David Monsour

We've beaten this First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit more often than the proverbial horse. Something along the lines of "Hey don't miss it again!" or "Hurray, It's been extended." Wait...Is this another male enhancement ad?

The honest truth is the first time buyers out there realize there is money on the table. They cautiously ask..."so what about this tax credit?" The educated Realtor explains how it works and the constraints.

Today I got to thinking that very few EXISTING HOME OWNERS realize that there is money on the table for them as well. There are 6500.00 reasons to trade up or downsize now vs. in the future.

Reasons to do it now include:

The Tax Credit of 6500.00 if you've lived in your house for 5 of the last 8 years.

Interest Rates that are very competitive, with no where to go but up.

The tax credit is only available Until April 30th for a contract and July 1 for settlement. This means you need to sell your house and find another one to buy in about 5 months. Average days on market locally hover around 100 for most listings. That doesn't leave much time for procrastination.

If you're a Gettysburg resident or in the surrounding area, lets get your home on the market so that you can trade up or downsize and take advantage of the 6500.00 that the government has laid out there for you.

Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns. I would also like to say that I can't guarantee a sale in any certain number of days. I am simply suggesting that to give yourself the best opportunity acting now is ideal.

Courtesy of www.Gettysburgmuseum.com I grabbed the quick history of the Remembrance Day Parade. The 2009 parade will be held November 21, 2009 at 1pm.

So what are we remembering? Here is the blurb from the website. "In 1956, when the last surviving soldier passed away, Albert Woolson, a monument was dedicated at Gettysburg to the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic. The dedication included a parade and ceremony. The event has taken place every year since the original dedication and is now known as "Remembrance Day"."

This weekend every year brings large crowds of people, history buffs, reenactors, and the like to Gettysburg to celebrate this event. Local bars with history or bars that have developed a historic following due to their location are packed with fully dressed soldiers. The bars occasionally get separated into north vs south conversations. The yankees and confederates debate strategic moves while formulating other plans or moves that should have been taken by the generals.

Places like The Cashtown Inn, The Dobbin house, The Farnsworth House, and Ororke's tend to be the big hang outs for the soldiers and history buffs. It's also fairly likely that there will be period correct bands playing music from the civil war era.

If you're looking for one last weekend to come to town and see some activity this is probably one of the best weekends of the year, but expect the town to be busy and the restaurants full.

A bit more info here

Rayac (Realtors Association of York and Adams Counties) just released the sales statistics from Jan 1st, 2009 Until the end of October.

As you can see Gettysburg and Upper Adams showed increase in median sale price. Gettysburg showed a small increase in activity while Upper Adams decreased. I haven't been following the monthly data all year so I don't want to make any predictions or forecasts based on the figures here, but it's a good sign. If you have any specific questions feel free to contact me at david.monsour@gmail.com or call (number listed below)

The end of the tax credit was slated for the end of November, but has been extended. I'm sure any Realtor could tell you that the majority of the buyers waited until the last minute. Perhaps it was just a late decision, but people procrastinate. The longer you wait the less choices for homes you will have. You also ruin your negotiating standpoint if you are down to the wire. Most sellers realize that buyers are looking to get the tax credit, and if time is short they know that you are more likely to take a less than ideal contract.

Also you run the risk of not settling in time to get the tax credit. Remember the deadline for a contract is April 30th. Settlement must be before July 1st. There is no guarantee that the deal will get from contract to settlement in 30 days. Most lenders suggest atleast 45 days. New legislation for lenders has really made the process longer.

My fellow Realtors and I realize that the holidays are upon us, but that typically means a few extra days off. We like our vacation time as well, but I'm willing to bet your Realtor is willing to work a day or two during vacation to help you find a home. I don't suggest asking to see homes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, or New Years, but there are plenty of times in between that could work.

Again, I'm urging you to jump off the fence now. Don't wait for the last minute.

The tax credit will be slightly expanded for its original format to include buyers who have owned their current residence for at least 5 years. These buyers would be given a reduced amount of $6500.00.

The First time home buyer portion of the credit has been extended. The Buyer must be under contract to purchase by the end of April 2010. The home must settle by July 1st, 2010. This gives a few of your who just missed about a few months to get off the fence and make a purchase. The amount remains the same at $8000.00.

Eligibility remains the same for First time buyers.

TAX CREDIT ELIGIBILITY

1.) Amount of Credit - You will be credited the lesser of 10% of the cost of the home or $8000.00 dollars. If you buy a house that costs 70,000 your credit will be 7000 for example.

2.) Eligible Property - Any single family residence (including condos, co-ops, townhouses) that will be used as a principal residence

3.) Refundable -Yes. Reduces or can Eliminate income tax liability for the year of the purchase. Any unused amount of tax credit is refunded to the purchaser.

4.) Income Limit - Income limit has increased to 125,000 for a single return and 225,000 for a joint return.

5.) First time Home-buyer Only - Yes. Purchaser (and purchasers spouse) may not have owned a principal residence in 3 years previous to purchase.

6.) Repayment - No repayment for purchases on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1st, 2009.

7.) Recapture - If home is sold within three years of purchase, entire amount of credit is recaptured on sale. Applies only to homes purchased in 2009.

8.) Termination - End of April 2010 to be under contract, must settle by July 1st, 2010.

Some officials are saying this is the last time they are going to extend the credit. I think that might be up for debate depending on the condition of the housing market come next summer, but at this point It would be fairly safe to figure this as your last opportunity at the 8000.00 or 6500.00.