Raleigh Real Estate Group

Why is now a good time to buy a home? One reason would be that current market conditions are ideal for home buyers. Another reason would be the $8,000 tax credit to first time home buyers.

This is just a quick informational post. If you are thinking about purchasing your first home, you should make sure to find out if you are eligible for this $8,000 tax credit.

If you don't want to read all the dry details on the official site, here's the quick version. To get the credit, there are some income limits, $75,000 annually for a single individual, or $150,000 for couples filing a joint tax return. Even if your income exceeds these numbers, you can still get a partial tax credit adjusted by how far your annual income exceeds these numbers.

The house must be purchased between January 2009 and the end of December 2009. Properties are supposed to be in new or like new condition. There is a lot of lee way for this criteria, so a property needing a few repairs shouldn't prevent you from getting the property and claiming the tax credit.

If you do have any questions or need more information about this program, you can read about it on the official tax credit website here. You can also contact someone from Raleigh Real Estate Group. Good hunting!

This post is primarily for buyers. A lot of potential buyers in today's market are enticed by the low prices of properties but are unsure of whether to buy a house because of the turbulent economy.

I hope that this blog isn't the first time you've heard of the Making Homes Affordable program, but if not, let me give you a quick run down of what this program is and how it can help you.

The Making Homes Affordable program was introduced by President Obama and commits funds to help homeowners refinance their homes and reduce their monthly payments.

This isn't a small scale program. It is projected to help as many as 3-5 million homeowners. If your monthly house payments are beginning to strain your budget, then now is a good time to see if this program can relive some of that financial stress.

Check out the eligibility page of the Making Homes Affordable program's website. If you aren't eligible for this program, don't worry! There are still refinancing options available to you. You can start this process by calling your lender and inquiring about refinancing options available through individual lenders.

For more information, visit our website, Raleigh Real Estate Group. You can sign up for our 27 day course, delivered via e-mail, plus other goodies like a free eBook. To speak with a real person about options like refinancing, loan modifications, and other foreclosure prevention tools, contact us at (919) 772-1222.

The first thing to do is don't panic. In today's economy everyone is struggling. It's OK to miss a payment. 

The second thing to do is evaluate whether this was a one-time hiccup or if you're struggling every month to make that payment. Even if it missing the payment was a one time deal, there are still steps you can take and options open to you to better prepare yourself should you run into harder times.

Make sure to talk to your lender. They hate foreclosures almost as much as homeowners. In today's economy, homeowners have tremendous more leverage over lenders than in the past. Talk with your lender about options to reduce your rate.

Sometimes lender will be difficult. Taking that first step can be difficult. However, at Raleigh Real Estate Group, we have a team of professionals trained in how to deal with lenders and get results. Give us a call at (919) 772-1222, and we can talk with you about some options to help.

The most important thing to do in this situation is to act. It's always better to be prepared now for a situation they may never happen than to wait around while the situation deteriorates. If you want more information about how to stop the foreclosure process, check out our website, where you can get a free eBook and other information about foreclosures.