Tax Credits Not to Miss

Tax year 2006 is the first for which you can get a tax break for making your home more energy efficient.

You can take a 30 percent credit up to $2,000 for the cost of solar water heating or photovoltaic equipment in your home. You can get a 10 percent credit up to $500 for insulation and heat-reducing metal roofs, and up to $200 for energy-efficient windows. Labor costs, though, don't count.

(For more information, see IRS Form 5695. The credit is entered on line 52 on the your form 1040.)

If you bought property and reimbursed the seller for the portion of property taxes he paid for the year, you may deduct that amount on your return, unless you're subject to AMT, which disallows property tax deductions.

(This deduction is entered on your 1040 form Schedule A)

For more tax advice, we suggest you consult a tax professional.  If you have questions, please post a comment here.

Housing Starts Slip in January

Construction of new, privately-owned residences fell 14.3 percent last month, according to a report issued recently by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  The report also showed that housing starts were 37.8 percent below the January 2006 level.

Bob Walters, chief economist for Quicken Loans says, "While the number of housing starts fell last month, recent data still provides great insight into the continued stabilization of the housing market.  While it is premature to say the weak real estate market that dominated 2006 is behind us, it is fair to say that 2007 will be a year of stabilization. Because of this, we expect unsold home inventories to fall throughout the year, eventually allowing builders to quicken their pace of new home construction."

If there is any area of the home buying process that you have a question about and would like for us to post a tip about it here, leave us a comment or question below and we'll cover that for you in a future post.

Housing Market Slower but No Recession Coming

Housing activity has slowed from recent years but the dragdown should not lead to a recession, mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said in its monthly economic outlook. "Any risks the housing contraction could spark an economy-wide recession are fading fast. After subtracting 1.2 percentage points from GDP growth in the third and fourth quarters of 2006, the drag from further declines in construction spending should peter out toward mid year," it said.

Freddie Mac said inventories of new homes are higher than reported due to cancellations of sales contracts. Inventory buildup is also understated due to homeowner vacancies of condos, it said. "Housing activity is stabilizing at levels well below recent years," it said.

The gap between supply and demand may not be sufficiently narrowed until late 2007 as home prices will likely remain on the higher end, the housing finance giant said.

Read the complete story here…

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Natural Disasters - Are You Prepared?

Tornado devastation like Florida residents experienced recently could happen anywhere at any time.  Here's what you need to know about your homeowners' insurance.

1: Check Your Policy
Unlike hurricane and flood insurance, tornado coverage is relatively uncomplicated.  That's because wind events are covered under your homeowners policy, says Sue Nestor of the Independent Agents and Brokers of America.

"[With tornados] you don't have [the] storm surge and the massive flooding that comes with hurricanes," she says.   But it's always a good idea to dig out and review your policy. Even if you live outside "Tornado Alley," the area of the country that runs north from Texas through eastern Nebraska and northeast to Indiana, you are still vulnerable to tornadoes.

Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas may see more of these unpredictable and dangerous storms than other states, but the rest of the country also gets its share of twisters.

Learn more about what you need to know to make sure you're covered

Have you experienced a natural disaster?  Where you properly covered by insurance?  Give us your feedback below.

Real Estate and Retirement

Before you start counting your real estate profits from selling your home and downsizing, think about how much you'll pay for the house you'll live in next.  Unless you're willing to move far away, the cost of your empty-nest dream cottage has probably also shot up too.

Consider the recent explosion in prices an anomaly.

Many boomers face another challenge.  You won't be able to tap all your home's equity if you've already borrowed heavily against it.

As with stocks, demographics could also dampen home prices as boomers first downsize and then, move on.  Some economists think real estate is even more vulnerable to those trends.

Though this may lower returns, it doesn't necessarily portend a crash.  Housing economist Karl Case of Wellesley College notes that boomers span a wide age range. "I'm 60, and if I'm going to be in my house another 20 years, the baby boom still stretches out another 20 years behind me," says Case. "The pattern isn't as cliffy as you might expect."

Even if the value of your house slides, Case adds, you have built-in insurance: The cost of the house you're buying will have gone down too.

Give us your thoughts and opinions about real estate and retirement below….