Archive for January, 2009

Mortgage Interest and Your Tax Liability

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

As you begin your search for the perfect home, and you research your mortgage loan options, the tax consequences of a mortgage loan with mortgage interest doesn’t ever cross the minds of most consumers. But as you decide which product you need, or think you need, the tax repercussions and benefits should play a role, even if it’s a small one, in the final decision.

For many consumers, the first thought that’s given to their tax return, and tax liability, comes from the mortgage lender. Quite often, mortgages are touted as being one of the best venues for reducing your tax liability at the end of the year. Yes, your mortgage interest payments will reduce your tax liability, but is that your ultimate goal? Is that why you’re looking at mortgage packages? No. Your ultimate goal in choosing a mortgage is to pay for your home.

Every situation in this case, and this case would apply to the average consumer shopping for a mortgage loan, is probably not going to get that much benefit from the tax deduction that comes from their mortgage interest payments. The average consumer should first look at their monthly payment and choose a mortgage based on affordability, not tax liability.

The smart consumer will not allow the flashy ads displayed by many mortgage lenders to influence their mortgage loan decision. The smart consumer will examine the interest level, the term of the mortgage loan, the affordability of the monthly payment, and base their decision upon their ability to pay in relation to the mortgage that achieves their primary purpose: the payout of the loan.

You and I rarely consider the impact of any financial decision on itemized deduction statement; however many of those decisions do affect itemized deductions. Our itemized deductions and major portion of our tax liability? No. Do they contribute to a reduction in tax liability? Yes. The relativity of the contribution when contrasted to the required time in examining the actual benefit we derive from the itemized deduction calculations warrants the point mute. It’s just not worth the effort.

If you happen to be in your mid-40s and your purchasing your first home, I would suggest that you consult a financial adviser prior to making a mortgage decision; however most individuals in their mid-40s would already realize the benefit of a financial adviser. A young couple purchasing their first home would truly benefit from the interest deduction, not to the extent however off more than $40-$50 of the bottom-line for their tax liability. As you age, and your way to earning power increases, the benefit of the itemized deduction decreases. Does the average person understand how tax is configured? No. The only person who can truly enlighten a consumer would be a tax professional, and many average individuals would spend more money in the determination of the benefit than they would reap.

The new guy on the mortgage loan law, known as the interest only mortgage loan will bring the greatest benefit to the consumer. The interest-only lawn in the amount of interest you can deduct on your tax return are one and the same, but does the benefit of the mortgage interest deduction outweigh the added expense of an additional five years on the mortgage loan?

What about the mortgage loan refinance? Any equity you remove from your home in the form of cash that can be used to pay down or pay all high interest credit card accounts will transfer a nondeductible expense to your deductible expenses. However you should remember the trade-off you now owe more against your home, and you have used your equity reserves. Was the deduction worth the trade? Many times the answer is no. For many consumers, paying off high-interest credit card debt only increases the probability of additional credit card charges. In other words, not only have use your equity, you’ve returned to high-interest debt.

Prior to a final decision of your mortgage along product, take a moment to review your tax situation. Each situation is unique. The lower your income, the greater the benefit, but rarely is the benefit worth the cost. Behold, the Tax Man, cometh.

Mortgage Companies

Monday, January 19th, 2009

Let’s talk about the specialty guys, the mortgage interest companies. Why do they exist in what do they do for the average consumer? Actually a lot. Mortgage interest companies exist for the pure and simple reason of originating mortgage loans. If mortgage loans are your specialty then quite naturally you would assume you’re very good at what you do. And most of the mortgage companies are very good at what they do. So much so, that real estate prices and mortgage loan products have seen a threefold increase. What does this mean for the consumer and what does this say about our mortgage companies?

What this means for the consumer is that now there are being offered a wide range of the affordable, and quite accommodating loan products. What does this say about our mortgage companies? That today more than ever mortgage companies are creative with their efforts to accommodate a growing and varied range of customers. Mortgage companies offer mortgage loans that range from interest only, 1% interest only, to the standard fixed rate mortgage loan product. This article will take a moment to examine the mortgage companies and the mortgage products offered by these mortgage companies.

If you need to apply for a mortgage today, you only have to go online to find your nearest mortgage company and a detailed list of the mortgage products they provide. Even if you don’t want to complete the application online, you are supplied with all the necessary information to make an informed and educated mortgage decision without ever leaving the comfort of your home. Almost all of the mortgage companies in existence today make use of the online environment to advertise their business and their business roducts. But, this is not the only avenue for advertising the mortgage companies will use.

Many of the mortgage companies today use advertising venues via the newspaper billboards and radio. By far the largest vehicle of advertising used by the mortgage companies today is through the use of the television; it is via the television that you will most often hear about mortgage-company’s and the mortgage products offered.

