Alison Porter The Porter Team

I ask in all seriousness: What would make for an awesome real estate website? I understand that www.MyPorterHouse.com is not going to compete with Realtor.com or Zillow. And, I'm not trying to out do other area agents. I just want to know what you, the public, want when you come to a website about real estate.

I've done so many different things with my website and it feels like I am continuously editing and revamping the site. Of course there are new ways go find out what keywords are hot and how to do better search engine optimization, but I do not have a website for google's benefit. Google is not going to surf around a look at Gilbert area homes for sale or East Valley real estate. Google doesn't care what is my Mesa home worth or how credit affects your loan rate. And I have a feeling that you, public, do not care about my recipes or if my webiste is fun for your kids as well. Now I know that last bit wasn't google's idea of good SEO, but some real estate site designers seem to think that these are good ideas. Maybe I'm wrong!? You tell me!

Today I booted up my computer intending to do more blogging just to get the correct keywords into a post and I thought - uuuuuuuuuugh. There has got to be a better way to get consumers to my site. Then I realized that there might be, but nothing is as cheap and effective as a good blog and good content.

But what's the use of driving traffic to your website if it doesn't have the content the people want??

So what do people want? More specificallly, what do people in Gilbert, Mesa, Queen Creek, Tempe, Chandler and the rest of the Valley want?

I've heard: What's My Home Worth?

What's Going on in the Market?

and Where Can I Find a Home?

So my website addresses these key questions. I have four very large buttons.

MAP BASED HOME SEARCH. SEARCH HOMES FOR SALE.

WHAT'S MY HOME WORTH. and REQUEST MARKET REPORT.

Now what else do people want? I've considered including info on credit and identity theft because I have come across quite a few clients who have had concerns in these areas. But I don't think that I am supposed to be an expert in these areas, though I know it doesn't hurt to be knowledgable on such topics. I may actually have links to the tax lien sales in Maricopa County but I doubt that many people, if any people, know that this link exists.

I have information on short sales and documentation needed to complete a short sale packet. If I had finished optimizing this area of my site there might be visitors there, but after listing a handful of short sales, my time was required elsewhere and I never got back to that project. (Note to self: finish that)

I've been with a new company for the past 3 months and that has had a big influence on what is top on my To Do list today. Solutions Real Estate is a quickly growing company and for good reason. Managing owners Dave Dion and Brent Conley are active agents and extremely helpful mentors. Brent, who has an active REO career, is more than willing to share his REO listing agent success secrets and his time with fellow Solutions agents. Dave, whose early use of the internet to gain buyer and seller leads has landed him in the position to be company co-owner, carves out time everyday to work with company agents on their web presence. When he isn't meeting with current agents and inverviewing prospective agents, Dave is working on a web video traning series that is offered to Solutions agents. Broadcasts range from motivation and inspiration to instruction.

But I digress....

Now you have enough information to understand my dilema... Where to start? There is so much to do and so little time not spent with clients or on client related activities. So tell me, what do you want to see on your real estate agent's website?

Gilbert homes haven't been more affordable in five years!

The photo may be difficult to see, but this is a screen shot from our team website www.MyPorterHouse.com. This specific link to all of the MLS listings that Gilbert has to offer can be viewed directly at www.GilbertProperties.info or can be reached by navigating through the Gilbert link at the bottom of our main page.

Newer homes in Gilbert have finally fallen below the $125,000 mark.

While lower priced listings are moving in record time and typically for more than list price, the higher dollar homes have less competition and have come down even further in most cases. (There are still some traditional sale listings that refuse to bend to the will of the market.)

The Moratorium on Foreclosures
that gave the local Phoenix market an artificial boost by limiting supply has been lifted. Despite the best laid plans of the Obama administration there has been no significant improvement in the number of US households going into foreclosure.

According to RealtyTRAC, Foreclosure filings were reported on 341,180 properties in March of 2009. The March and Q1 2009 totals were the highest monthly and quarterly totals since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in January 2005 despite a decrease in bank repossessions (REOs). Foreclosure filings were reported on 803,489 properties in the first quarter, an increase of 23 percent from Q1 2008.

Five states account for nearly 60 percent of nation's first quarter total
California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Illinois accounted for nearly 60 percent of the nation's foreclosure activity in the first quarter, with 479,516 properties receiving foreclosure filings in the five states combined. Foreclosure filings were reported on 49,119 Arizona properties, the third highest total among the states and second highest rate rank.

