The housing market and the housing industry have escaped a potential blow on several fronts now that lawmakers have at least partially resolved Washington’s “fiscal cliff” budget morass.
A bill passed by Congress on Tuesday to pull the nation back from the brink of end-of-year tax hikes and spending cuts contains several provisions that are favorable to housing.
Chief among them is one that provides an additional year of relief for troubled homeowners selling their properties. Without action by Congress, those homeowners would have faced big tax bills if they completed “short sales”—those in which the lender agrees to allow the borrower to sell the home for less than the outstanding mortgage amount.
In the past, forgiven debt has typically been considered taxable income. But in 2007, Congress exempted homeowners from treating some forgiven mortgage debt that way as part of an effort to encourage alternatives to foreclosure.
“An extension of the tax break is positive for home values by reducing the number of foreclosures and helping more troubled borrowers stay in their homes,” wrote Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with Guggenheim Securities. “That means less supply on the market.”
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About the Staten Island Board of Realtors
The Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR) is the largest not-for-profit trade association in Staten Island, N.Y.
SIBOR exists to enhance the ability and opportunity of its members to conduct their business successfully and ethically; and to promote the preservation of the public’s right to own, transfer and use real property.
Comprised of over 1,600 members, SIBOR serves real estate agents, brokers and affiliated professionals throughout the borough and surrounding areas.
SIBOR is the provider of the Staten Island Multiple Listing Service Inc. (SIMLS), which works as a clearinghouse through which more than 250 local real estate firms exchange information on properties they have listed for sale. Together, its members participate in over 3,000 real estate transactions every year.
All SIBOR members belong to the New York State Association of REALTORS® (NYSAR) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).
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