FAQ – Can I use income from marijuana sales to qualify for a mortgage?
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Dave Warden, a bud tender at Private Organic Therapy (P.O.T.), a non-profit co-operative medical marijuana dispensary, displays various types of marijuana available to patients on October 19, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Attorney General Eric Holder announced new guidelines today for federal prosecutors in states where the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is allowed under state law. Federal prosecutors will no longer trump the state with raids on the southern California dispensaries as they had been doing, but Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley recently began a crackdown campaign that will include raids against the facilities. Cooley maintains that virtually all marijuana dispensaries are in violation of the law because they profit from their product. The city of LA has been slow to come to agreement on how to regulate its 800 to 1,000 dispensaries. Californians voted to allow sick people with referrals from doctors to consume cannabis with the passage of state ballot Proposition 215 in 1996 and a total of 14 states now allow the medicinal use of marijuana. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Mortgage Underwriters’ hands are tied in using income from something the Federal Government considers illegal. Yet new regulations from DC require that lenders verify and borrowers ability to pay before giving them a mortgage.
For example, Washington State had nearly $212 million in marijuana sales in the second quarter of 2016, approaching the $249 million sold in alcoholic spirits. Some argue that someone in the weed business with an 800 FICO is a better credit risk than someone in any occupation with a 580 FICO score for a taxpayer-supported mortgage program like FHA.
IRS rules require that ALL income, including that from illegal activities must be reported on your IRS return. Recall that Al Capone was never convicted for murder, racketeering, prostitution, or any other of the compendium of illegal activities he was charged with, but rather he was tried and convicted for tax evasion!
Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Three other states will soon join them after recently passing measures permitting use of medical marijuana. Seven states and the District of Columbia have adopted more expansive laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use. If you find yourself in one of these states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use then you might be interested in checking out something like these glass pipes for sale. As long as your state has legalized recreational marijuana then this is perfectly safe and legal to do so. So why not make the most of it if you can? Most recently, California, Massachusetts and Nevada all passed measures in November legalizing recreational marijuana. California’s Prop. 64 measure allows adults 21 and older to now possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants in their homes. However, if you aren’t interested in growing up to six plants in your home then you can check out something like this buy weed canada guide 2018, to give you a better idea of how much has changed since marijuana has become legal (and where you can buy it as well). For example, it is interesting to note that a lot of people are abandoning traditional smoking equipment in favor of more DIY approaches. For instance, you can learn more about how to make a diy bong on the Fat Buddha Glass website. Of course, there are loads of places that you can buy recreational marijuana from. If you have never brought it before then don’t panic. You can easily get cheap weed in canada, you just have to find the right places to go to get it.
I am no fan of recreational drug use. No words need to be wasted over the fact that all narcotics when taken simply for pleasure can be harmful both to an individuals health but also their ability to work and be productive members of society. Yet in spite of my belief, surprising those who know me, I have developed a very Libertarian view on this topic tempered by witnessing the failed three decades old War on Drugs. As a result, I firmly believe it’s time for a national referendum on cannabis. Got a different opinion? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.
Since relocating from Northern Michigan in 2007 I have lived in Garner (27529) with my wife Melanie and our four children. With personal production of 8MM in real estate sales across Southern Wake County I am considered to be a local market expert in the following communities: Garner (27529), Fuquay-Varina (27526), Holly-Springs (27540), Apex (27502), and Raleigh (27603, 27604, 27606, 27609, 27610)) which spans from downtown Raleigh to Willow Spring including Lake Wheeler. Call or email me, I’m here to help! Ricardo Cobos (919) 526-0183