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The Perfect House

Home buyers must often deal with deferred maintenance or repairs. For example, you may have found a terrific house and like many competent home buyers, you included a structural inspection contingency in your purchase agreement. What happens when you find out that your "perfect" house needs some work? Do you ask the sellers to pay for the repairs? Before you answer "yes", there are some important considerations.

Some contracts require that all of the home's systems, such as plumbing, heating, electrical and central air conditioning, be in working order. In this case, the sellers may be obligated to repair any problems with these systems. Leaky roofs, damp basements, or other structural problems may not be covered, however. If you ask the sellers to make these types of repairs, you may void the contract by doing so. The sellers might prefer to negotiate the repairs to keep from losing the sale. If there are other buyers waiting in the wings with back-up contracts, you run the risk of losing the home.

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Real Estate Tips

Tax Considerations >Your Tax Free Profits

Significant tax reform legislation was signed into law with the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. This legislation replaced both the one-time $125,000 tax-free exclusion for homeowners aged 55 and older, and the "rollover" deferment of capital gains tax requiring the purchase of a replacement home of higher or equal cost within two years of the sale of your principal residence.

With this change, a married couple filing their taxes jointly pays capital gains taxes only on that portion of home sales profits that exceeds $500,000. Single taxpayers, heads of households, and married persons filing separately may exclude up to $250,000. The exclusion is available for all sales of homes that occurred on or after May 6, 1997. Homeowners can use this tax-free provision every two years.

You are allowed to keep these tax-free profits only if you have owned and used the home as your principal residence for two out of the five years prior to the sale of the property. Although the regulations do not require continuous occupancy, the IRS specifies that your principal residence must be the home you use for the majority of time during the year. Consult your tax advisor about your personal circumstance.

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Real Estate Trivia

Q	What time of year is considered the busiest for homebuyers and sellers?
A	Real estate is a year-round business, but spring is still considered the best time of year to showcase a home.
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WEICHERT, REALTORSŠ - The Chase Team, REALTORŽ, real estate agent and broker for Norwell and Scituate, home listings, property and land for sale - NUMBER1EXPERT

The Chase Team
WEICHERT REALTORS - The Chase Team
146 Front Street
Scituate, MA 02066
781-545-7900
Fax: 781-545-7901
Cell: 617-803-2660
donna@chaseteam.com
Where others might take the easy road, Donna, as one of America's NUMBER1EXPERTS in the Norwell and Scituate areas, travels the route that delivers the BEST results and service to her clients. Donna skillfully negotiates through any transaction with years of sales and negotiations training, to deftly turn obstacles into advantages for her clients. She arrives at her goal using inspired strategies and creative marketing, unlike any other agent you may have met! Donna's properties are selling quickly. Call her today for a half-hour presentation to show you a different approach to marketing your property.