Real Estate Tips for Seniors Richard Lecinski - Long Realty Oro Valley - Tucson Arizona   Finding a real estate agent who understands the unique needs of older Americans is a crucial component in having a successful real estate transaction. Life changing events such as the passing of a loved one, illness, downsizing, and/or retirement are a unique set of issues that often accompany the buying and selling of property for older Americans. Because this is an important and life changing decision, do not just pick a real estate agent out of the phone book, and/or stick with the first agent you meet - interview at least two agents. Make sure that you feel comfortable with the agent you will be working with. In the interview question the agents about their experience in handling clients deali... 01/12/2010

The Home Buyers Tax Credit a gift for many boomers and retirees The Home Buyers Tax Credit is a gift for many boomers and retirees who are downsizing or maybe moving to a warmer location. You maybe be able to receive up to $6500.00 or 10% of the purchase price. To qualify for $6,500 version of the credit, you must close on a home, or be locked into a contract to close on one, before May 1, 2010. The closing itself must occur before July 1, 2010. You need not be a first time home buyer. Even if as a retiree you do not pay or file an income tax return you will receive the money. Spread the word. This is NOT only for first time home buyer!!!!!!!!!!!!   Please contact me for additional information or talk to your accountant. Richard Lecinski Long Realty Company Tucson - Oro Valley - Vail - ... 01/11/2010

Sun City Vistoso is a 1000 acre active adult retirement community conveniently located northwest of Tucson, at the base of the Catalina Mountains in the Town of Oro Valley. The beautiful setting is only the beginning of the quality of the Sun City Vistoso community. With a population of over 4500 active adults, Sun City Vistoso offers a friendly hometown feeling - close enough to the city for convenience but far enough away for tranquility. The amenities offered include an 18-hole championship golf course intricately blended with its desert base, miles of wide, clean streets and sidewalks ideal for walking and bicycling, and three recreational facilities that offer many programs and opportunities active adults enjoy. The community, with 2488 homes (single family, garden villa and patio ... 01/08/2010

24-Hour Market Watch New Listings 62   Back on Market 32   Price Increases 0     Price Reductions 31   Contingents 22   Pendings 9   Solds 21   Expireds 19   Inactives 12     For detailed information and stats for your area please call or email. Richard Lecinski Long Realty Company Oro Valley - Tucson - Marana - Vail 520-834-4663 http://rlecinski.longrealty.com 01/03/2010

Affordable Homes > Five Myths Buying a home is an important step in building a secure financial future. But because of some common misconceptions, many people believe homeownership is out of their reach. Don't let these myths keep you from the personal and financial rewards of homeownership... Myth #1 "I can't afford a down payment." In the past, buying a home required a 20% down payment. But not today. In fact, 7 out of 10 first-time homebuyers make a down payment of 10% or less. Long Mortgage has loan programs that help qualified buyers get into a home with very little cash - or no cash at all. Myth #2 "I have less-than-perfect credit, so I can't get a mortgage." A less-than-perfect credit history doesn't have to stand in the way of your homeownership goals. Long Mortgage has helped t... 12/23/2009

New Listings 65   Back on Market 14   Price Increases 5   Price Reductions 56   Contingents 41   Pendingsemail.   24   Solds 44   Expireds 23   Inactives 23     For a more detailed report for your area please call or email Richard Lecinski Long Realty Company Tucson - Oro Valley - Vail - Marana 520-834-4663 http://rlecinski.longrealty.com   12/23/2009

  Your real estate search just got a little easier.  Use my Video Magazine from Long Realty to watch your customized collection of narrated property video home tours   http://www.longrealtyvideomagazine.com/?AgentCode=2010954   Richard Lecinski Long Realty Company Tucson - Oro Valley - Marana - Vail Arizona 520-834-4663 Free Virtual Home Search http://rlecinski.longrealty.com 12/21/2009

