The Ford/Weber Team

If you're a first time home buyer in the Louisville area we'd love to have you stop by our First Time Home Buyer Seminar this Tuesday, 4/21/2009 from 6:00 - 8:00. We're having pizza and will be sharing lots of useful information including the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. Which, by the way, also applies to anyone who has not owned a home in the 3 years previous to the new purchase.

Paula Tobe, with Wells Fargo will also be available to prequalify you or give you tips on how to improve your score, if needed. It's possible to buy a home with as little as 3.5% down and interest rates are very low right now so why not come by and find out if this might not be the perfect time to buy!

We hope to see you Tuesday at the Forest Springs Club House, 3801 Rock Bay Drive, Louisville, KY 40245.

Debra Ford

I was fortunate enough to escape to Florida last month and realized even though I thought I understood what had happened to the real estate market there, I really didn't understand just how much the market had changed since I owned a home there in 2005.

I was in the Fort Myers area which evidently is one of the highest foreclosure areas in the country. It was difficult to find a condo that was for sale that wasn't a short sale or a foreclosure. Prices appeared to be about 1/2 of what they were 4 years ago and there were countless condo deals where the original pre-construction buyers had just walked away from their deposits and the fees they had paid for upgrades.

In many cases, it's not even possible to get a loan on a condo in that area. Especially if they're not 51% built-out. This has had far-reaching effects on the economy in that area. The construction industry was major and it's clearly suffering.

I really hope the new stimulus package ends up with more incentives to boost the housing industry.

Debra Ford

If you're a buyer and you've been thinking about the possibility of buying a home, now is the time! Interest rates are at a historical low, and there are fewer buyers actively looking for a home this time of the year. When a seller is fortunate enough to receive an offer, they are very reluctant to let it slip away.

So with an abundance of inventory to choose from, very motivated sellers and fantastic financing opportunties, why wait? And don't forget if you're a first-time buyer or haven't owned a home in the past three years, the $7,500 first-time home buyer's tax credit is even more reason to move into your own home!

Debra Ford

I was showing properties to some clients last week and most of the homes were decorated for Christmas. A couple of the places we looked at were so "decorated" that you could hardly walk through the house.

As a former Home Stager, I think Sellers need to remember not to overdue it with the decorations. It's very easy to create a cluttered feeling that makes the space look much smaller. In smaller spaces, garland on the railings especially can create a closed in feeling. Also, be sure to look at your outside decorations. Sometimes things that look nice after dark, don't look so great in the light of day and you don't want to do anything to diminish your curb appeal!

Wow, Debra and I were hoping for about 3-5 people at our seminar for new home buyers for apartment dwellers and we ended up with 7 . And of those 7, 2 couples are wanting to start actively working now to find new homes. Now the fun begins finding and showing the homes, I love this job.