So what do you guys think:
is it a good idea to withdraw money from the IRA to use it towards the down payment for a house?
For me that would be a difference between no money down and a 10% down payment.
Thoughts?
First time homebuyers can withdraw up to $10k from their IRAs, and that money won't be subject to the 10% early withdrawal penalty assessed by the IRS. This exception only applies for IRA money. So anyone planning to use 401k money for the downpayment on a home should first roll that money into an IRA. Keep in mind that you will still owe federal and state taxes on the money withdrawn.
First time homebuyers are anyone who hasn't owned a home for at least two years. And the $10k is a lifetime max. It's not per home purchase.
Even though you can access your retirement accounts for the downpayment on your home, I'm not a fan of that strategy.
I knew there was some sort of exception, so only 10K from the ira? no matter, how about married couples, can they withdraw more from their roth ira?
Thanks for all your replies guys.
I have actually done more research about this and it really looks like a terrible idea. I guess no money vs 10% down isn't that much of a difference in terms of interest rates and PMI so if I want to pay less for my monthly mortgage I'm just gonna go with a smaller and cheaper property to begin with.