Buying a Home

It’s a Buyer’s Market! Purchasing a home is one of the biggest investments you will make in your lifetime. Whether you’re moving from around the corner or from across the country, our team will give you the confidence to know that you are making the most informed buying decision. In the current market, there are many buying opportunities. We’ll help you decide which home is the best fit for you. Most importantly, we’ll deal effectively and strategically with any difficulties that arise during your transaction. With so many short sales and bank owned homes (REOs) on the market, it’s important to work with a team that understands the complexities of these kinds of transactions.  Buying a home is an exciting and complex adventure. It can also be a very time-consuming and costly one if you're not familiar with all aspects of the process, and don't have all the best information and resources at hand. One of my specialties is representing the best interests of Pleasanton area buyers throughout the home buying process. My comprehensive, high-quality services can save you time and money, as well as make the experience more enjoyable and less stressful. If you're like most people, buying a home is the biggest investment you will ever make. So whether you're buying a starter home, your dream home or an investment property, why not take advantage of my experience as a local market expert for Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon and Danville, to make the most informed decisions you can, every step of the way?

The Los Angeles Times

IRS issues new guidelines on obtaining home buyer tax credits
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued new guidelines and clarified documentation that taxpayers must submit to successfully obtain the federal tax credit for home buyers.

MAKING SENSE OF THE STORY FOR CONSUMERS

• The federal tax credit for home buyers was extended and expanded late last year. Qualified first-time buyers may be eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $8,000 on homes purchased before April 30, 2010. Repeat buyers may be eligible for a tax credit of up to $6,500. Click here for more information about the federal tax credit for home buyers, including eligibility requirements.
• To receive the tax credit, home buyers must comply with the IRS’s documentation requirements, including a fully executed IRS Form 5405. On the form, which is available on the IRS’s Web site, taxpayers provide information supporting their claim of eligibility, such as income and home purchase date.
• The IRS also requires home buyers to submit a copy of the closing or settlement statement that proves the transaction took place. The IRS previously said that the statement should show “all parties’ names and signatures, property address, sales price, and date of purchase.” However, since closing or settlement statements vary by state, and in some cases the form does not include both the seller’s and buyer’s signatures, the IRS has revised this requirement. As long as the closing or settlement statement conforms to prevailing local practices, the IRS will accept it.
• One stipulation for repeat buyers is they must provide documentation they lived in their former property for a consecutive five years out of the previous eight years. Accepted documentation may include property tax records, hazard insurance records, or copies of annual mortgage interest statements filed with their federal taxes.

To read the full story, please click here. 

The following articles provide useful information and are a great place to start if you're considering buying a home.