Even though the home buyer tax credit expired on April 30 and won't be renewed, there may never be a better time to buy a home than today, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Many outstanding opportunities still exist for home buyers, but they may not be around forever.
"The home buyer tax credit was just one of many factors motivating Americans to buy homes," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "But buyers can still take advantage of today's low interest rates and competitive prices to get a home they may not have been able to purchase just a few years ago."
Besides mortgage interest rates that have been hovering at near-record lows, homes in many markets have become more affordable. Prices have moderated from the highs of the housing boom that occurred in most of the country, especially in major markets where they had increased significantly.
Today's new homes are also built to be much more energy efficient than homes constructed a generation ago, making them more affordable to operate. New homes are designed to support modern lifestyles with open floorplans, flexible spaces, improved safety features, and low-maintenance materials.
Consumers who are thinking about buying a home should not count on interest rates or prices staying at current levels, however. Mortgage rates are sensitive to market conditions, and even a slight increase can push monthly payments beyond a family's budget. As the country recovers from the recession and people stabilize their financial situations, NAHB economists expect that home prices will begin to increase by 2011.
NAHB's home buyer brochure "Opportunity Knocks for Home Buyers" describes many of the opportunities in today's market, as well as the long-term financial benefits of homeownership. It provides examples of how interest rates affect monthly mortgage payments and the typical federal tax savings over the first five years of homeownership. The brochure can be downloaded from NAHB's web site at: www.nahb.org/homebuyerbrochure.
The home buyer tax credit is still available for eligible home buyers who had a signed sales contract by the April 30 deadline and who close by June 30, 2010, as well as for qualified members of the military, foreign service and intelligence communities, who have until April 30, 2011, to sign a contract.
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As your First Time Home Buyer, LOCAL Real Estate Specialist, I believe in the very best quality of service is what you can expect from me.
Thank You to the 52 Families That Allowed Me To Continue To Do What I love in 2010!
You want to either sell or buy a new home, but you are unsure of what realtor to go with in the process. Understanding the role of a realtor and how they relate to you if you're a seller or buyer is extremely important. Overall, the experience of either buying or selling a home should be one that is pleasant for both the seller and buyer. Selling and buying is a serious decision that can affect your financial and emotional well being for years to come - consequences of how informed you are will be long lasting, many years after you have walked away from the bargaining table.
I believe in using my experience in finance, contracts, marketing, and negotiating to your best advantage. I love helping people and I love real estate. I'm grateful because I have the pleasure of helping family's find the house they will make their home and most importantly helping with one of their biggest financial investments.
I have lived in Woodbridge Township for over 20 years and also have attended the schools here locally. I pride myself in giving personalized service. My philosophy is to give customers and clients honesty and fairness.
AWARDS & PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS
* FIVE STAR Real Estate Award 2011, Representing less than 2% of licensed agents in NJ
http://www.fivestarprofessional.com/fiveStarAssets/pdfs/GenericResearchRE.pdf
* NJ Monthly Magazine, Featured Top Realtor in NJ (February 2011)
The Best of Jersey! Top Doctors, Top High Schools, Best Restaurants & More!
* NJAR- Circle of Excellence 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
The NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award® recognizes those members who have demonstrated excellence in the field of salesmanship. Originally called the NJAR® Million Dollar Sales Club, the Award program was restructured and renamed in 2002 as the NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award®. In addition to earning units for sales/ listings volume, members can also earn units for involvement in the industry and association.
The 2011 NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award® level requirements are as follows:
Bronze: $3 Million and 15 Units Minimum or 30 Units
Silver: $7.5 Million and 20 Units Minimum or 70 Units
Gold: $15 Million and 25 Units Minimum or 90 Units
Platinum: $25 Million and 30 Units Minimum or 125 Units
* Commercial Land and Property
* Residential Property Sales
* Retirement Communities
* Condo/ Townhomes
*2006-Present/ National Association ofRealtors(NAR) *2006- Present/ NJ Association of Realtors (NJAR)
*2006-Present/ Middlesex County Association of Realtors (MCAR)
*2006- Present/ RELO & LeadingRE
*Member of 4 Multiple Listing Boards
Experience:
¨ Full Time Real Estate Professional with dedicated support staff
Professional:
¨ Dedicated to the utmost of superior quality in service & marketing residential properties.
