OK - follow the bouncing ball....
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The FHA initially indicated they would allow the $8K tax credit to be used towards a down payment.
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Then they reversed that decision and decided to NOT allow it.....
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But it appears they have now reversed their reversal and once again WILL allow it......at least for today!
Below is a copy of the Mortgagee Letter from FHA dated 5/29/09 which outlines how they will allow this to work, and if you ask me it is typical "government-ease" for language and the requirements to follow seem to me to very complicated to the point where I wonder how many lenders are going to want to meet those requirements, ie: validating all eligibility requirements for the tax credit are fulfilled and review previous tax returns and IRS tax assessments letters to determine that the borrower does not have unsettled obligations to the IRS (which would diminish the credit) and contacting the borrower's employer to confirm there are no outstanding garnishments....just little things like that! Â
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It still seems to me that it would be much easier for the borrower to simply obtain gift funds from a relative and then simply pay that relative back when they get their $8,000 credit back.....much less hassle involved and no worry about having to calculate monthly payments or "fee" for monetizing their credit.
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I am checking with my lenders to see if any of them are going to do/allow this, just because FHA allows it doesn't necessarily mean that the individual lenders have to accept it....and again, I'm not convinced this is necessarily the best way to handle this situation but I do realize that some buyers may not have any options to get $8000 in gift funds so this may be their only option...
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Anyway, thought you'd like to see this and I will keep you posted.
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Have a great day!
Thanks for keeping us updated, Jolenta. I'm going to check with my lenders and see what they are doing in the Easy Bay.
Posted by Bruce Wagg on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 10:27pmGovernment Bureaucracy at its finest! Such complex rules are exactly what is not needed to help the real estate industry recover. Let's make it easy on those willing to dip their toe in the market, and that means simple incentives.
Posted by Tim on Friday, June 5th, 2009 at 4:13pmThe ball and our government go hand in hand. Always bouncing around!! I am with Tim. All it takes for people to get their feet wet and start buying houses again, is to give them incentive! And now they have it!
Posted by Ashlee in FW on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 6:00pmThe government is still working to find some programs to assist the housing market. This proposal would allow more first time buyers to enter the market. Thanks Jolenta for bringing us up-to-date on the change.
Posted by Wohnen auf Zeit on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 5:37amThis is great news for first-time home buyers. I posted about this first-time home buyer credit on my blog too. The "final" guidelines were announced on May 29. To qualify, buyers must not have owned a home in any of the last three years. So it will actually help more than just first-time buyers, even though that's the intention. Also, these purchases must be made before November 1, 2009 so it is a short-term measure to stimulate homes sales and the real estate market in general. It's great news for people who were thinking of jumping in and buying discounted homes in the first place. Now they have added incentive.
Posted by Del Mar Realtor on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 3:24pmAll the Best!
The news release on the HUD website provides an estimate from the National Association of Home Builders, which states that this first-time home buyer tax credit will stimulate approximately 160,000 home sales in the U.S. Of these, approximately 101,000 will be first-time buyers who receive the tax credit. The remaining 59,000 will be move-up buyers who will first sell their home to a first-time buyer and then purchase another home. So this is a substantial benefit to a great number of people, not just to the recipients of the tax credit. Also note that the tax credit applies to home purchases complete BEFORE December 1, 2009 so the deadline to complete a purchase is actually November 30, 2009 at 11:59pm. Thank you for your post!
Posted by La Jolla Homes For Sale on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 8:42amLeave A Comment