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Co-Owning Real Estate With A Partner Or A Friend

Keith Gantenbein

Jul 26, 2016

Co-Owning Real Estate With A Partner Or A Friend

If you’re thinking of buying (co-owning) a home with a partner, if you’re an unmarried couple or just friends, it’s extremely important to protect yourself if there were a death, a parting or foreclosure. The decision you make in co-owning any property can have disastrous repercussions and consequences. Approximately 25% of primary homebuyers in the US are single. Generally speaking, non-married buyers have very little or no estate-planning protection at either the state or f

How Brexit Might Affect The U.S. Real Estate Market

Keith Gantenbein

Jul 6, 2016

How Brexit Might Affect The U.S. Real Estate Market

By now, most of us have heard something about Brexit (British Exit). In a sentence, Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU) in a historic referendum June 23. The effects of Brexit are being heard around the world. Britain has the world’s fifth-largest economy and is one of the United State’s biggest trading partners. After the vote, Britain’s pound dropped to a 30-year low prompting Americans to change vacation plans to visit Britain and take advantage of the low price

International Businesses- At Risk? French Tax Authorities Go After Major Businesses

Keith Gantenbein

Jun 23, 2016

International Businesses- At Risk? French Tax Authorities Go After Major Businesses

Our own IRS isn’t the only entity to fear when it comes to taxes. Europe has their eye on international businesses as well as wanting their ‘fare share’ of the profits. The French have widened their investigations and are cracking down on these international businesses concluding a nearly 3-year investigation and auditing of Priceline’s Booking.com The French tax authorities operate in a big way - with exactly $397.37 million in unpaid taxes slapped against Booking.com. The m

Signs The Real Estate Bubble Is About To Burst- Again

Keith Gantenbein

Jun 13, 2016

Signs The Real Estate Bubble Is About To Burst- Again

The number of luxury homes sitting on the global market and not selling is beginning to pile up. It may also be a forewarning of the beginning of another housing bubble getting ready to burst. The last time there was a rise in luxury homes not selling was in 2007 and 2008 - right before the housing crash. Analysts and brokers are warning of another housing bubble due to the high number of luxury homes not selling that they think is a sure ‘bubble signal’. The housing market

Keith Gantenbein

Jun 6, 2016

Tax Tips For Starting Your Own Business

If you’re starting a new business, the tax obligations aren’t something you should try to handle alone. Meeting with a qualified tax and business attorney can save you thousands of dollars and ensure your business is starting out on the right foot. When it comes to taxes, there’s no room for error. An audit, additional taxes, penalties and fees can become a nightmare if you make one error, or grab the attention of the IRS. The first day your business is up and running, your b

Mortgage Foreclosure and Survivors' Rights

Keith Gantenbein

May 31, 2016

Mortgage Foreclosure and Survivors' Rights

California is a step closer to signing a bill into law to protect families from foreclosure after the death of the primary mortgage note holder. The Bill is known as the “Survivor Bill of Rights”. Other states may soon follow in passing similar laws. When a spouse dies, often the surviving spouse can’t afford the mortgage payment. The survivor usually calls the lender to let them know the spouse has died. When the survivor tries for a loan modification due to loss of income,

Keith Gantenbein

May 25, 2016

Reverse Mortgage Advantages and Risks

A reverse mortgage or home equity conversion mortgage (HECM) was signed into law in 1988 as part of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987. The HECM is available only to homeowners who are 62 years or older, have equity in their home and the home is the principal residence. In basic terms, under the HECM, the homeowner can access their equity for personal use and not pay a mortgage payment until they die, sell or move out of the home. The homeowner is still respons

Keith Gantenbein

May 18, 2016

Timeshare Horror Stories

Timeshares came into being during the early 1960s in England where people would share a holiday (vacation) home. The sharing typically would be between four families who would rotate their seasons each year so each family could enjoy the prime times. In the 1970s, timeshares hit the U.S. A company set up shop in south Florida and sold timeshares in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Timeshares evolved into sharing one piece of property, generally a condominium between 50 people, each

Want To Save A Ton Of Money? Hire An Attorney Instead Of A Realtor

Keith Gantenbein

Apr 29, 2016

Want To Save A Ton Of Money? Hire An Attorney Instead Of A Realtor

When buying or selling real estate, normally a real estate agent is involved. In the past, one of the main reasons for using realtors were their access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to list the property for all to see. Nowadays the internet is the first tool people use to list, buy or sell their property, especially the “For Sale by Owner” homes. Many are turning to real estate attorneys to ‘close the deal’. The advantage of this is money. Attorneys will charge eith

Life After Death- Tax Surprise For Millions

Keith Gantenbein

Apr 25, 2016

Life After Death- Tax Surprise For Millions

Millions of Americans have had horrible and challenging years due to the Great Financial Crisis and subsequent meltdown. Many are just now beginning to recover from earlier job losses, health issues, mounting debt and even loss of their homes through foreclosure, deed-in-lieu or short sale. Just as they’re climbing out of the hole they receive a dreaded IRS Form 1099-C or related statement detailing the discharge of indebtedness as miscellaneous income. What does this mean? I

