Gabe Sanders, Stuart Florida Real Estate

The American dream of home ownership is still attainable. In fact, it could be more attainable now than in many years in the past.

According to the National Association of Realtors' housing affordability index, homes are more affordable now than at any time since the group started the index in 1970.

The affordability index is a measure of the relationship between home prices, mortgage interest rates and family income.

There is a large inventory to choose from, including beautiful homes for sale at bargain prices, foreclosed homes that could be purchased for a fraction of their value, and new homes that are competitively priced. With more choices, buyers could get what they want at a price they can afford.

New home builders are even getting into the act with more aggressive pricing. Some advisors recommend looking at completed new homes first. Builders want to clear their inventory of newly built homes.

Mortgage rates are historically low. It's not just the price of a home that reflects affordability, mortgage terms also affect the monthly payment.

If you act in November, you can still get an income tax credit of up to $8,000 if you haven't owned a home within the last three years. The offer may be extended by Congress.

Though many local banks and mortgage companies are asking a down payment of 10 percent and a high credit score, mortgage loans from FHA, the Veterans Administration and Fannie Mae require less.

FHA loans are available for a 3.5 percent down payment. They ask a credit score of only 620.

Fannie Mae will accept a 3 percent down payment, and the VA may require no down payment on loans up to $729,000.

All debt is not created equal, say authorities at bankrate.com. While consumers are urged to not to carry large credit card balances, a home mortgage is one of the best uses of credit.

Home buyers have negotiating power and the ability to get loans that will fill their needs and make their wishes of home ownership come true.

One of our premier golf course communities located on 728 pristine acres with magnificent landscaping featuring idyllic lakes and water views as well as natural wooded buffers. There are 771 residences in Mariner Sands with exclusive use of two championship golf courses. Designed by famed course architects Tom Fazio and Frank Duane. In addition to 36 holes of magnificent golf.

Mariner Sands also features a championship Tennis facility with 9 Har-Tru courts and pro shop. Yearly clinics as well as tournaments keep the Tennis players busy. Members have access to the adjacent large swimming pool and pool bar.

There's also a The 2,100 sq. ft. Fitness Center is available for use by all Mariner Sands members. It contains state-of-the-art equipment for cardiovascular development, strength and toning procedures for all muscle groups and flexibility improvement. Two on-site licensed personal trainers are available to assist members in developing specific individual programs.

For pet lovers, Mariner Sands boasts it's own ‘doggie park' for use by all residents.

Mariner Sands is one of the few golf communities in Florida that has it's own chapel. It has multi-denominational worship services and is host to art classes, a library and various cultural events. The chapel also facilitates some of the many charitable events and volunteer opportunities for the community. A Memorial Garden is available for interment to all Mariner Sands residents and their families.

Mariner Sands Homes for Sale

Whether buying or selling a home, the Offer To Purchase is the starting point for making the sale go through. If the sellers do not accept the offer outright, they may make a counter-offer, which the buyers may likewise accept, reject or counter again.

In the interest of speed and success, it's best to keep counter-offers to a minimum. If you are trying to sell with urgency (and who isn't?), weigh the buyers' offer against your need to move quickly. Perhaps the value of the concession is quite small against the profit you'll see upon a sale.

If you are asking $200,000 and receive an offer of $196,000, that's equivalent to just 2% less, which is like offering $.98 instead of $1. Similarly, buyers must also be realistic about the possible costs of "over negotiating" in today's rapidly changing economic atmosphere.

If you balk at the sellers' counter-offer now, and decide to walk away and begin your home search over again, you could be facing higher interest rates and/or rising home prices. Today, time literally is money, and the longer you postpone your purchase, the more it will likely cost you.

Before making (or accepting) an offer, discuss the offer and counter-offer process with your agent, so that you know what to expect and can be more prepared to see the deal to a successful close.

If you need information to help you solve a real estate puzzle, call us at (772) 323-6996, or visit us on the web at www.GabeSanders.com or www.TreasureCoastFLHomes.com. We'll be happy to share our knowledge with you at no cost or obligation, and if we aren't sure of our answer we'll direct you to the best Martin or Saint Lucie County resource. Our office is located at 2 N. Sewalls Point Rd. in Stuart, Florida (Sewall's Point); please ask for Gabe Sanders or Susan Maxwell.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the recession is mostly over, and the economy is on the way up. The stock market is at its high for the year, manufactur-ing is slowly ris-ing, and experts say the entire world is slowly but surely recov-ering from the recession.

But for indi-viduals, the di-lemma remains, is this the right time to buy a house, start a family, and build a life? Will there ever be a per-fect time? Is the clock ticking as you decide whether to have a baby, get a dog, or buy a house?

Advisors writing in INC. say that while you are building (or rebuilding) your nest egg, waiting for a promo-tion at work or building a small busi-ness, you are also composing a life. John Lennon had a point when he said "life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." It's up to you to decide when and how you are going to build your life.

If you put off having kids too long, you may not get as many as you want or any at all. If you put off home dinners and patio parties with you spouse, you won't be building won-derful memories. And if you put off exercise, and your health could be at risk. It's easier with your own equip-ment in your own home.

Those who already have children have to decide whether having an affordable home where they can grow up is a worthy goal. Most families think it is. With to-day's low inter-est rates and bargain prices on real estate, their invest-ment dollars go much farther than before.

While they are busy with other things, over time, their net worth will grow as the value of the home increases and their home equity grows

Those who own a business are often so busy planning their days that they have little opportunity to con-sider their personal lives or check the real estate market. Sometimes, how-ever, the time has come to make per-sonal decisions.

When it comes to owning or up-grading a home, shouldn't you ask yourself, "If not now, when?"