$8,000 Home Credit Still In Play
Confused about whether lawmakers will extend the $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit and what it would look like?
That's understandable, since the situation is still very fluid.
Here's where things stand.
Support for the credit: There is still bipartisan support in Congress for extending the credit past Nov. 30 and making it available to more homebuyers.
The Obama administration wants the credit extended for a "limited period," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan said Thursday. They did not elaborate.
What's on the table now: There appears to be a compromise deal that falls between the most and least generous proposals that have been put forth so far.
"There is bipartisan compromise to extend the credit through spring and expand it to existing homeowners who are stepping up to a different home," financial policy analyst Jaret Seiberg wrote in a research note for Concept Capital's Research Group.
The latest idea under discussion is a credit worth up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers and up to $6,500 for homeowners looking to trade up to a bigger primary residence and who have already lived in their current home for five years. (CNN: Senate compromise may be in the works.)
To qualify for the full credit, however, homebuyers must have adjusted gross income of less than $125,000 ($225,000 for married couples filing jointly).
In addition, the credit would only apply to homes sold for $800,000 or less. Contracts to buy a home must be signed by April 30, 2010, and the deals must close by June 30 in order for a buyer to qualify for the credit.
Read More Here:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/28/real_estate/homebuyer_credit/index.htm?postversion=2009102913