<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>The Alan Wood Team's Blog</title><link>http://www.alanwoodhomes.com/blog</link><description>Rochester NY real estate market news provided by RE/MAX Plus</description><lastBuildDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT</lastBuildDate><item><title>Congress Extends &amp; Improves Home Buyers</title><description><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; color: black; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Victory! Congress passes homebuyer tax credit. The Senate and House voted in favor of extending the first-time homebuyer tax credit.&nbsp;The legislation extends, through April 30, an $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit and creates a new $6,500 credit for homebuyers who have been in their current residence for the last five years or more.<br />The Senate unanimously voted Wednesday night (98-0). The House just passed the bill this afternoon (403-12).<br />President Obama is expected to sign the legislation tomorrow, Friday, November 6.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></p>]]></description><link>http://www.alanwoodhomes.com/Blog/Congress-Extends-Improves-Home-Buyers</link><guid>http://www.alanwoodhomes.com/Blog/Congress-Extends-Improves-Home-Buyers</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Should I Buy a Home Now?</title><description><![CDATA[<p>I&rsquo;m often asked if this is a good time to buy a home.&nbsp; Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already.&nbsp; They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy.&nbsp; The problem with this approach is that you don&rsquo;t know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you&rsquo;ve missed it!</p>
<p>Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability.&nbsp; Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows.&nbsp; Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!</p>
<p>While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial &ldquo;comfort zone.&rdquo;&nbsp; To that end, it may be more important to lock in today&rsquo;s relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.</p>
<p>Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today&rsquo;s market.</p>]]></description><link>http://www.alanwoodhomes.com/Blog/Should-I-Buy-a-Home-Now</link><guid>http://www.alanwoodhomes.com/Blog/Should-I-Buy-a-Home-Now</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:25:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
