Springtime house hunters out early thanks to tax credit

Springtime house hunters out early thanks to tax credit - The springtime spurt in home buying may hit before the snow melts this year as buyers scramble to meet an April 30 tax credit deadline. The spring buying season typically takes off in March and runs through May. "I expect the buying season will be moved up," says Jim Gillespie, CEO of Coldwell Banker. Sales "are going to take off in February and March and really take off in April. ... My concern is that the move-up buyer hasn't thought what they need to do. Their window is really short. They have to coordinate closing dates." The tax credit's impact on 2010 home sales is uncertain. Some economists expect the credit to pull sales that would have occurred later in the year into the first half.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2010-01-19-spring-home-buyers_N.htm