#denvertaxlawfirms

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

Keith Gantenbein

Aug 15, 2016

The Tiny Home Real Estate Movement

About two years ago “tiny houses” began an upward trend in new sales of homes in what has become the Tiny House Movement. Even the most traditional builders are jumping on the bandwagon and building their own selection of tiny homes. America’s love affair with tiny homes is contrary to a nation whose homes average 2,200 to 2,600 square feet. What is the obsession with these tiny homes and what are they? A tiny home typically ranges from 100 to 400 square feet. By definition a

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

Getting a Mortgage After a Short Sale or Foreclosure

Keith Gantenbein

Jul 14, 2016

Getting a Mortgage After a Short Sale or Foreclosure

The housing bubble triggered foreclosures to hundreds of thousands of distressed homeowners all over our nation. If you experienced a foreclosure or opted for a short sale, that doesn’t mean you will never be able to own a home again. Your credit will take a hit after a foreclosure or short sale. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans are the most forgiving of foreclosures. You’ll have to wait at least three years after your foreclosure to qualify. The three years sta

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

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

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

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

May 15, 2015

IRS Seizes Every Penny of Man's Savings

Lyndon McLellan has owned a small convenience store in rural North Carolina for the past 13 years. His store, L&M Convenience Mart, is his life. He works seven days a week, 12 to 13 hours a day as a small business owner selling hot dogs and soft drinks. Over the course of the last 13 years of owning the store, he managed to save $107,000. The $107,000 is every penny he’s worked so hard for. Spread out over 13 years, that’s about $8,200 a year he’s managed to put away in the b

We Welcome Denver Business & Tax Attorney Michelle McCarthy To Gantenbein Law Firm

Keith Gantenbein

Apr 26, 2015

We Welcome Denver Business & Tax Attorney Michelle McCarthy To Gantenbein Law Firm

We are very pleased to welcome Michelle McCarthy to our law firm. She brings a great depth of tax and business law experience with her, including published articles on marijuana sales tax. Ms. McCarthy was also recently elected to an executive position on the Colorado Bar Association, Tax Section. For more information on our tax law and business attorney, Ms. McCarthy, please visit her attorney bio page. If you need tax or business legal assistance, contact our law firm at 30

Millions May Not Get Expected Tax Refund

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 31, 2015

Millions May Not Get Expected Tax Refund

When workers signed up for Obamacare, they submitted their estimated annual income to qualify for tax subsidies. But 55% of those American households took home more money than they expected or estimated. Workers who underestimated their income due to more overtime or changing jobs will be hit with a tax bill along with part-time workers and free-lancers who made more income than they estimated. Americans who had an alteration in family status such as divorce, marriage or dea

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 24, 2015

3 Strange, but Legal, Tax Deductions

This is the time of year millions of Americans begin pulling out receipts to start compiling their tax deductions before the April 15th deadline. People deduct the strangest items, but some are actually tax deductible, including: A GLUTEN-FREE DIET: Gluten-free foods are averaging around 242% higher in price than the ordinary counterpart. The additional expense of going gluten-free can be a legitimate tax deduction. If you have a recognized disease where gluten-free foods hel

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 10, 2015

Keith Gantenbein and Heritage Title Teach Real Estate Class to Remax Realtors

Keith Gantenbein, of Gantenbein Law Firm, has partnered with Heritage Title to teach a class today to Remax realtors. Mr. Gantenbein is speaking about the new CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) guidlines for loan estimate and closing disclosures. Mr. Gantenbein comes from a family of realtors, and is a premier real estate attorney located in Denver, Colorado. Mr. Gantenbein has always been passionate about consumer protection issues: the new loan disclosure forms sho

Home Mortgage Debt & The IRS: What You Need To Know

Keith Gantenbein

Mar 9, 2015

Home Mortgage Debt & The IRS: What You Need To Know

Under normal circumstances, when your home mortgage debt is either all or in part cancelled you will be taxed on that amount. However, The Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 generally allows taxpayers to exclude income from the discharge of debt on their principal residence. Debt reduced through mortgage restructuring, as well as mortgage debt forgiven in connection with a foreclosure, qualifies for the relief. This provision applies to debt forgiven from 2007 to 2014. Up to $2

Keith Gantenbein

Feb 25, 2015

OCWEN: Alarmingly at Risk?

Ocwen Financial Corp. (OCN) subservices all the mortgage loans for Home Loan Servicing Solutions (HLSS). Mangrove Partners is an investment manager (hedge funds) and one of the largest shareholders of HLSS. HLSS is an affiliate of Ocwen. Mangrove Partners sent HLSS a letter demanding HLSS terminate its business relationship with Ocwen. Mangrove Partners sites a “dereliction of duty” and said it is “imperative” HLSS terminate its servicing relationship with Ocwen “without dela

Keith Gantenbein

Feb 20, 2015

The Taxman Cometh - Tips to Avoid Audit

February – the month of romance, Valentines and a hint that spring is on the way. It’s also the month you receive all those 1099’s, W-2s and other tax forms in the mail. The taxman cometh so we must prepare. There are several things that will make the taxman take a second look at your return - as in an audit. That dreaded word can send chills up your spine. Even if you’re completely in the right, the audit itself can be costly in time alone. Normally, individual audits occur