Housing Tax Credit Closing Extension Helps Some; Others Finding Market Ripe With Good Deals

From RealtyTimes.com

by Phoebe Chongchua

It’s not a lot of time, but a three-month homebuyer limited tax-credit extension will help some. “I think it was one of relief by lots of homebuyers who had loans and real estate transactions in the pipeline and couldn’t close by the June 30th deadline. The extension gives them the opportunity to finish up their deals and close by September 30th,” says Lucien Salvant, National Association of Realtors spokesperson.

“We estimate up to 180,000″ will benefit from the extension. However, if you don’t currently have a loan application in, it’s too late to take advantage of this federal housing tax credit. “You had to have a valid contract by April 30th,” says Salvant.

But Salvant says that shouldn’t discourage interested buyers because the market is ripe with other opportunity. “The good news for people who didn’t take advantage of the tax credit is that the inventory is still plentiful, although it’s reduced significantly from what it was a year ago, prices are affordable, and the interest rates are the lowest they’ve been since the 1950s.” The low interest rates are, of course, a magnet for attracting buyers. However, Salvant says that while this is a good time to buy, he notes that the lending market isn’t operating the way it did before the housing crisis. This, he says, should make people understand that buying a house is a good option if you plan to stay in it a while—not play the flipping gamble, hoping for a quick profit.

“The average is about seven years. Homeownership is an investment in the future, not for a quick turnaround, which a lot of people abused in the earlier part of this decade,” says Salvant.

Salvant notes that the housing market’s recovery is being hampered by uncertain unemployment conditions which are causing some potential buyers to wait, possibly for more breaks.

But Salvant says don’t count on more tax incentives. “We have asked Congress now for three different tax credits and we’ve gotten them. The purpose of the tax credit was to give a quick start to the housing economy which was coming apart and sinking fast. We think it really helped. Now, it’s time for the housing market to stand on its own two feet,” says Salvant.

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