Downpayment Assistance for First Time Homebuyers available July 1st.

Great news for the Salem/Keizer Oregon real estate market. The City of Salem will once again re-open their program for downpayment assistance for first time homebuyers that are buying in the Salem/Keizer area. New funds will become available the first of July. This is a great program for buyers who can afford to make a monthly mortgage payment, but do not have the available funds for the 3.5% downpayment that FHA now requires. There are certain requirements that buyers must meet to obtain the downpayment assistance.

The first step to starting this process is to find a mortgage broker/lender that has your best interests at heart. You will need a trusted advisor skilled in working with the City of Salem program. I work with several trusted professionals that would be happy to assist you in your quest to buy a home using this downpayment assistance. I would be happy to refer you to my trusted partners. You can call me direct at 503-931-1846, or email me at MelWagnerBroker@msn.com for the names and numbers of these professionals.

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit may be extended and made available to all home purchasers.

There are several proposals in the works to extend or build on the current $8000 tax credit for buyers that are first time homebuyers. The current credit ends in November, but the new proposals would extend the credit and possibly allow for all buyers to take advantage of the credit through 2010. First time homebuyers currently make up to 40% of the buyers that are buying. Certainly extending the credit and allowing all buyers to participate in the program would have a positive effect on the current housing market difficulties. We have seen many Salem Oregon buyers that are first time home buyers decide to purchase a home to take advantage of the credit and also the historically low interest rates that we have seen the past few months. This has helped to boost sales activity in the local Salem Oregon Real Estate Market.

I will be updating this blog as more information comes available.

It's that time again-HBA 2009 Tour of Homes

Hard to believe that it is already time for the Tour of Homes again. This year has really flown by! I'm always excited for the Tour of Homes to roll around. You don't have to be looking to buy a home to benefit from visiting the tour homes. The homes are great resources if you are considering some remodel work to your home, or even just repainting the interior or exterior. Visiting the tour homes is a great way to see which new popular colors are being used for interior and exterior painting.

Be sure to visit the New Product House to see all of the newest products available for homeowners. This years New Product House is located at 4942 Periwinkle Dr. SE in Salem.

You can access all of the tour information online including a map of the tour homes. Hours of the tour are 12 pm to 6 pm on the weekends, and 6 pm to 9 pm on weeknights.

OPEN HOUSE IN SOUTH SALEM-First Time Open 5/17/09

Please join me for an open house on this new listing at 2825 Vintage Ave SE. Hours are 12 pm to 2 pm. Learn about all of the great FREE services that my buyers and sellers receive when they buy or sell their home with me!! This home is a must view-immaculate condition!!

New Listing-Short Sale in Great Condition