Ask the Expert: Are there any tax advantages to owning a home?

There can be all sorts of financial advantages to homeownership and some tax advantages, too.

The primary financial advantage of homeownership, as opposed to renting, is that the housing payment never changes. So your mortgage will stay the same for 30 years, but your rent is very likely to go up. Every mortgage payment you make is a bonus for you, not a landlord. It’s even possible that your mortgage payment will be significantly less than your monthly rent.

Meanwhile, if the house is well maintained, its value is likely to go up with time. Your home investment is less likely to be affected by inflation.

Of course, there are many other advantages that are not financial: You control your own living space and can make it look the way you want while without worrying about a landlord selling the property.

At tax time, several deductions may give you an advantage:

• Mortgage interest, a portion of your mortgage payment, is interest that can be deductible. Your lender will send you a form each year telling you how much interest you paid.
• Property taxes. These are often included in the mortgage payment. You can deduct up to $10,000 in property taxes each year.
• Home office deduction. Self-employed people can take a deduction for a percentage of their housing expenses.
• Mortgage points. If you paid points on a mortgage, these can sometimes be deducted.
• As you pay off your house, you acquire equity in it. So, when you need to make improvements, you can get a home equity loan and will be able to deduct the interest you pay.