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Washington, DC - June 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14) voted to pass legislation that would extend the closing deadline for the homebuyer tax credit, benefiting families who are in the process of purchasing a home.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - April 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The popular homebuyer tax credit, which has benefited millions of first-time and move-up buyers purchasing a new home, will soon come to an end. Potential homebuyers need to move quickly if they want to take advantage of the federal tax credit before it expires April 30, 2010

SPRINGFIELD, IL - December 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Pent-up buyer demand plus low interest rates and the homebuyer tax credit incentive yielded a second month of double-digit gains for Illinois home sales in November, in stark contrast to home sales one year ago in November 2008. According to the Illinois Association of REALTORS® latest report, statewide total home sales (which include single-family and condominiums) in November 2009 reached 10,361 homes sold, up 64.0 percent from November 2008 sales of 6,317, marking the third consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases in Illinois. The statewide median price in November 2009 was $155,000 down 4.3 percent from $162,000 in November 2008. The median is a typical market price where half the homes sold for more, half sold for less

Washington, DC - November 6, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14) voted in favor of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, H.R. 3548, to provide aid to those hurt by the economic recession and to continue his efforts to stimulate the economy. The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 403-12, and now goes to the President for his signature

November 6, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Working to help those hardest hit by the struggling economy, and provide greater opportunities to realize the American dream, Rep. Debbie Halvorson (IL-11) today voted to pass the bipartisan Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act."All across our district our friends and neighbors are in danger of losing their unemployment benefits, and our economy is struggling to recover, this bill is a big step in turning that around," said Halvorson. "By extending these benefits we are helping our communities today so they can be stronger and more prosperous tomorrow.

November 5, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL) today voted for legislation that will extend both unemployment benefits and the first-time homebuyer tax credit. The bill now heads to the President’s desk. Hare has been a strong supporter of extending unemployment benefits during this recession. In September, Hare voted to extend these benefits for 13 additional weeks. After being amended by the Senate, today’s bill would extend benefits in Illinois by 20 weeks, where the unemployment rate is currently over 10 percent.

October 19, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL) today was joined by local citizens and realtors in Moline, Canton, and Macomb to call for an extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. The credit is set to end on December 1, 2009.

WASHINGTON, DC - October 14, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Last week, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) voted to extend the First-Time Homebuyer tax credit for members of the Armed Services who served abroad this past year. H.R. 3590, which extends the credit for qualifying military personnel through November 30, 2010, passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly by a 416-16 vote. The current tax credit is set to expire on November 30, 2009.

Washington, DC - October 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Continuing his efforts help military service members and their families, Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14) voted in favor of the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009, which would extend the deadline for utilizing the first-time homebuyer tax credit of $8,000 for qualifying service members that was included in the stimulus. The bill passed by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 416-0.

Washington, DC - October 8, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13th) today introduced two related measures aimed at promoting economic recovery by strengthening the housing sector, boosting homes sales, and stabilizing property values. Both bills are fully offset to remain budget neutral and would extend or amplify the popular first-time home buyer (FTHB) tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of November

SPRINGFIELD, IL - September 4, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- The end is nearing for the first-time homebuyer tax credit. In order to qualify, homebuyers must close on or before midnight on November 30th of this year to qualify for the tax credit. The National Association of REALTORS® estimates close to two million first-time buyers will have taken advantage of the $8,000 tax credit this year, stimulating an additional 350,000 home sales