TOO GOOD TO MISS!

Home Buyer Tax Credits

E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D !!!

Here are the basics:

• First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 extended to first time home buyers until April 30,2010.

• For current home owners purchasing a new or existing home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010 expanded credit to grant up to $6,500.

To take advantage of this, remember it can take on average 6-10 weeks to close on the sale. Factor this into your decisions so you are under contract early enough to allow enough time to close before the deadline passes you by. 

For example: It will take your lender on average 8 weeks to close on the sale (contract) with your lender.  Allow at least an extra week for the unexpected.  That means you'd have to be under contract to purchase by the 3rd week of February. 

There are more details/criteria and specifics but this should be enough to get you started.

Contact your tax professional for specific advice for your personal situation.  Then contact us to find your new home.

Don't wait til the last minute!

Dienne Anum, home buyer

"Sharon went beyond the call of duty to help us find the right home, then worked with the seller to close in less than a month, for our relocation from out of state.  On short notice, Sharon dedicated herself to helping us find the right home.  65 houses later, we found it.  She then helped us work through a challenging closing process.  Sharon was diligent, patient, and helpful in her pursuit of the right home for us.  Once we found it, her coordinating and negotiating skills were invaluable in bringing it to closure.  She made it possible for us to close from out-of-state in less than a month.  We know who we'll call when we're ready to sell."  

Mr. & Mrs. Houghton, Home Buyer and Home Seller

We can't thank you enough for all your hard work helping us sell our two houses and find the perfect new one.  Your professionalism, patience, and understanding helped make a difficult time for us a lot easier.  You gave us excellent referrals for our home inspection, legal, and financial assistance, as well as doing the job of others who weren't so professional. Even after our closing, when your job was done, you went to the old house at night to check for items we misplaced!  You go the extra mile and we will never forget or recommend anyone else!  With many thanks, 

The Russler's. Home Sellers and Home Buyer

"I found Sharon Gonwa while surfing the internet for information about houses in the Chicagoland area. My husband and I had just had our first child and we needed a bigger home with a big lot for our big dog. At first I was a little wary of using a realtor who worked on her own -- I thought maybe we wouldn't get the same exposure or professional treatment as we might receive with a bigger company. But Sharon seemed so nice and so professional, and she was so responsive to my questions, I thought we'd give her a try.

Boy, am I glad I did! I did a little research and I found out that Sharon employs her daughter, Pamela, who not only has clients of her own but who backs Sharon up when necessary, so there's always someone available to help. I also found out that Sharon won numerous awards at the large real estate brokerage firms where she worked over the years. She sold millions of dollars of real estate before going out on her own. So I apparently had the very best of the best working with me!

I quickly learned one of the best parts of working with Sharon -- her internet savvy. Sharon let me do my own searching on-line through her connection to MLS, and replied quickly to my (frequent) emails asking for more information about different listings. Since I have a young baby at home, it was very helpful to me to look for homes on the internet rather than poring over the newspapers. Sharon's flexibility allowed me to virtually "tour" tons of houses, and helped me refine my needs, without taking a step out of the house. 

Her flexibility extended into the actual home-viewing process, too. The first time we went looking at houses together, Sharon was so organized -- she had everything printed out for me and arranged in a logical order. Even when I needed to take a break to feed the baby, she was happy to stand outside in the shade and wait for me to feed my son. Sharon was always flexible about when she could meet me, and was often available on short notice. She worked with my husband and me for over 5 months, and we saw about 50 houses together. She was unfailingly patient with us as we determined through the search process what our needs really were.

Sharon is very honest. Sometimes I would see a house I thought would be right for me -- but Sharon was always on top of the little things (and sometimes big things) that I might have missed. One time she found a bowed-out area of a basement wall, which the sellers had hidden very well behind a bunch of boards. I know we probably would have found the problem during the inspection, but it was great that Sharon could notice something important like that and save us the heartache of going through the purchase process for a home that just wasn't right for us.

When we saw the house that we did ultimately buy, Sharon was as excited as we were. Even so, Sharon drove a very hard bargain with our sellers, and got us a price that we recently found out was $4000 UNDER the estimated value of the house. She gave us excellent technical advice about how the different contracts and conditions would work. She went over each element very carefully with us to make sure we understood what we were signing. I felt there were no surprises with Sharon. She is incredibly knowledgeable and thorough.

We were so happy with the buying process with Sharon, we decided to list our house with her too. We quickly found out that not only is Sharon a joy to work with, she gets RESULTS. Sharon listed our house just after Thanksgiving last year, and sold it before the first week of the new year was up. Even through the holidays she was dedicated and helpful. We got a great price for our home and were able to negotiate the terms to our satisfaction.

Sharon followed up on every little detail of the purchase and selling process, and made sure my husband and I were totally prepared, in advance, every step of the way. She made it so easy and pleasant, I have recommended her to everyone I know. Hire this woman! She's amazing!"

Erin O'Neil Doppke, Home Seller and Home Buyer