¨ Assured confidentiality and integrity in personal management of clientele.
¨ Continued consultant/management advice for long-term client relationships.
¨ "7 days a week" Accessibility to clientele.
¨ In today's ever changing real estate market, you can count on me.
Personal:
¨ Exemplary presentations, marketing, negotiation, closing and follow-up skills.
¨ Driven sales producer continually seeking opportunities to get the word out
¨ Expert in online marketing and advertising
¨ Excellent Negotiator
TESTIMONIALS
Just-in case you need more proof, take a look at what some of my clients have to say:
"Katie, because of your help, I can finally live out my dream to live out my years in sunny, Las Vegas...I think of you as not only my Realtor, but as a friend. I feel that you went above and beyond to help me sell my home and as bad as the market is today ,you did not give up and I can't thank you enough for that. To say thank you is not enough. Love, Debbie Nazaro
“Katie was my realtor in the sale of my home. She took the time to understand my wants and needs and became my advocate, limiting the stress associated with selling a home. She is caring and dedicated, and made me feel as if I was her only client. I would definitely recommend Katie as well as utilize her services in the future.” Christine Sharpe
"I want you to know how much I really appreciate your efforts and to tell you that after going through 2 other real estate agents before you, it was indeed a pleasure. You can be sure that I will recommend you to anyone I know that needs real estate advice or help in ANY way!" Mariann Robert
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Despite the natural inclination to turn on more lights and keep them on longer, which can send homeowners' energy bills through the roof, with a few simple lighting changes people can still have the brightness of spring and summer without having to pay for it. Here are some tips to keep your winter days glowing without your energy costs growing:
Additional information on energy savings for light bulbs and fixtures can be accessed at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=lighting.pr_lighting.
Fire deaths are highest in winter months, which call for more indoor activities and increase in lighting, heating and appliance use. Additional information on electrical fire safety can be found at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/safety/tips/electrical.shtm.
Take Care,
-Katie
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IS IT THE RIGHT TIME TO INVEST?
We as Realtors have been saying it's a great time to buy. If you read the paper or watch the TV news you may have a hard time believing that. If you believe the media you would think that every home owner in America is in danger of losing their home, they can't make the payments, and owe lots more than it is worth.The truth is that the vast majority of homeowners in this country are NOT in foreclosure and are NOT about to lose their home! Of course this is not newsworthy. It's the bad news that sells papers. I am not condemning the media, I realize thats the way it is.
So why do I say it's a good time to buy? If you bought your home several years ago you probably have equity. If you are thinking about moving up to something bigger or better or a better neighborhood you will be able to afford something much better than you could last year. Prices have come down , of course you know that. So what would have cost you $400,000 a couple years ago might now be around $300,000.
Interest rates are LOW. Lenders are still lending money , you just have to jump through a few more hoops to get it. Two years ago anyone that could fog a mirror could get a loan. Now you have to actually prove how much you make, what your debt is, etc. You might actually have to have some money down (Thats called a down payment for those of you that don't remember those days) All that is a good thing.
I know some people are waiting for the "market to hit bottom". The question I have for those people is, how will you know when the market has hit bottom? The surest way I know of being able to tell when the market has hit bottom is when the prices have started going back up.
There are also lots of bank owned homes on the market. I am seeing the banks staring to get aggressive on their prices. In my experience they will deal with buyers by either accepting lower prices and/or helping with closing costs. Keep in mind that the banks do not make money by being home owners. It just costs them money. The real estate that they own is money that they can not lend to someone else. After all that is how they make their money. So they are much better off by selling that home and then lending that money to someone else. It's a great time to own a home. Even with the market dipping, as long as you plan to be in the home for a few years, a short-term dip probably won't impact you at all. You do get all the benefits of home ownership including the tax benefits and homeownership is a safe, secure way to build long-term wealth. The national median price of homes bought ten years ago has increased 88 percent. The number of US households is expected to increase 15 percent during the next decade, creating a continued high demand for housing.
Invest Now Before The Market Turns...ASK ME HOW & NOW!
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