HELOC loans might still be deductible under new tax plan

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

If you have an existing home equity line-of-credit (HELOC) or second mortgage, do you have to fold that into a new first mortgage for it to remain tax deductible under the new tax laws?

It depends.

HELOC deductibility depends on whether it was “home equity indebtedness” or “acquisition indebtedness.” Acquisition indebtedness — mortgage debt used to acquire, build or substantially improve the residence — will be deductible, according to Michael Kitces, partner and director of Wealth Management at Pinnacle Advisory Group.

“Money used for any other purpose is home equity indebtedness,” Kitces said, and is no longer deductible, without any grandfathering.

If your existing HELOC (acquired before Dec. 15) was used for both acquisition and indebtedness, then you will have to split it going forward.

“It’s the old tracer rule,” said Warren Hennagin, CPA and partner at Marcum LLP. “If you used $50,000 for home improvement and another $50,000 for debt consolidation, only the $50,000 home improvement interest will be deductible.”

Any new mortgage debt acquired after Dec. 15 caps out at $750,000. This may be split between a first mortgage and a HELOC or fixed-rate second, according to Hennagin. Any existing total acquisition mortgage debt is deductible up to $1 million.

And, what about the deductibility of a so-called piggy-back purchase money mortgage (80 percent first mortgage, 10 percent second mortgage and 10 percent down payment) to avoid paying mortgage insurance?

That piggy-back second will be deductible so long as you stay within your total mortgage interest deduction cap of $750,000.

If you do want to roll an existing second lien into a new first mortgage, there i

Houses

some math that you’ll need to do:

  • Shop around for pricing and service levels and make sure you qualify with any potential suitors. Compare the new interest rate and payment on the single mortgage with the existing interest rates of your current first and second. And, are there any closing costs that you will need to add to factor in?
  • Consider the cash-flow. Many HELOCs are interest-only for the first 10 years. You may end up with a higher amortizing payment. Make sure you don’t lose sleep worrying about being able to cover the new monthly payment.
  • Check with your tax adviser before pulling the trigger on the refinance to see if it’s worth doing so from a tax-savings and an audit defense standpoint.

Source: Jeff Lazerson can be reached at (949) 334-2424 or [email protected] Visit www.mortgagegrader.com.

Linkedin Marketing

Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Optimizing Tricks

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts
Linkedin Marketing

LinkedIn has over 500 million members; it’s a great way to connect and research companies. Optimizing your profile is key to increase traffic. Implementing these tips will help you boost your search rankings on both LinkedIn and Google.

  1. Use Anchor Text in Links

    Every LinkedIn profile “Contact and Personal Info” section can list up to three links. Include: Company Website, phone number, physical address, Twitter profile and email. You may get a lot of emails so either opt out of notifications or use one just for LinkedIn.

  2. Finish Your Profile

    This one is almost a no-brainer, but far too many of us haven’t taken the time to fully flesh out our LinkedIn profiles. Complete every single section. Upload a professional-looking profile photo, ask for and give recommendations, fill out and polish your job descriptions, and include samples or links to your work. Use LinkedIn’s help and the “Profile Strength” tool to guide your profile to completion.

  3. Keyword-Optimize Your Job Titles

    We’re definitely not recommending you describe your last position as “Management” when it was more of an administrative role, but tweaking your job titles to include a few keywords can be really beneficial. Instead of “Blog Manager,” bait search engines by changing it to “Inbound Marketing Strategy Blog Manager.”

  4. Maximize Your Group Membership

    Joining and participating in relevant groups won’t just expand your network; it can improve your profile’s SEO performance, too. Since the group names appear on your profile, search engines have no choice but to crawl the titles and share who you are and what you do. Joining your industry groups can be beneficial as well.

  5. Aggressively Expand Your Network

    Connect with past co-workers, acquaintances, prospects and employees at other companies.

  6. Optimize Your Job Descriptions

    Instead of writing out full paragraphs detailing your duties, use bullet-pointed lists that incorporate a variety of relevant keywords. Formatting your descriptions with bullet points also makes your profile more readable. Eliminate the ones that are 15+ years old if you have multiple jobs.

  7. Claim Your Vanity URL

    The fundamental SEO benefits of claiming your vanity URL may be minimal, but doing so is just good business. Connecting your LinkedIn profile to your name will allow you to be found more easily by real-life connections. A clean, custom URL is also much more attractive on business cards.

  8. Promote Your LinkedIn Profile Elsewhere

    Include a link to your LinkedIn profile in your email signature, your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ accounts, and any other websites you maintain to create inbound links.

