NJAR® Kicks Off Spring Buying Season with Tax Credit Countdown
Edison, NJ – April 03, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — With an $8,000 federal tax credit available to first-time home buyers and mortgage rates at 40-year lows, the New Jersey Association of REALTORS® (NJAR®) announced today the launch of a newly designed website, www.REALstoryNJ.com, featuring a countdown to the expiration of the federal first-time home buyer tax credit. The site was launched as part of NJAR®‘s public education campaign, Get the REAL StorySM, to kick off the spring home buying season and encourage consumers to learn about local real estate market advantages in New Jersey.
“Many buyers, especially first-time buyers, are afraid to enter the market because of negative news based on a national, not local perspective. Financially capable consumers who understand the true local market conditions and extraordinary government incentives have capitalized on the unique opportunities available today. This campaign will spotlight those opportunities and stories, and connect directly on a grassroots level with potential buyers and sellers so they can be educated about the valuable possibilities available to them here in New Jersey,” said NJAR® 2009 President Diane Dilzell.
“With the $8,000 first-time buyer tax credit scheduled to expire on December 1, 2009, the window of time to make the most of today’s advantages is limited. It is critical that people understand the opportunities so they don’t miss out,” continued Dilzell.
NJAR® kicked off spring buying season by redesigning its educational website and offering a public education webinar with Linda Goold, tax counsel for the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR®), to inform consumers about how they can claim the $8,000 federal home buyers tax credit.
The redesigned campaign website – www.REALstoryNJ.com – features testimonials from buyers and sellers who have found recent success in the New Jersey real estate market with low mortgage rates, national incentives and the innate characteristics of New Jersey that create a market with historic, long term appreciation.
The tax credit webinar was the first of a series of educational offerings for consumers planned for the overall Get the Real StorySM campaign. In addition to the new website and webinars, the campaign will feature an advertising program and an online social networking component.
“Knowing that real estate is truly local, NJAR® understands the importance of becoming a reliable source of information for consumers,” said NJAR® Executive Vice President Jarrod C. Grasso, RCE. “This campaign serves that role with tips, real stories, and information about what makes now a good time and New Jersey a good place for entering the real estate market.”
The Get the Real StorySM campaign complements the NAR’s national Housing Market Facts campaign that focuses on the benefits of homeownership and the incentives in today’s market to encourage potential buyers to take advantage of record-low mortgage rates, federal tax incentives, and increased loan limits.
“Just as New Jersey’s 50,000 REALTORS® and REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®s provide expertise for their clients on a local level, NJAR® is looking to provide a similar kind of support and statewide information network for those considering buying or selling in New Jersey,” Grasso said. “With the campaign, we are relaying the facts and figures we know about the market and the anecdotal evidence that we are hearing from buyers and sellers from all over the state to the general public to help them in their decision-making process.”
For more information on the campaign, or to find out more about taking advantage of today’s real estate market in New Jersey, visit www.REALstoryNJ.com.
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The New Jersey Association of REALTORS®, with approximately 50,000 REALTOR® and REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® members, is one of the largest trade organizations in the state. NJAR®‘s membership is comprised of real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics and are members of the national and local REALTOR® organizations. As the leading advocate for the real estate industry and private property rights in New Jersey, NJAR® is committed to protecting the dream of homeownership. For more information, please visit www.njar.com.
For media inquiries contact:
Lauren Castellano
Media Coordinator
Phone: (732) 494-4709
Fax: (732) 404-8130
E-mail: lcastellano (at) njar (dot) com
For legislative related media inquiries contact:
Danielle Alpert
Government Relations Coordinator
Phone: (732) 494-4730
Fax: (732) 404-8127
E-mail: dalpert (at) njar (dot) com
