Buying, 2009
Dec. 1, 2009
Buy a home, get a tax creditProcastinators, you're in luck. If you were thinking of buying your first home but just couldn't get it together in time to take advantage of the $8,000 federal tax credit, you have an extension. Congress gave you about five more months. Read more.
Nov. 5, 2009
The tax credit isn't the only help for homebuyersIt looks like Congress is going to extend the homebuyer tax credit. That will give first-time homebuyers a few more months to benefit from this great incentive. The plan on the table will even provide a credit to many existing homeowners who purchase a home. Read more.
Oct. 15, 2009
Why must they lie?If you could hook up a lie detector to an e-mail, the needle would be jumping on this one. Read more.
Oct. 5, 2009
No fun being number 1Texas ranks 14th in the amount residents pay in property taxes. Our state is also first in how much we pay in property taxes. How can that be? It doesn't seem possible, but both statements are true. Read more.
Sept. 16, 2009
Time is ticking on $8,000 creditI hope homebuyers understand the deadline for the $8,000 federal tax credit. Getting it wrong could cost someone a lot. Well, $8,000, actually. Read more.
July 24, 2009
A $68,000 credit on a home? Seriously?No, it's no joke. As a first-time homebuyer with a moderate income, you may be able to save $68,000 on a home. That's $8,000 on the purchase and $60,000 over the life of a 30-year loan. Let that sink in for a minute, but not too long, because there's a deadline to beat. Read more.
Jun. 8, 2009
You can get your tax credit nowThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is making it possible to monetize the $8,000 tax credit available to first-time homebuyers. Big whoop, right? What does that even mean? Read more.
Mar. 27, 2009
Whose definition of affordability do you use?When my wife and I were looking to buy a house 10 years ago, we "consulted" an online calculator that promised to let us know what we could afford. It spit out a shocking number. The calculator told us we could spend way more on a home than we had thought. The lender we worked with a month later also approved us for a higher amount than we had anticipated, though not quite as lofty as the online calculator. Read more.
Feb. 20, 2009
Eight thousand reasons to buy your first homeIf you've been paying attention to the recent "stimulus" activities in Washington, you already get the reference to 8,000 reasons in the headline above. It's really only one reason, but it could be worth $8,000 to you. The legislation signed this week by President Obama contains a measure for first-time homebuyers to receive a tax credit up to that amount if they purchase a home. Read more.
Jan. 17, 2009
What's going on here?You've been there, I'm sure. You're listening to someone confidently reel off statistics about a topic when you get the feeling that something about the information isn't quite right. The person isn't trying to mislead you, and yet … Read more.
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