No tax credits for N.J. homebuyers; impact of end of Federal program being felt in New Jersey

We previously told you about a plan to give N.J. homebuyers a tax credit. Well, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie has vetoed the bill that would have given tax credits of up to $15,000 to homebuyers. The reason-- the state could not afford to forego $100 million in tax revenue over the program’s proposed three-year lifespan.

According to the report in the Star-Ledger, Christie has said that while he would support some economic development programs in other times, the state does not have the luxury of paying for them now.

Responding to criticism, “Christie argued in his veto the money would have been used by people already committed to buying homes and would “’briefly and artificially inflate home values.’”

Read the full article.

The New York Times reports on the impact,

“After the expiration of the federal tax-credit program for buyers on April 30, the number of contract signings in New Jersey abruptly fell to the lowest point in six years — after more than a year of continuous gains.”

Well, I guess we are not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

For your next title order or
if you have questions about what you see here,
contact Stephen M. Flatow
Vested Title Inc.
648 Newark Avenue, P.O. Box 6453,
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Tel 201-656-9220 - Fax 201-656-4506
E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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Greedy mortgage brokers charged with theft

The Asbury Park Press reported

"Three executives from Hawthorne Capital Corp., a mortgage brokerage with offices in Manalapan, (New Jersey) New York and Pennsylvania, have been charged with theft for failing to pay off original loans after refinancing mortgages, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said."

"New Jersey customers used the company to refinance their mortgages, the Prosecutor's Office said. Typically when that happens, the lender pays off the original mortgages. But the Prosecutor's Office said it received a complaint from a Monmouth County homeowner who said a check sent to her original mortgage company had been returned for insufficient funds after the homeowner refinanced with Hawthorne."

Now, this is interesting because we normally find a title company and/or lawyer involved in the actual disbursement the new mortgage loans, not the mortgage broker. So, we think there’s more here than meets the eye.

Also interesting is the clumsiness in which the broker acted since there doesn't seem to be any attempt to hide the fraud by making a few months' worth of mortgage payments on behalf of the owner.

We’ll try to follow this story.

For your next title order or if you have questions about what you see here,
contact Stephen M. Flatow
Vested Title Inc.
648 Newark Avenue, P.O. Box 6453,
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Tel 201-656-9220 - Fax 201-656-4506
E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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N.Y. to collect sales tax on abstracts of title. Will N.J. follow?

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has announced that it has changed its policy on title abstracts – they're now taxable when done by a title agent.

You can read the determination on page 4 of the memorandum TSB-M-10(7)S, Sales Tax, July 19, 2010, Sales and Compensating Use Tax Treatment of Certain Information Services, issued by the Office of Tax Policy Analysis Taxpayer Guidance Division.

My take? Well, if the taxation folks in New York think it will work, then the taxation folks in New Jersey will most likely give it a shot.

For your next title order or if you have questions about what you see here,

contact Stephen M. Flatow

Vested Title Inc.

648 Newark Avenue, P.O. Box 6453,

Jersey City, NJ 07306

Tel 201-656-9220 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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Selling a vacation home? Tax treatment of furniture can catch you.

Karin Price-Mueller, the BizBrain at the Star-Ledger, fields questions from readers on a variety of matters. Here's one regarding tax treatment of furniture when selling a furnished home. (The question is shown in full.)

Q. When selling a furnished vacation home, can I add to my original basis the replacement costs of the furniture and accessories that came with my condo and that I have replaced over the years, such as TVs, rugs, couches, chairs, drapes and air conditioners? The condo unit was originally purchased for $80,000 plus a $5,000 furniture package, and we sold it furnished for $250,000. While I rented it out at times, I didn’t depreciate it. It was primarily a vacation home.

— Bob

"A. Even though you bought the home furnished all those years ago, you can’t include the furniture as part of your cost basis."

Essentially, you can only add improvements to the cost basis of the home, not furniture.

"Some examples of capital improvements that would qualify as an increase in cost basis include the cost of putting an addition on the home, replacing the whole roof, installing central air-conditioning, paving the driveway or rewiring the home."

"Adding the furniture to the cost basis is only asking for trouble, said Douglas Duerr, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant with U.S. Financial Advisors in Montville. "

Read the full article Furniture sold with home does not count toward cost basis.

And, as always, we recommend you speak to your tax advisor when undertaking any major financial transaction.

For your next title order or
if you have questions about what you see here,
contact Stephen M. Flatow
Vested Title Inc.
648 Newark Avenue, P.O. Box 6453,
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Tel 201-656-9220 - Fax 201-656-4506
E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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How many foreclosures in a million? A lot.

One million is the number being bantered about of houses that may be lost in foreclosure actions this year.

Rosalyn Dalebout rents out space in her home to three tenants, has cut off her phone service and canceled her earthquake and life insurance — all to pay her mortgage every month.

So far, she's one of the lucky ones.

More than 1 million American households are likely to lose their homes to foreclosure this year, as lenders work their way through a huge backlog of borrowers who have fallen behind on their loans.

Nearly 528,000 homes were taken over by lenders in the first six months of the year. If foreclosures continue at that rate, the yearly number would eclipse the more than 900,000 homes repossessed in 2009, RealtyTrac Inc., a foreclosure listing service, said Thursday.

Whatever the actual number, things do not look well for American homeowners or the banks who gave them the mortgage. Does government have a fix? Perhaps loosening up mortgage modifications for those who are current on their loans but whose homes are valued for less than the amount of mortgage would be a good first step.

What do you think?

The Associated Press story by Alex Viega can be found here - Homes lost to foreclosure on track for 1M in 2010

For your next title order
or if you have questions about what you see here, contact
Stephen M. Flatow
Vested Title Inc.
648 Newark Avenue,
P.O. Box 6453, Jersey City, NJ 07306
Tel 201-656-9220 - Fax 201-656-4506
E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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