http://www.rgj.com/article/20091106/NEWS/911060383/1321 

In a major victory for NAHB that will boost the fledgling housing recovery and help struggling business owners nationwide, Congress today approved legislation that will extend the first-time home buyer tax credit beyond its Nov. 30 deadline and expand it to a wider group of home buyers. The bill also provides relief to cash-strapped home builders by providing broader tax benefits for businesses with net operating losses (NOLs)

The legislation, which will be signed into law shortly by President Obama, will extend the $8,000 credit for first-time home buyers for sales contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30. Further, it has been expanded to include a new $6,500 credit for owners of existing homes who are purchasing a new primary residence. An existing home owner can claim the $6,500 tax credit if they have been residing in their primary residence for five consecutive years out of the last eight.

Continue reading »

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) — Legislation to extend unemployment benefits and a tax credit for first-time homebuyers cleared a procedural hurdle in the U.S. Senate as Democrats pushed to complete work on the measure this week.

Lawmakers voted 85-2 to move closer to a final vote on the bill, which would extend until April 30 the $8,000 homebuyer credit that otherwise would expire at the end of this month.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said last week he hoped both houses of Congress would pass the legislation by tomorrow.

That’s unlikely to happen if Senate Republicans, unhappy that Democrats are blocking their amendments to the plan, force the chamber through a series of procedural steps before the final vote.

In addition to extending the tax break for first-time homebuyers, the measure would let more people qualify for the credit, including some who already own homes and those with higher incomes.

Homebuyers who have lived in their prior residence for at least five years could receive a credit of $6,500. Couples earning as much as $225,000 a year and individuals earning up to $125,000 would qualify. That’s up from the current $75,000 limit for individuals and $150,000 for couples.

The tax credit was enacted as part of an economic stimulus plan in February. More than 1.2 million borrowers have claimed $8.5 billion of the $13.6 billion set aside for the homebuyer tax credits this year, according to the Treasury Department.

The Obama administration has endorsed the extension. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated the revised homebuyer tax credit would cost $10.8 billion over 10 years.

The legislation also calls for spending $2.4 billion to extend unemployment benefits by 14 weeks in all states, and by six additional weeks in states with the highest jobless rates.

To contact the reporters on this story: Brian Faler in Washington at bfaler@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 2, 2009 17:40 EST