Before you pay cash for a home
Before you pay cash for a home, ask yourself if there is a possibility, at some point in the future, you might put a mortgage on the home and would want to deduct the mortgage interest on your federal tax return. Current federal tax law allows homeowners to deduct the interest on up to $750,000 in acquisition debt used to buy, build or improve a property. When a person pays cash for a home, the acquisition debt is zero. The only way to increase the acquisition debt is to make and finance the improvements to the home. As with many IRS regulations, there are exceptions to this rule. If a mortgage is secured on the first or second home within 90 days of the purchase closing, the debt is considered acquisition debt. The interest on the funds used to purchase the home can be deducted on up to $750,000 of the mortgage balance. Assuming a borrower has good credit, the ability to repay the loan and the home justifies the loan, lenders are willing to make mortga...