Homebuying: Tax Free Down-Payment Gifts!

Holiday time is when people get together with family and friends, to exchange gifts  and talk about their new year plans which often include buying a house. It’s also year-end and a good time to think about estate planning and how parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles can start to pass along/gifting their estates while reducing inheritance taxes and getting to see their family enjoy the benefits of their gifts. What could be a better gift than tax-free help with a down-payment on a home?

The following information was provided by loan officer Scott King:

Gifts are involved in approximately 25% of all of the mortgage loans that are transacted. Gifts from family members and relatives are allowed under IRS and lending guidelines but lenders do not report the parties involved to the IRS.

Under current IRS guidelines (please consult your accountant for tax advice and ramifications) each parent or relative can give up to $14,000 to each child or relative every year. That would mean that a mother and father can each give $14,000 a year to each son, daughter, and/or grandchild that would amount to $28,000 a year in total. If both sets of parents want to help with the down-payment on a house; each of the parents can give each borrower a gift of $14,000 per year. That would add up to $56,000 for both of you! That is a significant amount of tax-free money to help you buy a home for your family! Of course, a gift can also be less than $14,000, so give what you can.

NOTE: That amount is per calendar year and not based on every twelve months. That would mean that they could give $56,000 (or more) in December 2014 and an additional $56,000 (or more) in January 2015. There are only 3 weeks left in 2014, so don’t wait! If you haven’t had the discussion yet, time to call your mom and dad!

For most types of mortgage loans, you will need to have 5% of the amount of the down-payment on your own, however, there are exceptions. To find out the exceptions and details about how gift money can be applied to your down-payment, you can contact Scott King at sking@leaderbank.com. If you want to see what houses are for sale and learn about having your own buyer agent on your side, visit www.marilynmessenger.com.