I am sure that most of you are aware of the initial "first time home buyer tax credit for up to $8,000" that was signed last year for all sales up until December 1, 2009.

As most of you know this has been extended until April 30, 2010, it still includes the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers, but it also includes current home owners who have been in their current home for the past 5 years who are looking to purchase a $6500 tax credit between November 7, 2009 until April 30, 2010.

Another point some are not aware of, is what qualifies you as a first time home buyer..... In this sense, you are considered a first time home buyer if you have not owned a home furing the three years prior to your purchase.

What other qualifications must you meet? Well now if you are single you may have an income up to $125,000 and if married up to $225,000. If you make more than these wages, you may still be eligible for some of the money, so don't give up just yet!

The date of April 30, 2010 being the cut off date, does not mean that you need to have settled by that date as before it was settled by December 1, 2009. You will now have until July 1st, 2010 to close, but must have a signed written binding contract by April 30, 2010.

As with before, you will NOT have to pay this back  as long as you are in the home for 3 years or more.

For more information, please visit this Real Estate site for more information!

This is a great informational post for buyers!!! Definitely a must read!!!

Let’s face it; if your house is on the market, you WANT it to sell. You don’t want it to sit there for months and months without any showings, any offers, or no one showing any interest. You can’t always blame this on your Realtor, because it may not be their fault.

What I want to talk about today is the dos and don’ts of today’s market. Just a few tips that may help you sell your home just a little bit quicker.

DO price your home accordingly. We all know what you would “like” to get out of your home, but in today’s market that may be unreasonable. Have your Realtor do a CMA so you are educated on what homes are going for in your area!

DON’T overprice your home thinking that everyone will be interested in it, because it is that much better than everyone else’s home. Sure you have a great home, but if it is overpriced from the door, people may not even stop to look at it. This will not be your Realtors fault if they can not get anyone grabbing at it. Overpricing your home is not going to sell it.

DO make sure that the outside appeal is just as nice as the inside appeal. A lot of people look at homes on the internet or just go out driving to look for homes before they ever come in contact with a Realtor to actually schedule showing to see your home. Make sure you are grabbing the consumer’s attention from the first picture or that first drive by.

DON’T leave unused cars, trash, work equipment, etc. at your house if you do not have to have it there. The nicer your home looks on the outside the more chances you have to reel in a consumer. As much as we say “don’t judge a book by its cover” most people do, remember that!

DO keep your house ready to show at any given moment. That means beds made, dirty clothes in hiding, dishes put away. It’s tough, but people want to look at a clean house. If they see you live like a slob, are they going to think you take care of your home? No. Even if it isn’t that dirty, there is a certain standard that consumers expect to see when they are looking at homes.

DON’T keep personal items out on display. People walk into your home imagining if they could live there. Seeing your pictures or personal affects takes away from there dream.

DO listen to your Realtor when they talk to you. Believe it or not, we do know a bit about the Real Estate Market. We are not trying to steer you, or push you in a direction you don’t want to go. We just want you to be educated, and expectant of what may come in the future. Don’t take it personally; we are just doing our job. More importantly, we WANT to sell your home!

DON’T listen to your aunt, cousin, sister, neighbor, etc about what you should do with YOUR home (unless they are in the Real Estate business too). A lot of people form their opinions from things that either happened to them, the news, or what other people have told them. They are not the professionals, we are. We want to help you, so let us!

** There are more details that I could give you, but I don’t want to flood everyone’s brain on a Monday morning! If you would like anymore tips, please feel free to contact me today!!!! **

Many consumers here us say "Now is the time to BUY", but some consumers have no idea why. If you are one of them, look no further! Your answers are all right here!!!!

• Interest Rates are at record lows!!!! With good qualified buyers, you are sure to get a great rate!
• First time home buyers are being given up to $8000 in tax credit!
• You are getting more house for your money these days!!!!
• There is a lot of inventory to choose from!

If you are thinking about buying a home, talk with a REALTOR today! We are professionals who are here to help you, educate you, and serve you!!!

Today I had the chance to visit a pretty intriguing place, called The Victorian Lady, which is located in the historic district of Milford Delaware. The Victorian Lady is a Tea House, as well as a gift & antique shop.

If you want to go to a place that makes you feel like you are in another era, to sit and relax with your friends for a calm afternoon, then this is a good place to start! With a large dining room & a small meeting room, The Victorian Lady can service everyone.

In the afternoon they offer The Queen's Tea, which is a 4 course meal including tea sandwiches, soup, scones, & tea. In the early evening they offer The Victorian Tea, which is a 3 course meal including tea sandwiches, scones, & tea.

