This allows you to continue gaining equity and other tax benefits of real estate ownership. In addition, any rental income generated from the parent or child tenants can be used to help qualify for better refinancing terms.Īs an investment property, you will be the owner. It is also a major advantage when the borrower chooses to refinance a home that is still considered owner occupied. It allows the borrower to get better loan rates and terms while still gaining equity on a second property. Most commonly, this strategy is used to buy a second home and rent it out to these family members. The parent is considered the owner/occupant.” Who Benefits From This Rule? “Parents (or a legal guardian) wanting to provide housing for their physically handicapped or developmentally disabled adult child is permissible if the child is unable to work or does not have enough sufficient income to qualify for a mortgage on his or her own.

What is considered a “disabled child” you ask? Here’s how they define it: However, if you buy the property for either your parents or a disabled child to live in, it will still be considered owner occupied in the eyes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Owner occupied homes also offer favorable tax benefits because any income from a second property being rented out would be considered taxable income by the IRS. Borrowers like these loans because they offer favorable interest rates and require low down payments. That means the borrower must live in the home they are getting the mortgage for. Typically, a property must be owner occupied when you get a mortgage loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (an FHA loan would be the most common example). Call it loophole or whatever you want, but it is an ownership strategy that can work as a win-win for everyone involved. Did you know that there is a way to have the financial benefits of owning a second property while still having it considered “owner occupied?” It can be done if the house is lived in by your parents or a disabled child.

What does occupied mean