Dive summary:

• The most significant thing Congress did by finding a way to agree on holding off tax changes (for the long term) and cuts in government spending (for the short term) was avoid a likely recession that could have battered the flowering housing recovery.
• Several tax provisions that were extended help small-business owners, like 80% of National Association of Home Builders members who pay their taxes as personal income, not corporate taxes.
• Preserving breaks for homeowners, like the$500 lifetime tax credit for energy efficiency, which encourages renovations.

From the article:

Also noteworthy are items that are not in H.R. 8, including an itemized deduction cap or a defined fast-track tax reform process. ...