Brokers and Realtors are expecting the spring real estate market to start earlier due to the extended tax credit for first-time home buyers and the new move-up buyer credit. A typical closing can take about 6-8 weeks, possibly longer for purchases of a bank owned home or short sale (pre-foreclosure) home. The process of finding the right home and the transaction can take a while. Consumers have realized what a great opportunity the tax credits have created and they don’t want to miss out. The tax credit can be used for a number of things such as updates to the new home, paying off debt or even the down payment. In my experience I have already had calls from clients that have been on the fence and have decided to buy now in order to take advantage of the tax credits. They are doing the right thing starting early so they are not rushing to deadline worrying that they might miss out on the $8,000.