$1,000 closing cost incentive offered for new home sales in St. Charles County

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO --- In an effort to bolster the American dream in St. Charles County, first-time home buyers and new residents planning to buy a newly constructed home could receive $1,000 in closing cost assistance through a limited incentive program offered by HOME St. Charles, a non-profit subsidiary of the Economic Development Center (EDC) of St. Charles County.

Known as the “Welcome Home Incentive Program,” this local initiative offers $500 from HOME St. Charles to qualifying new home purchasers if their banker, builder, or mortgage broker will provide a $500 match. Officials said they currently have funding to issue 20 incentive awards.
“As part of our broader economic solutions campaign, the Welcome Home Incentive Program is designed to help attract new residents, sell new homes, and impact local jobs in St. Charles County,” said EDC President Greg Prestemon. “We also hope this effort will serve as a challenge to other community groups, businesses, and organizations to encourage them to consider how they can refocus resources and programs to have an immediate and positive impact on the local economy.”

Some of the stipulations to qualify for the Welcome Home Incentive Program include:

• Must be a first-time homebuyer or new resident moving to St. Charles County
• Must have a $500 match from the builder, banker, or mortgage broker
• Must be a newly constructed single family home or previously unoccupied new single family home
• Purchase price cannot exceed $267,000
• Only home purchase contracts signed on or after July 1, 2009 will be considered

Officials said they also plan to make an effort to award the incentive to a wide variety of subdivisions and communities throughout St. Charles County.

Funds are limited and an online application is now available. Contact Jane Nicoletti for more information.

Buyers show continued confidence in the housing market. Sales, new starts are up and incentives help ease the way home.

The saying goes “Home is where the hearth is” and it looks like an increasing number of homebuyers will have their very own hearth soon. We gage confidence by the number of satisfied homebuyers who now have their very own place to feel secure, comfortable and to grow. We gage confidence by the number of home sellers who are able to sell their properties at a reasonable price and feel secure moving on to the next chapter of their lives.

But just to add numbers to our “people quotient,” the latest reports show existing home sales rose for the third consecutive month, up 3.6 percent from June to July, and prices declined less in June, according to the National Association of Realtors. The median existing single home price came in at $181,600. First-time buyers are making their mark–they rang up 29 percent of the sales and helped to increase buyer visits by 12 percent from a year ago. New home starts and permits are up too, a gain of 3.6 percent in overall starts and an 8.7 percent increase in permits.

Certainly the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit has helped the housing market begin its recovery, and there are a number of other incentives out there that will help buyers feel more confident. In the St. Charles region the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County offers, through its subsidiary program HOME St. Charles, a “Welcome Home Incentive Program” to help buyers with closing costs associated with the purchase of a newly constructed single family home. This incentive is for first-time buyers or new residents moving into St. Charles County.

The initiative offers $500 to qualifying buyers who have a $500 match from the builder, banker or mortgage broker. For more information on this incentive, go to homestcharles.org, but be sure to come in to talk with us about this program and the many more incentives that make buying, selling and living in St. Charles County a great experience.

Enjoy Cardinal Baseball and Help a Kid!

SCHNEIDER Realtor, Robert Clarke, tells his story (click the link below) of how he got involved in selling Cardinal baseball tickets to help his son Cauy, who suffers from a rare disease. You can help and at the same time enjoy the ball game! http://www.cureforcauy2009.com/Home_Page.html
Posted by SCHNEIDER Real Estate at 1:50 PM 0 comments

Lake Saint Louis is one of the BEST places to live in America!

Congratulations to the residents of Lake St. Louis! The community placed ninth in the top 10 places to live in Money magazine’s annual listing of the best 100 places. SCHNEIDER Realtors’ own Jane Nicoletti can testify first hand–she’s lived there for more than 20 years and loves Lake Saint Louis.

“Now my grandchildren can enjoy the pool, the parks and walk along the boulevard,” she says. “and there’s shopping galore. How great is it that we made it in the top 10 cities to live list!”

Money magazine’s criteria for the top 100 list is based on school ratings, home prices, employment levels and crime statistics. The magazine judges communities between 8,500 and 50,000 residents.

With it’s five parks, two lakes, three golf courses and a 650-horse equestrian center, Lake Saint Louis has evolved from a resort town to a thriving family-centered community that is projected to have a strong job growth over the next five years.

