The First Time Home Buyer Tax credit was scheduled to end December 1st of this year. However, due to the success of the program, and it's positive effect on the economy, the Government has voted to extend the program and make more Free Money available.
What does this mean for you?
First time home buyers, who weren't able to get a home this year, still have a few months to get up to $8,000 to assist with the purchase of their home. The income limit has been increased making the credit available to some home buyers who may not have qualified for the previous grant. Perhaps the biggest improvement of this program is extending the credit to all home buyers! Home owners who have been living in their home for 5 consecutive years also qualify for Free Grant Money.
Click Here to see a summary of the new grant progam.
What have we learned from the first credit?
Last month there was a frenzy of people trying to purchase the homes that could close quickly. Because of the sudden increase in demand some sellers were able to demand higher prices for their home. Some of our buyers were becoming frustrated because all the affordable homes had multiple offers on them within a day of being listed! Buyers also avoided Short Sales because they wouldn't be able to close in time to take advantage of the credit. For you to take advantage of this credit it is important to act soon! The demand will be lower so you can find the great deals, and there will be enough time to consider Short Sales. Short Sales still take a long time so you must act NOW if you are interested in getting the credit on a short sale.
This is a great opportunity for both First Time Home Buyers to get into a home and Home Owners to sell their current property and find a more suitable home.
There are still additional programs out there offering more money that can be added to the goverment's credit. Fill out this Free Non-Obligation Form to find out how much money you can qualify for.
It baffles me, online sites are charging for foreclosure info!
Recently I had an article come across my desk about someone who had paid a fee to sign up for foreclosure info. I couldn't believe it! I get foreclosure information for free. Not only do I get it for free but I give it to my clients for free.
In the past I have had people who purchased this information from these type of sites bring me the information they paid for. When they gave it to me I was amazed with how much of the info was incorrect.
Here is the complete article I came across. The article talks about how some people use deceptive online practices to trick buyers into paying monthly fees.
Utah's local Economist, who has been proven accurate in past statements, speaks about today's economy. The past couple of years I have been following Kelly Matthew's market predictions. As a testament to his knowledge of local market fluctuations, Wells Fargo has been able to weather the economic storm better than most other financial institutions by using his predictions. 2 years ago, Kelly said prices for Utah's housing would have to come down. In January of last year he said it looked like the inevitable was happenening and predicted that 2009 would be a bottom. Recently Kelly Matthews spoke with another Wells Fargo Investment Strategist about the current market. You can find the full article here on KSL.com
What did they say?
It looks like we've hit a housing bottom and it also looks like there is a prime recipe for economic recovery. It truly is amazing that right now there are almost 2,000 homes 'pending' to be sold in Salt Lake County. This is the highest amount of homes pending I have seen in the past 2 years. Historically the 4th quarter is one of the slowest quarters of the year. It is truly a phenomenon when the 4th quarter could be the biggest quarter of the year. Utah County has already had almost 10% more homes sales this year than the year before. Salt Lake County looks like it might be the same or even slightly better than last year. New home construction is up 30% from last year as well. Things are looking good!
What is next?
If supply stays the same, and if demand truly has picked up, prices are the next thing to move up. That is Ceteris Paribus of course (the term for 'all other things remaining constant'). The only forseeable variables right now are the option arm's coming due and if the loan mods stick. If the loan mods start falling through than we could continue to see good deals next year. We will also see low prices next year if option arms start to be foreclosed on. Either way, we are currently seeing the good deals go fast and sell for more because of the increased demand. There are still some areas that are slower than others and some areas that are stronger than others, but the overall nature of the market is increasing. You can evaluate how specific areas are doing by looking at our statistics here: Utah Area Statistics .
Here's to 2009!!
Even with the Nation Stabilizing Some Cities Demonstrate Above Average Growth
There are signs of real-estate market growth all over the nation. In most cities these signs of recovery are small, but the signs in some cities are significantly greater. One of the major indicators of a growing market is the number of building permits that have been procured. Business Week Identifies "America's Strongest Building Markets." The top three cities in the United States have actually seen more building permits this year than last year. Why are these cities starting to re-grow faster than others in the nation?
The city with the greatest increase in the nation is Lake Charles, Louisiana. There has been a 122% INCREASE in building permits from last year! What is the secret to their growth? The destruction of Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Rita. With the destruction from the 2005 and 2008 hurricanes, their efforts to rebuild have kept the market stimulated with new life. The city with the second largest growth can also attribute some of its success to Hurricane Ike. After last year's Hurricane destroyed parts of the city, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas has seen an increase in building permits of 65%.
What about the city with the third highest growth in the nation? Can it point to rebuilding as the source of its real-estate growth? Salt Lake City, Utah has seen a rise of 36.6% in building permits over last year. Business Week attributes Salt Lake City’s success to “generous Housing & Urban Development financing”. Access to grants and other incentives have kept the market for new homes alive and even helped the market surpass that of last year.
If you have been waiting for things to get better, then your wait is over! There are still some incentives available to make this the best time to buy, but these will not last much longer. Keep the Salt Lake City spirit of growth alive and use the incentives available to purchase your new home.
Top Places to Buy/Sell a Home in Utah this October!
Mortgage rates are still low and time is quickly running out for Government incentives. The market is hot, but where are the hottest areas? The best places to buy/sell are those that have been seeing more demand recently than other areas. Based on where homes were selling last month we have an idea of where home sales are going to be the hottest this month!
Those living in these hot spots can get top dollar for their house and get a great deal on another home! These Hot Spots are also prime locations to buy because you can count on a stable home value and being able to sell if you ever need to.
1. Salt Lake City Zip 84108 Price Range: $100K - $200K Sales History Current Homes for Sale
2. Salt Lake City Zip 84109 Price Range: $200K - $250K Sales History Current Homes for Sale
3. Salt Lake City Zip 84105 Price Range: $200K - $350K Sales History Current Homes for Sale
4. Salt Lake City Zip 84111 Price Range: $100K – $200K Sales History Current Homes for Sale
5. Salt Lake City Zip 84105 Price Range: $250K - $300K Sales History Current Homes for Sale
To View the History for all Zip codes and price ranges Click Here
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