Chance Gates' Blog

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) residential foreclosures are available throughout the United States. The sales process for purchasing a HUD home is a little bit different than buying a home an individual or bank.

HUD homes are appraised, and then priced at fair market value for their location. The price of a home in need of repairs is adjusted downwards to reflect the investment the new owner must make to improve the home. All HUD homes are sold As-Is and no repairs will be made. They will have a home inspection already done and available to view before you make a bid. However, I would always recommend you have your own inspection done. If the home was built before 1978 make sure you know about lead base paint and other hazards such as asbestos.

Searching for HUD home is easy just click the link at the top of the page. The link will take you to MCB website(Nevada HUD Foreclosures) where all you have to do is select what cities you want to see. Once you located a home you would like to see, any HUD-approved real estate office can show you the property. HUD employees do not work with home buyers–you must use an agent

Lyon County is offering deferred loans to assist homebuyers through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), which is part of the federal bailout program.  The program is available to help homebuyers purchase bank-owned homes in zip code areas 89403 (Dayton) and 89408 (Fernley).

These loans are interest-free silent second mortgages that require no monthly payments.  The loan is due only upon sale, transfer of title, refinance with cash out, or when the home ceases to serve as a primary residence.

The asking price is just that, what they are asking for the property. The buyer should know and understand they want this property sold quickly. The buyer makes an offer asking for everything: seller to credit buyer 3% for closing cost and home warranty are just a few. The longer the house has been on the market the more the seller wants to get rid of the property. The seller will likely counter any reasonable offer trying to get the highest amount possible. The buyer needs to understand the just part of the process in buying a foreclosure property. The trick is to negotiate a price that will meet the seller’s bottom line. A buyer needs to get a Licensed Nevada Real Estate Agent, who has done a number of foreclosures, to assist them in reaching the best purchase price.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional I encourage all questions and comment on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any article posted.  I can be reached by email at chance@ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

Understanding Pricing
I realize it is hard to stomach, but short sales and foreclosures have driven the value of homes way down. The good news is houses are starting to sell if they are priced right. It use to be: that a seller could find the highest price house that compares to his, price his house a little higher, wait a couple months and he would sell the house. Now if a seller prices his house to high and waits a couple months the actual selling price is less than before. In order to sell a house, the price must be accurately determined to get a fast sale for the most money possible. If the house stays on the market longer than 7 days, with no activity, a price adjustment is needed. A seller needs to stay updated on other houses for sale, in his neighborhood, at least once a week.

Marketing
The way to market a house has really changed in the last few years. A seller use to be able to put an ad in the newspaper or magazine to create interest in his property. Now only about 20% of home buyers go to a newspaper or magazine before buying a house. Wayne Gretzky once said “A great hockey player skates to where the puck is going”. In real estate that is also true, a seller needs to advertise where the buyers are going. That is the internet; over 80% of buyers start their search by looking at houses on line. A seller should get his house on as many web-sites as possible, over 200 different sites is highly recommended.

Internet marketing is a good start, however in today’s market a seller can not stop there. He needs to have fliers made up and passed out to all his neighbors. More than 50% of houses sold come from neighborhood activity.

Open Houses – Good or Bad?
This is a question that will be different for every seller. It is very true that less than 5% of open house actually sell the house. There is no telling if a potential buyer is actually inspecting the house to rob later. However, it does remind people that the house is on the market and helps create conversation about the house. It also gives potential buyers a noncommittal way of seeing the house.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional I encourage all questions and comment on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any article posted.  I can be reached by email at chance@ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

IR-2009-27, March 18, 2009

WASHINGTON — As part of the Treasury Department’s consumer outreach effort and with the April 15 individual tax filing deadline approaching, the Internal Revenue Service today began a concerted effort to educate taxpayers about additional options at their disposal to claim the new $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit for 2009 home purchases. For people who recently purchased a home or are considering buying in the next few months, there are several different ways that they can get this tax credit even if they’ve already filed their tax return.