Buyers - Time is running out in order to receive the home buyers tax credit The $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit is extended Now, qualified first-time home buyers would receive their $8,000 tax credit if they sign a purchase contract by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30, 2010 The home purchased must be their primary residence Buyer cannot have owned a home during the past three years Tax credit is up to 10 percent of the home's value (not to exceed $8,000) Annual income caps to qualify for the tax credit will increase ($125,000 for single filers / $225,000 for joint filers). Partial tax credit can be granted for incomes up to $145,000 for single filers / $245,000 for joint filers   New $6,500 tax credit for current homeowners purchasing a primary residence Eligible home buyers m... 12/21/2009

Stay Young Forever in Sun City Vistoso   A Tucson Arizona Premier   Active Adult Golfing Community   Where it is More Than Living - It's a Lifestyle      With its beautiful backdrop of the Santa Catalina Mountains and prime location in the Town of Oro Valley, a prestigious suburb of Tucson Arizona.  This 45 to 55 plus active adult community has immediate appeal. The open green space and desert views provided by our golf course add to that appeal, as does the outstanding reputation of the golf course itself. The number and variety of our amenities, clubs and activities, equal or exceed those seen in other active adult communities. Our library is a unique asset, unmatched elsewhere. The Del Webb - Pulte built homes are well-constructed and maintained, as is the entire completed community.... 12/18/2009

Oro Valley Guide - Tucson online golf Check out Tucson golf, get coupons online or make tee times. A great resource for the vistor or resident of the greater Tucson - Oro Valley Arizona areas.  Tucson Online Golf Guide - Reserve Tee Times at many area courses http://www.dotucson.com/visit.asp?qry=999lf If you are looking for a golf course home in the Oro Valley - Tucson area please check my web site or call. Rich Lecinski Long Realty Company Tucson - Oro Valley Arizona     520-834-4663         http://rlecinski.longrealty.com http://www.arizonagreatliving.com Please call or email if questions. Thank you   12/16/2009

  Because this is an important and life changing decision, do not just pick a real estate agent out of the phone book, and/or stick with the first agent you meet - interview at least two agents. Make sure that you feel comfortable with the agent you will be working with. In the interview question the agents about their experience in handling clients dealing with the issues that you are dealing with. Try to get a sense of whether or not the agent would be sensitive to your needs; and make sure the agent is willing to deal with other family members if necessary. When selecting an agent, discuss the percentages that the agent will charge you for selling your property. If an agent tells you he/she is charging you a "standard" percentage rate for services, be weary, this is false. A percent... 12/15/2009

Can You Get a Loan Today? Changes in the housing and mortgage industries have prompted many people, including the media, to wonder: "Can you get a loan today?"The answer is simple: Yes!Despite the negative headlines over the past year, there's actually plenty of money available for loans. In fact, reports indicate that over $2.7 Trillion in loans were originated in 2009. That's over $1 Trillion more than 2008.However, mortgages must make sense in today's terms - not the looser standards permitted by lenders a few years ago.What does this mean to borrowers today?Lenders have returned to a pre-2000 mindset - a kind of "common-sense lending" that seeks long-term success versus short-term profits.That means lenders need documented evidence that a borrower is creditworthy and is likely to re... 12/12/2009

People buy homes for many reasons but nearly all view the purchase as an investment.  As such confidence in value usually plays the biggest roll of all.  I've heard it said often, "the buyer sets value".  For if there is no buyer willing to pay what the seller wants, there is no transaction and the property sits on the market. Consider this; if a buyer waits for prices in general to drop 10% and in the mean time the mortgage interest rate rises 1% the payment will be the same.  If the seller waits for a higher price it si likely the interest rate will be higher and a prospective buyer might be squeezed out of the market.  The house continues to sit. Trying to time a purchase or sale to "beat the market conditions" often backfires in the peaks and valleys of the homes sales marketplace. ... 11/30/2009

Arizona's gift to the nation, the 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree, stopped this weekend in Oro Valley, Arizona. Oro Valley is one of Arizona's newest success stories, with wide streets, beautiful subdivisions and shopping centers that eclipse most of what quiet old Tucson has to offer. The tree, 65 feet tall, will be trucked to the White House, where it will be put on display shortly after Thanksgiving. People came from all over to put their signatures on the side of the vehicle.  This little guy, seven years old, didn't have a pen, but my Darlin' took care of that.  I had to get in on the act, and I made sure Active Rain got to go along for the ride.  It's faint, but it's there! When the tree is set up and tricked out with lights and decorations for Christmas in our nation's capitol, I'm e... 11/18/2009

