Frank Bailey, ABR, GRI

All the hoopla over the months have been the first time home buyers $8,000 tax credit. Yes, there have been some roadblocks and some criteria to follow, but have you made the effort, did the steps to take advantage of it as a "first time home buyer? If not, you may well be on your way of being too late to take advantage of a fantastic program.

Fear not, if you didn't, all is not lost, here's why. Even though you may have decided to become a home owner now, you are still at an advantage.... home prices are at an all time low (depending on the market and where you are) and interest rates are so good right now it's unbelievable, don't believe me, ask your parents and/or older relatives what were the rates when they were your age?

One of the "few" ways the real estate market mirrors the stock market is, you just never know when the bottom has hit, you can't predict the unpredictable. Do not wait for the bottom because, you will miss the bottom and see the up-rise before you realize it even happened.

Now is a great time to buy a home for you, and/or move up to a bigger, better home. If you look around, even in a buyer's market, the best homes, price right, are bought quick, and what are you left with..... you want a "carpet allowance, sold as is, paint allowance? I don't! Find that home, that's in great shape and make a "smart offer". Just think, act now and you can be hosting the family Thanksgiving or Christmas in your new home.

Just my 2 cents from your San Antonio REALTOR.

With the state of affairs and the markets, Topsy turvey attitude, now's a troubling but thought provoking time. You have to make the decision.....are my financing and state of affairs in place? Have I been "floating along" making minimum payments and just going with the flow? And now you find it's the time to buy, and sell actually!!

The stock market has made a many people realize that the "get rich" scheme can come to a halt too fast for anyone's liking. And now, your home's lost this "ghost" equity!!! What is going on?? (if you bought the home 2 years ago....)

The great thing about the housing market is, it always stabilizes after an exaggerated bubble. What's an exaggerated bubble? Well when the market climbs all things climb with it. Because, and thank God, the housing industry is not regulated by the stock market, when good times go with stocks, the housing market reciprocates from it. When the market takes a plunge....housing drops, but it doesn't die.

Interest rates drop, inventory grows and all that couldn't buy in the past can....... That's the way it works. You have to survive the downs, in order to benefit from the ups. If you listen to the news, no one has equity in their homes and can never sale! I beg to differ. www.fabailey.comfind out what your market is doing, here in Bexar and Guadalupe county, I bet you will be shocked, that we are bucking the news trend.

I've been watching and reading the news, there's talks to extend the tax credit. That's great news! However, remember, when they extended it the last time (late last year) the rules changed. At first you got $7,500 that you had to pay back over an amount of time, then the revision changed and they gave you, if you were a first time home buyer or haven't owned a home in three years, $8,000!!

Well...... what would be the change, if any, if they decided to extend the credit again? The banks are paying the money back from the stimulus package at a much faster pace than expected. The interest rates are holding steady. But, why take the chance and wait? If you are a first time home buyer, take the time now, and not wait for a hopeful extension that may or may not be approved. The gifted horse's mouth your looking in, take advantage of it, you just don't know what's around the corner.

Don't try and predict the bottom of the market, it will be and, have been on it's way up before you realize it.

Just my two cents from your San Antonio Realtor!

If you want to know if your market has stabilized, stop by www.fabailey.com and sign up!

Hello future home buyer, it's been a while since I've been on Activerain. I've been making future home buyers of your peers. Here's something I give to them during our initial meeting and thought I would share it.

Things you should do and be aware of when you're buying a home:

•- Your agent! nothing is more valuable when your shopping for your home than a great agent who is working on YOUR behalf

•- A Notebook! You should really jot down key detailed notes of each property you visit. This is crucial, if you visit more than 4 properties in one day they will all blend together

•- Mental measurements! When viewing a potential home, you should visualize how your furniture, or that cute little table you seen at Ashley furniture you've been wanting to buy is going to fit in your new home. TV's pool tables, jukebox etc....

•- An open mind! You never want to rule out a potential gem home for the sake of something that you feel is not really a deal breaker, (use your best judgment)

•- Pre-Approval! This is your best approach for your homebuying needs. Why get disappointed looking at the 300k home when you know you only want to spend 200k (be fair to yourself)

•- A list/criteria. Sort of blends into the open mind above; San Antonio has a vast and great opportunity for great purchase now homes. Your choices WILL be overwhelming; why not create a must have list and a I want list to give you a focused goal. Your want list can be something we'll find for you when you're ready for your move up home, in a few years.

•- Your best Texas hold'em face! If the buyer's are present, they don't need to know you FELL HEAD OVER HEALS for their homes, it'll make them feel you do anything to get the house, and kill any bargaining tools we may want to present.

These are things that I feel will aid us in finding you the dream home you want. As your buyers agent I owe you the duty to take care of you, and nothing is greater than handing you the keys to your new home!

•-

Ah, the news is the news and it will never change. The news is designed to tell you how and what things are happening in our good ole USA. Now I know you all hear about how the housing market is "rock bottom" with no signs of recovering, but guess what.... San Antonio's median prices rose! Imagine that!

Those that live here know, San Antonio is the big city with a small time feel, what that means is, things move steady, no spurts, no dramatic changes. And we love it! For sellers it means, the equity in your home is still there, provided you've lived in it for a while, for buyers it means, more house for your buck. Win, win situation for all.

The only thing you're missing is your Texas Realtor to provide you with the information you need to get you going! If you are looking to buy or sell, or invest, contact a Realtor, not just a real estate agent, but a Texas Realtor, you won't regret it.

I'm your retired veteran, your full time Realtor for all your real estate needs.