Author Archive

The IRS has produced a series of videos that may help this years tax payers a bigger payback come April 15. The videos are featured on YouTube and cover new and little known tax deductions centered around the departments Recovery Acts, such as Making Work Pay, Vehicle Tax Deduction, and the New HomeBuyer Credit. Head over to the IRS's YouTube channel ... Full story

...and the children shall lead them - to buy homes. CBS news reports in a slightly different story around extending the home buyer credit to include not just first-time home buyers but also move-up buyers. In this piece, reporter John Donovan observed Bella Segal, a seven-year-old girl who has set up a lemonade stand in hopes of helping her parents sell their home. She ... Full story

It seems that when you've got an opportunity to receive significant monetary assistance towards the purchase of buying our first homes, the existence of others trying to cheat the system for ill gotten gain rears its ugly head as well. The Washington Post and Tulsa World news sites have both reported on instances where some type of tomfoolery has been attempted to get one ... Full story

Yes it's true. According to the National Association of Realtors, the last day to take advantage of receiving a check for up to $8,000 for buying a home as a first-time homebuyer (barring any rumored extensions) is November 30th , 2009. I know what your thinking "I thought it was December 1st?" Technically the language is, before December 1st. So to be ... Full story

Chicago real estate agency 'Starting Point Realty', which works exclusively with First Time Home Buyers, recently put out a release relaying a couples' journey towards purchasing a multi-unit property as their first home. The release also chronicles the rise and fall of multi-unit sales by investors who did not actually live in the property (Non-Owner Occupied), and the increase of inventory of these types of properties. ... Full story

Jerry Giovaniello, a National Association of Realtors' lobbyist, feels as if there might be a shot - about 50-50 - of congress extending the credit beyond the December 1st cut-off. That's not all that's in the mill on Capitol Hill. A new bill could require an inspection to determine the energy efficiency of a home before it's sold. For home buyers, especially in the northeast, ... Full story

A few weeks ago I ran into an old friend. While we caught each other up on what had been happening since we last saw one another, he asked what I did. This question led to his sharing credit-score issues he's grappling with, specifically how to maintain and keep his score high and avoid the fluctuations many of us experience when we monitor our reports. Around ... Full story

Cameron Huddleston's first time home buyer experience may be similar to some of you who've recently walked the seemingly winding path to home ownership. The big difference here is she gets to share her experience, and very timely home buying tips, with the entire world as a writer for Kiplinger.com. The home buying process while generally an enjoyable experience overall, may have some hurdles along ... Full story

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco announced today that they will award $10 million in matching grants for buyers it serves in California, Arizona and Nevada.  According to their press release, The Bank allocated $6.7 million for the Workforce Initiative Subsidy for Homeownership (WISH) Program and $3.3 million for the Individual Development and Empowerment Account (IDEA) Program to 32 members. There are income qualifications ... Full story

What’s the warranty? Ask this question to a salesperson at your local electronics or appliance store, and instantly you’re presented with right-off-the-top-of-the-head answers like “ninety days,” or “one year parts and labor,” which might put your mind at ease when you make a major purchase. Even automobile manufactures aggressively tout their respective warranties to assure you of their product’s soundness and reliability in relation to ... Full story