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When Donald Trump was President, he signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a comprehensive bill drafted by Republicans in the House and Senate. This bill had far-reaching effects on Americans all across the income spectrum. It’s also a confusing topic because there have been multiple versions of the bill leading up to its passage.
Let’s go into more detail to help you better understand what this tax law is and how it will affect you when buying a home in Washington.
The legislation lowers the maximum amount of mortgage interest that homeowners can deduct from their taxes. This provision could affect quite a few homeowners in Washington, particularly in the more expensive real estate markets like Seattle.
Republicans in Congress went back and forth over this provision, with the House and Senate creating their own versions. In its final version, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act allows eligible homeowners to deduct interest paid on mortgage loans up to $750,000. That’s a reduction of $250,000 from the previous cap of $1 million.
Granted, many homes across Washington State are priced below $750,000. So the mortgage interest deduction shouldn’t affect the “average” homeowner in most parts of the state. But in places like Seattle, where property prices can be much higher, some homeowners could have their mortgage interest deceptions capped at a lower level.
The good news for people with existing loans is that these changes will only apply to new home loans. So homeowners who took out their mortgages before the new tax bill was passed should be able to enjoy the same level of deduction. In other words, it’s grandfathered.
It’s worth noting that the median home price in Seattle, Washington now sits at $915,340, which is much higher than the statewide average of $582,732, according to the economists at Zillow. Over the past 12 months, home prices in Seattle increased 13.4%.
This means that the median, or midpoint, for home prices in Seattle is higher than the limit for mortgage interest deductions. So, there could be quite a few homeowners with mortgage loans that exceed the deduction limit. And these are the folks who could lose some of their benefits.
Related: New rules for property taxes
As of 2018, interest paid on home equity loans are only tax deductible in certain scenarios. This is another key provision of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and it’s one that could affect many homeowners across the state of Washington.
In the past, homeowners who took out equity loans were allowed to deduct the interest from their taxes, up to $100,000. Under the tax bill, however, this deduction will only be allowed in cases where the funds are used to improve the home (like a new addition or a kitchen renovation).
And unlike the mortgage interest deduction, which only applies to new loans, there is no grandfathering clause with this home equity provision.
In addition to these mortgage-related changes, the tax bill introduced other changes that could affect residents across Washington State. It limits the amount of property taxes, and state and local income tax, that a person can deduct. In the past, there really wasn’t a limit. But now, these deductions are limited to $10,000.
Sammamish Mortgage is a local, family-owned company based in Bellevue, Washington. We serve the entire state, as well as the broader Pacific Northwest region including OR, CO and ID since 1992. We provide a variety of mortgage programs with flexible criteria, and we’d love the opportunity to help you apply for a home loan. Please contact us if you have mortgage-related questions.
Whether you’re buying a home or ready to refinance, our professionals can help.
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No Obligation and transparency 24/7. Instantly compare live rates and costs from our network of lenders across the country. Real-time accurate rates and closing costs for a variety of loan programs custom to your specific situation.