TheDawgByte

     Lately, I am hearing and reading about what real estate agents will and won't do when it comes to returning phone call, responding to emails, being available for clients and other agents.  In a word: sad.

      Some have indicated that they won't return calls after hours.  Maybe I'm just old, but when did real estate have hours like banks and retail stores?  Some have said that they differentiate between calls, emails, and questions of clients from those of other agents.  Maybe I am just old, but when did the other agent in a transaction not become our client, too?  Some have written that they only have 24 hours in their day.  Maybe I'm just old, but when did a day have anything but 24 hours?

     It got me thinking...all these blog entries and social networking comments about real estate and what some real estate agents will or won't do when it comes to returning calls, responding to emails and being available for clients and other agents.  No maybe about it...I am old.  To quote the wonderfully funny, Moms Mabley, when asked about old age, "You just wake up one morning, and you got it!"

      I love being a Realtor.  I enjoy seeing people achieve the goal of homeownership.  I am proud of my small role in helping that to happen.  It touches deep inside me when a five year old gets to romp in a big back yard after spending his or her first four years in an apartment with only a patio for outside playtime.  I feel honored that a senior citizen selected me to help them downsize from their large two-story home into a more accessible one-story senior condo.

      It costs me nothing to return an agent or client call at 9:00 pm.  It doesn't prevent me from going to one of my grandkids' school events to respond to an agent or client email on my fancy wireless do-dad phone, before I take my seat in the front row.  It doesn't impact my vacation to respond to a concerned agent or a nervous first-time home-buyer when I'm camping or traveling Tuscany.  It's the nature of the beast and I freely decided to ride it.

      So one day I just woke up in the morning and realized I'm old...old school when it comes to real estate.  I believe strongly in professional courtesy between agents and brokers.  I believe in being client-centered.  And I believe you can do all of this without sacrificing time with family or friends.  So here's my blog post and now I am going to go pickup two of my grand-daughters that live near me and we are going to go see a movie titled "UP" and we are going to have popcorn, soda and candy.  The tickets are cheaper for the early movies, you know.  Family time doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

     Housing and Urban Development Secretary Donovan announced on May 29, 2009 to a meeting of homebuilders that the Federal Housing Administration will allow qualifying "first-time" homebuyers to use the previously announced $8,000 tax credit towards the purchase costs of a FHA insured home.  So what does that mean to the qualifying "first-time" homebuyer?

      The homebuyer can only access the $8,000 tax credit after filing their tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service.  FHA guidelines require a homebuyer to make a minimum 3.5 percent down payment, so the end result is that the $8,000 tax credit can be used as additional down payment or for other closing costs.  This could help the homebuyer get a lower interest rate.

      As with all government programs, there are a great number of conditions and so it is critical for real estate professionals and their clients to understand the program and the process.  A good jumping off point is to get more information on this HUD program by going to http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?CONTENT=pr09-072.cfm   Another resource for real estate professionals and their clients is the HUD Mortgagee Letter 2009-15 at http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/files/09-15ml.doc which goes into greater program details.

      As with all government efforts so far, this is not a silver bullet to cure all the ills of our housing market.  It is, however, another step in correcting the failures of the past.  As Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Donovan told the homebuilders, "What we are doing today will not only help families to purchase their first home but will present an enormous benefit for communities struggling to deal with an oversupply of housing."