#coloradotaxlawfirm

Is Swapping Student Loan Debt For Mortgage Loan A Good Idea?

Keith Gantenbein

Sep 4, 2018

Is Swapping Student Loan Debt For Mortgage Loan A Good Idea?

The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) is the largest backer of mortgage credit in our nation. Recently, Fannie set new rules and guidelines that would let homeowners refinance their mortgages to pay off student loans. The new guidelines expand a program that was introduced last year with a personal finance company called Social Finance commonly known as SoFi. Fannie Mae said the resulting policy will be easier for borrowers to apply, and may result in a lower

How Did The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Begin?

Keith Gantenbein

Jul 17, 2018

How Did The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Begin?

The first tax levied in the United States was from the Stamp Act in 1765. The Act was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. Basically any piece of paper was tax such as documents, ship’s papers, licenses, newspapers, publications and even playing cards were taxed. Great Britain enacted the tax to help with the costs of their maintaining a military presence protecting the American Colonies. Great Britain continued to levy more taxes. Common products imported into the Ame

Tax, Business, Probate & Real Estate Attorneys at Gantenbein Law Firm Named Among Best in Colora

Keith Gantenbein

May 10, 2018

Tax, Business, Probate & Real Estate Attorneys at Gantenbein Law Firm Named Among Best in Colora

Congratulations to Gantenbein Law Firm Denver, Colorado attorney Keith Gantenbein Jr. who was again, recognized as Super Lawyers, Rising Stars for 2018. For Keith, this is his fourth consecutive year as a Super Lawyer, Rising Star. Mr. Gantenbein is nationally recognized for his work in Real Estate Law, which also includes Foreclosures Defense and HOA Law. Mr. Gantenbein worked extensively last few years with the Colorado Supreme Court to pass updated Rules of Civil Procedure

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 20, 2018

IRS Warns Tax Payers of Scams

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning for a quickly growing scam involving taxpayers. An original alert was issued February 2, however the number of victims jumped from a few hundred to several thousands in just a couple of days. The IRS Criminal Investigation division is investigating just how deep and far-reaching this scheme is. The new scam is actually just a new twist on a scam they’ve used before. These criminals have stolen client data from email phis

It's Tax Season & There Are New Tax Laws- Why Choose An Experienced Tax Attorney?

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 6, 2018

It's Tax Season & There Are New Tax Laws- Why Choose An Experienced Tax Attorney?

Two years ago, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had 74,608 pages in their Tax Code (laws). More pages have been added since then. Is it no wonder taxes are one of the most complicated and complex legal issues today? Adjustments are made yearly to the income tax brackets which most of us are aware of. However, there are also other adjustments made, making taxes even more confusing. Thirty-three years ago “tax indexing” was added to the tax codes. Tax indexing adjusts variou

Keith Gantenbein

Feb 13, 2018

IRS Tax Audit or Investigation

Nothing chills our veins like a letter from the IRS. Especially when you open the letter and find you’re under an IRS Audit or under an IRS Investigation. After you get over the shock - think twice before you even think of calling them. What you say to the IRS and what documents you provide can and most likely will be held against you. Most people think if they cooperate with the IRS, answer all their questions and give the IRS everything they ask, they’ll be treated better.

Why You Need To Evaluate Your Estate Plan

Keith Gantenbein

Jan 31, 2018

Why You Need To Evaluate Your Estate Plan

Your Estate Plan may consist of a Last Will and Testament, Trust, Power of Attorney and other important documents that need a tune-up from time to time. Not just because your life may have changed, but outside events can affect what’s in your estate plan as well. One recent outside event is the new tax reform that Congress passed at the end of December. Did the tax reform, or new estate tax limits affect or alter your estate plan? It’s the beginning of the year and time to th

Mortgage Applications For Real Estate Closings And Re-Finances May Be Delayed Due To IRS Glitch

Keith Gantenbein

Jan 8, 2018

Mortgage Applications For Real Estate Closings And Re-Finances May Be Delayed Due To IRS Glitch

On December 8, 2017, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made changes to its authentication system. This is the system that verifies tax returns that mortgage applicants provide. The system is known as the Income Verification Express System (IVES) and is in place to make sure tax returns aren’t fraudulent. Within five days of the changes, on December 13, mortgage groups were finding problems with the new system. Other groups said problems with the changes began almost immediat

Keith Gantenbein

Jul 18, 2017

SUPER LAWYERS Names Keith Gantenbein of Gantenbein Law Firm Denver, Colorado To 2017 Attorneys List

Gantenbein Law Firm, Denver, Colorado is proud to announce its attorney, Keith Gantenbein, was named to 2017 Colorado Super Lawyers, Rising Stars list. Congratulations to owner and managing attorney Keith A. Gantenbein Jr, who was selected, named and included on the “2017 Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Stars” list. Super Lawyers is the Thomson Reuters lawyer rating service. To be selected as a Super Lawyer, attorneys are nominated by their peers and evaluated on 12 indicators

Keith Gantenbein

Jun 20, 2017

Thinking Of Buying A Home?

If you’re thinking of buying a home you’ve probably noticed the inventory of available houses for sale has been declining and mortgage rates and housing prices are on the rise. After years of having a huge inventory of houses to choose from, thousands of foreclosures and very low mortgage rates, the market is heading the other way. Denver is number three regionally for having the fastest time to sell a house. The average amount of days in Denver to sell a home is now 18 days,

Freddie Mac Sells Off $667 Million
In Non-Performing Mortgage Loans

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 31, 2017

Freddie Mac Sells Off $667 Million In Non-Performing Mortgage Loans

The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, known as Freddie Mac, announced last week that it’s selling off non-performing loans to private investors. Freddie Mac is a public government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) headquartered in Virginia. Freddie Mac was created in 1970 to help expand the mortgage market alongside the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). Previously, from 1938 to 1968 Fannie Mae was the only institution that bought mortgages leading to and enco

Keith Gantenbein

Dec 29, 2016

Home Loan Modifications Ending

The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) was introduced in 2009 and established to help homeowners recover from the great housing bubble burst. The HAMP was part of the Making Home Affordable program (MHA) along with the Hardest Hit Fund program (HHF) that was under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). These programs were part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and put into place to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. HAMP and the entire

Denver's Hot Summer Real Estate Market- Will It Cool In The Fall?

Keith Gantenbein

Sep 15, 2016

Denver's Hot Summer Real Estate Market- Will It Cool In The Fall?

Colorado’s housing market continues to be ‘hot’. The top ten hottest cities in our nation are: Miami, Phoenix, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Denver, San Antonio, Charlotte, San Diego and Flint. Denver is number 6. In the Denver-area, the average price of a single-family home rose 3%, averaging around $445,000 per home. Condominium prices rose 4.5% to an average of approximately $298,000. Houses and condos are on the market (listed) an average of 24 days before they are s

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

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,

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

Life After Foreclosure- The Boomerang Buyers

Keith Gantenbein

Apr 14, 2016

Life After Foreclosure- The Boomerang Buyers

The past seven years have been horrendous for millions of homeowners who lost their homes. Somewhere between 7 and 8 million homes were lost. The majority of homes lost to foreclosure were around 6 million. These were mostly due from distressed homeowners who suffered hardships ranging from losing their jobs to serious health issues. Around 2 million homes were sold as a short-sale (sold for less than what was owed) and given back to the lender by a deed-in-lieu (DIL) that a