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Senate panel OKs extension for home buyers’ credit

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WASHINGTON – Oct. 29, 2009 – Senators reached a compromise to extend the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, a boost the housing industry expects will help it pull out of its two-year-old downturn.

Lawmakers in Washington also added a $6,500 tax credit for other primary-home purchasers and raised the qualifying income limits to $125,000 for single taxpayers and $225,000 for joint taxpayers, housing-industry sources said.

Under the Senate compromise, buyers must have sales agreements in hand by April 30, but they will have until June 30 to go to settlement, the sources said. The measure still faces votes in the full Senate and the House.

The current tax credit did little for the new-home market in September, the Commerce Department reported – news that took many industry analysts by surprise. Sales fell 3.6 percent from August and 7.8 percent from September 2008.

Industry observers had expected a fifth consecutive monthly increase in new-home sales, believing that the tax incentive for qualified first-time buyers – credited with 357,000 sales of previously owned homes so far this year – would do the trick.

Instead, sales of typically more expensive newly built houses slipped.

“The decline in new-home sales seems to us to be more a function of the attractive pricing available on resales in the current environment than a reflection of weakening demand,” said Michael Feder, president of Radar Logic Inc., of New York, which tracks the market.

“Big deal,” said Joel L. Naroff, of Naroff Economic Advisors, of Holland, Bucks County. “Since hitting rock bottom in March, demand is up 20 percent.”

For Naroff, the robust rise in existing-home purchases – 9.2 percent year over year in September – indicated that the housing market was not faltering.

“Maybe the issue is supply, which fell to its lowest level in 27 years,” he said. “Builders, at least those left standing, have been making sure they don’t have any houses sitting around, and they have been very successful in controlling inventories.”

IHS Global Insight Inc. economist Patrick Newport echoed that, noting new-home inventories “sank for the 29th straight month to their lowest level since November 1982.”

Naroff maintained housing had recovered enough to stand without the tax credit. But Newport said he believed that if the credit were not extended and expanded, housing demand would take a hit, and home sales would drop.

Until the Senate compromise today, the extension of the credit seemed mired in what National Association of Home Builders vice president Jerry Howard called “a game of partisan chicken.”

Howard’s take on the lower September numbers: It was too late to sign a contract on a house that would be completed by the current Nov. 30 deadline, and many buyers were concerned the credit would not be extended.

The credit has helped, acknowledged Marshal Granor, a principal in Granor Price Homes, of Horsham. But he added, “I’d love for it to go away, for a month.”

“People who believe there is no rush aren’t buying, they are waiting for more bargains from more squeezed sellers,” Granor said.

Still, said Feder of Radar Logic, lower home prices have carried “buyers further into the autumn than we would expect, based on historic patterns.”

Declining inventory means builders will have to ramp up production, Newport said.

As the Senate worked on the compromise, third-quarter data were released showing that the burden of foreclosure filings in the post-bubble market continued to shift from the subprime-ridden “sand” states (California, Nevada, Florida and Arizona) to areas with rising levels of unemployment and adjusting rates on the “exotic” mortgages prevalent in high-cost metropolitan markets.

Yet Las Vegas remained the toxic-loan capital, according to the third-quarter survey by RealtyTrac Inc., of Irvine, Calif. – its rate of foreclosure filings was seven times higher than the national average.

Senators differ on extending homebuyer tax credit

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WASHINGTON (AP) – Oct. 27, 2009 – Top Democrats in the Senate are pressing a plan that would extend a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers but gradually phase it out over the course of next year.

The proposal, by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., would extend the $8,000 tax credit – which expires Nov. 30 – through March 31. Its value would drop by $2,000 for each of the subsequent three quarters of 2010.

The plan, which could face a vote in the Senate this week, appears aimed at countering a far more generous $17 billion bipartisan plan that would extend the $8,000 credit through June 30, 2010, boost the income cap for eligibility and open the credit to all buyers, rather than first-timers.

Senators are maneuvering to add the homebuyer tax credit extension to legislation to extend unemployment benefits by up to 20 weeks. That bill faces a key test vote on Tuesday.

Supporters say the tax credit has helped revive the housing market and say that if it’s cut off as scheduled at the end of next month, home sales could drop off.

