The Basics: Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit 2009/2010
Bringing the Dream of Homeownership Within ReachAs part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed new legislation that:Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010.Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners purchasing a new or existing home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.Here is more information about how the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit can help prospective home buyers become part of the American dream.

Most Affordable College Towns
This year, Akron, Ohio (University of Akron) is ranked as the most affordable college town, where a typical four-bedroom home costs $121,885. Muncie, Ind. (Ball State University) took the No. 2 spot at $144,996. Ann Arbor, Mich. (University of Michigan) came in as the No. 3 most affordable college market, where the sample size home only costs $148,000.The annual College Home Price Comparison Index released by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC provides an apples-to-apples comparison of similarly sized 2,200 square foot; four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom homes in college markets home to the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Overall, the 2009 Col

Elkhart County Real Estate Stats - September
Monthly 2009 to 2008 Comparison# New ListingsSept '09 - 268, Sept '08 - 286, YTD 2572# Sold ListingsSept '09 - 118, Sept '08 - 144, YTD 1055Median PriceSept '09 - $98,000, Sept '08 - $98,950, YTD $91,500Avg Days on the MarketSept '09 - 105, Sept '08 - 101, YTD 112%Sale Price to List PriceSept '09 – 94.26, Sept '08 – 96.10, YTD 93.50Elkhart County Unemployment Rate16.0%

Concord Mall Gets National Recognition
Malls think outside the (big) boxIn a dismal retail climate, developers are luring unconventional tenants.By Beth Kowitt, reporterSeptember 9, 2009: 5:49 AM ETNEW YORK (Fortune) -- A freeze in consumer spending, abysmal same-store sales, and a swath of retail bankruptcies have taken a serious toll on your local mall.Nationwide, mall vacancy rates hover at 8.4%, their highest level since commercial real estate research firm REIS started collecting the data almost a decade ago. To keep their stor

Most affordable markets ranked
In its annual survey of most- and least-affordable housing markets, BusinessWeek quoted a number of experts who believe that for many people, the current low interest rates and low housing prices have combined to allow an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy a home. To calculate the most- and least-affordable areas, BusinessWeek considered the share of homes sold in the second quarter of this year that would have been affordable to a family earning the local median income. Housing costs were calculated using new and existing sales records supplied by First American Real Estate Solutions and include principal, interest, estimated property taxes, and insurance.Here are th