Homeownership no longer a tax break

CNBC reports:

It may be yet another reason why younger Americans are choosing to rent: Buying a home is unlikely to offer them any tax break. That is thanks to near-record low mortgage rates and an increase in the standard deduction. Add them up, and the math doesn't compute for savings.

"It has removed one of the main reasons people had urgency to buy," noted John Burns of California-based John Burns Real Estate Consulting. "High rent should be a kick in the pants, lowest interest rates should be a kick in the pants, but I think if you were getting a tax break too, I'm sure we'd see more entry-level buyers."

The standard marital deduction has risen from $1,300 in 1972 to $12,600 today, meaning that the first $12,600 of itemized deductions has no benefit to consumers. According to Burns' analysis, a typical first-time homebuyer, financing 95 percent or less of a median-priced U.S. home (around $200,000) pays less than $12,000 in mortgage interest and property taxes annually. That is not enough to hit the itemization level. Even with other deductions that bring the taxpayer over the $12,600 limit, the tax savings are minimal.

"It's interesting, nobody is mentioning tax savings as a reason to buy anymore in focus groups," added Burns.

Imagine that.