market will continue to recover. Since 78% of people said that owning a home is very important to them, normalcy is starting to return to the market. These people are indeed buying homes, usually for more traditional reasons such as to raise a family and build a future. It seems that the emotional side of owning a home is outweighing the financial reasons. However, 65% of respondents feel as though financing or getting a mortgage is more challenging now than it was before the market crisis. We at Quest Loans do not want you to feel that way. Please call us at 888-883-5252 today so we can help you, on a personal level, qualify for the home loan that you need to begin your homeownership journey. After all, 74% of respondents think it is more important than ever to work with a good agent and lender in order to successfully buy a home. We will be waiting for your call.

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Outlook for the Housing Market in 2012

As of December 2011, unemployment rates fell to their lowest level in three years with the addition of 200,000 jobs. This means good news overall for the real estate market since the country's economy is beginning to improve. This recovery is essential for the housing market and it is expected to continue throughout 2012. As we reported earlier, the Fed has announced that interest rates will not be raised until 2014 in the hopes of continuing in this economy recovery. The interest rates are currently at historic lows and are expected to stay that way to ensure a slow but steady rise by the end of the year. Therefore, taking out a mortgage is a very affordable thing at this time.

Predictions for the 2012 housing market include these continued low interest rates as well as the stabilization of home prices. This should lead to an increase in home sales: roughly 12% of existing homes and 74% of new homes; and there will also be a rise in inventory mostly due to increased foreclosures throughout the country. Distressed properties will make up about half of all home sales. There will also be an improved short-sale process so we can further avoid foreclosures. Homeownership rates are expected to continue to fall. Foreign and domestic investors will be likely to buy 25% of homes. And there will be an increased reliance on real estate agents in 2012. We will continue to report on these matters to see if these predictions pan out over the next year.

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