Keith Gantenbein

Apr 19, 2016

New Student Loan Forgiveness

The Department of Education announced this week they will be sending letters to 387,000 people who have student loans telling them they’ve been identified as eligible to having their loans forgiven under a new student loan debt relief initiative. The student loan relief will be available to borrowers who can’t work due to a disability. The notification letters will begin going out to these eligible borrowers beginning April 18th and will continue being sent over a 16-week per

Keith Gantenbein

Apr 7, 2016

HOAs- What You Must Know First

When buying property under any kind of Homeowners Association (HOA) control, buyers tend to overlook or not comprehend the rules in a planned development. Buyers can be attracted to all the amenities such as the pool, gym and recreational areas and think the HOA dues they pay each month are mainly for the upkeep. The HOA can govern and restrict your life in ways you don’t want. The rules of HOA communities are set forth in a Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions

Succeeding in Business- What You Must Know

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 29, 2016

Succeeding in Business- What You Must Know

Are you thinking of starting your own business? Congratulations. Owning your own business may require working harder and longer hours but the rewards can be worth it. When starting a business, it is imperative the business is set up correctly and the business structure is made to best fit your type of business and you. The formation of your business entity should be dependent on your tax and liability, ownership rights, capital needs and other business transactions. Each sta

Save Big On Taxes With Charity-Related Donations

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 24, 2016

Save Big On Taxes With Charity-Related Donations

When doing your taxes, one of the deductions most overlooked are charitable contributions. You can deduct a maximum of up to 50% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) on Line 36 on IRS Form 1040 for the tax year in which the donation was given. If you find yourself with more than 50% in one given year, the excess may be carried over for up to five years. If you don’t think you give large amounts to charity, think again. Throughout the year, all those little donations can add up

Keith Gantenbein

Dec 30, 2015

The Tax Cometh- 3 Days Late

The IRS tax deadline for 2016 has moved three days. Due to an overlap of tax deadlines and Federal and State holidays, the IRS announced that taxes are due Monday, April 18th instead of Friday, April 15th. Last minute taxpayers will have one more weekend to work on their tax returns. We can thank the District of Columbia for moving the date to Monday April 18th. In the District of Columbia, Friday, April 15th is a holiday (Emancipation Day). Normally observed on April 16th

Keith Gantenbein

Sep 29, 2015

Death Of A City

Housing prices have plummeted in the last year in Ferguson, Missouri. The average home sold for $66,764 in 2014. In the last three months of 2014, average home prices dropped to $36,168 and have steadily declined. Today, the average price for a home is $22,951 and still falling. Ferguson’s housing is in serious trouble. Foreclosures in this hamlet jumped almost 73% in the last few months of 2014 and the first few months of 2015. Almost half the homes in Ferguson are underwate

HOA Loses Battle Over Childrens' Play Set Color

Keith Gantenbein

Sep 16, 2015

HOA Loses Battle Over Childrens' Play Set Color

We receive calls almost daily from homeowners who are having a dispute with their Homeowners’ Association and need help fighting these special groups. In Colorado alone, we have over one million residents who live under the rules and laws of an HOA. The common thread we hear is the HOA elected a new board, someone on the board doesn’t like the homeowner, the HOA became power-hungry or a particular neighbor keeps complaining. Many HOAs believe they have absolute authority and

H&R Block Preying on Americans with Tax Law Changes

Keith Gantenbein

Aug 26, 2015

H&R Block Preying on Americans with Tax Law Changes

In an effort to create more business, one of America’s top tax preparation firms, H&R Block, along with TurboTax’s Intuit Company, argue and spend big bucks lobbying on Capital Hill to NOT make taxes simpler. Thinking only of how much profit they can stuff into their pockets, they prey on the poorest of taxpayers. H&R Block’s latest and most deplorable effort involves their initiating and pushing the Senate Appropriations Committee to pass a funding bill to make the Earned In

Keith Gantenbein

Aug 6, 2015

The Awful Truth About Mortgage Fraud

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has declared mortgage fraud as a growing crime threat that is hurting homeowners, businesses and our national economy. The FBI has enacted ways to detect mortgage fraud by collecting and analyzing data. They’ll use this data to identify trends and patterns. Unfortunately, by the time they discover those trends or patterns, damage has already been done. What exactly is mortgage fraud? Mortgage fraud is a misstatement, misrepresentation

Gantenbein Law Firm's Denver IRS Lawyers Featured Authors For Colorado Bar Association Tax Bar N

Keith Gantenbein

Jul 20, 2015

Gantenbein Law Firm's Denver IRS Lawyers Featured Authors For Colorado Bar Association Tax Bar N

Gantenbein Law Firm is pleased to announce that two of its Denver IRS tax lawyers, Tyler Murray and Michelle McCarthy, were the featured authors this month in the Colorado Tax Bar Association monthly newsletter. The article, The Supreme Court Weighs in on Colorado’s Attempt to Circumvent Quill in Direct Marketing Association v. Brohl, discussed a recent Supreme Court decision that affects whether the Tax Injunction Act barred federal courts from enjoining Colorado’s efforts