How to Claim the New Home Tax Credit

If you benefited from the U.S. Homebuyers Tax Credit in 2009, and now want to apply it to your tax forms prior to April 15, here’s a handy step-by-step guide in doing so — easily and accurately.

The primary takeaway from homebuyers who qualify for the tax credit is this: it is a tax credit and not a tax deduction. In other words, if you complete your taxes and you are due for a $1,000 tax refund and an $8,000 homebuyer tax credit, you’ll get a $9,000 refund. Also, you don’t have to repay the tax credit, unless you sell your home within three years of the purchase date.

To qualify for the tax credit, you need a binding home purchase contract by April 30th — but you do have until June 30th to close on that sale. If you’re a current member of the military, the government is granting you an additional year to claim the tax credit, to June 30, 2011.

Tax-wise, you’ll have to file your tax return on paper to claim the credit. The Internal Revenue Service requires additional documentation, thus making an online filing extremely difficult for the IRS to handle. You can still use tax preparation software from one of the popular tax providers, but you’re still going to have to print your tax return out and send it in to the IRS.

Start by downloading IRS Revised Form 5405 (get it here). Follow the instructions to make sure you qualify for the credit then figure out the amount of your credit.

Dig out Form HUD-1 Settlement Statement (it should be part of your home buying documentation, but you can get a new one here). If you can’t find a HUD-1 form, a certificate of occupancy will be accepted by the IRS.

Include copies of all home purchase contracts, including signatures and names of all parties, the price of the home, the address and the contract date.

Include your Form 1040. Write your bottom line on Form 5405 on the appropriate line on your income tax return. On the 2009 Form 1040 return it’s line 67. One caveat: You can’t claim the homebuyer’s credit with Form 1040EZ.

Once you file all your tax paperwork, it should take about six weeks to receive the actual new home tax credit.

5 Ways to Save on Clothes

Simple tips to help you save on the cost of your clothing.

Have any other money saving tips or ideas you can share with our readers? Just use the comment link below and tell us about them!

Federal Home Buying Support Still Wanted

According to a new poll by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Americans remain strongly committed to federal support for home buyers.

Roughly 68 percent of those polled said the government should continue to support housing, and 65 percent believe the government should be doing more to keep families from losing their homes to foreclosure.

The poll included both home owners and renters and was conducted for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) by RT Strategies, a non-partisan public opinion polling firm based in Washington, D.C. RT Strategies interviewed a representative sample of 1,000 adults nationwide by telephone using live interviewers on January 29-31, 2010. The sample included 170 interviews with respondents from cell-phone-only households.

Among those polled, some key groups said the government should continue to play a vital role in maintaining a healthy housing market. For example, 78 percent of all potential home buyers, including 81 percent of renters intending to buy a home in the near future, said the government should continue to support housing.

Roughly 65 percent of home owners said the government also needs to do more to keep families from losing their homes. Support for more foreclosure protection was not confined merely to current home owners.  Among renters, 84 percent said the government needs to do more to helped strapped borrowers. This issue is particularly important to women, with 71 percent supporting greater foreclosure protection, compared to 58 percent of men.

Financial concerns continue to be the greatest barrier to growth in the housing market.  Among renters nationwide who aspire to own their own home, 39 percent simply don't have the money to buy a home at this time, and another 20 percent said the primary obstacle is that they feel they cannot qualify for a loan. Larger economic issues also play a role, as 18 percent said that job security is the greatest obstacle they face in trying to buy a home.

We'd love to hear from you in response to this survey. Do you think the government should be doing more to keep families from losing their homes to foreclosure? What about government assistance in buying a home, such as the first time home buyer tax credit? Let us hear from you by clicking on the comment link below.

Passing Your Home Inspection

If you're getting ready to sell your home, do everything you can to get the house in good condition before you attempt to sell it, but don't be discouraged if the inspection report contains negative statements. Home inspectors make note of everything they see. No home is perfect.

Fix leaks and clogs before the home inspection takes place. The inspector will check water pressure by turning on multiple faucets and flushing toilets at the same time. Appliances such as dishwashers and clothes washers will be tested, too. Leaks and clogs will be apparent during these checks.

The home inspector might check the septic system (if you have one). During one method dyes are flushed down a toilet. The inspector waits to see if the dye surfaces on the drainfield, indicating a drainage problem.

The electrical panel and circuit breaker configuration should be adequate for the needs of the house. A 125 amp electrical panel works for most homes. Individual circuits should not be overloaded.

The inspector will look for receptacles with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFI) in bathrooms and kitchens. These receptacles have little test-reset buttons on them. The home inspector will likely make sure the receptacles are what they appear to be, and not "dummies" that aren't wired to work.

Some of the grounded receptacles (with 3-pronged plugs) will be checked too.

The inspector will check the heating and cooling systems, making sure they work he may add comments about their efficiency. The inspector will take a close look at the structure and foundation. All appliances will be checked. The inspection report will include details about smoke detectors.

Remember that the home inspection report is not a wish-list for buyers. Read your contract carefully–it probably states which systems should be in good working order at closing.

Your contract may also state that you are under no obligation to make any repairs at all–although the buyers can then likely withdraw from the contract. Don't feel you must comply with unreasonable demands for repairs.

Ways to Save on Home Remodeling

Here are some simple tips to help you save money when remodelng your home.

Have any other interesting ways to save money on home remodeling costs? Share them with our readers by leaving us a comment below. We'd love to hear your ideas.