The Treasury Department encourages taxpayers to explore these options to maximize their credit and get their money back as fast as possible.

“The new credit can get money in the pockets of first-time homebuyers quickly,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “For people who recently purchased a home or are considering buying in the next few months, there are several different ways that they can get this tax credit even if they’ve already filed their tax return.”

First-time homebuyers represent a significant portion of existing single-family home sales. The expansion in the first-time homebuyer credit will make it easier for first-time homebuyers to enter the housing market this year.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, qualifying taxpayers who purchase a home before Dec. 1 receive up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately. People can claim the credit either on their 2008 tax returns due April 15 or on their 2009 tax returns next year.

The filing options to consider are:

File an extension. Taxpayers who haven’t yet filed their 2008 returns but are buying a home soon can request a six-month extension to October 15. This step would be faster than waiting until next year to claim it on the 2009 tax return. Even with an extension, taxpayers could still file electronically, receiving their refund in as few as 10 days with direct deposit.

File now, amend later. Taxpayers due a sizable refund for their 2008 tax return but who also are considering buying a house in the next few months can file their return now and claim the credit later. Taxpayers would file their 2008 tax forms as usual, then follow up with an amended return later this year to claim the homebuyer credit.

Amend the 2008 tax return. Taxpayers buying a home in the near future who have already filed their 2008 tax return can consider filing an amended tax return. The amended tax return will allow them to claim the homebuyer credit on the 2008 return without waiting until next year to claim it on the 2009 return.

Claim the credit in 2009 rather than 2008. For some taxpayers, it may make more financial sense to wait and claim the homebuyer credit next year when they file the 2009 tax return rather than claiming it now on the 2008 tax return. This could benefit taxpayers who might qualify for a higher credit on the 2009 tax return. This could include people who have less income in 2009 than 2008 because of factors such as a job loss or drop in investment income.
The IRS reminds taxpayers the amount of the credit begins to phase out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income is more than $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers. Taxpayers can claim 10 percent of the purchase price up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately.

IRS.gov provides more information, including guidance for people who bought their first homes in 2008. To learn more about the overall implementation of the Recovery Act, visit www.Recovery.gov.
As a Reno – Sparks real estate consultant I encourage any questions or  comments on the Reno – Sparks real estate market or about any of the articles I post.  You can email me at chance@ballard-company.com

Washoe County Property Taxes are assessed once a year and cannot exceed property value. The way the assessor’s office determines the base price, to be taxed, of a person home is to take the value of the land add how much to replace the house new, and subtract deprecation. If this base price exceeds the property value a person can challenge the base price as long as the challenge is before the January deadline. The county assessor’s office has to send you the base price before the end of December. The assessor’s office phone number is (775)328-2233.

Example

A person receives a letter form the county assessor’s office and they base his house at $300,000. However this person just bought the house for $250,000 and made no improvements. Now the assessor’s office does not use Nevada real estate sales to determine the base price. However a person would have a great challenge because they could prove the base price exceeds the property’s value. If the challenge is not made before the January deadline, the homeowner will have to wait until next year to adjust the base rate.
As a Reno – Sparks real estate consultant I encourage any questions or  comments on the Reno – Sparks real estate market or about any of the articles I post.  You can email me at chance@ballard-company.com

FHA interest rates down to 5%
First time tax credit of $8000

Low FICO score programs
First time home buyer programs
Rural housing 100% loan programs
As a Reno – Sparks real estate consultant I encourage any questions or  comments on the Reno – Sparks real estate market or about any of the articles I post.  You can email me at chance@ballard-company.com

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■ For FICO scores between 550-619

■ 3.5% down payment

■ 30-year, fixed-rate FHA financing

■ Purchase and refinance

■ Gifts from close relatives acceptable

■ Job-loss insurance until 2011†

■ First-time homebuyers may qualify for up to $8,000 in

Federal tax credits‡
As a Reno – Sparks real estate consultant I encourage any questions or  comments on the Reno – Sparks real estate market or about any of the articles I post.  You can email me at chance@ballard-company.com

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