Rent is now rising faster than any other time in the past six years, making home ownership the better deal. Owning a home was found to be 44% cheaper than renting, according to the latest study from Trulia that compared the cost of the two.

Home ownership comes with some impressive tax benefits. Depending on your situation, there may be thousands of dollars coming back you way. For renters, those benefits are off the table. If you are on the fence about buying a home, here are some tax advantages that might just tip the scales and put your dream home within reach.
Lets imagine you bought a home back in 2010 for $250,000 but got a job offer across the country, and now it is time to make a move. Maybe you have done some home improvements, and the market has improved. Now, a Realtor thinks you can reasonably list your home for $300,000. You follow their advice and you receive and accept an offer for the listing price. Basically you just put a great profit in your pocket. Those capital gains are entirely free from federal income tax, up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for joint filers.

​Everyone knows that being a home owner means paying taxes on your property to local government.  Whether that is the city or county, these taxes are entirely deductible from your federal income tax.
There also are incentives for greening a home, depreciation allowances for rental space or a home office, and more.
Also, mortgage interest deduction lets home owners deduct the interest on home mortgage loan valued at $1 million or less. Here is an example: Lets say you have a $250,000, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage with a 4.5% interest rate. You will pay roughly $11,000 in interest in the first year. Assuming you are in the 25% income tax bracket, deducting that interest will save about $2,750 in taxes.
Tax benefits reflect people's belief that home ownership builds and strengthens families, neighborhoods and communities.

Looking to buy a home? What questions do you have about potential tax breaks?  Let us know below!

Yanira Hernandez
Yanira Hernandez is the Broker in Charge & Realtor at Blue Endeavours Real Estate.
To contact Yanira, email her at [email protected] or visit the Blue Endeavours Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/pages/category/Real-Estate/Blue-Endeavours-RE-619164098262243/

Buying a new home is an exciting time for a buyer.  It can, however, be a very stressful time as well.  To ensure a drama-free closing, remember to bring these  things with you:  
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1. Directions to your closing attorney's office - You want to make sure that you are on-time for the closing.  Be sure that you know how to get there.  Any delays can cause even later decoration and finalization of the closing process, which could cause a delay in getting your keys.  
2. Patience - A closing can take 45 to 90 minutes depending on the size of the closing package. 
3. Closing Costs - Bring certified funds made payable to the closing attorney's office.  Personal checks are not usually acceptable especially for $500 or more.  
4. Government issued picture identification - Examples are drivers license, passport military identification, etc.  The identification must be valid and not expired.   
5. Spouse - Even if your spouse is not a borrower on the loan, he or she still needs to sign certain documents unless the borrower has a prenuptial, separation or free trader agreement.  

Having these 5 things in order will help you minimize any potential drama on closing day.  

Any other things you can think of that are important to bring to closing?  If so, leave below for our other readers.  

Happy Closing!

Tara L. Nichols, Esq.
The Nichols Law Firm PLLC
Follow The Nichols Law Firm on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheNicholsLawFirmPLLC or visit her website www.nicholslawfirm.org/​

Due to labor shortages witnessed by Builders nationwide, a build that would typically take 90-120 days to complete, is taking 120-150 days to complete. Builder's aren't the only ones being affected by these shortages, Sub Contractors across various trades are griping about the difficulty in finding help. This shortage leads to increased time for Sub Contractors to be able to get started on jobs and once started, increased time completing the job.

A savvy Builder will wait on Subs they are familiar with and have history with rather than try to fill the gaps with Subs they haven't worked with in the past, nor are not familiar with their work practices. In doing so, time may have to be sacrificed, but the Builder knows they can still expect the same quality that they are used too.

Keep this in mind when dealing with a Builder/Contractor as we strive to get these builds turned over a soon as possible while dealing with the labor shortage we are currently experiencing.

Ironically, as the demand for new construction homes increases, labor shortages has had quite an effect on completions times and has caused a strain for Builders in sticking to more convenient building schedules.

To ensure a smooth building process, here are some things that can be done by Buyers:

• Determining upgrade/selections as early in the build cycle as possible
• Bringing in a Builder/Contractor as soon as possible in the Administrative process to help assist in budgeting, permit acquisition, etc
• Keeping changes to a minimum once house construction has begun

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What questions do you have in preparation for building a home or a remodel?  Let us know below!

Good Luck and Happy Building!

Chris Pugh
Chris is the Licensed General Contractor for CB Pugh Enterprises, LLC
Email Chris at [email protected] or visit the website www.pughbuilders.com