An important part of buying a house is sitting down with your real estate agent or a mortgage lender to get a clear idea of how much you can afford. They will add up all of your monthly expenses, the mortgage payment, insurance, real estate taxes, homeowners or condo association fees--and the grand total can throw you into shock!

The important thing to remember is that the grand total isn't really the bottom line. When you add your tax savings to the equation, you may be pleasantly surprised. During the early years of your loan, almost all of the mortgage can be deducted from your state and federal income tax. The same is true of your real estate taxes. If you use part of your house as a home office, you may be able to qualify for additional tax savings. In some areas, homes with ground floor apartments are popular for offsetting part of the mortgage and offering even more tax savings.

When you make calculations about the monthly costs that include the tax savings, you may find that owning your own home is less expensive than renting a house or apartment of comparable size.

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Brenda Fontaine
Fontaine Family - The Real Estate Leader
336 Center Street
Auburn, ME. 04210
Office: 207-784-3800
Fax: 207-786-2957
Email: WebForm@FontaineTeam.com

Brenda Fontaine became a Real Estate Agent in 1983. Brenda has helped over 5000 families buy and sell their home. Brenda ranked NUMBER 1 for a nationwide franchise for "Top All Around Realtor" for 6 years. Brenda's success is due in part, to her caring attitude, her consistent follow through and also her strong work ethic. Brenda is supported by an experienced and dedicated team of licensed professionals that consist of a client care manager, Melissa Field, marketing manager, Crystal Bergeron, showing/feedback coordinator, Angie Larochelle, field Coordinators, Claude Fontaine & Tammy Soucy, listing manager, Marie Beaulieu, Business Development, Karen Gruver and ten Listing & Buyer agents, Bill Bergeron, Clayton Larochelle, Beth Favreau, Deb Morin, Nick Trider, Harriet Cummings, Pat Long-Cressey, Chad Sylvester, Nate Rudy, Cindy Morin & Jeanne Martin. The Family team of nineteen licensed professionals work together to help families buy and sell their property. They want to be your "Realtors for life" and they will give you superior service to earn that honor. The Wall Street Journal recently posted America's Top Performing Real Estate Professionals on their website. (wsj.com) Amongst the top 1,000 is local real estate team of professionals The Fontaine Family Team who ranked 46th on America's Top Performer list, located at 336 Center St. Auburn, ME 04210

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