  9. Be Vigilant About Building Recommendations

    Recommendations may have more benefits than just making you look likable to potential employers. Everyone links good feedback that’s visible to others.

  10. Keep Collecting Endorsements

    Skill endorsements are a great way to recognize your connections’ strengths and have your connections validate your own skills and strengths as well. Endorsements increase the strength of your profile and help keep you connected to your network. While these may not carry as much weight as other elements of your profile, endorsements help add to the overall value of your professional profile.

    Conclusion

    Check out an optimized profile that has completed the above items. https://www.linkedin.com/in/guertin/ – Managing Partner at Express Cash Flow

Zillow CEO responds to new competition from Facebook and Amazon

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts
Zillow Logo

As one of the largest, if not the biggest, players in online real estate listings, Zillow is watching its list of competitors rapidly grow with more and more companies eyeing the potential in the real estate market.

Zillow may dominate the space right now, raking in $266.9 million in revenue in the second-quarter of 2017, but top-producing companies like Amazon and Facebook have recently encroached in Zillow’s territory.

But the small moves from others in the industry to take some of Zillow’s long-standing dominance isn’t enough to scare the CEO.

It is enough, however, for investors to ask Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Zillow Group, about the growing competition. Zillow Group includes brands like Zillow, Trulia,SreetEasy, HotPads, and Naked Apartments.

Slipping in an answer to one more question that was submitted online before wrapping up the earnings call, Rascoff answered the question, “What do you see from Amazon and Facebook in real estate?”

Here’s Rascoff’s full response:

“With respect to Facebook, as I’ve already said, our partnership there is strong and advertisers/agents view us as an effective way to buy Facebook advertisements, more effective than from buying it directly from Facebook. In the case of either of these horizontal players, I do think it’s very difficult for horizontal players to compete with vertical companies that are focused on the vertical and have as big a brand as our family of brands have. And I do think it’s also important to understand how this ad product that we have differs from other ad products. We saw an ad product that connects the consumer with the real estate professional at the time and place that they’re shopping for a specific home. That’s very different from Amazon’s rumored directory of real estate agents or Facebook’s ad product that tries to drive traffic back to a brokerage website. So, a lead generation product that’s tied to a home search is quite different, and I think will always be more attractive to an advertiser than a branding ad product or a product that tries to drive traffic to their website. So those are some of our concluding thoughts on our ability to compete with horizontal players.”

The competition from Amazon is not nearly as concrete as the competition from Facebook.

Back in July, Amazon quietly made a move in to the real estate industry. Tucked into the website’s Home and Business Services section, where users can receive quotes from professionals for various services including assembling new purchases or setting up new technology, Amazon listed a “Hire a Realtor” webpage. But the page wasn’t up long and was taken down the same day HousingWire reported on it.

The announcement from Facebook was a lot more prominent and actually happened shortly before Zillow reported its earnings. Earlier this week, Facebook rolled out Dynamic Ads for Real Estate allow brokers and agents to advertise their listings directly to Facebook and Instagram users who searched for properties on the broker’s website.

An article by Monica Nickelsburg in GeekWire explained that the ads would compete with Zillow’s product, which allows real estate agents to advertise to prospective homebuyers and sellers on its site, according to the article.

What’s More Valuable to a Realtor- Listing or Buyer?

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts
Realtor- Listing or Buyer
A realtor needs to use their time as efficiently as possible. Like many professions that work on commission, time spent on tasks that don’t lead to income is a poor use of time. For realtors, this means their best use of time is very simple. Activity that leads to more buyers and sellers, and then working with those buyers and sellers they generate.
What, though, is more efficient, between a new buyer client and a new seller client?
To even the playing field a bit, let’s focus on deals that are otherwise equal. We are going to operate in a vacuum- it isn’t a buyer’s market, it isn’t a seller’s market, and the hypothetical buyer and listing are going to be the around the same dollar amount. So, is a $1 Million buyer or listing more valuable to a realtor?
First, let’s consider a million dollar buyer. This is probably not their first home purchase, and they probably have excellent credit. This puts them at the top of the list that most agents would want to work with. However, buyers are time consuming. Even with today’s technology, people like to walk through homes to get the best possible feel for them. It is very rare for someone to buy the home they plan to live in without personally visiting it first.
This process is not very efficient for an agent, as they will be driving around with the clients to a number of homes that will not be bought. What’s more, sellers in this price range are generally not distressed, so negotiating can be a painstaking process. You have to have a firm commitment and understanding of your client in order to be a successful buyer’s agent.
Not to mention, the buyer’s agent will also need to get their client through all of the hurdles necessary to purchase home, including:
• Mortgage pre-approval and underwriting
• Physical inspection of property (and possibly additional specialty inspections)
• Lender appraisal
• Negotiation with seller
Working for a seller, though, allows an agent to be more flexible. Once the listing agreement is signed, most tasks can be given to an agent’s assistant, and the agent doesn’t need to spend as much face time with the client. The expectations can be greater, and the stakes are certainly higher, but there is also much more to be gained. Listings help create and add to the agent’s brand in a way that buyers never will. With open houses and mailers that go out to the surrounding neighbors, a listing is far more likely to generate new business than a buyer is. Commission advance companies, like Express Cash Flow, will even advance portions of the agent’s commission on certain listings.
So, it is settled. It is far more efficient and profitable for an agent to be working with a listing than a buyer. Agents should devote their time and resources to securing as many listings as possible, and work with the buyers that come their way organically or by referral.

