Audra Sacco

Congress is scheduled to vote today to expand and extend the Homebuyer Tax Credit (the Senate already passed the bill on Wednesday), and has enhanced it to include a whole new group of homebuyers. The current $8000 tax credit was geared towards first-time homebuyers, the new bill will include current homebuyers as well. Here are the new numbers:

•1) Buyers who have owned their current homes at least five years would be eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500.

•2) First-time homebuyers - or anyone who hasn't owned a home in the last three years - would still get up to $8,000.

•3) To qualify, buyers in both groups have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30.

•4) The credit is available for the purchase of principal homes costing $800,000 or less, meaning vacation homes are ineligible.

•5) The credit would be phased out for individuals with annual incomes above $125,000 and for joint filers with incomes above $225,000.

•6) The credit would be extended an additional year, until June 30, 2011, for members of the military serving outside the United States for at least 90 days.

This is likely to be the last extension for homebuyers in any category, so if you, or a buyer you are working with is looking to purchase don't miss out on this opportunity.

I recently changed brokerages. This may seem common; it happens every day, right? What makes this change somewhat out of the ordinary is that the brokerage that I signed with is out of the area, has no market share, and is virtually unknown in my neck of the woods.

The brokerage that I have chosen to take this journey with is Lighthouse Properties. They have been established in the Southern California area for 10 years, and are now looking to expand and gain market share in the Northern California area. This is where I come in.

It has been a whirlwind of excitement, stress, and work, but I am energized every morning to make this journey a total success. My purpose for this blog is to inspire people in general to move forward, see the unknown as a challenge, take it by the horns and ride cowboy ride.

More specifically; Sonoma County is the place to work, live, and laugh. In any given direction there is a wealth of opportunities to enjoy ones self on any given day. Within minutes to just a few short hours you can be skiing in Tahoe, sightseeing in San Francisco, enjoying the day at the beach, or wine tasting at an assortment of wineries. Not to mention the abundance of activities anywhere in between.

Through the next several weeks I will be covering different aspects to life in Sonoma County; events, schools, activities, people, economics, and any others that people may request. I will also cover cities....one by one.

Being a Realtor in this wonderful community means that I am blessed to introduce prospective residents to the area, as well as, helping long time residents perhaps see new light and joy that they may have missed. I compare Sonoma County to Disneyland when talking with people in this way: Everytime I go to Disneyland I see something that I had missed on all my other visits, the same can be true within Sonoma County. There is so much to see and do that it is highly possible that you missed it, even though you had driven passed it a million times.

Thank you for taking the time to read this brief introduction to life north of the Golden Gate and I look forward to any comments, request, or input that you may have along this journey. As always if I miss anything please feel free to comment on it, I have lived in this beautiful area for 20 years and am sure that there are things I have not stumbled upon as of yet, but I am constantly searching in order to give my clients the best information possible.

Happy Real Estate,

Audra Sacco, Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

707-206-4563

audrasacco@kw.com