“OK … Now What’s Your Excuse?”

Our job as professional Realtors^® these days is to listen to all the excuses people use to put off buying a new home. "The market will keep going down. The interest rates are staying low. The windows are a little dirty. There is no reason to hurry in a buyer's market. I'm looking for a $350,000 home for about $140,000." I'm sure my fellow agents can come up with a few more. It would be hilarious if it were not so tragic, watching people wring their hands in "analysis paralysis" while the deal of their lives slips away before their eyes.

Yesterday, President Obama signed legislation to extend the home buyer tax credit, and to expand it to include all buyers. THAT IS ALL BUYERS! We can thank our own Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson for hounding everyone in Washington until the legislation was passed by both houses of congress and the president. Not an easy task in this environment. New buyers get $8,000 and repeat buyers $6,500 subtracted from their taxes, and the qualification limits were expanded as well. Of course that is the way the bill should have been passed the first time, but don't get me started!

So let's examine the excuses.

Both the fed's FHFA Housing Index and S&P's Case-Shiller Index agree that home prices seem to have stabilized and are showing signs of recovering.

Interest rates are indeed staying low ... for now. They're only going up from here.

The new tax credit will expire on April 30, 2010. Even Senator Isakson says he will not support another extension since anyone who is interested in buying a home has plenty of time to act or go home empty handed. So, you don't have that much time left anymore.

If you are looking for someone to practically give you a house for nothing, you will probably be disappointed. However, there are some fantastic buys out there if you get up and get moving to take advantage of the opportunity instead of the seller. It is amazing to me how rude some people have been in this market when making a ridiculously low offer on a home, and getting "miffed" at rejection.

Take charge of the opportunity you have sitting right in front of you! Make the deal of the century, wash the windows, and enjoy the fruits of your wise decision for the rest of your life. The selection is fabulous and the prices are right.