June may have ended, but that hasn’t stopped the popular homebuyer tax credit program from going strong.

Homebuyers who have signed purchase agreements as of April 30, 2010, will have three more months to close their deals and pocket thousands of tax credit dollars, according to Reuters.

Congress today unanimously approved the measure, extending the closing deadline from June 30 to Sept. 30, 2010.

That means that approximately 180,000 first-time and existing homebuyers are still in the running to collect the $8,000 and $6,500, respectively, government incentives.

President Barack Obama is expected to soon ink his ceremonial signature to make the extension official.

Since its introduction in early 2009 (and expanded/amended numerous times), the homebuyer tax credit program has helped nearly three million American taxpayers who have collectively claimed more than $21 billion, according to the latest U.S. Treasury Department figures.

For more information about whether or not you qualify for tax credit funds visit IRS.gov. To  check out the latest news on the tax credit situation click here.

The race to meet the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, as well as the $6,500 incentive for existing owners, ended on April 30, 2010.

And according to a report released today by the National Association of REALTORS®, a rush of buyers made a mad dash to the finish line and crossed it at the last possible moment.

Sales of pre-existing homes rose 6 percent in April 2010, making it the third consecutive month-over-month increase and the highest level since Oct. 2009.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, talks about the power of the tax credits:

“There were concerns that only a small pool of buyers were left to take advantage of the tax credit extension. But evidently the tax stimulus, combined with improved consumer confidence and low mortgage interest rates, are contributing to surging sales…. The home buyer tax credit brought close to 1 million additional buyers into the market, which is now helping the trade-up market and has significantly improved the inventory situation. This stabilized home prices more quickly and has preserved about $900 billion in home equity; in turn, that is keeping additional households from going underwater and risking foreclosure.”

All told, more than 2.6 million households took advantage of the tax credit as of April 2010, according to the Internal Revenue Service, at a cost of $18.7 billion. Those numbers will likely rise in the near future — homebuyers who have signed sales contracts (as of April 30, 2010) still have until the end of this month (June) to finalize their deals and qualify for the credits.

Did you miss the deadline?

The good news, for buyers/investors, is that mortgage interest rates and home prices are still at all-time lows. Feel free to search for foreclosed home for sale in your area right here.

And according to Lew Reich, an agent at Keller Williams Realty in Plano, Texas, the rush to get contracts signed in time has been hectic:

“It’s gone nuts. We’re seeing a very strong rush, strong sales, a lot of people are being energized by the end of the credit.”

The nearly two-year program, which was introduced to help boost a struggling nationwide housing economy in July 2008, officially comes to a close on June 30, 2010.

That’s if and only if you can get a binding contract dated no later than today (April 30, 2010) in your hands. As long as it closes in the next two months,  you can still claim your $6,500 or $8,000 tax credit.

To search for the best deals in your area right now and potentially get in at the last possible minute click here.

There’s always the slim possibility that the tax credits will be resurrected in the future, especially if the program is deemed a success once the dust settles. For now, however, don’t count on it.

Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) explains via The Wall Street Journal:

“We know that foreclosures will remain high. We’ve had this shadow inventory coming on, and it is being absorbed…. If this year’s [autumn and winter] sales can match up with last year, when there was the credit, then we can say that the housing market is back on its feet.”

Here’s to hoping.

In the meantime, check out the foreclosed homes for sale in your target market right here.

Remember: You need to get a deal in the works by this Friday, April 30, 2010, and close by June 30, 2010, to be eligible for the first time ($8,000) or existing ($6,500) tax credits.

Of course, the limited-time blog reader special discount on our FREE 7-Day Trial is also set to expire at the end of this month.

Hurry!

Be sure to act fast because the best deals — and these incentives — won’t last much longer! Search now.

Right now!

We’ve been telling you this for months: If you have the means to purchase real estate then you should act as quickly as possible.

Ilyce Glink from CBS MoneyWatch.com drives our point home with her article, “3 Reasons Why Now The Best Time To Buy A Home.”

These important points should come as no surprise for our regular readers:

1. Homebuyer tax credits
2. Mortgage rates are at 40-year lows
3. Home prices are at generational lows, too

Sound familiar? It should — We’ve been harping on this “perfect storm” as frequently as possible because it’s TRUE.

Historically-low prices, as well as interest rates, and limited-time government incentives ($6,500 and $8,00o tax credits) make this an awesome opportunity to score a deal of a lifetime.

These conditions won’t last forever. In fact, the tax credits are set to expire later this month (April 30).

So what are you waiting for?

Head over to Foreclosure.com right now and check out the best deals in your area before someone else beats you to it.

Down, up, down and up again.

Real estate is a roller coaster right now — you never know what’s going to happen from month-to-month on a consistent basis.

