One of the keys to success with a real estate website is developing fresh content. And I’m not just talking about updates about what your dog did last week – you need to have real estate related content. Not only does it keep website visitors engaged and coming back but it also gives you juice for search engines. Did you know that search engines regularly (sometimes daily for a good website) spider your sites looking for new content and reward (or ignore) you accordingly in their search results?

Does this all beg the question “where do I get this fresh content”? There are lots of ways to get good content, but one of the best sources of real estate information is to draw on your own knowledge and experiences. After all, you’re the expert right? It doesn’t take much time to develop your own content and it shows your prospects that you really know what you are doing.

Here’s a tip for a fresh topic that is on many of your prospect’s minds these days, or at least would be if they knew about it – the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. Put a new page on your website that describes in brief what the credit is and who might qualify for it. If you have the ability to add a lead capture form to the page, add it and ask your prospects to contact you for more information or to find out if they qualify.

If you don’t already know all the details you can get more clarity from the article below from NAR:

http://www.realtor.org/home_buyers_and_sellers/2009_first_time_home_buyer_tax_credit?lid=ronav0019

If you don’t already have information about this on your real estate website, it’s a slam dunk as good, quality content that your prospects are sure to be interested in.

In February, President Obama and Congress passed the massive $787 Billion Stimulus Plan, which contained some rather interesting provisions that impact the real estate space.

The principal provision designed to stimulate new sales was the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. If a first time home buyer (or someone who has not owned a home in 3 years) purchases between 01/01/09 and 11/30/09 they will be eligible for a tax credit of up to $8,000 when they file their taxes, and depending on the timing of the purchase the credit can be applied to either 2008 or 2009 taxes. Also, unlike an earlier, weaker $7500 provision passed in 2008, this credit doesn’t need to be paid back.

Other important factors included in the Housing Market section of the Stimulus Bill were:
• The FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac 2008 loan limits were put back into place for 2009. At the end of 2008, they lowered the loan limits which hurt the higher end market.
• It also includes a 30% tax credit on Energy Efficient upgrades to your home (up from 10%) such as furnaces, windows, and insulation. This credit will be available through 2010 and does include income restrictions.

So, the big question in everyone’s mind is “will this help, and does it go far enough?”

Speaking for myself, I just bought my first home a few days ago. I was already planning to buy, so the stimulus bill didn’t really get me off the fence or anything, but it did factor in slightly in terms of my overall price ceiling and/or how willing I was to take on a house that required some immediate improvements (and cash) sunk into it.

We’re running a poll with our Z57 clients asking them to gauge the impact of the bill – right now it’s running about 40% for “No Impact”, 44% say “Some Impact”, and the remaining 16% saying it will have a “Major Impact”.

I tend to slide into the “some impact” group myself – WHAT DO YOU THINK?