First Time Homebuyers Fueling the Surge

The first-time home buyers tax credit no accounts for nearly half of home sales according to an industry report released recently.

A whopping, 47% of all Americans who purchased homes this year had not owned one during the previous three years, (National Association of Realtors (NAR))--a statistic that was up from 41% of sales in 2008 and 36% in 2006.

The credit which was was recently extended through the middle of 2010 and expanded to include many existing homeowners, gives the first-time homebuyer incentive with a credit of up to $8,000 to buyers which they could deduct from their income taxes. This credit is fully refundable, even if the buyer has less than $8000 in taxable income.

"With the expanded criteria, many people looking at homes are eligible, " says Rich Ferretti of Jamison Realty in Charlotte, NC "This is a great time to be buying."

If you would like more information about the Mint Hill, Matthews and Charlotte area real estate market check out www.minthillrealty.com or call Rich Ferretti at 704-564-0807.

Charlotte NC Residential Real Estate Sales Trends

Dear Friends:

The latest Residential Real Estate Sales Trend report was released last week and it is my opinion that our market is still strong and is in the process of rebounding.

According to statistics the average days a listed property is on market is now 130.7. The amount of contracts between July 6 and August 5, 2008 decreased by almost 28.2% compared to last year at this time and residential closings were down by 29.8%.

At the present time there are 30,000 listed properties in our MLS area which encompasses 10 counties with estimated closings at 2,700. These figures equate to an inventory absorption rate of 11. This means at present time we have 11 months worth of inventory and still in a buyers market. With prices trending downward there are some great buys in our area.

Go to my Charlotte Real Estate website for additional information and available properties.

Rich Ferretti
Tel: 704.564.0807
rich@richferretti.com
www.richferretti.com
10801 Johnston Road
Suite 216
Charlotte, NC 28226

Want more information about the Charlotte area real estate market? Check out www.richferretti.com