About Us:
Express Cash Flow provides commission advances for real estate agents and brokers. Check us out at www.ExpressCashFlow.com or call us at 844-818-2274.

#1 Best Tool For Real Estate Agents

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

Best Effective tool for Real Estate Agent Lead Targeting

Benutech, a lead generation company based in Costa Mesa, CA has developed the #1 best tool for real estate agents to grow their business. Benutech hones in on life events that cause people to sell their homes like: Divorces, Notice of Defaults, Probates, Tax Defaults, FSBO’s, Estate Sales, Empty Nesters, Bankruptcy, Affidavit of Death etc.  With Benutech’s ReboMatic product, you are 5 times more likely at acquiring listings than with typical farming.  ReboMatic is the best tool for Real Estate Agents.

In order to succeed in today’s highly competitive real estate market, you need to stand out and you the best tools out there. You still need to be aggressive with marketing, but you need to be smart about how you are marketing as well. One way to make your marketing more efficient is to target only the homes that are most likely to sell and not waste time on the others. Sound too good to be true? It isn’t!

The automation of acquiring listings is a good enough reason to use their products on its own.  However, the price makes it a no-brainer.  Benutech has a variety of ReboMatic products that range from $600-1,000 per month. However, with ReboMatic, the agent will automate their marketing campaign, generating far more business.

Superior Product

While any title rep can pull a farm, there is something to be said for using the automation of the ReboMatic platform instead. While there are other data aggregators that attempt to predict sales, no other company has the combination of data, tools, and marketing efficiency than ReboMatic. What’s more, if you don’t want to come out of pocket to pay for their services, you are able to finance them through current and future transactions.

Flexible Financing- ReboExpress

Unlike other subscriptions that must be paid monthly or quarterly, ReboGateway understands the cyclical nature of the real estate business. You can finance ReboGateway through ReboExpress, a new financing option offered by Express Cash Flow. This allows you to manage your cash flow and budgeting much more effectively, and is one of the many benefits of ReboGateway.

Express Cash Flow, Commission Advances

Should Realtors Get a Commission Advance?

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

Express Cash Flow, Commission AdvancesThe Commission Advance Conundrum

Like many businesses, a typical real estate brokerage may have a line of credit available when a cash crunch occurs.  The brokerage can meet its recurring administrative payroll, pay office expense, and maintain regular budgets for recruiting and advertising.  When transactions are slow, similar to a commission advance, the line of credit kicks in to offset expenses.

This arrangement is necessary for the brokerage business and businesses of all kinds to be successful. It is not hard to understand why it is also necessary for realtors as well.   Realtors also have teams that require regular payment, regardless of the agent’s production. Most have listings that require advertisement and promotion.  Since most agents are running their own business, they are also responsible for all of their own expenses, and that can get expensive.

The problem is, realtors who sell 24 houses a year do not typically sell two houses each month. Rather, there is a spike in production in April-September, and a sprinkling of transactions in all other months. During the slow months, agents have little alternative but to ask for an advance. If they go to their broker for this, tension can mount.

A Solution!

Realtors stuck in this situation often don’t know what way to turn, but just like in any business, there is a solution.  A commission advance company like Express Cash Flow can provide an external solution to this problem.  When a realtor goes to a third party company for a commission advance, what can be an informal arrangement becomes formalized.  An amount is given as an advance, for a specific period of time, and there is a fee for doing so.

There is also a clearly laid out extension fee schedule, leaving no room for ambiguity.  The best reason for using a third party commission advance company is that it removes the tension between agent and broker if a deal falls apart.

