Eye On Housing
Author Archives
-
HELOC Win Retains $760 Million in Remodeling Incentives
Ever since the inception of the U.S. income tax in 1913, home owners have been able to deduct interest paid on home equity loans (HELOCs). The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 limited the mortgage interest and HELOC deductions to interest paid on $1,000,000 and $100,000 of debt, respectively. Then came the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA)…. Read More ›
-
Property Taxes Make Up Largest Share of State and Local Revenue Since 2013
NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly tax data shows that $573 billion in taxes were paid by property owners over the four quarters ending in Q4 2017.[1] It has now been five and a half years since four-quarter property tax revenues last declined. After slowing in each of the prior two quarters, the growth rate increased to 6.0% in… Read More ›
-
Cost of Residential Construction Inputs Already Up 4% in 2018
The prices of most building materials increased in April, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Oriented strand board (OSB) led price increases, up 7.1% since March (not seasonally adjusted). The indexes for ready-mix concrete (+0.6%), gypsum products (+0.1%), and the aggregate index for goods inputs to residential construction (+0.9%) also edged higher. Softwood… Read More ›
-
Conventional Loan Share Reaches Decade High
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that conventional loans accounted for 73.8% of new home sales in the first quarter of 2018, the highest share in a decade. Conventional loans financed over three-quarters of new home sales in the second quarter of 2008 before steadily falling and bottoming out… Read More ›
-
Tax Reform Toolkit: Changes to the Business Interest Deduction
The business interest deduction has been a staple of the tax code for over a century. Deducting interest is important in home building, as debt is a critical financing tool and access to equity markets is challenging for the majority of home builders. The new tax law alters the business interest deduction (BID) by placing a cap on the amount… Read More ›
-
Tax Reform Toolkit: 199A for Incomes within the Phase-In Range
The prior two Tax Reform Toolkit posts have explained the new 20 percent pass-thru deduction (i.e. 199A) as it applies to pass-thru owners with: Less than $315,000 (married filer) or $157,500 (single) of taxable income, or More than $415,000 (married) or $207,500 (single) of taxable income. In the case of (1), the pass-thru deduction (A) is generally equal to 20… Read More ›
-
Ready-Mix Concrete, OSB Lead Price Increases in March
Building materials prices continued to climb in March, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Oriented strand board (OSB) led price increases, up 9.3% since February (not seasonally adjusted), while the indexes for ready-mix concrete (+3.3%), softwood lumber (+2.2%), structural steel (+2.0%), and gypsum products (+1.1%) also moved higher. The 9.3% increase in OSB… Read More ›
-
Tax Reform Toolkit: Pass-Thru Deduction Rules for High Income Taxpayers
Eye on Housing’s first Tax Reform Toolkit post explained the basics of the new 20% deduction for pass-thru income (i.e. the 199A deduction). That article focused on how the deduction works for a taxpayer who has less than $315,000 of taxable income if married and filing jointly ($157,500 if single). In general, these taxpayers may deduct 20 percent of their… Read More ›
-
Broad-Based Price Increases Plague Building Materials in February
Prices paid for building materials increased across the board in February. The indexes for softwood lumber (+5.6%), gypsum products (+4.2%), OSB (+3.1%), ready-mix concrete (+0.4%), and inputs to residential construction less labor (+1.0%) all increased, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The percentage increase in softwood lumber prices (not seasonally adjusted)… Read More ›
-
Tax Reform Toolkit: Basics of the 20% Pass-Thru Deduction
One of the new aspects of the tax code is the 20% pass-thru deduction, also known as the 199A deduction. It is a centerpiece of the tax bill, and one which most small business owners have heard about. Nevertheless, it warrants detailed explanation because, unsurprisingly, it is more complex than it at first sounds. This post covers the basics and… Read More ›