Jun
6
Last updated: June 4, 2009 12:25pm
New Tax Credit Strategies Possible
By Erika Morphy
WASHINGTON, DC-For the last nine months or more the use of tax credits to help finance development, namely New Markets Tax Credits and Low Income Housing Tax Credits, have been characterized by the following: The capital markets crunch has prompted more developers to look anew at these tools as good alternatives to bridging gaps in financing for projects. At the same time, the recession has significantly narrowed the option, by killing the demand for such credits. After all, banks have little need for tax credits when they are not making a profit against which to offset them.
There are signs, though, that this situation is about to change thanks to government measures, starting with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that passed in February. Included in that legislation was a clause that allows states to use these funds to cash in unused Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
Developers then will receive grants in lieu of, or in addition, to the tax credit program. As states receive stimulus funds, many housing agencies are now putting in place new tax credit programs based around grants instead of LIHTCs.
“This has been a big focus for developers and states – how to administer the grant program,” Greg Dahlgren, an attorney with DLA Piper’s Real Estate practice, tells GlobeSt.com. “Every state is coming up with its own program on how to use those grants.” He says the preference for many appears to be a combination of grants and credit, so there is some equity investment in the deal.
The need for grants instead of credits is clear: buyers of these credits have all but disappeared from many, but not all, markets. Besides the banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were key purchasers; they have all but ceased such operations.
“We do have some syndicated clients that have investors they work with, some mid sized banks that haven’t been touched the economic crisis, they are still making money and LIHTC satisfy community investment requirements,” Dahlgren says. “But the market is not good and prices are very down.”
This is not to say deals are completely dead. Tom Sestanovich, partner at Ervin Cohen & Jessup’s Real Estate Department, tells GlobeSt.com that LIHTC usage in California is still active. “The market and the prices change every day. There is still demand for these credits.”
A separate but related category are New Markets Tax Credits, which cannot be used for large scale residential projects, essentially if 80% or more of the income from a project comes from housing NMTC cannot be used, Lee Sheller, also a partner at DLA Piper, tells GlobeSt.com.
NMTC have garnered more interest from developers since the start of the crisis but paradoxically from a practical sense they have only been used by the strongest of developers, he explains. As it LIHTC it has been more difficult to tap outside investors for these projects. So developers have had to kick in more money themselves if they wanted to leverage these credits, typically structuring it as a loan to the investment fund that lends to the project, rather or in addition to taking an equity position in the deal.
At the end of May, though, the Treasury Department announced $1.5 billion in New Markets Tax Credit awards for 32 organizations throughout the country, awards that should ease some of the constraints for developers. The awardees announced in May are planning investments in renewable energy projects, charter schools, health care facilities, manufacturing companies and retail centers. Enterprise Community Investment in Columbia, MD, for instance, received $95 million in NMTC authority from Treasury last month. It will be using its new allocation to create a fund for sustainable commercial development.
Jun
6
First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit for Closing Will Move Market
Posted by NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS 06/03/09 10:20 AM EST
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(WASHINGTON, DC) — Consumers across the country can now take advantage of a Federal Housing Administration program to allow qualified home buyers to apply the $8,000 tax credit when purchasing a home. FHA will now permit its lenders to provide a short-term bridge loan that will let qualified home buyers use the tax credit to either make a larger downpayment above the FHA required 3.5 percent, cover closing costs, or buy down their interest rate.
By - Charles McMillan
“A true housing recovery depends on buyers returning to the market and reducing inventory,” said National Association of Realtors® President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth. “Since many of the homes available are lower priced starter homes, the ability for individuals to use the tax credit at closing should have a meaningful impact on home sales and values and will allow thousands of families to achieve the dream of homeownership.”
Shaun Donovan, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, announced the change today. In an address to several thousand Realtors gathered two weeks ago at NAR’s Real Estate Summit: Advancing the U.S. Economy, Donovan announced HUD’s plan to offer the tax credit as downpayment assistance. Donovan detailed the modifications to that original proposal and announcement.
“We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans,” Donovan said. According to Donovan, the FHA’s approved lenders will be permitted to “monetize” the tax credit through short-term bridge loans allowing eligible home buyers to access the funds immediately at the closing table.
NAR has supported monetization of the tax credit, which was part of an Obama administration housing stimulus plan enacted earlier in the year. NAR petitioned HUD to allow home buyers to use the $8,000 tax credit to help them cover downpayment or closing costs to bring new home buyers to the market and stimulate home sales.
“We think this is a good program; our members have been getting many inquiries from potential buyers about it,” McMillan said. “NAR is pleased that this enhancement has been made to the administration’s housing recovery program. As we have heard before, there can be no economic recovery without a housing recovery. With an abundance of inventory, reduced home prices, historically low interest rates and now the availability of the tax credit at closing, we expect to see the housing market further stabilize and improve.”
The National Association of Realtors, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Mar
31
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Mar
26
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21
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Feb
2
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Whether you want to pay homage to history, marvel at the seat of power, take in world-class museums and art galleries, or see the cherry trees in bloom, the nation’s capital offers a wealth of wonderful choices for visitors. With information on the top sights plus some really interesting lesser-known attractions, this friendly guide gives you the scoop on:
- The shrines to freedom and the halls of government, including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Library of Congress, the White House, the Capitol, and more
- Three great itineraries and three great day trips
- Moving sights such as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- The after-dark scene, with options ranging from country, rock, and jazz clubs to world-class symphony, dance, opera, and theater
- Free shows, including the National Symphony’s summer concerts, the Shakespeare Theatre’s summer performances, concerts by the military bands, and performances at the Kennedy Center
- Hotel options ranging from power palaces to charming inns to welcoming B & Bs
- Dining, including places the rich and famous feast, great ethnic restaurants, and terrific, affordable delis and bakeries
Like every For Dummies travel guide, Washington, D. C. For Dummies, 4th Edition, includes:
