Your Lake of the Ozarks Mortgage Lender: Tax Tips For Homeowners

Tax season is here, and if you are a homeowner, this can be an important time of year! It’s always important to touch base with your tax professional when you have questions about your taxes, but if you need to know what questions to ask or what to start thinking about, here are a few tax tips to keep in mind in as you get ready.

Start Looking Back and Planning Ahead

It’s time to start thinking about last year’s tax season in preparation for this year. You can dig out your 2018 tax return if you would like to review the detailed information of what you collected last year. There are things you will need to collect again this year regarding itemized deductions, business use of home or car and equipment depreciation. If you have questions about this, you can schedule an appointment with your tax professional or visit: https://www.irs.gov/.

Get Organized

Receipts, invoices, canceled checks, online bill pay or automatic deduction logs, mileage logs and other documents are needed to substantiate deductions. If applicable, you'll need to gather documentation for the following:

Charitable Gifts
Equipment Purchases
Memberships to Professional and Trade Organizations
Mileage for Business
Mileage for Volunteering
Office Supplies
Phone and Data Bills
Subscriptions to Professional and Trade Publications
Utility Bills (for Business Use of Home)

Start organizing your paperwork now so that when you need something specific you can find it.

Start Thinking Ahead for Next Year

If this year has you feeling frenzied, you can start an organization method to make next year easier. Start by creating a meaningful and easy-to-follow record system. Having one place to keep your documents can make it so much easier. Of course, that’s the easy part - the hard part is dutifully putting invoices, receipts, and other documentation in there as it comes in. You can utilize a file folder or box to make them easily accessible. Another option is to make use of electronic scanning and storage to help keep things in an easy to find location - but it could be a bit more time consuming if you don’t have a plan in place.

The Basics: Tax Benefits of Home Ownership In 2020

There are tax benefits available for people who buy or sell a home - and it can make it a great financial decision. There are various tax benefits put in place by the government to encourage consumers to purchase homes, which means that buying could be a great choice for you this year. There are two big areas where homeownership can really save money:

Interest Expense: Did you know that homeowners can deduct interest expenses on up to $750,000 of mortgage debt from their income taxes? Keep in mind that when you itemize these deductions, you forgo other deductions available - if you need the specifics, you can speak with your financial advisor or visit www.MortgageCalculator.org

Capital Appreciation: While the home increases in value during ownership, these gains are not taxed at the federal level. This means that homeowners can utilize exclusions in home appreciation when figuring capital gains.

Ready to Buy a Home in 2020?

If a plan for 2020 was to buy a vacation home at the Lake of the Ozarks, this is where Team Lasson can help. We have been assisting homeowners for over 20 years, and we are proud to help homeowners at the Lake of the Ozarks make their purchase. Whether you are planning to buy a vacation home or a primary residence, we would like to help you get started. Visit our website to learn more about our company as well as fill out the application! 2020 is going to be a great year to make your real estate dreams come true, and Team Lasson is looking forward to helping!

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