Reid sought to schedule a vote on the competing measures on Monday but was blocked by top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is demanding votes on unrelated GOP proposals.

One such proposal would require people receiving unemployment insurance to be processed through the E-Verify program to prove legal immigration status and would require all federal contractors to use E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that employers use to check on the immigration status of new hires.

The Democratic plan also would extend the ability of money-losing businesses to claim refunds on taxes paid during profitable times up to four years ago. All businesses could take advantage of the credit; when passed in February it was limited to smaller companies with annual revenues of $15 million or less.

The provision is especially popular with homebuilders who made huge profits in the housing boom but are struggling today. Critics say it’s a giveaway to some of the very companies that helped build up the housing bubble years ago.

Builders Urge Congress to Renew Home Buyer Tax Credit to Create Jobs, Boost Economy

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October 26, 2009—In order to create hundreds of thousands of badly needed jobs and move the economy to higher ground, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) called on Congress to extend and expand the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit set to expire at the end of next month.

Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee, NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe warned that builders are reporting that business generated by entry-level buyers is already declining because it is now too late to complete a new home sale in time to take advantage of the tax credit.

“Not only will builders soon be losing one of their most effective selling tools when the $8,000 federal housing tax credit expires on Nov. 30, they are also facing significant challenges that threaten to derail the fragile housing recovery before it even has time to take root,” said Crowe. “Strict mortgage underwriting and low appraisals are making it difficult for a willing buyer to complete the sale and terms and credit availability for builder acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) loans are extremely tight. The bottom line is that housing and the economy are at a critical crossroads.”

To spur job growth, help reduce foreclosures and excess housing inventories and stabilize home values, NAHB is calling on Congress to extend the home buyer tax credit for an additional year through Nov. 30, 2010 and make it available to all purchasers of a principal residence. “We estimate this would increase home purchases by 383,000 and create nearly 350,000 jobs in the coming year,” said Crowe, adding that it would also generate $16.1 billion in wages and salaries; $12.1 billion in business income and tax income of $11.6 billion for federal, state and local governments.

Congress can also help put the housing market back to work by encouraging regulators and the banking industry to restore lending for viable home building projects and to take meaningful steps to avoid unnecessary foreclosures on outstanding AD&C loans by accommodating loan modifications and workouts.

“This would provide relief for a major sector of the economy that has suffered because of regulatory excess and the inability of banks to provide the necessary funding and flexibility that would otherwise keep loans performing as scheduled,” said Crowe.

To further contribute to a housing and economic recovery, Crowe urged Congress to call on the Federal Housing Administration, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to adopt new regulatory guidelines for conducting appraisals under distressed market conditions.

Citing a recent survey by NAHB that found that 25% of builders are losing sales because their appraisals are coming in below the contract price, Crowe said: “You just cannot compare a well-constructed new home with a foreclosed home that has been vacant for months and was probably neglected for a long time before it was vacated. They simply are not comparable and the standards need to be adjusted to reflect that reality.”

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First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Fraud

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The General Accountability Office has reportedly frozen more than 110,000 first-time home buyer tax credit refunds pending civil or criminal examinations due to allegations of fraud. The main concerns are whether or not a home purchase actually took place and if the home buyer claiming the credit is technically a first-time home buyer as defined by the IRS.

In another article about the possible first-time home buyer tax credit fraud, reporter Dawn Kopecki reports that children as young as four years old have improperly received the first-time home buyer tax credit. And, according to the Treasury’s J. Russel George, who testified before Congress recently: “They [IRS] also found that 580 taxpayers under 18 years old and therefore ineligible to buy a home claimed almost $4 million in tax credits.”

The first-time home buyer tax credit ends Nov. 30, 2009. If you do not have a property under contract by the end of October 2009 it will almost be impossible to complete the sale unless you are paying cash!

New U.S. home sales rise 0.7 percent in August

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WASHINGTON (AP) – Sept. 25, 2009 – New U.S. home sales posted a tepid 0.7 percent increase last month, missing Wall Street expectations and providing more evidence that the housing market recovery remains tentative.

The Commerce Department said Friday sales inched up to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 429,000 from a downwardly revised 426,000 in July. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a pace of 440,000.

