… because home sales nationwide are better than they were before the incentive was introduced earlier this year, according to Lawrence Yun, National Association of Realtors® (NAR) chief economist:

“Home sales retrenched from a very strong improvement in July but continue to be much higher than before the stimulus. The first-time buyer tax credit is having the intended impact of bringing buyers into the market, allowing them to take advantage of very favorable affordability conditions…. Now that the market is showing some momentum, we have an opportunity to achieve a more rapid and broader stabilization in home prices. Extending and expanding the tax credit also would help to keep other families from becoming upside down in their mortgages or risk foreclosure.”

NAR continues to push hard to extend the $8,000 tax credit for new homebuyers, which is currently set to expire on Nov. 30, 2009. Regardless of what happens, the trade association reinforces once again what we have been shouting from the rooftops:

START SEARCH RIGHT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

We’re down to the wire — two months in the real estate business can go very fast.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR), according to its president, Charles McMillan, is pushing hard for one more year:

“Now is the time for Congress to keep this recovery going by extending the tax credit through 2010 and making it available to more homebuyers. We have all seen how the credit has been a spur to bring homebuyers into the market, and have seen the beginnings of a real recovery in the housing market. Housing has always led this nation out of economic downturns, and can do so again…. The credit needs to be available for an additional period of time in order to sustain the progress that’s been made so we can continue to see our markets fully recover. Uncertainty about the future of the credit will dampen consumer demand. The only way we can assure that the progress we’ve made can continue is to extend the credit and to do that now.”

McMillan echoes an important point that we brought to your attention earlier this month: Even though more than two months remain until the $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit expires (Dec. 1, 2009), it is very little time in the real estate world.

That’s because finding, financing and then closing on a home can take as much as 90 days. And if it’s a short sale then the process will likely take longer … much longer.

So will the 8,000 tax credit for home buyers be extended?

It’s hard to predict at this point, but efforts are currently underway to try and persuade decision makers on Capitol Hill that it needs to happen. In fact, NAR constituents “will be writing to their Senators and Representatives to tell them of the successes with the tax credit thus far and to press them to extend and expand it now.”

We’ll, naturally, pass along any and all updates regarding a possible extension of the program. In the meantime, your best bet is to get cracking looking for the best deals in your area right now just in case an extension never materializes. It’s potentially $8,000 that the government wants to put back in your pocket — that doesn’t happen very often.

Take advantage of this rare opportunity. And remember that Foreclosure.com is also offering blog readers a special subscription discount (after the 7-day FREE trial) for the next few months to help you find the homes of your dreams for the lowest possible price. To learn more click here.

We’re on the road again!

The Foreclosure.com team will offer agents and brokers two incredible money-saving certification opportunities at The Five Star Default Servicing Conference and Expo this weekend (Sept. 20-23, 2009) .

Certified Foreclosure Agent and Certified Short Sale Agent training will be offered at significantly reduced prices for attendees at the Forth Worth Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. In addition, we’ll be demonstrating our revolutionary automated short sale solution, QuickSale.com, which helps you easily close these “complicated” deals in record time.

Certification benefits include:

• Close more deals
  • Plug your pipeline with leads
  • Earn big commissions
• Negotiate deals faster
  • Learn expert techniques
  • Learn mitigation secrets
• Get noticed by buyers
  • Reach the largest qualified buyer pool
  • Enjoy top placement in our directory
• Get noticed by lenders
  • Become a preferred listing agent
  • Emerge as a “go to” expert

The trained agents who complete our programs emerge as listing powerhouses. It’s knowledge, techniques and strategies that put you on the cutting edge in this tough economy.

Find out how to take advantage of our various training opportunities that we have available in Dallas and beyond after the jump. Get knowledge, techniques and strategies that put you on the cutting edge in this tough economy!

Read the rest of this entry »

This is a big weekend for house hunters and investors in the Florida and Minnesota markets looking to take advantage of the best real estate deals in their areas.

REDC, one of the nation’s most reputable and successful real estate auction companies, will conduct public foreclosure sales on Saturday, Sept. 19, with bids on homes that start as low as $500.

Condominiums and townhomes, as well as single- and multi-family properties, are all on the block and up for grabs for ridiculously cheap prices.

You can bid in-person or online.

The process is safe, easy, and compliant with all legal regulations. And you don’t have to be an experienced real estate expert to purchase a property.

To check out the homes for sale this weekend in Florida and Minnesota, as well as to see when REDC will be coming to a city near you, click here.

Good luck!

We hope that you take advantage of these rock-bottom prices and easy financing at today’s low interest rates while they last!

Make big money with real estate — even in a slow housing market and talk of a recession — with expert guidance from industry guru, Damian Lanfranchi.

Damian is the mastermind behind a proprietary automated deal-generating technology, which is being used by real estate investors to get the hottest deals with no work in all 50 states, as well as Canada, New Zealand and parts of France!

Now Damian is ready to show you exactly how this is being done and the simple switch you can flip to automate your entire real estate investing business once and for all.

Score new deals every single day — it’s EASY! Just register for “Done For You Deals Live Tour” to learn how right now.

This FREE educational session is available to watch LIVE online during a 90-minute presentation scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. ET. CLICK HERE.

This course will cover:

• Getting instant credibility as an investor (even if you’ve never done a deal)
• The BIG miss 96 percent of investors make when it comes to how to use the Internet to get deals (you can literally destroy your chances of success before you even start!)
• Capturing the most motivated buyer and seller leads before your competition
• How to follow up with leads until they become deals (without doing any of the work)
• The secret to pre-selling homeowners so you can turn fast “Done-For-You” deals
• How to instantly increase your closing rate every time you sit down to the table (even if you hate sales)
• Why investors lose tens of thousands of dollars miscalculating deal profits (and how you can never make this costly mistake again)

This is a potentially life-changing learning experience that will introduce you to a proven system you can use to make it big … and stay big.

Register today and get a FREE gift (Value = $429) just for showing up! We look forward to having you on the Webinar!

To attend “Done For You Deals Live Tour” on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. ET at no cost CLICK HERE.