Linda Greco Baltimore and Harford County Real Estate

0 down on a house is gone.......or is it? You can look at it this way....

Anybody looking to purchase a home using FHA will need a down payment of 3.5% and if they are first time homebuyers if they purchase for under $228,550 they put down at minimum $7,999.25 and get back $8,000. That would happen as part of their tax return and since most people have filed already and are not likely to settle on a home prior to the 15^th ... so ... they have an option to amend their filing for 2008 and still get money back within 45-90 days-ish.

Reasons to buy in 2009

1. $8,000 tax credit to first time homebuyers or those who have not been on title for 3 years.

2. The FHA 203K Loan is a great program allowing you to use thousands of dollars to fix up a home or customize it to your liking.

3. There are MANY foreclosures and short sales

4. Sellers are willing to contribute closing costs in many cases just to be competitive

5. Many choices on the market ready to negotiate, but if you don't find exactly what you are looking for, you can use the FHA 203K loan to make the house yours!

Here are the reasons, now all a buyer needs is a great Realtor! If you are thinking of buying a home in Harford, Howard, Cecil or Baltimore Counties, I would be happy to help. You can receive listings at www.FindAHouseInMaryland.com or visit http://realestatedealsinmaryland.blogspot.com/ for more information regarding various programs buyers may be able to participate.

A friend sent this list to me and I thought it was worth passing on. I certainly don't want to offend anyone, but I know many of us wish that the US economy would rebound.

1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year by state governments.

Verify at: http://tinyurl.com/zob77

2. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.

Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html

3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens.

Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html

4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English!

Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html

5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.

Verify at http://transcripts.cnn..com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.

Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/ TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01..html

7.. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.

Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfa <http://tinyurl.com/t9sht>

12. The National policy Institute, estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period.'

Verify at: http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf

13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances to their countries of origin.

Verify at: http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm>

14. 'The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One million sex crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States ..'

Verify at: http: // www.drdsk.com/articleshtml <http://ww w.drdsk.com/articleshtml>

The total cost is a whopping $ 338..3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR AND IF YOU'RE LIKE ME HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY; IT IS $338,300,000,000.00 WHICH WOULD BE ENOUGH TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY.

Many buyers are excited to start their house hunting experience by calling the agents listing houses that they want to see. When this happens do you set an appointment to show the house?

I DON'T, but I do invite them in for a buyer consultation. I explain to them that in order to show houses, I need to meet with them first to talk about the buying process, learn about their plans, and find out if they are able to qualify for a loan and if so, how much would they be comfortable spending?

Yes, I cannot deny that looking at houses is exciting. But, don't put the cart in front of the horse. A good Realtor will tell you this. I'm sure I have lost buyers to agents who are willing to run out and show houses to people who call to look. But, I think that ruins the professionalism of the business.

FHA 203K loan is designed for borrowers who have the need for low down payments. The 203K loan is offered as a Streamline program which allows up to $35,000 in repairs and a full 203K program which is only restricted by the total amount of repairs and the maximum FHA loan amounts per county. For those who might need to consider another option for distressed property or foreclosed homes in need of repair, there is a conventional loan alternative as well which requires more of a down payment.

For more information visit my blog at : http://realestatedealsinmaryland.blogspot.com/