While it was the fifth straight increase and the strongest report in 11 months, sales were 4.3 percent lower than the same month last year. Sales have risen 30 percent from the bottom in January, but are off about 70 percent from the peak of four years ago.

The report was the second straight disappointing sign for the U.S. housing market, which is struggling to emerge from the most severe bust in generations. On Thursday, the National Association of Realtors said sales of previously occupied homes, which make up the bulk of the market, dipped 2.7 percent last month.

While August’s housing reports have been disappointing, “we believe both remain on an upward trend,” wrote David Resler, chief economist with Nomura Securities.

Builders continue to make severe cuts in prices to attract buyers. The median sales price of $195,200 was off 11.7 percent from $221,000 a year earlier, and 9.5 percent below July’s level of $215,600. That was the largest monthly drop on records dating to 1963.

There were 262,000 new homes for sale at the end of August, down more than 3 percent from July and the lowest in nearly 17 years. At the current sales pace, that represents 7.3 months of supply – the smallest amount since early 2007. The decline means builders have scaled back construction to the point where supply and demand are coming into balance.

Still, it’s taking more than a year to sell the homes on the market.

“No one ever said that the homebuilders were breaking out the bubbly and party hats and doing the cha-cha around town,” wrote Jennifer Lee, economist with BMO Capital Markets.

Buyers, meanwhile, are rushing to take advantage of a federal tax credit that covers 10 percent of the home price, or up to $8,000 for first-time owners. Home sales must be completed by the end of November for buyers to qualify. Builders and real estate agents are pressing Congress for that credit to be extended.

Sales varied dramatically around the country. The best performance was in the West, where sales rose more than 12 percent, and the worst was in the Northeast, where sales sank more than 16 percent. They were unchanged in the South, and down nearly 6 percent in the Midwest.

Meanwhile, KB Home posted a smaller third-quarter loss of $66 million on Friday as new home orders increased and the builder cut costs. Though the results missed analysts’ expectations, KB Home said its new orders jumped 62 percent in the third quarter from the year before, with every region showing annual growth.

And fewer homebuyers backed out. The company’s cancellation rate dropped to 27 percent during the quarter, compared with 51 percent a year ago.

Coldwell Banker offers smartphone app

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Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC has rolled out a custom-built smartphone application the company claims is the first to provide access to international properties.

Coldwell Banker’s mobile app — available for the iPhone and smartphones running Google’s Android operating system — provides access to property listings and recent home sales in 28 countries in North America, Europe, Central America, the Caribbean, South America and Australia, the company said.

In October, Coldwell Banker announced that its Web site was optimized for mobile devices, and this mobile-optimized site has since been accessed by about 200,000 users.

The new mobile app, developed by Bootstrap Software for Coldwell Banker, enables GPS-based searches for nearby homes, open houses and recent sales.

Search results can be viewed in list form or on maps, and recent sales can be sorted by location, price and sale date. Detailed property listings include images and the ability to direct-dial or e-mail Coldwell Banker listing agents. Searches that are saved to the user’s account will automatically generate notifications of new properties and open houses, providing alerts on the device’s homepage.

Custom-built software applications for the iPhone and other Internet-capable “smartphones” have become widely embraced by the real estate industry. Zillow, Trulia and the California Association of Realtors are among those offering mobile applications. Companies that provide mobile applications for brokers and agents include Move Inc., Smarter Agent, QWASI and Kurio.

Economists pronounce the recession over

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NEW YORK – Aug. 13, 2009 – The majority of economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal say the recession is over and Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke deserves another term.

Of the 47 economists the newspaper surveyed, 27 said the recession has ended and 11 predict another trough this month or next. The rest refused to commit. But they were nearly unanimous in saying that Bernanke should be rehired.

“He deserves a lot of credit for stabilizing the financial markets,” says Joseph Carson of AllianceBernstein. “Confidence in recovery would be damaged if he was not reappointed.”

Poll respondents believe Bernanke has more than a 70 percent chance of being asked by President Barack Obama to remain at the helm of the central bank.

Gross domestic product is expected to grow 2.4 percent in the third quarter at a seasonally adjusted annual rate. Economists were also heartened by a better-than-expected jobless report in July.