You have until December 1, 2009 to take advantage of a tax credit of up to $8,000! According to The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009 are eligible. Don’t let time run out! Call one of our REALTORS® today or visit federalhousingtaxcredit.com for more information.

We love working with first time home buyers. Click here for more information about all the services we provide as Real Estate Agents.

• Pay your bills on time.
• If you  have missed payments, get current and stay current.
• Be aware that paying off a collection account will not remove it from your current credit report.
• If you are having trouble making ends meet, contact your creditors or see a legitimate credit counselor.
• Keep balances low on credit cards and other “revolving credit.”
• Pay off debt rather than moving it around.
• Don’t close unused credit cards as a short-term strategy to raise your score.
• Don’t open a number of new credit cards that you don’t need, just to increase your available credit.
• If you have been managing credit for a short time, don’t open a lot of new accounts too rapidly.
• Do your rate shopping for a given loan within a focused period of time.
• Re-establish your credit history if you have had problems.
• Note that it’s OK to request and check your own credit report.
• Apply for and open new credit accounts only as needed.
• Have credit cards, but manage them responsibly.
• Note that closing an account doesn’t make it go away.

There are many great reasons to consider owning a home:
• You’ll have a place that is yours!
  You’ll own it, have a place to raise your children and become a part of your community. You can pass your home down to your children, and their children, creating security for generations to come.
• You may pay less to own a home than you would to rent-and it’s yours in the end!
  Homeownership can reduce the federal income taxes you pay. You can deduct the interest on your home mortgage and property taxes you pay on your home on the tax returns you file each year. These tax savings partially reduce, or offset somewhat, the actual cost of owning your home.
• Your monthly payments won’t ever go up if you choose a fixed-rate mortgage!
  If you choose a mortgage with a fixed-interest rate (one that stays the same for the life of the loan, say 30 years), you’ll pay the same mortgage payment each month for the entire 30 years of the loan (if your taxes go up, your escrow will go up-increasing your monthly payment).
• You’ll build a good nest egg!
  Owning a home and building equity is the single greatest source of financial security and independence for the majority of people who’ve taken this step.