Yes!  Get A Commission Advance!

More realtors than one would think utilize commission advance services.  Some of the top producers whom are very well known and have massive marketing budgets use commission advances.  If you have aspirations of success, a commission advance should not stop you.

Commercial Commission Advance

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts
Commercial Commission Advance

There are many factors to consider when you are thinking about taking an commercial commission advance.

In a business that is flush with cost benefit decisions, this is no different.  Commercial transactions are typically quite complicated and can experience delays, while fixed expenses do not usually wait for transactions to close.  What’s more, it can be immensely frustrating when the commission amount is so large to not be able to make small payments that would ordinarily create no issue.

Typically when a closing is delayed, the commercial real estate agent will know, or at least have a feeling, ahead of time.  By targeting a revised closing date as opposed to the original closing date, the agent can utilize a commission advance to bridge them until the actual closing.  While there is a fee associated with this, it is possible to mitigate these costs with strong transactional history, as well as details of the transaction that are in your favor, such as a large non-refundable earnest deposit.  Your production as a commercial real estate agent and the details of your transaction aren’t the only factors that affect pricing, though.  We’ll also want to review the purchase contract itself, the viability of the purchaser, and the closing date itself as compared to how much due diligence has been done and still needs to be done.

Apart from the details of the transaction, though, a commercial commission advance is no different than a commission advance on a residential property.  Once our review of your documentation is complete, the commercial real estate agent will receive their commission advance agreement via Docusign, and once it is executed, it is then sent to escrow for confirmation.  After having received confirmation from the escrow company, we will then fund your commission advance.

As due diligence continues and closing approaches, it is the duty of the commercial real estate agent to keep us informed of any changes to the nature of the transaction or delays, as well as advise prior to the closing date.  Once the transaction has closed, the escrow company then pays back the commercial commission advance amount (in addition to the fee) directly to us, and the commercial real estate agent receives the balance.

About Us:

Express Cash Flow provides commission advances for real estate agents and brokers.  Check us out at Commercial Advances or call us at 844-818-2274.

Attractive blonde young woman at the wheel in her new car

Realtor Tips – Buy vs Lease Vehicles

by Commission Advances
Realtor Tips - Buy vs Lease Vehicles
Realtor Tips – Buy vs Lease VehB

Realtor: Buy vs Lease

A typical realtor makes well informed decisions when it comes to the vehicle they are going to drive.

In today’s economy, if car dealerships had it their way, everyone would be leasing their vehicles.

For starters, the shorter term life cycles of leases guarantee more transactions will happen, keeping dealer volume high.  When a customer returns a vehicle on lease to the dealership, multiple transactions happen.  In addition, customers enjoy the perks of a short term lease, such as a full manufacturer warranty, and customer loyalty is always the goal.  This is the dealer’s best case scenario.

Do Your Homework

Any realtor looking for a new ride will want to map out goals ahead of time.  Having a plan of what you want will help avoid the pitfalls of an unethical salesperson.  If you are going to consider a lease, keep in mind that realtors drive more than almost any other profession.  In fact,  National Association of Realtors (NAR) estimates the average realtor driving in excess of 30,000 miles annually for business alone.

Dealerships often offer leasing as an attractive option due to a lower monthly payment, but this can be misleading. The monthly payments may be lower and tempting, but so is the annual mileage allotment.  Exceeding this mileage allotment will result in extra payments, and possibly even a higher payment than the purchase option.

Let’s see which real estate agents should NOT lease:

Any agent who drives more than 17,000 miles per year. NAR estimates that its own agents average about 30,300 miles annually for business-related driving. If you do that much driving from open houses to showings, or if your lease is not set up correctly (cannot afford the payments of high mileage lease), don’t get talked into leasing a car. Since leasing companies charge between 15 – 30 cents per mile you drive over their standard limit of 10,000 miles annually, a 7,000 mile overage could end up costing as much as $2,100 at the end of the lease.

The Decision

If you are not into changing cars every three years, and would like to buy one and drive it until you are ready for a change.

If pre-owned is an option. You can save several thousands of dollars on a one-year-old, low mileage pre-owned vehicle.

It’s practically impossible for buyers—who on average only buy three to five cars in a lifetime—to keep track of it all and be informed enough so no one takes advantage of them. There are many loopholes and facts to be aware of and so make sure you do your homework before going into the dealer.

About Us:

Express Cash Flow provides commission advances for real estate agents and brokers.  Check us out at www.ExpressCashFlow.com or call us at 844-818-2274.