Mortgage companies compete for your business by offering lower then standard interest rates, and extremely unusual by traditional lending standards, mortgage products. The increase in the number of interest-only loan products is a testament to the use of non- traditional products in order to increase customer base. However, the consumer is a winner as far as the interest rate expense because many of the specialized mortgage companies can offer a lower interest rate than your local and traditional lending companies, such as banks. Due to the specialty of the mortgage company and the mortgage product interest rates are sometimes a full 2 to 3% lower then the rate offered through the traditional lending institution.

Factor in the advent of the online mortgage companies, such as Quicken Loans, and you have an even lower interest rate offering due to a lower overhead expense. What role has the online mortgage company played in lowering interest rates, and pulling from the traditional and physical-existence mortgage companies? The influence has been quite great; many consumers have shopped the online environment in order to obtain the low interest rates offered. Companies such as Quicken and Ditech have experienced phenomenal growth thanks to the online mortgage company existence and television advertising.

The government has greatly encouraged the growth and competitive nature of the mortgage company industry through the use of government programs such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and has empowered the mortgage companies with a means to sell existing mortgages in order to originate new ones. Apparently, the government wishes to encourage the success of the specialty companies with the specialty rates!

I believe the existence of mortgage companies, the ever-increasing range of mortgage products and a continued increase a real estate prices has helped to contribute to the stabilization of an extremely low interest rate, which in turn has fueled the growth of the mortgage companies and the range of products offered. As you can see, this is a market of interconnected affectation and the consumer seems to be the greatest benefactor. So carry on specialty guy!

Middle America Goes Upscale on Interest Only Options

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

Have you ever noticed if given the choice, day average consumer is going to buy as much as possible on as little as possible. Now that’s okay if you happen to be buying an air conditioner, or a pair of shoes or a pair of blue jeans; but when it comes to your home mortgage, bigger is not always better. In the real estate market of today there are many analysts all both sides of the fence that will argue for or against the interest only option and the effect it has on consumer spending.

Right now the vote is still out on exactly what it will cost the taxpayers should we experience a tremendous drop in real estate prices. During the first half of the century the interest-only loan was used extensively. When the Great Depression began, unfortunately, many homeowners who had made use of the interest only loan lost their homes. Today, the interest only loan quarters a full one fourth of the market segment, and that kind of growth is frightening to every economist associated with the real estate market. Why does this kind of growth frighten an economist? The answer is simple: exploding growth in real estate that creates this type of loan market growth is not always stable.

Now, what happens to the consumers who have purchased the interest only loan and the real estate prices drop? What if they owe more now than their property is worth? See, this is where the economist gets really frightened. Defaults on loans, bankruptcies, and a tremendous burst of the real estate bubble could be the resulting conditions.

What else has happened here? Once again consumers have managed to overspend themselves and live beyond their means. Apparently in an optimistic and booming economy this seems to be all right, but when the economy takes a downturn and real estate prices drop, what happens to the consumer with the interest only loan, and no equity? I will tell you what happens. Homeowners can no longer support the mortgage, or rather the real estate value can no longer support the mortgage, and when it is time to refinance a home there is more mortgage than home. In the defense of the homeowner, many of today’s mortgage lenders refuse to counsel the consumer about the real consequence of borrowing beyond the value of the home, or borrowing without investing in the value of the home. Eventually, living beyond your income levels will result in a negative impact.

Consumers don’t often consider the worst case scenario especially during the time of purchasing a mortgage product. No one assumes the worst; everyone likes to imagine that everything will work exactly as planned. But if your monthly mortgage payment stretches you to the limit and if the budget doesn’t leave room for reserve, you’re going to find that at some time you’ll be short. If you’re using the interest only mortgage loan to purchase a home that is really bigger than what you can actually afford with a standard mortgage watch out.

Thanks to the exploding growth of the mortgage loan segment, especially in the interest only loan, you can now buy more house than ever on less money. No down payment requirements and a nice affordable mortgage payment. The problem however is that the borrower who uses tomorrow’s salary to buy tomorrow’s home today, will usually have the same spending habits when tomorrow’s salary is today’s salary.

There are individuals for whom the interest only loan is a tremendous benefit and is a perfect fit for the loan. The young professional with a great future, and no intention to remain in the area for more than five years, is the perfect candidate for an interest only loan. But very few of the actual applicants with interest only loans fit this description. Unfortunately, many of applicants for the interest-only loan are simply consumers who want more house for less money. The big house, with the great job, and the picket fence with 2.5 children is a great dream to have. You just need to make sure before you step onto the dream cloud that you’ve got the net beneath you, something must catch you when you fall!