MEDIA

Well, they're at it again! MSNBC is bemoaning the foreclosure rate once more. What it works out to is about one half of one percent of households have at least one notice sent to them by their lenders that payments are in the rears. And a big percentage of all of these are in California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida and Michigan.

I hate it that trusting home buyers are losing their homes; but please don't scare the whole nation about our economy going into the tank!!! A half of one percent isn't going to send the country into an economic tailspin. Gasoline prices might; but not real estate.

Tyler Texas real estate is busy! Folks are moving here because they can buy a very nice home for under $150,000 and live freely again. www.johncmartin.com/ can help!

LONG DISTANCE PURCHASES

For those of you who are worried about the long distances that you have to travel, and the time you have to be here in order to get a purchase done, I can handle that for you. All you have to do is come and pick out the Tyler Texas real estate, or the East Texas real estate, that fits your needs, wants and desires. Then you can go back home and get ready for your move! I can do everything else for you right here. What you really need is an experienced Tyler Texas real estate agent who can get things done for you. At www.johncmartin.com/ I do it all the time, and all of my customers seen to be very pleased.

HARDSCAPING

We like to keep you up to date on the latest trends. Here's something from MSN real estate news, by way of http://www.johncmartin.com/, Tyler Texas real estate:

Although the use of stone, concrete and crushed gravel on residential properties isn't new, the switch from landscaping to "hardscaping" has started to gain traction in the past few years, as more homeowners have begun to think of their gardens and backyards as outdoor rooms. David Watkins, the general manager of Merrifield Gardening Center in Merrifield, Va., says that a decade ago, the company rarely had requests to do hardscaping.

But now, many customers say they would rather spend their weekends relaxing and entertaining in these tricked-out spaces -- complete with weather-resistant rugs, kitchens and built-in televisions -- than pushing around lawn mowers and pulling weeds. In the past year, the company's hardscaping sales have increased 20%, even though the cost for paving is around $25 a square foot installed, more than 10 times the cost of sod. Customers want a low-maintenance yard, Watkins says.

Some want no maintenance at all. Last spring, businessman Kim Melrose spent $25,000 having the yard of his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., torn up so it could be paved with cream-colored concrete, textured to look like travertine stone. His yard has a pool, a covered barbecue, a kitchen with a dishwasher, a two-burner cooktop, a stainless-steel sink and a bar with granite countertop -- and not a blade of grass."

An outdoor room! How 'bout that!

NATIONAL REALTY NEWS

"Interest rates remain at historically-low levels, home prices continue to be attractively affordable, there is a large supply of homes to choose from, and despite the media-driven perception, there is plenty of financing available for qualified buyers."

This is what we've been saying here for several months. This is a great time to buy! Call me, or email me from my web site: www.johncmartin.com/.

OPTIMISM

It seems that a number of media outlets have little optimism about our country's future, let alone the real estate market! It's almost like they want everything to fail. But Associated Press reports that a full forty percent of respondents to a poll reported that they would probably buy a home sometime in the next two years! If that actually happens, we'll have the best two years in history. I'll bet you that www.johncmartin.com/ starts getting many more emails and calls than normal, because Tyler Texas real estate has it all.

TRENDS

Tyler Texas Real Estate, www.johncmartin.com/ makes this available to you from MSN Real Estate:

"With the price of housing still at high levels versus a decade ago, buyers are looking hard and wide for a home that works for them in their time-starved lifestyles. Savvy buyers have caught on that short-lived trends sell magazines (or cable TV shows), but not necessarily homes, because what was so 'in' can be so 'out,' in increasingly smaller cycles."

"Trendy" things can be such a turn-off to others looking to buy. What's good one year can be SO bad the next. Counter tops, whirlpool bath tubs and stainless appliances are on the way out. What "works" for the family with no time is "in". For example: spa showers! With steam and multiple nozzles.

If it works for the family in the first and second decades of the 21st century, it will sell for a new buyer.

TAX BREAK

A new nice tax break concerns capital-gains tax on the sale of a principal residence when a person's spouse dies. Federal law allows singles and married couples to exclude $250,000 and $500,000, respectively, of the gain on the sale of their home from capital-gains tax if certain tests are met.

The differential treatment on the basis of marital status meant that a person whose spouse died had to sell his or her home in the same tax year as the spouse's death to take advantage of the larger tax break.

"If your spouse died in December, unless you could sell by Dec. 31, you could only exclude $250,000, instead of $500,000, so you could end up with a horrendous tax bill on the sale of the home, whereas if your spouse died in January, you didn't have that problem."

However, the new law allows a surviving spouse to claim the $500,000 if the home is sold within two years after the date of the spouse's death, which eliminates the tax liability on an additional $250,000 of capital gain if the other tests are met as well.

So, spend the tax-free capital gain from the sale of your home here in Tyler, Texas. Because you probably will put a lot of it in the bank. See John, at http://www.johncmartin.com/.

NO RECESSION

"No one I know thought that we'd have two years of a housing correction without an economic recession." Economist Edward Leamer, as reported in US News.

Prices are rising, especially in fuel and fresh food (which are now related!). But everybody that wants to work CAN! The papers are full of employment ads, and the agencies have stacks of unfilled positions.

In Tyler Texas housing is consistently strong. There's no lack of folks wanting to buy; but they're picking through to the best, knowing that we've got a few more choices now. All one needs is a strong, reliable realtor (like John C. Martin at http://www.johncmartin.com/.)

NEW RULES

"WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate announced it was moving forward on a controversial housing bill that industry groups believe would lead to stricter lending standards and higher interest rates. S. 2636, the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, was intended to help ease the foreclosure crisis. The most controversial aspect of the bill is that it would actually change bankruptcy laws by giving judges the latitude to reduce interest rates and the amount that is owed on the mortgages of at-risk homeowners."

This piece from National Realty News is worrisome for the housing market, because the ability of judges to invalidate contracts between lenders and borrowers, thereby raising lenders' risks. In turn, that will raise interest rates.

Luxury Homes at Tyler Texas Real Estate, http://www.johncmartin.com/ are available right now at historically low interest rates.

OPTIMISM

From the giant rally of the markets yesterday, we can gather that there is great optimism among investors regarding the credit "crisis". From MSN news:

"Treasury yields rose and the dollar advanced against the euro, signs of increased confidence among investors that Wall Street will weather the credit crisis.
Oil and gold, traditional hedges against inflation, fell for the third consecutive session. And a pair of better-than-expected reports on the manufacturing and construction industries helped bolster the market, as well."

In Tyler Texas Real Estate, everybody that wants to work can work. Construction is booming, and folks are buying homes and renting commercial space. Credit crisis??? "we ain't got no stinkin' credit crisis!"