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Medpal

  Full time employees of Montgomery County and buying in Montgomery County may be eligible for Medpal, which provides a $25,000 forgivable down payment/closing cost assistance loan. This program is a part of the Maryland Mortgage Program but is an enhancement of the product, but only for county employees of certain departments. The assistance cannot…

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DC Tax abatement

DC Tax abatement is an incredible program, which allows for: 1. The buyer does not pay for the recordation tax, which is .725%-1.45% of the sales price. Also, instead of the seller paying the transfer tax (1.1%-1.45%), that transfer tax is credited to the buyer. The net change is a reduction in cost to the…

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Transfer Tax

First time buyer potential tax savings on closing costs: DC: .375% to .725 of purchase price MD: .25% of purchase price.   In Maryland, home buyers who’ve never owned real estate in the state and are buying a primary residence are exempt from the state transfer tax, which saves .25% of the purchase price in…

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Sabotage

DON’T MOVE YOUR CASH/SAVINGS AROUND: We have to verify all funds for closing, including the source of those funds. Moving assets around can create a paper trail nightmare. The best advice is to leave everything where it is, even if the purpose of the move is to pool your funds for buying the house. After…

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Co-signing

A co-signer is a mortgage loan applicant who co-applies with a home buyer to help the buyer qualify for their mortgage.  This co-applicant is typically a family member who does not plan to occupy the property the home buyer is purchasing, and is therefore labeled a non-occupant co-borrower (or co-signer). Adding a co-signer to a…

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