Why is all of this Old information News?
Because once a Notice of Trustee's Sale is issued there is (at least) a 90 day period before the sale takes place. If the property is not purchased at the Trustee's Sale it goes to the bank, then to an asset manager, and finally onto the MLS as a new REO listing. That means that March's filings will be July's listings.

To the first time buyer, move-up buyer or investor this means more selection
in the month(s) to come. If you are currently looking, but find the dizzying pace that good buys are being snatched up just a little too intimidating or frustrating things should be slowing down to a more comfortable pace. Anyone who has taken economics knows about supply and demand. In this case we could be talking about days on market as well as sale price: more supply means better odds for you buyers.

Looking beyond July, statistics support more of the same.
ReatyTRAC: "May foreclosure activity was the third highest month on record, and marked the third straight month where the total number of properties with foreclosure filings exceeded 300,000 - a first in the history of our report," said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. "While defaults and scheduled foreclosure auctions were both down from the previous month, bank repossessions, or REOs, were up 2 percent thanks largely to substantial increases in several states, including Michigan, Arizona, Washington, Nevada, Oregon and New York. We expect REO activity to spike in the coming months as foreclosure delays and moratoria implemented by various state laws come to an end."

In hopes to get the housing market off of its knees the 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit offers anyone who has not owned a home within the last 3 years the opportunity to receive 10% of the home purchase price, upto $8,000 as a tax credit toward their income tax refund.

The Greensboro Builders Association offers the follow fact sheet that quickly and concisely covers the important facts:

2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Fact Sheet

• The $8,000 tax credit is available for first-time home buyers only.

• The law defines "first-time home buyer" as a buyer who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.

• All U.S. citizens who file taxes are eligible to participate in the program.

Payback Provisions

• The tax credit is a true credit. It does not have to be repaid.

• The only repayment requirement is if the home owner sold the home within three years after the purchase.

Income Limits

• Home buyers who file as single or head-of-household taxpayers can claim the full $8,000 credit if their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is less than $75,000.

• For married couples filing a joint return, the income limit doubles to $150,000.

• Single or head-of-household taxpayers who earn between $75,000 and $95,000 are eligible to receive a partial first-time home buyer tax credit.

• Married couples who earn between $150,000 and $170,000 are eligible to receive a partial first-time home buyer tax credit.

• The credit is not available for single taxpayers whose MAGI is greater than $95,000 and married couples with a MAGI that exceeds $170,000.

Effective Dates for the Tax Credit

• First-time home buyers would receive an $8,000 tax credit for the purchase of any home on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. To qualify, you must actually close on the sale of the home during this period.

Tax Credit is Refundable

• A refundable credit means that if you pay less than $8,000 in federal income taxes, then the government will write you a check for the difference.

• For example, if you owe $5,000 in federal income taxes, you would pay nothing to the IRS and receive a $3,000 payment from the government.

• If you are due to receive a $1,000 tax refund from the government, your refund would grow to $9,000 ($1,000 plus $8,000 from the home buyer tax credit).

• Buyers can take the tax credit on their 2008 or 2009 income tax return.

Types of Homes that Qualify for the Tax Credit

• All homes, whether single-family, townhomes or condominium apartments will qualify, provided that the home will be used as a principal residence and the buyer has not owned a principal residence in the prior three years. This also includes newly-constructed homes.

According to a report in FoxNews, the credit can be claimed on a home buyer's 2008 or 2009 tax return. Tax returns for 2008 are due by April 15, but most taxpayers can get automatic extensions to Oct. 15 without citing a reason. (You must pay any estimated tax liability at the time the extension is filed.) Filing an amended 2008 return after you buy would also be an option for getting the credit sooner.

To claim the credit on your 2008 tax return, Form 5405 must be completed. It can be found on IRS.gov. Visit IRS.gov's first-time home buyer page.

I've already been fielding questions about how the Stimulus package is actually going to help. This is one way, but not everyone qualifies. Those who do qualify are eager to know if they can use the credit as a down payment. While Congress did attempt to to make funds availalbe for closing costs it was ultimately decided that the IRS should be kept out of the purchase and settlement phase of a home buying transaction.

What can be done to help home buyers come up with a downpayment? According to the National Association of Realtors, "Any first-time homebuyers who believe they are eligible for all or part of the credit can modify their income tax withholding (through their employers) or adjust their quarterly estimated tax payments. Individuals subject to income tax withholding would get an IRS Form W-4 from their employer, follow the instructions on the schedules provided and give the completed Form W-4 back to the employer. In many cases their withholding would decrease and their take-home pay would increase. Those who make estimated tax payments would make similar adjustments."