The Coming Home-Tax Credit: Worth the Wait?

The Coming Home-Tax Credit: Worth the Wait? In a bid to give another shot in the arm to the housing market, Senate Democrats reached an agreement on Wednesday that would extend the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and introduce a new credit for existing homeowners. This is a tentative compromise worked out by some Senate members and the …

Foreclosure properties worth a look

Foreclosure properties worth a look [Florida] People wanting to buy homes in Charlotte County are looking in all the usual places — and then some. Many of the county’s foreclosure properties on the Multiple Listing Service have become places where home seekers turn. There are certainly enough of them to see. As of Monday, Port …

Buy a house, get a check

Buy a house, get a check If you’re thinking of buying a house, run, don’t walk, to the nearest real estate office. Time is running out for first-time homebuyers to get an $8,000 tax credit. “We’re seeing closings take 30 to 45 days, so they’d better do it right now,” advised EiIeen Mikulecky, a Keller …

New wave of commercial foreclosures looms

New wave of commercial foreclosures looms Banks have foreclosed on more than 400,000 square feet of office space, more than 400 hotel rooms, more than 1,250 condominum units, more than 100,000 square feet of warehouse space and more than 150 acres of raw commercial land in Sarasota and Manatee counties since November. This is prime …

South Florida homeowners walking away from underwater mortgages

South Florida homeowners walking away from underwater mortgages Many South Florida homeowners who can afford to make their mortgage payments are choosing not to, forcing the lender to foreclose. It’s called strategic default. Andres Duque thought he got a real steal when he paid $125,000 for his Little Haiti condo. But four years later, similar …

Personal finance: What if you don’t pay the mortgage?

Personal finance: What if you don’t pay the mortgage? We all talk about what ifs. One big what if that many South Florida homeowners have today has to do with mortgages. About one-third of South Florida mortgages are underwater, meaning the homeowners owe more than the home is worth at today’s depressed prices, according to …