Archive for June, 2011|Monthly archive page
Foreclosures and Short-Sales – Part I – Overview
Filed under: Foreclosures and Short-Sales | Tags: cancellation of debt, cancelled debt, COD, credit scores, deed-in-lieu, Foreclosure, Short-Sale, taxable income
Leave a comment Originally published in the Pacific Grove Hometown Bulletin
June 15, 2011
Over the past three years I have been involved with approximately 80 foreclosures and short-sales. Ultimately, it is a combination of strong tax and legal advice that will help you safely navigate these troubled waters. The stakes are high, the rules are complex, and we have no roadmap for future audits on these transactions. The common thread I have seen is that each foreclosure or short-sale is surprisingly unique and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to handling them successfully. Let’s start with an overview…
In a foreclosure, you stop paying the loan and the bank eventually repossesses the home and sells it. In a short-sale, you find a buyer, but the buyer will not offer enough for you to pay off the loan you owe. So you go to the bank and say, “Hey, I found someone willing to pay this much. I know it is short of the amount I owe you, but will you let the sale proceed, and let me off the hook for the rest?” These processes can take anywhere from three to 15 months from my experience, and in the end, most short-sales fail to materialize. Another animal, deed -in-lieu of foreclosure, is where you voluntarily give the home back to the bank in exchange for cancelling your debt obligation. A deed-in-lieu of foreclosure is rarely seen in California (zero out of my 80) because it does not absolve the bank of the junior lien holders on the property. Liens can be tricky to find and the bank does not want to get stuck with your other debts.
I am often asked which is better for credit scores and future ability to buy a home. I cannot tell you for sure – it depends on a lot of factors, but generally I think a short-sale is better for a lot of people (not all). Whether it is a short-sale or foreclosure, credit scores will be impacted significantly – maybe 200-300 points. With credit counseling you can typically rebuild it substantially in two to three years. Your future ability to buy a home will often depend on the loan program (FHA, VA, conforming loan, jumbo, etc.) and how much money you can put down. At this point, the best advice is to plan on three to seven years for foreclosures and two to seven years for short-sales (although I have heard less). Given the vast number of people losing their homes, I tend to think banks will become more lenient than in the past. I also think they will reward people who worked to accomplish a short-sale.
From a tax perspective, the big problem with these transactions is that they can create potentially taxable income…and a lot of it! The reason for this is quite simple – by cancelling your debt, the bank effectively gave you money to pay off your loan. Just as lottery winnings are taxable, so is debt that is cancelled. Fortunately, the IRC also contains sections which allow you to exclude the income. Next issue I will start discussing your tax options.
IRS Circular 230 Notice: To the extent this article concerns tax matters, it is not intended to be used and cannot be used by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law.
Travis H. Long, CPA is located at 706-B Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950. He can be reached at 831-333-1041.
National Debt
Filed under: National Debt | Tags: Blackstone Group, Comptroller General, David Walker, G.A.O., I.O.U.S.A., I.O.U.S.A.: Solutions, national debt, Pete Peterson, Peter G. Peterson Foundation
Leave a comment Originally published in the Pacific Grove Hometown Bulletin
June 1, 2011
Last issue, I concluded that tax rates are likely to rise if you look at the historical relationship between tax brackets and macro-economic events. Despite an economic climate indicating that higher tax rates are needed, we are pretty much witnessing the lowest tax rates since before World War II or the Great Depression depending on which end of the bracket spectrum you lie. These two forces have compounded to magnify our national debt to $14 trillion.
You hear a lot about the national debt, but so what? Have you ever personally felt affected by it? Has the government ever asked you to ante up $165,000 for your share as a family of four (or $800,000 if you include enough to ensure the promises made for future obligations will be met as well)? I think we as Americans are blasé on the subject because we do not connect the dots back to ourselves. It often seems distant or a problem for someone else in another time. This may not be the case.
We have set the stage for doubt. The strength of our financial system is largely built on the belief that the U.S.will make good on its borrowed money. If large debt holders begin to doubt this for economic or malign political reasons, the mental atmosphere about the stability of the U.S.could change quickly. It would likely send us and the rest of the world into a global depression that would be painfully felt by all. The U.S. would struggle with a collapsing currency, inflation, unemployment, and irate nations from around the world that watched their investments in the U.S. evaporate.
David Walker, the former U.S. Comptroller General feels our biggest threat to national security is not terrorism, but our own fiscal irresponsibility. Walker left the G.A.O. in 2008 to run the newly formed Peter G. Peterson Foundation (www.pgpf.org) because he felt his warnings had little impact in the political arena. He has since left to start a similar organization – Comeback America Initiative.
Peter G. Peterson, founder of The Blackstone Group – a financial services company, created the Peter G. Peterson Foundation with $1 billion of his profits after the 2007 IPO of The Blackstone Group. The purpose of the foundation is to educate Americaabout the urgency of the fiscal challenges threatening our future, and working towards solutions. The foundation funded a critically acclaimed full-feature movie released in theaters across the nation in 2008, I.O.U.S.A., (available on Netflix), and a five-part follow up, I.O.U.S.A.: Solutions in 2010. A shortened version of the movie and the follow-up can be viewed at www.iousathemovie.com.
I encourage you to watch. It is fascinating and will leave you with an enlarged perspective. We can overcome this challenge, but we have to act, and we need to act as soon as possible.
Travis H. Long, CPA is located at 706-B Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950. He can be reached at 831-333-1041.
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