When you finally arrive at the decision to purchase a home you should always contact a Realtor.

The Realtor will be happy to refer you to several reputable lenders so that you can discover the price you can afford and the price that you would be comfortable with making the payment. Please try not to buy any large purchases several months before buying such as a car or auto lease and also keep up credit card payments and try not to purchase anything you can't afford to pay cash for. The lender will go into more detail with you and also be helpful if you don't have perfect credit by showing you how it can be repaired. Don't wait for the last minute you will be disappointed if rates go up and we now have some of the best rates in 30 years! Once you are approved by the lender and you know what price you want to look for, get a letter from your lender to give your real estate agent. Your letter will give your offer credability.

Now comes the fun part, looking for your new home. Your real estate agent will show you homes that she finds meeting the criteria that you provide to her, she will write your offer, help negotiate the price and repairs if necessary and then follow your transaction for you every step of the way. Your agent will set up escrow who will then make sure that the home has no liens or encumbrances along with a host of other things such as drawing up the final closing statement for you. The day of closing will be a celebratory day!

Buying a home can be fun and easy with the right realtor.

A first time homebuyer tax credit is now possible. But a buyer must take action because this credit is only available until July 1,2009.

Can you qualify? If you and your spouse (if you are married) haven't owned a principle residence for three years before your purchase, and you have never used a DC first-time home buyer credit, you can qualify as a first time homebuyer.

How much is the tax credit? It is equal to 10% of your homes sale price up to $7,500. It will reduce the amount of taxes that you owe or result in a refund.

The tax credit is like an interest free loan. After you have received your credit, you will begin a repayment plan after two years. If you qualified for the full amount of $7,500 you would pay $500 a year for fifteen years. If you re-sell your home it would have to be paid off with the sale. If your home is sold at a loss you would owe nothing.

For more information about this credit and to clarify any questions I recommend that you talk to your mortgage lender or accountant. I would be happy to recommend several referrals for this if you would like.

There are many benefits to purchasing a home, pride of ownership, property tax deductions, mtg. tax deductions, capital gains tax deductions and more!

When you buy your home with me at Coldwell Banker Mountain West and you need your home sold within 12 of purchasing , I will sell your home for free!*(must be owner occupied). I will also provide a free moving truck rental and offer limited handyman repairs for the lifetime that you own this home.