Last year St. Peters, O’Fallon and St. Charles made the list. Seems like our little corner of the world is doing just fine!

Check out homes in these great places to live!

LAST CALL FOR $8,000 TAX CREDIT

It’s hard to believe that we are into the second half of 2009. What a year it’s been for the Real Estate Industry! Our area is experiencing an increase in sales and recently was named as number 8 on a list of the Top 10 cities of opportunity by Forbes Magazine:

“Best Cities for Finding Opportunity Where are the best cities to live in the United States if you want to work hard and get ahead? Forbes magazine examined the nation’s 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas and based on the number of Forbes' 400 best big companies and 200 best small companies that are headquartered in each, it identified what it considered places with the most opportunity. The magazine says it took this route because the best big companies provide opportunities for those who seek to be employees, and the rate of success of small businesses indicates how the area treats entrepreneurs.”

We have been fortunate to be in the conservative Mid-West, faring better than most US cities not only when it comes to opportunity but also home values.

One of the results of the Stimulus Package was the $8,000 Tax Credit offered to first time home buyer (those not owning a home in the last 3 years).Recently this tax credit was amended to allow the buyer to use the money for closing costs or to add additional down payment (in addition to the required 3.5% minimum down). This has really helped to stimulate sales. To take advantage of this gift a home buyer must act NOW. A home purchase must close by Nov. 30th to qualify; the home buying process has been lengthened by the careful underwriting of a loan and appraisal changes. A serious buyer should be viewing homes now and get under contract no later than September to allow time for any delays in the process. If you’ve been sitting on the fence (or know someone who has) now is the time to jump down! Interest rates are still at record lows, there is lots of inventory to choose from and home prices are lower than they have been in years. We may never see a better scenario in our life time to buy real estate. THIS IS LAST CALL to get in on the free $8,000 gift!

Changing Schools-Being the New Kid is a Very Big Deal

Your new home is waiting for you. There’s excitement in the air, moving boxes all over the floor and last minute details to wrap up. But, someone in your family just might not be too excited about this move. Children can be very stressed when they leave old friends and familiar settings, whether moving across the country or across town.School can be a second home for your child and the nucleus of their social lives. It’s hard to start all over again, especially since peer groups have become so important. Easing this transition for the younger members of the family will also ease your transition and make for a much happier experience.Here are some tips to help your child adjust quickly.Talk about the move even before it happens. Discuss everything you know about your new community, be enthusiastic and positive. Children can sense any reluctance on your part.Never discount your child’s feelings about the move and new school. His fears and hesitation are real.Most likely, you’ve already visited the new school since one of the reasons you chose your new home is because of the academic reputation. If your child didn’t go with you, take him to the school and look around, even if it’s during the summer and the school may be closed.Encourage get-togethers with neighborhood children who attend the school. Seeing a familiar face is usually a comfort when dropped into an unfamiliar setting.Pay attention to the kind of clothes the students wear. Even if it makes you feel like a slave to fashion, one of the worse things that could happen for your child is to show up on the first day of school and not be dressed like everyone else.Go to school with your child on the first day. This is no time to drop her off and pick her up after school. Walk her to her classroom and introduce yourselves to the teacher. As your child continues her transition during the school year, you want the teacher to know who you are and that you are involved.Expect some bad behavior. Children will feel unsettled and worried, even if they won’t or can’t express those feelings. Acting out may be their way of showing their frustration.Above all, talk to your children and indicate you have an open line of communication and will help.To help you even further, check out the Beating Back-to-School Bedlam class presented by Progress West HealthCare Center. Productivity advisor Mary Kutheis will help you discover solutions to be more organized, manage a schedule and generally guarantee a smooth transition. The program is at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21 at the Middendorf-Kredell Library.

SCHNEIDER Team has an unusual Sales Meeting!

SCHNEIDER Realtor, Steve Snarzyk, was surprised at Tuesdays sales meeting when the team got together and gave him a diaper shower. Steve and wife Samantha are expecting their first child October 1st. They are shown here loading their trunk with all the diapers, it's a start!

Dancing in the Rain

Enjoy this 2 minute power point on gratitude; it's all about perspective! www.danceintherainmovie.com