Home is where the heart is, and home is also where you have to pay taxes. If we put aside the taxes, for the time being, owning a home can have plenty of perks. You can decorate your house whichever way you want. No one is going to grumble about the fairy lights or the hanging hammock. Go all out if you wish. Make a home theatre or a game room out of the living spaces. Create a walk-in closet for all your fashion fantasies. The world is your oyster. Your house is your canvas. Paint it with your colors. Apart from these aesthetic benefits, there are a plethora of financial benefits as well.
Long gone are the days where all your money went to the landlord when you rented a house. None of the money came back to you as a tax deduction. It is all going to change now, and for the best. No matter what type of house you invest in, you are eligible for tax breaks as long as you are entering into a mortgage contract. Be it a mobile home or a condominium or even a townhouse, tax breaks will be available to you as long as you have signed the agreement.
Entering the world of taxes means entering the wonderful world of itemizing. The chaos is the only downside of paying your own taxes. But you’ll find out that it is worth all the hassle when you see how much money you might save. Let us find out the other benefits of owning a home in terms of taxes.
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The amount you pay in property taxes is deductible
One of the significant benefits of owning a house is the ability to deduct your property taxes. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, you can deduct up to 10,000 dollars. Before TCJA, you could deduct foreign property taxes. Now under the new law, that deduction is hampered.
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Mortgage-related deductions
The mortgage interest deduction is one of the primary tax benefits of owning a house. If we talk in simple terms, this mortgage deduction refers to the fact that homeowners can deduct the interest they pay on a mortgage. The debt associated with buying, constructing, or improving a primary or secondary home is subjected to the mortgage.
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Tax-free profits
There is a significant tax benefit associated with home ownership even with TCJA. Numerous capital gains can go tax-free after the house is sold at a profit by homeowners. If you wish to be excluded from this deduction, you need to make sure that the homeowners have lived in or used the house for at least two years before the sale date.
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Gain equity
Investment is directly related to equity when we are talking about homeownership. During the mortgage payments each month, part of the entire payment goes towards the interest while the remainder is used to pay down the principal balance. To define equity more clearly, it is either the percentage of your home you already own or the part of the principal balance you’ve already paid. Paying the principal amount is as simple as depositing money in the bank. This money is always available for re-investment.
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Stabilize your housing costs
If you invest in a fixed-rate mortgage, you’ll be guaranteed the same mortgage payment for the term of the loan. Monthly rental fees can be a huge hassle. Homeownership can be pretty beneficial when it comes to stabilizing other home-related expenses. This provides you with more control over your stability to make investments in the property.
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Use your investment in making another investment
Many individuals and families can make future investments through the equity that comes from paying a mortgage. The part of their homes that is already paid-off can be used to obtain financing for investments.
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Enhancing your sustainability
It is not an unfamiliar thought that long-term renters tend to lack sustainability. This is mainly due to the fact that a high percentage of their income goes towards housing expenses. The worst part is that they are continually increasing. When you are locked into a mortgage payment, you can quickly level out living expenses.
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Discount points
While getting the loan of the house, you may have chosen to purchase discount points on the rate of the loan. A point is one percent of the loan amount. Let us make it easy for you to understand through an example. If we invest in a $300,000 loan, one point would be equal to 1%, i.e. $ 3000. Even though there is a price for each point, you would certainly enjoy the benefit of having a lower interest rate on your home.
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Home improvements
The best thing about homeownership is that you have all the receipts for all the work done on your home. You can easily make essential improvements like adding new windows, replacing old kitchen countertops, installing shutters in the living spaces and whatnot. You can even deduct these improvements from your current year’s tax bills. But make sure that you make significant improvements in your house. A repair or a replacement cannot be considered as an improvement.
There is a bevy of benefits of homeownership. Almost all of the significant ones are listed above. There are a lot more benefits of owning a house than just tax benefits. You are building equity in the property every time you make a mortgage payment.
None of the monetary benefits can be compared to the tangible enjoyment one gets by owning their house. The beautiful memories and happiness we create in our home are a thousand times more precious than any riches of this world.
