Texas Land Office Announces

EERE State Activities and Partnerships: Texas Land Office Announces "Wind Rush" Search Help More Search Options Search EERE Information Center Printable Version Back to News Texas Land Office Announces "Wind Rush" December 03, 2003 The Texas Land Office hopes to spur leases of the rights to develop wind energy resources on state lands and thus increase revenue to the state's educational fund. Credit: Texas Land Office Texas General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson announced on October 23 the availability of leases for wind power generation on state lands. Calling it a modern-day "wind rush," Patterson said, "The 'open for wind business' sign is hanging on the door of the Land Office." He plans to open bidding for leases of state lands along the Gulf Coast and in western Texas, where there are excellent wind resources. The proceeds from the sales will go to the state's schools. Under the Texas Constitution, the Texas Land Office is responsible to maximize assets on state lands to fund the Permanent School Fund. As of October 2003, the office provides $700 million per year to the fund. Patterson believes Texas has advantages over other states for quickly developing wind power along its coast. The waters off the Texas coast are shallower than those of nearby states, and Texas owns the land out to 10.3 statute miles. There are many abandoned oil and gas platforms in the gulf that he believes developers could one day use for wind power generation. And by allowing wind developers to deal with one landowner (on state lands), terms for the leases will be standard and predictable. For details, see the land office's announcement . Printable Version Skip footer navigation to end of page. Webmaster | Security & Privacy | EERE State Activities & Partnerships Home | EERE Home U.S. Department of Energy Content Last Updated: May 24, 2005

Selling Home

Selling A Home - Selling a Home Made Simple - RBC Royal Bank RBC.com | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | Legal Terms | Français Select Region Canada US International Other RBC Sites: Banking Investments Insurance SIGN IN Online Services Online Banking Online Investing Visa Inquiry RBC ROYAL BANK SELLING A HOME Preparing Your Home Real Estate Agents Selling on Your Own Negotiating the Sale The Closing Financing Planning Your Move Downsizing Your Home MORTGAGE RATES SEARCH Selling a Home Made Simple Preparing Your Home So you've decided to sell your home. Let's take a look at all the things you can do to increase your chances of success. Price it to sell Tips to higher prices Real Estate Agents As the vendor, you may hire a real estate professional to help you sell your home. Understand what services you can expect from your real estate agent. Selling on Your Own You need to carefully examine your capabilities and skills as a potential real estate agent before jumping in. Negotiating the Sale If you accept an offer, what can go wrong? And what measures should you take to protect yourself legally? For extra convenience, fill in a RBC Royal Bank Pre-Approved Mortgage Application online. Talk to a Mortgage Specialist How Much can You Afford? Mortgage Calculator Choosing the Right Mortgage Term Mortgages Insurance Mutual Funds GICs Buying a Home Renovating a Home back to top rbcroyalbank.com is operated by Royal Bank of Canada. Privacy | Legal Terms | Security ©Royal Bank of Canada 1995 - 2005 Last modified: 03/03/2005 13:33:33

