What are Tax-Deductible Closing Costs?

First-time home buyer Albert is a very detailed oriented client that doesn’t miss many details and wants to know exactly which closing costs are tax-deductible and which ones aren’t… what (if anything) should you say? In general, Albert can deduct “points” (“loan origination” or “discount” points) used to obtain a mortgage when buying a home, […]

Can You Buy Down the Interest Rate in a Purchase?

Katelyn and Nicholas are first-time home buyers who are very nervous about a potentially large mortgage payment.  They wish to negotiate with the seller to credit them a few points to “buy down” the interest-rate so that they are more comfortable with their monthly payment.  Does that make sense? “Buying down”  the interest rate is […]

What’s the “secondary market”?

Are there legislative regulations governing it?  In the secondary market, securities are sold by and transferred from one investor to another rather than by the issuer, or principal.  These markets are vital to an efficient and modern capital market – particularly the mortgage markets.  Fundamentally, secondary markets mesh the investor’s preference for liquidity (the desire […]