Fremont Real Estate and Beyond

The City of Fremont would like to share the following information regarding two new housing programs funded by the Alameda County Measure A1 Housing Bond. The AC Boost Program provides financial assistance to middle-income working households to purchase a home in Alameda County. The program offers shared equity loans of up to $150,000 to first-time homebuyers who live, work, or have been displaced from Alameda County. For more information, view the  AC Boost Flyer . The Renew Alameda County (Renew AC) Program helps homeowners make renovations necessary to stay, grow, and thrive in their homes. Renew AC provides 1% interest loans from $15,000 to $150,000 to qualified homeowners. For more information, including how to qualify, visit  Renew Alameda County Flyer .

“Like-kind” means I must exchange the same type of property, such as an apartment building, for another apartment building.   FALSE A 1031 Exchange means that the sale and the purchase have to happen at the same time. In other words, the seller has to find someone willing to swap properties. FALSE My attorney or CPA can handle the exchange for me as my Qualified Intermediary. FALSE To do a 1031 Exchange I just need to file a form with the IRS with my tax return and “roll over” the proceeds into a new investment.  FALSE I can only defer my capital gains tax via a 1031 Exchange.  FALSE All of the funds from the sale of the relinquished property must be reinvested.   NOT NECESSARILY You must replace the debt that you had on the relinquished property with at least the same amount of debt on the replacement property.  FALSE Opportunity Zone Funds are another alternative to defer my taxes.  POSSIBLY When I sell my personal residence I need to set it up...

Happy New Year! My amazing Escrow Officer, Jennifer Thayer, put together this graph to summarize who pays for what in 2019 as there have been a ton of changes that went into effect.  Feel free to DM me if you have any questions!

FEMA announced late Friday that it will once again renew flood insurance policies, which were halted during the partial federal government shutdown.  This has affected ~40,000 home sale transactions nationwide.  More info here-- https://rismedia.com/2018/12/31/nar-helps-secure-fema-reversal-shutdown/

Marketplace's, "Make Me Smart" podcast did a great report on the affordability crisis of housing in the US. 

Per the Freddie Mac news release.  This opens the door for obtaining loans with realistic interest rates to those who may not be able to afford a traditional home.  The next step is getting through the prohibitive park approvals... Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today announced CHOICEHomeSM conventional financing for manufactured housing to help increase the availability of the quality affordable homes that borrowers want, while providing lenders with the innovative financing options they need. Today’s manufactured homes can deliver outstanding quality at prices that are up to 50 percent less per square foot than conventional site-built homes. These savings can enable more Americans to own their own home, even in the face of an ever-widening housing affordability gap. “Finding a home is more difficult than ever because of the ongoing housing supply shortage in many parts of the country, especially when looking for a home at a lower price point,” said Mike Dawson, vice president ...

I got this email from a lender.  If you're interested, please email or leave a response to this blog and I'll connect you.   -- For the third year in a row, the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA) has increased the amount of money that can be borrowed through a standard home loan. Not planning to buy soon? Please keep reading to see why this news can still be important to you. The details:  • The  standard loan limit (also known as conforming loan limit) rose by 6.9%  to a maximum amount of $484,350. In certain high cost areas, it’s even more.  • The percentage increase is equal to the national appreciation average over the last year. • Loan limits were kept high for 10 years, even as values declined. Now that the market has surpassed prior peaks, loan limits are on the rise again. This means you may be able to: • Purchase a higher priced home with  more financing options, possibly including lower rates . • Refina...

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It's always best to get your ducks in order before buying a house so you have a smooth transaction.  Let me know how I can help you!

The California Association of Realtors came out with this handy side by side comparison of the tax reforms pertaining to Real Estate that just came out and thought I'd share.