Quote:
Originally Posted by Bugeater
No mortgage and no dependents anymore means we're getting ****ing killed with income taxes. The Mrs is getting bought out of her pension soon, she just wants to dump it in her 401k, which already has a substantial amount of money in it. I was thinking maybe we should buy a rental house. Hell it probably wouldn't really make any money until we sold it, and it will likely lose money the first few years. Smart idea or not?
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Home mortgage interest only affects you if you itemize, meaning your medical insurance, LTC Insurance and expenses (after they exempt 10% of your gross income. Why? Because they're dicks that's why), Real Estate and Personal Property tax, Sales tax or state income tax, home mortgage interest and contributions are more than your standard deduction, which is 12,600 for married filing joint. There are some other weird ass deductions like un-reimbursed employee expenses and shit, but there are limits on those.
Accordingly, only monies spent OVER 12,600 does you any good.
Where you're getting smoked is the extra exemption for 4050. Also, if you haven't filled out a new W-4 form and whatever Nebraska's witholding form is, do it now. You're probably underwithheld, which is why you're getting smoked on the taxes.
RE: Rental
Rentals CAN be a good deal if you manage them properly. First, they need to make you money or you just as well pay tax and go invest in retirement. Renting here is a ****ING RACKET so everyone is doing it.
Basic management things, like bulletproof leases covering everything that can cost you piles of money, knowing the process for evicting mother****ers, and knowing the rent market so as to NOT be the cheapest place to rent, as well as finding a house to buy that will net you a good return will be the difference between a sound investment and a ****ing albatross that will make you want to pick a fight in a mexican bar just to end the agony.
As far as taxation, there are no withholdings, so make estimates, or at least save up whatever your tax bracket is for taxes. They're coming. There is no SE tax (which equates to both the employee and employer portions of social security and medicare, or to put a number on the ****ing 15.3%) So that's a major benefit.
Show a profit. Don't take a loss over and over or you'll get audited. On that note, save receipts. KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING. Every tool you buy to fix something, every mile you drive for any business regarding the rental (Keep a log, the money is good enough it is worth your time) It's a good idea to have a separate checking account for the rental and ONLY for the rental so it is easy to keep straight. Just record it as owner's draw if you pull money out for personal.
Don't pay yourself a wage, (essentially charging yourself SE), but make sure it is paying your time or you need to get rid of it.
And what nobody will say out loud is it is a good place to commit tax fraud. If you need a new door handle at the house - deduct it on the rental. You can do that with small stuff, but putting a 50,000 kitchen in your house won't fly. But tools you need for other stuff can be deducted over the rental. Supplies for the house, vacuum cleaners, light bulbs, whatever. It can be done. If you're comfortable with it. Some guys are, some aren't. Just make damn sure you have a receipt and a justification if you get called on it.
Rentals have to be depreciated (which is taking a portion of the cost as expense for the year). I can't remember the treatment, but it is quite a while. So what that does, is when you sell it, the basis in the sale is less whatever you depreciated. And sale price-basis=gain (taxable income but IIRC it is limited at 20%)
Say you bought it for 10,000, depreciated 2,000 and sold it for 10,000. Since you depreciated 2,000, you got a break of 2,000 on taxes, so now you get to pay the taxes. Boom. You owe $400 tax. And the numbers get pretty serious as they get big, so gain can change the game pretty significantly so if you sell something, hang onto the cash until your taxes are filed.
On the depreciation note, it is kind of a cash flow crunch because you spend ALL the money up front and only get the tax break spread over however many years. If you have the money saved up now, it shouldn't be a big deal because you've already paid the tax on it. But it can throw a wrench in things if you spend all your cash or borrow money to do it.
If you borrow money, the principle is not deductible, but interest is. So factor that into your cashflow. Some people get a mortgage on their primary residence to buy the rental. If you're itemizing without home mortgage interest and will be for perpetuity, that's fine. If you don't itemize, then you can't deduct the interest. And typically home mortgages are better rates, but you'll have to do the math on the tax impact of the interest vs rate savings.
Good luck man. Some guys love rentals, some guys hate them.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot me a smoke.