Yeah! Tax credit extended to Existing Home Owners!

From the Associated Press:
"Buying a home is about to get cheaper for a whole new crop of homebuyers — $6,500 cheaper.
First-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year. But with the program scheduled to expire at the end of November, the House voted 403-12 Thursday to extend and expand the tax credit to include many buyers who already own homes. The Senate approved the measure Wednesday, and the White House said President Barack Obama would sign it Friday.
Buyers who have owned their current homes at least five years would be eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500. First-time homebuyers — or anyone who hasn't owned a home in the last three years — would still get up to $8,000. To qualify, buyers in both groups have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30."

This is great news for Buyers who weren't quite prepared to buy and excellent news for sellers who have been wishing for a little something to make moving a little easier! If you are thinking of selling, now is the time to get it on the market..there will be more buyers out there and you can benefit with the $6500 ! Call me today for a free market analysis at 317-513-0141.

I was watching "Morning Joe" on MSNBC today when they reported the latest Case Schiller numbers and they were positive! After 3 years of declines, a couple of months of upward activity may show that we are finally on the road to recovery. I have always been a news junkie but I have to admit over the past year, I have been tuning out. The doom and gloom from the media made it hard to be positive in my daily life and negativity when you are working with the public is the kiss of death! If you read "The Secret", you have to believe most of us have been telling the universe to pile on the bad stuff! When the key is to think positive and believe that good things are in your future...that is pretty hard to do and listen to the talking heads on TV. It seems like every stimulus program that gets rolled out, every positive report they cover, immediately they start tearing it apart and warning us not to think things might be getting better.
I'm not a "Pollyanna" type person with my head in the sand about the problems we have been facing but at the same time I don't think anyone benefits from being "Chicken Little" either, running around screaming "The sky is falling!" Come to think of it, the media is a little like the guy that shouts FIRE! in a crowded theater, creating panic and confusion.
At any rate, I am choosing to feel good that housing prices are showing an increase! Owning your own home is still the American Dream for most of us and I love being a part of an industry that works hard everyday to make that dream a reality!

Here is a link to the complete article on CNBC's website.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/32550485

Indy Most Affordable Major Housing Market-Again!

Indianapolis, once again, was the most affordable major housing market in the country during the second quarter. Almost 95 percent of all homes sold were affordable to households earning the area’s median family income of $68,100. Indianapolis has now topped the affordability list 16 consecutive quarters.
This is according to the National Association of Homebuilders.

The most affordable market in the country plus the $8000 tax credit make buying a home a smart decision. Are you aware you can purchase HUD foreclosures in Indiana for $100.00 down? Or that if you would like to own a brand new home, many builders have drastically slashed their prices on their market ready homes in order to meet their end of the fiscal year goals?
As it stands now the $8000 tax credit program will end December 1, 2009. this means you must close by November 30th in order to qualify. If you have considered buying a home, please don't let this opportunity pass you by! Ask yourself, "how long would it take me to save $8000?" or "how long would it take me to pay down the equity on a home by $8000?"
Please call or email me today if you have any questions or would like to start looking for a home!
317-513-0141 or stacey@HRrealtygroup.com

Or you can start your search on our website:
http://tinyurl.com/HRrealty-Search

Affordable Housing Exists, If You Know Where to Look - BusinessWeek

Affordable Housing Exists, If You Know Where to Look - BusinessWeek: "BusinessWeek.com used the index to rank the 10 most affordable and 10 least affordable major metros based on incomes and home prices. Indianapolis was the most affordable—91.6% of homes sold in the second quarter could be afforded by median-income households."