Denver Real Estate

AOL City Guide: Denver - Real Estate, Homes, Apartments, Realtors, Mortgage Main | Ticket Marketplace | Hot Tickets People | Local Personals | Local News & Headlines | Sports Main | Banks | Doctors | Florists | Lawyers | Health Clubs | Hotels Autos | Classifieds | Government Guide | Jobs | Lottery Numbers | MapQuest Maps | Real Estate | Weather | White Pages Dance Off 2006 nominees are in. Vote for the best dance club near you. Home Recipe Find floor plans and build your dream home. Get started. Choose property type. - Property Type - Apartments Senior Housing & Care Corporate Housing Enter city name. Select State Ala. Alaska Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo Conn. Del. D.C. Fla. Ga. Hawaii Idaho Ill. Ind. Iowa Kan. Ky. La. Maine Md. Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. Neb. Nev N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. N.C. N.D. Ohio Okla. Ore. Pa. R.I. S.C. S.D. Tenn. Texas Utah Vt. Va. Wash. W.Va. Wis. Wyo. · Find the Perfect Neighborhood · Best City Neighborhoods · Best Cities for Young People · Local Schools Information Home Values Find out how much your home and nearby properties are worth. Family-Friendly? Discover the best cities for safe schools and affordable housing. New to the Area? Meet area singles like you at CityGuide Local Personals. For Sale By Owner Find FSBO listings or list your own home for sale on RealtyTrac. Check out our featured listings to find great homes near you. Type: Rate: • See rates from area lenders Enter city Enter State State Ala. Alaska Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo Conn. Del. D.C. Fla. Ga. Hawaii Idaho Ill. Ind. Iowa Kan. Ky. La. Maine Md. Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. Neb. Nev N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. N.C. N.D. Ohio Okla. Ore. Pa. R.I. S.C. S.D. Tenn. Texas Utah Vt. Va. Wash. W.Va. Wis. Wyo. Enter State State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennesee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming AOL Keyword: Local Real Estate Bars, Music & Nightlife | Restaurants & Dining Guide | Movies | Tickets People & Personals | Real Estate | Visitor's Guide | Shop & Find | Yellow Pages | Government Guide About Us | Advertise With Us | Help & Feedback | Updated Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | Site Map AOL Music | Moviefone | AOL Games | AOL TV | Black Voices | Shopping AOL CityGuide has a finger on the pulse of this city, and cities around the nation: from New York restaurants to Las Vegas entertainment, Chicago real estate, Washington hotels, Florida weather, San Francisco theaters, Boston markets and Los Angeles nightlife. You'll find the best local restaurants, hotels, entertainment, movies, concert tickets, events, weather, bars, nightlife, personals and so much more. We're the better way to search your city. © 2005 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Home Mortgage Points The

Tax Topics - Topic 504 Home Mortgage Points Home | Contact IRS | About IRS | Site Map | Español | Help Advanced Search Search Tips IRS Resources Compliance & Enforcement Contact My Local Office e-file Forms and Publications Frequently Asked Questions News Taxpayer Advocacy Where To File Topic 504 - Home Mortgage Points The term "points" is used to describe certain charges paid to obtain a home mortgage. Points may be deductible as home mortgage interest, if you itemize deductions on Form 1040, Schedule A (PDF). If you can deduct all of the interest on your mortgages, you may be able to deduct all of the points paid on the mortgage. For information on deducting interest, refer to Topic 505 . You can deduct the points in full in the year they are paid, if all the following requirements are met: Your loan is secured by your main home (your main home is the one you live in most of the time). Paying points is an established business practice in your area. The points paid were not more than the amount generally charged in that area. You use the cash method of accounting. This means you report income in the year you receive it and deduct expenses in the year you pay them. The points were not paid for items that usually are separately stated on the settlement sheet such as appraisal fees, inspection fees, title fees, attorney fees, or property taxes. You provided funds at or before closing, that were at least as much as the points charged, not counting points paid by the seller. You cannot have borrowed the funds from your lender or mortgage broker in order to pay the points. You use your loan to buy or build your main home. The points were computed as a percentage of the principal amount of the mortgage, and The amount is clearly shown on your settlement statement. Points that do not meet these requirements may be deductible over the life of the loan. Points paid for refinancing generally can only be deducted over the life of the new mortgage. However, if you use part of the refinanced mortgage proceeds to improve your main home and you meet the first six requirements stated previously, you can fully deduct the part of the points related to the improvement in the year you paid them with your own funds. Points charged for specific services, such as preparation costs for a mortgage note, appraisal fees or notary fees are not interest and cannot be deducted. Points paid by the seller of a home cannot be deducted as interest on the seller's return, they are a selling expense which will reduce the amount of gain realized. Points paid by the seller may be deducted by the buyer provided the buyer subtracts the amount from the basis, or cost, of the residence. Points you pay on loans secured by your second home, can be deducted only over the life of the loan. You may be subject to a limit on some of your itemized deductions, including points, for more information on the adjusted gross income limitations please refer to the Form 1040 Instructions. For more information on points, refer to Publication 936 , Home Mortgage Interest Deduction. More Tax Topic Categories Accessibility | FirstGov.gov | Freedom of Information Act | Important Links | IRS Privacy Policy | U.S. Treasury