Commission Advance

Top Commission Advance Tips

by Commission AdvancesExpress Cash Flow Blog Posts

 

What Is A Commission Advance?

Why should you have to wait for your commission until the closing day to get paid when you could use a commission advance instead?

  1. No Credit Checks–Look for real estate commission advance companies that don’t require a credit check. Advance companies provide you with funding based on a contract of sale and a pending commission, which you sell to them.  Your Purchase and Sales Agreement is the collateral for your advance.
  1. Same-Day Approval– The approval and underwriting process should be quick with any advance company.   The longer process is usually gathering DocuSign signatures and getting confirmation from brokers and escrow companies.
  1. Simple Application– Advance companies usually have an online application. The advance company you choose to work with should offer a quick application and a very concise and clear list of documents that can be uploaded.

What Do You Need?

The documents for a commission advance are simple:

A. Purchase and Sales Agreement
B. Driver’s License
C. Bank Account Information
D. Broker and Escrow contact information
E. Summary of Closed Transactions

  1. Multiple Commission Advances – Every advance company is different but usually you can have up to 2 or 3 advances at one time. Some commission advance companies tranche or fund in 2 payments because the agent requests a large advance amount. 
  1. Listing Advance vs. Commission Advance – some companies offer Listing Advances, which is when there is no identified buyer but only a listing agreement with the seller. Traditionally at least 2 or 3 listings in order to qualify for a Listing Advance.  A commission advance is when a broker or agent receives a portion of their commission prior to closing.

Find a commission advance company that fits your needs and works with you.  Some regional franchises may have different underwriting procedures due to state rules, but most nationwide advance companies like Express Cash Flow provide excellent service.  Check them out at ExpressCashFlow.com.

#CommissionAdvance, #Real Estate, #Realtor, #businessCredit, #BusinessCash, #BusinessCashAdvance

Top Real Estate Agent IRS Audit Triggers

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

Real Estate Agent IRS Audit Triggers

As the calendar year ends, every real estate agent will look back at how the year went financially.   Your income (or profit) is almost always in an inverse relationship with your tax obligations.  As a real estate agent, you will want to take as many steps as possible to avoid an audit.  With that in mind, here are the top audit triggers, and what you can do to avoid them.

Income Audit Triggers

  1. Income Numbers Don’t Match. Make sure your 1099’s match up to what you report to the IRS.  This is the fastest way to get a letter from the IRS because the IRS will automatically detect a discrepancy.
  2. You made a lot of money this past year. This one is simple, and it is good.  You want to make a lot of money as a real estate agent, that’s probably why you got in the business.  However, increasing your income also increases the amount of your income the IRS could stand to gain by auditing you.  If you are making a lot of money during the year, make sure you can prove everything that you are taking as a deduction.
  3. You made a lot less money this past year. This is not as good.  If you made a lot less money, an audit could be even more devastating.  If you are legitimately reporting all income, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about, but if there’s a chance you might not have reported everything (even by accident), this won’t look good in an audit.

Deduction/Employment Audit Triggers

  1.  As A Real Estate Agent, You’re Self Employed. If you are a real estate agent, this likely applies to you.  Even if you’ve set up your business as a corporation or an LLC , you will still fall into a higher risk category than someone earning a paycheck from a large company.  Be extra cautious about the deductions you take, an make tax liability payments promptly.
  2.  You deduct your home office and/or vehicle. You should!  But as a real estate agent, you have to do this one right.  You should get clear with your CPA on exactly how much is allowable for home office and vehicle deductions, as going over these thresholds can be a red flag that results in an audit, regardless of how much income you make.  Be very careful to follow these guidelines.
  3.  Meal/Entertainment Deductions. Yes, these deductions are allowable, but under strict guidelines.  Are you spending amounts that are “excessive” or “lavish”?  Are you spending amounts that are too large in proportion to your gross income?  All of these things can be red flags that trigger an audit, and you will find yourself in a difficult situation trying to justify these expenses.  Meals and entertainment costs are deductible up to 50 percent if they are ordinary and necessary to your business.
  4.  You were particularly generous this year! The IRS is always on the lookout for people who inflate their charitable donations and use a range based off a percent of income that is reasonable.

Bottom line if you have questions about a deduction that you can take ask your CPA, its better to then going through an audit.

About Us:

Express Cash Flow provides commission advances for real estate agents and brokers.  Check us out at www.ExpressCashFlow.com or call us at 844-818-2274.

#CommissionAdvance, #Real Estate, #Realtor, #businessCredit, #BusinessCash, #BusinessCashAdvance