Natalie Malin's Real Estate Blog | Mercer Island, WA | Buy a House, Condo, First Time Home Buyer, Mortgage, Real Estate Agent

Inside Real Estate
Let Me Help You!
(206) 232-3240
Follow My Blog
RSS
nataliemalin
Natalie Malin
Managing Broker

    Masters Degree
    CRS: Certified Residential Specialist

Direct: (206) 232-3240



Company Info

Coldwell Banker Bain Associates


Real Estate Tools

Schoolsschools

Communitiescommunities

Calculatorscalculators

First Time Home-Buyers

Mercer Island Real Estate: You Only Have 15 More Days to Use the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit!

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

(AND WE HAVE AMAZING AFFORDABLE HOMES & CONDOS ON MERCER ISLAND!)

Why only 15 more days? Since the program expires on November 30, 2009, and since it most likely will take up to 60 days to close on the home or condo you buy, you only have 2 weeks to find the home or condo you want to buy.  If you’re not under contract by October 15th, you may not have a chance to claim the tax credit (especially if the property you prefer is a foreclosure or a short sale).  Incidentally, IRS Form 5405 stipulates:

*Buyer may not have owned a “main home” in the past 36 months.

* The home may not be purchased from a parent, spouse, or child.

* Adjusted gross income for the household must be below $95,000 for single tax filers and $170,000 for joint tax filers.

The credit is capped at $8,000 or 10% of the purchase price, whichever is less.  So, for instance, if you were to claim the full $8,000, and if you would normally owe $5,000 in taxes, you would receive $3,000 cash from the US Treasury when your tax return is processed by the IRS.  Remember that if you can’t close by November 30, 2009, you won’t be able to claim the credit.

And have you seen the latest interest rates? They are so low! Call/text/email me now to find your Mercer Island “dream” home or condo so that you can take advantage of this amazing opportunity.  You won’t find a more advantageous time to buy! For instance, there is a great 2 bedroom Mercer Island condo in a choice location with a brand new kitchen for only $219,000.

Enjoy The Sunshine on Our Beautiful Mercer Island

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

We have three wonderful public beaches, plus numerous “Street End” beaches which are open to the public. Groveland Beach on the west side boasts a great swimming beach, picnic area, and play equipment. Clarke Beach on the East side also has a wonderful beach and picnic area. While Luther Burbank beach on the North end has a day dock, beach, trails, an “off leash” dog area, a performance stage, and lots of room to play.

Our clubs with regulation pools and tennis include the Mercerwood Shore Club in the north end with a dock, the Mercer Island Country Club with its amazing tennis programs for all ages in the south end, and the Scenic Mercer Island Beach Club–where one overlooks the beautiful pool to boats gliding across Lake Washington–with its sandy beach, play equipment, BBQ picnic area and tennis courts.

And, starting June 21st, we’ll have our ever popular Sunday Farmer’s Markets at Mercerdale Park, with “heirloom” varieties of local fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The “heirloom” produce is naturally pollinated to create their fruit, and take it from me they are all incredibly delicious. If you would like to volunteer, the kick off meeting is Thursday June 4th at 7:00 in the north end Fire Station.

Here is a video of a new listing. It was built by an excellent Mercer Island builder, who was raised on the Island, for his family’s year-round enjoyment at Snoqualmie Pass. And fortunately for the lucky buyer, it’s now on the market at a great price!

I have compiled a list of Mercer Island properties that have sold in the last few months-an amazing number have sold, along with all the statistics. Please let me know if you would like that report and I will email or send it to you. Our Island is always popular with excellent schools, and a myriad of activities for all ages. Want a tour of Mercer Island? Just contact me-I’ll be happy to show you the many benefits of living here!

Good News for First Time Home Buyers!

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Good news for Mercer Island first time home buyers!  With this new incentive for home buyers, we anticipate a more active market for our beautiful Mercer Island homes.  We expect to see a “trickle up” effect where entry level homes sell so that those sellers can then move up to the next level and so on.  How does it work?  The new Home Buyer Tax Credit provides an $8,000 credit that will be available to first time home buyers when they purchase a primary residence between January 1, 2009 – December 1, 2009.  Unlike prior proposals, this credit does NOT require repayment.

Also, you may qualify as a “first time” home buyer even if you have owned a home in the past, as long as you have not owned a home in the last three years.   Call me for more information about the parameters.  That, together with our normal activity in the Spring when the flowers are in bloom, should open the Mercer Island market to more first time home buyers.  And of course, once the inventory goes down, this amazing “buyers’ market” (with low prices and low interest rates) will become a more balanced market for first time home buyers.  It’s always a case of “supply and demand”.  Also, the FHA Jumbo loan was just approved to increase from $506,000 back to the 2008 limit of $567,500 which should help Mercer Island first time home buyers as well.

We still have amazing inventory on our beautiful Mercer Island ripe for the picking, with prices so low compared to recent years that you first time home buyers will be amazed–it’s a great way to have instant equity, since historically our Mercer Island home prices have continued to appreciate in value over the years.  Please call me for a tour of properties in your price range as a first time home buyer on our great Mercer Island.

That fantastic Mercer Island condo that I spoke about last week, with the gorgeous unobstructed panoramic view, that was priced at $429,000, and which would normally sell for so much more, has now been reduced to the amazingly low price of $399,000!  There is so much I can tell you about the exciting lifestyle of living in our wonderful Mercer Island village, with a myriad of activities for all ages and all interests.  Mercer Island first time home buyers, please contact me to learn more.  Thank you…I look forward to hearing from you.

Market Recap

  • Avg. Sales Price: $1,893,471

  • Avg. Days on Market: 160

Free Market Alerts

Get local reports delivered to you

 
Recently Asked Questions
    Ask Me a Question

    Do you have questions you need Answered?

    market alert newsletter

    Get free market reports delivered to you. » Sign up today

    - Copyright © 2010 Inside Real Estate, LLC

    Inside Real Estate does not endorse the agents on this site, and does not guarantee the content submitted by the site's members. Blog and page entries, content, and other information contributed by agents that are members of the site are accountable to the particular agent.