Buying a house with cash can be a great way to save money on the purchase, but it’s important to understand how this choice affects taxes. Paying a mortgage for a home means you’ll be responsible for paying taxes on the interest that’s paid over the course of the loan. This can be a burdensome and unproductive expense, especially when you consider how much you could be saving by purchasing your home in cash instead of financing it with a mortgage.

Depending on your situation, it may make more sense to pay for your home with a mortgage rather than buying it in cash, says Nick Holeman, head of financial planning at online financial advisor Betterment. However, it’s a good idea to consult with a financial professional or tax expert before making this decision.

A lot of people think that buying a house in cash means bringing stacks of hundred bills to the realtor and then dumping them on the closing table. But this isn’t exactly what happens at a cash sale.

In reality, most buyers bring a wire transfer or cashier’s check instead of bringing stacks of cash. These are safer options that still provide some of the benefits of buying a house in cash, including no mortgage interest rates and faster closings. Read more https://www.theturnerhometeam.com/sell-my-house-fast-winterville/

 

Closing Costs

When you buy a house with cash, your closing costs will likely be about 2% lower than when you use a traditional mortgage to purchase the home. This includes avoiding mortgage recording taxes and lender fees.

This will help you avoid a big bill at the end of your loan, and it can also save you a lot of time and effort during the buying process. But it’s worth bearing in mind that you will still need to make payments on property taxes, homeowners insurance, and other real estate-related expenses.

You’ll need to save up enough money for those expenses before you buy your home, so that you can afford them if something goes wrong with the transaction and you can’t close the deal. And you’ll need enough cash leftover after the transaction to cover these costs, too.

Liquidity

One of the biggest downsides to purchasing a house in cash is that it limits your ability to access liquidity. This is particularly true if you don’t have any other financial resources, such as a savings account or investment portfolio.

Without a savings account or investments, you will have zero funds available to cover unexpected expenses, such as medical bills or repairs. That’s why many people who choose to purchase a home in cash opt for a second job or a retirement plan.

 

Alternatively, you can invest the cash that you’ve used to purchase your new home in a diversified portfolio of tax-favored stocks and bonds. This is a more productive use of your money, and it can help you outperform the mortgage rate over the long run.

You might also want to consider a reverse mortgage to use the equity in your home as an emergency fund or retirement plan. These accounts are more regulated than traditional mortgages, and can be a great way to get out of debt while still owning your home.