CENTURY 21 is giving away Twenty One $8.000 Cash Prizes

And you could be a winner! The Connect 2 the 1 Campaign runs from April 1, 2010 through June 30, 2010, and it allows you to enter your name in a drawing to win one $8,000 prize. One winning name will be drawn each month for 3 months in each of the 7 zones of the country designated by CENTURY 21: Desert West, Pacific West, Midwest, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and South Central. (Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Rhode Island are not able to participate due to State Regulations). Drawings will be held on or about the 20th of May, June and July and winners will be notified by mail, e-mail or phone.

So, how do you enter? You can enter by 3 simple ways: 1) List your home for sale by your CENTURY 21 Professional during the campaign period. 2) Ask your CENTURY 21 Professional for an entry form, fill it out and give it back to them to send in for you. 3) Write your name, complete address including zip code, phone number, e-mail address and age (must be 21 to enter contest) on a 3x5 piece of paper and mail it to: "$8,000 List Your Home Sweepstakes", c/o ePrize, LLC, PO Box 5046, Kalamazoo, MI, 49003-5046. Only one entry per person during the campaign and non-winners for the month will be added to the drawing the next month.

No purchase is necessary to enter; complete rules and regulations can be obtained from your local CENTURY 21 Professional or on line at CENTURY21.com on the Connect 2 the 1 icon starting April 1st.

So double up those chances ... be sure to have your Purchase and Sale Offer written and accepted by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30, 2010, to receive your tax credit from Uncle Sam; then be sure to enter our CENTURY 21 Connect 2 the 1 Campaign for a chance at more money! Talk to your CENTURY 21 Professional today; and, as always, we're here to answer any questions for you, so give us a call!

Is There Any Good News in the Housing Market?

As a matter of fact, there is! The Economic Recovery has been painful, but there are signs that we may, actually, be recovering. It's still a long road to the top, but it's my opinion we've started to climb.

The stock market is looking better, even with the GM Bankruptcy problem. The April Pending Homes Sales showed a 3.2% improvement over a year ago, now up to 6.7%. Mortgage rates are starting to creep up to over 5% ... but give me a break! I remember when mortgage rates at 8% were considered a great deal, and that wasn't very long ago; and it was just a year ago when we were looking at 6.09%. Some other statistics show April Personal Income was up with wages and salaries inceasing for the first time in 8 months; however, consumers are still holding tight to their money, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Everyone needs to know they can hold enough in reserve to pay the bills for next month.

In my opinion, this is a great time to buy real estate. For investors, it's the first time in a long time where they can put minimum down and still make their investments cash flow. For first time homebuyers, they can be assured of an $8,000 tax credit provided they close before November 30th. (Note: "First time" means they haven't owned or bought a primary residence within the last 3 years.) And prices are really, really low. Find yourself some short sales and suffer the waiting period ... it's worth it in the long run because banks are now looking at taking offers on what the current market value is worth, not what is owed on the property. I even spoke to a lender yesterday that wasn't requiring a big "short sale packet" that includes mounds of paperwork showing why the Seller can't afford the house any more; but were willing to look at just an offer to purchase, a net proceeds statement and current market analysis. Yea! What a boon!

So, if you've been fence sitting waiting for the bottom to arrive, time to leap off that fence and into the market. There may never be another one like it for years to come!