Construction crews are working around the clock to meet tight deadlines to finish houses by the end of June so purchasers can get a federal home buyer tax credit of as much as $8,000. Home buyers are similarly anxious to get settlement on an existing house or the keys to the new home before the credit expiry date. To qualify, home buyers had to sign a contract by April 30 (intention to buy) and must complete the transaction by July 1st (June 30 is the last eligible day). To complete a newly constructed home sale, builders in most of the U.S. are required to have a certificate of occupancy from local officials attesting the house is finished or at least conforms to building codes. Mortgage lenders usually require the document before closing on a loan.
Push to Extend contract to September 30th 2010
With all the hoopla around claiming the credit and a strong push from various realtor groups, Bloomberg reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid proposed a three-month deadline extension amid concern that a rush of buyers created too big of a backlog. New-home contracts rose 30 percent in March and 15 percent in April, the biggest two-month gain in records dating to 1963, according to the Commerce Department. About a third of the April signings were for homes under construction, and a quarter were for those that weren’t started. The National Association of Realtors asked members of Congress to consider extending the tax credit deadline to allow people more time to complete sales, said Lucien Salvant, head of public affairs for the Chicago-based trade group. Reid, a Nevada Democrat whose state has been among the nation’s worst-hit housing markets, proposed moving the date to Sept. 30 2010.
New-home sales in March and April were concentrated in houses costing less than $300,000, signaling a rise in first- time buyers seeking the tax credit. The maximum benefit of $8,000 is reserved for people who have never owned property, while current homeowners can qualify for as much as $6,500 (see qualification details in previous updates below).
“The bulk of the delays are coming from people doing short sales, but we’re also seeing people having problems closing on homes they’re having built,” said Salvant. Short sales are transactions in which a bank accepts less than the balance owed on a property.
Other Home Buyer Credits still available like California Credit and 2011 Extension for Military home buyers.
In California, the federal tax benefit has been eclipsed by a $10,000 state tax credit for real estate purchased between May 1 and the end of the year. The credit applies to people who buy a new home and first-time home buyers who purchase either a new or existing property. Florida and other hard hit states also have home buyer assistance programs.
Similarly, the home buyer credit has also been extended for members of the Armed Forces and certain federal employees serving outside the U.S. have an extra year to buy a principal residence in the U.S. and still qualify for the home buyer credit. An eligible taxpayer must buy or enter into a binding contract to buy a home by April 30, 2011, and settle on the purchase by June 30, 2011.
Related posts:
- Another 2010 Home Buyer Credit Extension Approved. December Unemployment Insurance Extension Rejected.
- 2010 $8,000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension Approved and Expanded with $6,500 For Existing Home Owners. New Provisions Not Retroactive
- Claiming the First Time Home Buyer Credit in 2009 Tax Returns – Forms and Documentation Requirements