I-134 question

[pnd629 0]

On the I-134(Affidavit of Support), it asks for the value of property owned and the amount owed. I can send mortgage statements that show how much is owed on the property--but other than paying for an appraisal, how would I document the property's value?

My house is in San Diego, CA and I bought it right before property values sky-rocketed here--so it is worth more than double what I paid.

If I don't need the property to meet the income guidelines, do I need to include it on the form? I want to be truthful, and excluding it seems a bit dishonest to me.

Or can I just send the mortgage statements, since my income exceeds what is required?

[kitkat1 5]

I have the same question. Mortgage statements don't reflect the current value of the property. So here's one idea - what about talking to a local real estate agent to see what the market value is? S/he could put something in writing to say what it would likely be listed at/sell for and you could use that. If you don't need the property to meet the income guidelines, it would be fine to skip it since the point of using it is only to prove you meet the minimum. It's not dishonest to not include it if it isn't necessary to prove you meet the requirements.

[motu 5]

I did not use assets to meet the sponsorship requirements, as my income was more than enough. (Yes, I didn't use them for AOS either.) Just because its listed on the form - you don't have to provide it - the way I understood the form was to provide proof of meeting the sponsorship requirement (and I did that based on income alone.)

Now, if you need to use your assets because you do not meet the 125% of poverty level then this is the way you can deduce the value of the property

1) From the county property tax assessment you will get a tax value - yes it is not the market value but this is an 'official' value that you can use - short of paying an assessor and using their value its an easy step (we all got these every year.)

2) From your mortgage statement (you get one for tax purposes every year) you can show the 'principal' amount 'owed'

3) The difference between the two is your 'equity' or asset value (for I134 or I864.)

Remember the value of the assets (yes you can use other assets e.g. 401Ks, bank accounts, mutual funds etc.) must be 5 times the annual requirements (rule of thumb.)

Good Luck

[pnd629 0]

Thanks for your quick responses!

I think I will just leave it off.

My income exceeds the requirements, so I guess listing the house as an asset will just cause unnecessary paperwork.

[damulag 26]

I only included income for the I129 and the AOS with no problems.

Mike

[sjoefl01 1]

I also only included income info. I think I put a number for property value but it meant nothing as we were going on income. It looks like a real pain to go on assets. I think if that was the case i would find a joint sponsor. It is not worth the hassle!