Rolando Trentini

Take a close, hard look at the new $6,500 federal tax credit for "move up" home buyers that passed the Senate and House last week. Though it's been getting second billing to the original $8,000 credit for first-time purchasers -- now extended by Congress through June 30 -- the $6,500 credit for current homeowners just might have your name on it.

How does it work? When will it be available?

First things first: The new credit is available now. It took effect Nov. 6, the day President Obama signed the legislation. This means that if you fit the key criteria -- you've owned and resided in your current home for a consecutive five out of the past eight years, and your adjusted household income doesn't exceed $125,000 if you file taxes singly, $225,000 if you are married filing jointly -- you can claim the credit as soon as you close on a qualifying home.

That could be next week, next month or next spring. There is no actual move-up requirement in the new credit. In fact, homeowners who plan to downsize may prove to be significant users of the credit, along with people who are relocating because of employment changes.

If you fit the criteria and are considering buying another home sometime in the coming year, you might want to speed up the process and sign a contract by April 30 and close by the June 30 expiration date. Think of it this way: If the government is willing to give you $6,500 to act a little faster than you had originally planned, hey, why not?

Some other key features of the $6,500 credit:

-- Whatever you intend to purchase, the home cannot cost more than $800,000.

-- The replacement home must become your main residence. There is no requirement in the legislation that you sell your current home. You could rent it out, turn it into a second home or list it for sale later in 2010 when prices might be higher. If you plan to retain it, however, make sure you move into the new house on the day you close so that there is no question it was your principal residence at that time.

-- Like the first-time-buyer credit, the $6,500 version permits a broad range of dwelling types for your purchase. These include newly constructed or existing single-family homes, condominiums, manufactured or mobile homes, and boats that function as your principal residence. You cannot claim the credit if you are buying a second home or an investment property.

-- The Internal Revenue Service is required by Congress to scrutinize claims -- both the $6,500 and the $8,000 variety -- far more closely in the coming months than it did earlier this year. This is because federal investigators have documented significant instances of fraud -- supposed home buyers who were actually minors as young as 4 and fabricated sales. Investigators also found numerous cases of technical violations, such as purchase transactions among immediate family members, which are prohibited.

The revised rules require taxpayers to submit copies of their settlement statements (HUD-1 forms), along with their requests for credits using IRS Form 5405. Congress's new rules also prohibit minors and those who are dependents on another taxpayer's filings from claiming the credit.

-- Home buyers who go to closing between Nov. 6 and Dec. 31 can claim the $6,500 credit on their 2009 federal tax returns or amend their 2008 returns. Similarly, eligible purchasers in 2010 will be able to file for the credit on their 2009 or 2010 returns.

Talk to your tax adviser regarding timing, which may be affected by your household income applicable to a given year.

If you aren't sure whether you can make the deadlines established for the new credit -- a binding contract by April 30 and a settlement by June 30 -- do not assume that Congress will provide another extension. All the political and budgetary signs point the other way, and some of the primary authors of the credit insist that this is it -- no more extensions next year. Take them at their word.

For an excellent consumer resource with frequently asked questions on both the credits, go to http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com, which is sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/12/AR2009111211347.html

Great news to report this month both nationally and locally. The home buyer's tax credit has been extended and expanded. The $8,000 first time credit is extended. In addition to the first time buyer's credit there is a new $6,500 credit for buyers who have lived in their current residence for five of the past eight years. Both credits apply to transactions under contract by April 30^th as long as the transaction closes by June 30^th 2010, and neither credit will be extended again. As always consult your tax advisor for specifics as it relates to your situation.

Locally the dollar amount of closed transactions in October was 11.5% higher than last October. In addition the average days on market in October were under 100 days for only the second time this year (OK it was only 98 days but under 100 is under 100). The best news however is the supply of listed homes on the market. We now have 7.7 months supply of homes for sale. This is the second lowest figure in over two years and is a clear indication that market conditions have improved. Our market is not booming but it is stable and has improved significantly over the past year.

Although no one knows exactly how much impact these tax credits will have on our local market, they will definitely create some new buyers. Given that contracts must be signed no later than April 30^th, buyers and sellers should take action quickly to take advantage of this valuable opportunity. Buyers on average start looking at homes about 12 weeks before they sign a contract. If you are considering selling your home it is not too soon to have it on the market. Real estate in our area is somewhat seasonal but last winter, in the slowest market in decades we still sold over 1,000 homes from November through February. While having prospective buyers in your house during the holidays can be an inconvenience, it is a small price to pay if the result is a successful sale and a new home in 2010.

Best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving holiday.

The Federal Reserve's "Beige Book" report, released Wednesday, points to housing as a bright spot in the economic landscape and applauds banks that lent to first-time homebuyers.

It calls commercial real estate a consistently weak sector, weighed down by business closures and the difficulty in refinancing.

In a separate report Wednesday, the U.S. Labor Department said the number of jobs fell in 43 states and the District of Columbia, with the unemployment rate rising in 23 states.

Industries with the strongest economic gains were residential real estate and manufacturing.

Source: Washington Post, Neil Irwin (10/22/2009) http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2009102201?OpenDocument

A free Multi-Cultural Festival will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. along Main Street between Riverside Drive and Second Street.

The festival will include about a dozen booths offering international food, handmade crafts from different countries, entertainment, children's crafts and a general introduction to life around the world.

Latino, Indian, Greek, Italian, Asian and Scottish cultures will be among those represented.

The entertainment includes Egyptian belly dancers, local bagpipers, the Boom Squad drummers, Latin American performer Daniela Vidal and an international folk-dancing troupe.

This is the first year the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville and Downtown Rotary Club are joining forces on the event. Radio station WIKY-FM104.1 also is a sponsor.

Singer Gina Moore will open the event with "God Bless America."

Source: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/oct/21/multi-cultural-festival-will-trip-around-world/

Most economists and Ben Bernanke believe that the recession is over. In addition, the "pending sales index" has increased for seven consecutive months, the first time that has occurred since the index was started in 2001. Although both of these pieces of information sound great, and they are good, we should look beyond headlines to see what is really happening in the Evansville area. We have seen a Toyota expansion, we are losing some Whirlpool jobs and we are adding some Berry Plastics jobs. Currently national unemployment is almost 10% while the Evansville area is less at 8.6%. Although the economy is improving no one we know is forecasting rapid economic growth.

Local housing sales continue at a very steady rate. Over the past four months our local MLS has sold 1585 homes compared to 1600 over the same period last year. Month to month sales have been virtually unchanged since May. The supply of homes on the market in our area has also stayed very steady. Although we can not say that sales are brisk, we can say that in some locations and price ranges the supply of homes is limited. If you are curious about the housing market in a specific location or price range give us a call and we can help you with that information.

From our friends in the financial services industry we have the following to report: But for mildly weak 3-month and 30-year Treasury auctions last week, it was a strong week for the credit markets and even stronger for the real estate market. The reported quantity of mortgage applications for the week prior showed a 16.4% rise overall, with strong jumps for both the purchase money and the refinancing mortgages. The Freddie Mac weekly loan average rate fell to 4.87%. And the average of all mortgage rates (including jumbos, whose rates are declining while applications rise) ended the week at 5.27%.

A little over a year ago my company, F. C. Tucker Emge Realtors launched a completely redesigned website designed specifically to help make the home buying process easy. At the same time we started spending less money on print advertising and spent more resources enhancing and promoting our website. This decision was one of the best decisions we ever made. We are now selling more real estate than our next two competitors combined and more and more buyers are finding their new home at www.FCTuckerEmge.com If you haven't visited the site please do. We think you will like what you see.