Real Estate Loan

Deductibility of Real-Estate Loan Refinancing Charges Deductibility of Real-Estate Loan Refinancing Charges By Steven V. Melnik E-mail Story Print Story With interest rates at all-time lows, many Americans are refinancing home loans. Because refinancing transactions usually cost thousands of dollars, it is important to know when refinancing expenditures are deductible. Loans Secured by a Principal Residence The IRC defines a principal residence as where the taxpayer spends the most time during any given taxable year. Consequently, principal residence status can change from year to year. As a general rule, taxpayers can deduct points paid for refinancing principal residence loans. IRC section 461(g) defines many fees as points, but only qualifying points are allowed as a deduction. Qualifying points are usually fees paid to the lender for a loan (see the Sidebar for a list of requirements). Loan application, processing, underwriting, and other fees are not deductible. Revenue Procedure 94-27 allows itemized deductions for qualifying points resulting from the purchase of a principal residence. Points paid for refinancing an existing mortgage, however, cannot be immediately deducted. According to IRC section 461(g), those points are deducted over the life of the new loan. To calculate the portion of those points deductible in any particular year, determine the deductible points for each loan payment and multiply by the number of payments made during that year (per payment amortization). For example, consider an individual who paid $1,800 refinancing qualifying points on a principal residence for a 30-year loan requiring 12 payments per year (a total of 360 payments). The $5 allowable deduction for every loan payment is calculated by dividing $1,800 by 360. Six loan payments during the year would result in a $30 itemized deduction, with unamortized points amounting to $1,770. Multiple Refinancing Activities Remaining refinancing points are generally deductible in the year when a second refinancing occurs with a different lender. In the example above, the remaining $1,770 first-loan points would be deductible that year. If the second refinancing is with the same lender, however, the remaining points and any new qualifying points paid would be deductible over the life of the new loan. Points paid during a refinancing transaction are immediately deductible to the extent the new loan is used to substantially improve a principal residence, assuming the requirements listed in the Sidebar are met. Substantial improvements, such as building an addition to a house, qualify. For example, a $60,000 loan from bank B to refinance bank A’s $40,000 loan and a $20,000 house addition would result in one-third of the newly paid qualifying points being deducted that year. Refinancing of Second or Vacation Homes Some Americans are investing in real estate as an alternative to stocks and bonds. Tax rules applicable to vacation and second homes differ from those for primary residences. Points paid for a purchase, substantial improvement, or refinancing of second and vacation homes are generally deductible over the life of the loan. The per-payment amortization method is applicable. Other refinancing-related expenditures increase the tax basis of the home. Rental Properties and Properties Used in a Trade or Business. When refinancing rental properties and properties used in a trade or business, all ordinary and necessary refinancing expenditures are deductible over the life of the loan. Refinance-related expenditures for rental properties are deductible on line 18, Form 1040, Schedule E; for properties used in a trade or business, expenditures are deducted on Form 1040, Schedule C. Other Deductibility Issues When sellers of real estate pay for points on the buyer’s behalf, they are not allowed to deduct those points, but can reduce sales proceeds. Buyers can deduct those points if the property basis is reduced by the same amount. All other refinancing-related expenditures, such as attorney, appraisal, bank, title, and other fees, are not deductible. They do, however, increase the tax basis of the home to the extent they are not deductible. Points are deductible when a cash-basis taxpayer itemizes deductions. Deductibility can be affected, however, when a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income reaches a certain threshold. (The 2003 threshold is $69,750 for married filing separately returns and $139,500 for all others.) The deductibility of refinancing-related expenditures depends upon the type of property securing the refinanced loan, as well as how the loan proceeds are used. The use of the property must be understood, because properties can be used for more than one tax purpose in any given year. It is important to be familiar with the tax consequences of refinancing transactions in order to derive the maximum benefit. Steven V. Melnik, LLM, JD, CPA , is Professor of Tax Law and Director of Graduate Tax Programs at Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York. May 2004 Issue Enlarge Cover Features Regulation of Professions by Interstate Compact 20 Questions onTrust, Medicaid, Insurance, and Asset Transfers Accounting for Stock Option Government Procurement Basics More This Issue | Past Issues Home | Contact | Subscribe | Advertise | Archives | NYSSCPA The CPA Journal is broadly recognized as an outstanding, technical-refereed publication aimed at public practitioners, management, educators, and other accounting professionals. It is edited by CPAs for CPAs. Our goal is to provide CPAs and other accounting professionals with the information and news to enable them to be successful accountants, managers, and executives in today's practice environments. ©2005 The CPA Journal. Legal Notices