In what is most likely the last incarnation of the very popular $8,000 home buyers tax credit, those in the market for a house now have until April 30, 2010 to find and purchase one. There’s also a new wrinkle:  A tax credit of $6,500 has been expanded to include existing homeowners. The previous credits have been targeted at 1st time buyers.

I’ve written about the tax credit previously. For 1st time buyers – or anyone who hasn’t owned a house in the last 3 years – things are pretty much the same with this extension as they’ve been for months. The rules for getting the credit for current homeowners is a bit more involved. Here’s a quick FAQ (PDF) that may help sort out some of the details.

Suffice to say that getting a tax credit it is a good thing. Just ask anyone who gets a nice, fat tax refund check in their hands next year.

So, now that you have until April 30th to close on a house, plan a nice Thanksgiving and imagine how much you’ll enjoy celebrating next year’s holidays in your new home.

Talk to a good lender, find a good Realtor and start looking.

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.