Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension Passes U.S. House and Awaits President's Signature

I received this by e-mail earlier today:

Stay tuned for official word from NAR but the bill including the homebuyer tax credit extension and expansion passed the House by a vote of 403-12 after passing the Senate last night 98-0. This is great news for our market.  This will certainly help get buyers off the fence!

Thank you [...]

Pending home sales on the rise

Raleigh area builders I am seeing succeed now are those that have adjusted their pricing to entice the hottest pool of existing buyers, first timers. [...]

Homebuyer tax credit extension near reality

According to a report later yesterday from the Wall Street Journal, members of the Senate have reached a tentative agreement to extend the first time buyer tax credit April 30, 2010 [...]

New homes sales down, inventories still shrink

Sales of newly built single-family homes fell 3.6 percent from August to September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 402,000, according to a report from the Census Bureau today. [...]

Home buyer tax credit extension

The Senate is getting close to an agreement on a measure to extend the first-time home buyer tax credit through April, 2010. The current tax credit is slated to expire on December 1st of this year.

The proposed changes would include:

Purchase contracts in place by 4/30/2010 and closed within 60 days are eligible
Credit would amount to 10% of sales price [...]

Residential real estate in the news

Based on the index numbers, Charlotte home prices are approximately 9% lower than their peak in August in 2007. I have seen the same type numbers in the Raleigh area as well. [...]

New Garner website promotes town planning initiatives

I have read a lot of local news about Garner and Clayton lately that is great for current and future residents because as the area continues to grow, there is a defined, comprehensive growth plan. [...]

A few Raleigh real estate tidbits

Did you know the annual, average appreciateion rate for a detached, single family home in Raleigh is about 3%? [...]

KB Homes is focus of SEC investigation

KB Homes, one of the largest home builders in the Raleigh area, announced their accounting practices are the focus of a formal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Former CEO Bruce Karatz settled with the SEC for $7 million from charges that he backdated his stock options to increase his pay. He did not admit to any wrong doing.  [...]

Homebuilder stocks surge amidst good news

When all the experts are saying things are getting better, let’s not forget how bad they really were across the board. Raleigh has done better than many areas and and stayed healthier longer than other parts of the country but we were not immune to the recent sinkhole that enveloped the rest of the country seeing our sales decline as buyers retreated, canceled orders and banks changed their lending practices. [...]