After lots of wrangling, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is finally ready to do right by strapped California homeowners. Currently, state law requires the payment of income tax on a homeowner’s canceled or forgiven debt on a short sale or foreclosure. What it means in practice is that a struggling homeowner who has either lost his...
Short sales are occurring with increasing frequency as a result of the poor economy and shrinking home values. What many people don’t realize is that if your lender allows you to sell your home at a loss, you may be liable for taxes on the losses incurred by the lender. The IRS considers a...
Out of work for more than a year, Dale Ottley was relieved when she was able to sell her Woodland Hills condominium for $230,000 – even though it was a “short sale” on which she lost $200,000. Now she faces the possibility of having to pay state income tax on the $200,000 debt that...
Homebuyer tax credits are almost certainly returning. Sacramento-area buyers can begin claiming $10,000 tax credits starting May 1 under a bill expected to be signed soon by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The legislation allocates $200 million for more state tax credits – twice what was offered last year to 10,659 buyers of new, unoccupied homes....
Despite back-to-back snowstorms that shut federal offices for days, the Internal Revenue Service issued new guidance last week on the two tax-credit programs that are powering the country’s real estate markets — the $6,500 credit for repeat buyers and the $8,000 first-time-buyer credit. The new policy clarifies what documentation taxpayers need to submit to...
Record snows may still clog driveways and carpet lawns with ice but the spring real estate market is kicking off across the country earlier than normal as buyers push to make the April 30 tax credit deadline. It’s worth $8,000 to first-time buyers and $6,500 to existing owners to get a contract on a...
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