Principal residence mortgages: Do you want points with that? - 2004-02-08
Points paid in connection with the acquisition or improvement of a principal residence are deductible in the tax year paid if payment of points is an accepted business practice in the area where the debt is incurred.

Observation: A taxpayer often has a choice of whether to pay points when getting a mortgage or paying a higher interest rate on the mortgage without paying points.
Read the full story at Accounting Today

Middle income no guarantee to home ownership - 2004-02-08
As higher home prices put ownership out of the reach of increasingly more people, and a rush of home buying continues, those like John Kluth are finding that the middle of the road is the place to get run over.

"There's a lot of competition in this price range,'' he said, adding in the words of a seasoned Realtor, "I don't want my monthly mortgage to be more than 40 percent of my monthly pretax income.''
Read the full story at Press-Telegram