The Home Buyers Tax Credit is a gift for many boomers and retirees who are downsizing or maybe moving to a warmer location. You maybe be able to receive up to $6500.00 or 10% of the purchase price. To qualify for $6,500 version of the credit, you must close on a home, or be locked into a contract to close on one, before May 1, 2010. The closing itself must occur before July 1, 2010. You do not have to be a first time home buyer!! Even if as a retiree you do not pay or file an income tax return you will receive the money. Please contact me for additional information or talk to your accountant. Richard Lecinski Long Realty Company Tucson - Oro Valley - Vail - Marana Arizona http://rlecinski.longrealty.com www.arizonagreatliving.com 520-834-4663     11/13/2009

Check out Tucson golf, get coupons online or make tee times. A great resource for the vistor or resident of the greater Tucson - Oro Valley Arizona areas.  Tucson Online Golf Guide - Reserve Tee Times at many area courses http://www.dotucson.com/visit.asp?qry=999 Rich Lecinski Long Realty Company Tucson - Oro Valley Arizona 520-834-4663 http://rlecinski.longrealty.com http://www.arizonagreatliving.com Please call or email if questions. Thank you   11/13/2009

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended Into 2010! Plus...A New Tax Credit for Certain Existing Home Owners! It's official. President Obama has signed a bill that extends the tax credit for first-time homebuyers (FTHBs) into the first half of 2010. This program had been scheduled to expire on November 30, 2009. In addition to extending the tax credit of up to $8,000 through June 30, 2010, the extension measure also opens up opportunities for others who are not buying a home for the first time. So Who Gets What? The program that has existed for FTHBs remains intact with the one exception that more people are now eligible based on an increase in the amount of income someone may now earn. Additionally, the program now gives those who already own a residence some additional reasons to mov... 11/13/2009

REALTORS work in the ultimate pay for performance environment.  We don't get paid if we don't perform and we are held accountable for everything we do.  So, if we are held to the high standard of care and ethics (NAR Code of Ethics), shouldn't the rest of the players in the system also be held accountable with a similar performance expectation? FHA is taking unprecedented -and long overdue- steps to protect taxpayers from the fast and loose practices that some lenders have engaged in during recent times.  The FHA has plans to implement serious credit policy changes to enhance risk management.  I have always wondered why an organization like the FHA did not have the same safeguards that a major business would have like an effective Risk Management office with accountability & consequence... 11/09/2009

I recently attended a closing with a client -first time home buyer- who commented on the AED hung conspicuously on the wall near the Escrow Officer's private office. He asked, "Is that for resuscitating people who have a heart attack when they see the final cost?"  A few minutes later my young buyer & I noticed a difference in fees from the pre-closing HUD-1. In a few short weeks lenders will be held even more accountable for what happens at the closing table.  Transparency will be the rule.  The Washington Post writer Kenneth Harney's article lays out the changes. Harney writes, "Here's what's about to happen: Starting January 1, 2010, loan charges and settlement fees will be spelled out on a revised, more consumer friendly version of the good faith estimate form that borrower are supp... 11/07/2009

  The active adult community at the foothills of the beautiful Santa Catalina Mountains Sun City Vistoso is a 1000 acre active adult retirement community conveniently located northwest of Tucson, at the base of the Catalina Mountains in the Town of Oro Valley. The beautiful setting is only the beginning of the quality of the Sun City Vistoso community. With a population of over 4500 active adults, Sun City Vistoso offers a friendly hometown feeling - close enough to the city for convenience but far enough away for tranquility. The amenities offered include an 18-hole championship golf course intricately blended with its desert base, miles of wide, clean streets and sidewalks ideal for walking and bicycling, and three recreational facilities that offer many programs and opportunities act... 11/07/2009