WMBF News today put together a nice punch list of things that homeowners today “need to know” before buying a foreclosure … or any other type of home for that matter.

Check it out:

1. Double-check your credit — Check your credit report immediately to be sure it does not show any incorrect information.
2. Talk to lenders — Check rates and offers from several mortgage professionals to find one you with whom you want to work.
3. Home prices are still low — Now is an excellent time for a home investment.
4. Interest rates are still good — Mortgage interest rates have dropped again to about 5 percent annually.
5. You must have savings — A down payment is essential today.
6. Know all costs of ownership — A rule of thumb is to budget 1 percent of the home’s purchase price per year for upkeep.
7. Buyer beware — Invest in a home inspection before agreeing to purchase any home.

Foreclosure.com currently features more than 2 million distressed real estate listings in its nationwide database, including preforeclosures, foreclosures, Sheriff sales, bankruptcies, tax liens, auctions and much more. In short, we have a house for everyone … at the most affordable price.

So use the tips above, search our Web site for the best deals in your area and live your own American dream while the conditions are in your favor. Opportunities like this don’t come around very often.

To search for homes and other cheap real estate deals — often up to 50 percent off — right now click here.

… 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.

Time is running out to claim the $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit! We’re down to three months before the limited-time government-sponsored program expires on Dec. 1, 2009.

That 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, which will 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. And before the last-minute rush on the most affordable homes begins … if it hasn’t already.

For the next three months (Sept. 1, 2009 to Dec. 1, 2009) we are giving our blog readers and Twitter followers a special discount offer 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.”

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!

Read the rest of this entry »

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