They also have a full service menu, or smaller items like the Cream Tea or the Luncheon Tea. They do small meetings, church groups, baby shower, bridal showers, Red Hat Meetings & classes on the health benefits of tea. In the past they have had events like Phantom of the Opera night where people dressed the theme, played music from The Phantom of the Opera, they served The Queen's Tea, & in the end they gave a surprise that made everyone want to stay for more! They have had Princess Tea (for the little girls), Valentine's tea, and chocolate lover's tea (mmmmm, that sounds like the one for me!)

In the gift shop they offer 65 different loose leaf teas that are available in 2 & 4 ounce tins. They also offer pillows, linens, music, tea cups, tea pots, & lots more!

This wonderful place has been open for 4 yrs, but the building dates back to the early 1800's. It is on the historic registry, and the beauty that has been preserved within this building is magical. All of the scones are homemade by one of the owners & have been quite a hit with the guests at The Victorian Lady!

Really, go see for yourself! If you EVER have a chance to stop in to Milford Delaware, I highly suggest you stop at The Victorian Lady! Located at 112 NW Front Street, Milford De 19963! If you would like more information you can visit them personally on the web at The Victorian Lady!

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

Have you ever talked to a client or agent over the phone, and in the end said "well I'll get to work on that right now, and email it on over when I am done, what's your email address?"

Okay so maybe not those particular words, but I am sure almost daily you ask someone for their email address. Its easier, its less time consuming, they can read it or view it when THEY have the time, and your already on the computer so why not just send it over that way (in most cases)?

But have you ever had a client or another agent say, I'm sorry I just don't "do" email. You know, they just aren't with it. They don't send, write, read or recieve emails.

Wait, what?!

I just don't understand how anyone, in the work world can go without something as simple as an email address. I think that people who don't have an email address should be told how they are not only hurting themselves, but they are hurting their potential clients, or people who work for them. Having something as small as an email address is very important in this business as I am sure most of you are aware. So how do people go without it?

Sometimes people are hard to get into contact with, their never by a fax machine, so sending an email over is just about the only way to go. What do they do in that case? Send them a letter, leave them fifteen voice mails?

What if it is late at night and you want to get something over to your client right away, but they don't have an email address, they can't meet until the following evening, they have no fax, and you can't drop it off by their work? Without having the right means to stay in contact with someone, the system that us Realtors use fails.

ANY THOUGHTS? What do you say if this happens?

Are you currently thinking about buying a home in the Kent or Sussex County Milford Delaware area?

• Do you need more information on the area, or want to view houses in those areas and have no idea how to get what you need?

I am a dedicated, knowledgeable Realtor who is ready to work for YOU! If you are interested in buying a home in Milford, Harrington, Lincoln, or Houston area, or any other area throughout Kent or Sussex County then please feel free to contact me at anytime.

• I have Buyer's packages ready and available for all of my customers so please don't hesitate to ask!

I also have previously posted some blogs about information pretaining to Kent & Sussex County, as well as Milford Delaware that may be beneficial to you.

If there is anything else I can do for you, please contact me today!

Terri Favata

Realtor

ERA Harrington Realty-Milford

(302) 422-2424 Office

(302) 242-1782 Cell

http://www.terriandmickeyhomes.com

I love my dog. That's all there is to it. Do you know that last year I thought more about all the things  I could buy my precious Sam for Christmas, rather than what I could buy my husband or son. I know it's bad, tell me about it!

Did you miss that?! Yes I buy presents for my dog. I can't help it. I just love him that much. I know I am not the only one that does this. My sons girlfriend, Kayla, does this as well.

Today is Friday, and I want it to be a fun smiling day! Tell me about all the things you do for your dog around Christmas, or anytime of the year! Trust me, I would LOVE to hear it! Make me smile, send me pictures, make me laugh, send me videos! I want to see it all!!!!

In the tough market, a lot of sellers have been asking me the "golden question"... what can you do to sell my home?

Well I am sure we all pretty much in a nut shell do the same thing, market it every where we can, online and in the papers... but of course we explain that in detail. No need to go over what we already know, right?

So here is my "new trick"...

I have recently thought of something else to do, that I would like to share with you all. I am going to make at least two write ups of every listing I have, and use them both. Every couple of weeks, I will switch everything to keep listings from looking boring. That way people that come through more than once, might find one description more eye catching than my other one.

I know that all of my listings that I told about this were very enthusiastic about it, and were really appreciative.

I am also adding A LOT more photos to all of my websites. I mean a lot. Pretty much as many as they will let me have. The key is taking good quality photos though. Not using the crappy ones just to fill up space.

I really want to hear everyone's ideas today. What is everyone doing outside of the norm to get their listings moving? Please share everything!!!!