Home builders are offering incentives to purchase their homes, home owners are lowering their asking prices just to get the sale, and in recent months the government has offered tax incentives for first time home buyers. All of this with the low prices the market is offering makes buying Augusta Real Estate or any real estate for that matter very attractive. It’s important to keep in mind that when purchasing a home make sure you use a great real estate agent who can help you negotiate a fair deal and help you with the paperwork that is involved. Using a real estate agent can save you time and a lot of headaches if you don’t know what you are doing. If you need an agent for the Augusta Georgia market please visit www.augustalistingexpert.com for all you buying and selling needs.

Scotch Plains was settled in 1684 by Scottish Dissenters from Perth Amboy who were soon followed by the Quakers. An agricultural community, Scotch Plains grew slowly (by refusing to let the railroad come through the town, it stayed rural longer). However, after World War II, it doubled its size and became a commuter town.

The towns offer a lovely suburban setting, a variety of housing styles and options and large open park lands. There are some historic homes from the Colonial era. The south side of town has mainly single-family homes on acre lots. There are also the newer planned communities of Sterling and Berwyck Chase with private tennis courts and swimming pools for residents. There are some town home communities on the northern side of town located north of Route 22. East of Raritan Road are the Ash Brook Reservation and the Ash Brook Golf Course. Part of the Watchung Reservation also falls within Scotch Plains.

As the year ended, Chapel Hill Houses For Sale saw:

• Closed sales decline 8.1% (rather than 12% at the end of November),
• Median prices were up 2.7%,
• Average prices declined 1.6%, and
• Days on market increased from 83 to 97.

While it took longer to get homes sold, most houses did sell and prices did not erode significantly.  I take this as success in a difficult time. I am looking forward to a robust 2010 as our economy begins to improve.

Don’t forget to make Durham Homes For Sale a favorite so that you can see monthly updates on the Chapel Hill Real Estate market.

Edison is made up of many different neighborhoods with both single-family homes and townhome complexes. The north side of town is very suburban with homes and shopping. The south side of town is a mixture of family neighborhoods and commercial areas. Add to that a direct train line to Manhattan, major highways, shopping malls, restaurants and parks and you’ll find Edison a great place to live. Visit www.jackiesafran.com if you are looking to buy a home in Edison or you would like to find out further information.

The bottom line is that nationally, 1st Time Homebuyers accounted for only 36% of sales in 2006, see more at Augusta Real Estate and by some accounts they now account for almost 50% of all sales.  It has provided a good “bump” for sales, but it is far from the cure.

The housing crisis has its roots in the mortgage industry and predatory lending.  One required nothing more than a pulse to obtain a mortgage, and astounding products where rolled out to enable people to afford five times the home they should actually purchase.  Adjustable Rate Mortgages, Alt-A products, and sub-prime loans all caused what we’re now going through – not the lack of a “credit” for buying a home.  There is a natural order to things – we over-built, over-bought, over-spent, and over-borrowed.  Now we’re spending less, borrowing less, and only buying essentials.  Deplete the existing inventory through qualified buyers, and the market adjusts – back to another “Sellers Market.” Visit www.augustalistingexpert.com for more information about the market.

Artificially inflating the market with a gallon of tax credit may help in the short run, but it is not the natural order of things.  My milk has an expiration date, I’m glad the tax credit does too.