Today, National Association of Realtors® released its latest report, indicating that pending sales on existing homes unexpectedly rose 1 percent in Dec. 2009 compared to the previous month.

Lawrence Yun, a NAR economist, attributes the volatility to the tax credits ($8,000 for first timers and $6,500 for existing) currently available to homeowners/buyers.

Here’s a snip:

“There are easily understood swings in contract activity as buyers respond to a tax credit that was expiring and was then extended and expanded. These swings are masking the underlying trend, which is a broad improvement over year-ago levels.”

The $8,000 tax credit, which was originally set to expire on Nov. 30, 2009, was recently extended to April 30, 2010. Additionally, a $6,500 tax credit was introduced for existing homeowners who want to sell their properties purchase new homes.

It’s good news, clearly, that the market has at least leveled off (for now, anyway) and that it isn’t getting worse. In fact, Yun predicts that existing-home sales will rise to around 5.6 million in 2010.

If that’s the case then you better start your search sooner rather than later … you don’t want someone else moving into your potential dream home because you think time is on your side.

Play it safe and don’t get greedy — act now before it’s too late.

Remember: Foreclosure.com is FREE to search for seven days — no strings attached, cancel at anytime.

You’ve got more time!

For the next three months (Dec. 7, 2009 to March. 31, 2010) we are extending a special discount offer for our blog readers and Twitter followers to search our nationwide real estate database of more than 1.8 million distressed real estate listings.

We refer to it as the “Tax Credit Countdown.”

The federal government recently extended the popular $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit program, which is now set to expire on April 30, 2010. It was originally scheduled to expire on Nov. 30, 2009.

So all you procrastinators out there still have a few more months to take advantage of this limited-time savings. What’s more, existing homeowners who want to move up, down or around can cash in on a $6,500 tax credit (For more details click here).

An additional four months might seem like enough time to get in on the action; however, 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 if you have any intentions of saving as much money as possible on the home of your dreams then the time to act is right now.

We decided to sweeten the pot several months ago with a special promotional offer to hopefully provide you with even more incentive to search for the best real estate deals in your area before the prices start climbing back up. It expired along with the original tax credit deadline (Nov. 30, 2009).

But since it has been extended, we, too, decided to follow suit!

Foreclosure.com is already FREE to search for seven days — no strings attached, cancel at anytime. However, sometimes house hunters need more time to comb through and visit all the awesome deals right in their backyards.

Therefore, we’re slashing our monthly subscription — already among the cheapest in the industry — by 30 percent! That’s savings, on top of tax credits, on top of more savings (you can find homes up to 50 percent off on Foreclosure.com every day).

So how do you get started? It’s simple.

Just visit this registration page: www.foreclosure.com/registration.html?rsp=0 and insert the phrase “taxcredit” (no quotes … just taxcredit) where it says “Click here to enter a promo code” (see screen shot in the extended entry).

That’s it!

If you find a deal within seven days, which many of our subscribers often do, then our special offer is simply not a factor in your overall savings. You got it all for FREE, saving a ton in the process … and that’s just fine by us!

Tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 6), to be precise.

The House of Representatives today overwhelmingly (403-12) passed the initiative, which also extends the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers until April 30, 2010.

President Barack Obama is expected to officially sign off on the legislation before the upcoming weekend.

So what’s it all mean?

Essentially, if you have been living in your current home for at least five consecutive years (and you own it, of course), the federal government will reward you with up to $6,500 to purchase a new home. However, you must close on the new house no later than June 30, 2010, to receive the bonus.

It’s a great incentive for empty nesters, downsizers, upgraders and basically anyone else who wants to relocate or enjoy a change of scenery … and get rewarded for it.

Get a head start and begin your new home search today at Foreclosure.com. We have the best real estate deals in your area featured in our comprehensive database of more than 2 million nationwide listings.

Happy hunting … and congratulations in advance!

It looks like first time homebuyers will indeed have more time to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit, which was scheduled to expire on Nov. 30, 2009, according to the New York Times.

Legislation to extend the popular program until April 30, 2010,  recently cleared a big hurdle in the U.S. Senate, receiving unanimous support among lawmakers (85-0). The initiative could land on President Obama’s desk for final approval at the end of this week or early next if it passes its next stop in the House of Representatives.

In addition to first timers, the new measure would reward existing homeowners — those who have lived at their current addresses for at least five years — with $6,500 tax credits for buying new homes.

And last but not least, the new legislation will raise the income limits for eligibility ($125,000 a year for individuals and $225,000 for couples), ensuring that more people can take advantage of the incentive.

Stay tuned for additional updates on this developing situation. For more background on the $8,000 tax credit for first time homebuyers click here.