Doing your 2010 taxes could actually be fun. Yes, I did just use the words “taxes” and “fun” in the same sentence. That’s because if you buy a home this year, there are two tax credits that can result in a big check from Uncle Sam when you submit your 2010 taxes.

Now that 2010 has officially arrived, here at Real Estate Insider we’re working on our annual “to-do” list: visit with the CPA to make the most of tax savings, schedule our annual physical, visit the dentist at least twice (ugh!), and call our Realtor® for an annual consultation.

What’s your New Year’s resolution? Maybe it’s to finally take that step to owning your first home. Or, if you’re like Real Estate Insider, perhaps you already own your own home, but the new baby toys are taking up every spare inch, making you dream of a new house with a few more rooms.

The word is out that it is a “down” housing market, or a buyer’s market. So why should you seemingly go against the flow and sell your house?

Real Estate Insider has good news to report about the local housing market. Yes, you heard us correctly: good news! According to statistics compiled by the Regional Multiple Listing Service in their September Market Action report, pending sales in the Portland metropolitan area are up 17.5% from third quarter 2008. Closed sales are up 6.5% from third quarter 2008, and are at their highest level since the third quarter of 2007.

Now is the perfect time to start researching your home purchase. If you're a first time homebuyer, you have just a few months left to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit, which is only available through December 1st.

“Find great deals on homes, 30% to 50% below market!” You may have seen signs advertising foreclosed homes plastered on telephone poles or around your neighborhood. Not to mention, foreclosures are a hot topic in the news. You may find yourself tempted to buy a foreclosed home—after all, who wouldn't want to get a great discount on what is, for most of us, the biggest purchase of our lives?

Realtors® are not solely focused on helping people find the homes of their dreams. Many have made giving back and improving the community that they live, work, and play in an integral part of their life.

If you're thinking about purchasing your first home, have good credit, and can afford a mortgage payment, but have been sitting on the fence, wondering when to make your move, Real Estate Insider has 8,000 reasons that may push you right off to the other side of that fence.

A short sale sounds like a good thing. Everyone wants their house to sell in the shortest amount of time possible, right? Unfortunately, in this case, “short” refers to your checking account. A short sale is a home that is being sold for below what the seller owes on the property, and the seller does not have funds to make up the difference at closing.

If nothing sends a thrill running down your spine and a gleam to your eye like a good bargain, you may be thinking about trying to score a good deal on a property, particularly one that the seller has to sell due to their financial circumstances. If you are a buyer considering purchasing in a “short sale” transaction, make sure to get educated about what you are getting into.

Surveys show that many homeowners and homebuyers are not aware of the true value a Realtor provides during the course of a real estate transaction.