Buyers are not taking advantage of the housing market now even though interest rates are hovering around 4%. Sellers can change that by being smart about four current industry realities.

· Buyers believe that they need to have a 20% down payment to qualify for a mortgage. The reality is that many buyers can now enter the housing market with as little as 3.5% down with an FHA loan. Sellers can and should enlist the help of their real estate agents in working with a mortgage broker who can provide specific figures on financing your home. With rate sheets available at open houses to show potential buyers the financial facts, agents can counsel skeptical first time home buyers through the buy and sell process. Most of the buyers active in the process today are first timers.

· The foreclosure market renders some buyers afraid of purchasing a foreclosed property for fear that the bank will take the property back because it was improperly foreclosed. Sellers need to be proactive. If their property is not a short sale they need to make that clear to the real estate agent who can post that fact boldly in the printed property description.

· The Shadow Inventory to which some buyers are looking makes them think that they should wait to buy until the projected flood of homes comes on the market in the Spring. They reason that if they buy now that perfect dream home will elude them because more foreclosed properties will be coming soon. The reality is that sellers who price their homes to sell at or below market value will still see success. They may even create a bidding war on their property. Sellers who list their properties now, early in the season, can capitalize on the lower competition. The sooner they list, the faster and higher they can sell.

· Buyer fear of the national unemployment figures being currently at 9.4% is holding some people back. They have trouble balancing thoughts of employment and the low housing prices and interest rates. Sellers can enlist the aid of real estate agents in marketing your property to large companies, universities and hospitals in your area. They can work with relocation companies to market your properties to buyers and investors from other regions. Sellers can offer incentives to buyers. Some incentives may include paid condo fees or homeowner fees for a year, transportation passes or gift cards. Sellers who seek to downsize may even be willing to unload a second vehicle.

· Long before there were tax discounts for first time home buyers, there was a great incentive for taxpayers to purchase homes. It is tax law enacted decades ago. It provides for a mortgage interest discount. It means that the amount of your mortgage payment that is interest is a deduction in your tax liability. This deduction is significant and one that renters do not enjoy.

· What many first time home buyers fail to recognize is that for those people in the early years of their mortgages the interest deduction is fat. In many cases it may mean a tax refund, since the mortgage company has already accounted for the interest amount you have paid. You may even be able to adjust the amount your employer deducts from your paycheck, thus giving you a higher monthly income.

The realities of the 2011 housing market, though they remain challenging, need to be considered by sellers and buyers alike. The success of the American economic recovery depends much upon how Americans are facing real estate realities to make selling and buying a win-win for all.

Security in our country today is being protected abroad by patriotic, brave and forward thinking men and women. Individuals are choosing among available strategies for protecting their personal financial and credit futures. There is much to consider for enhancing our security in this era. We are the most fortunate among the World’s peoples. We can, as we always have, weather the storm and work with the realities that exist.

Jane Hercules, MS Ed. is the author of this article. She has researched the varied locking mailbox options being advertised today. She is an educator who is concerned with the many reports of mail theft and subsequent identity theft all over our country today. Children are close to her heart and as a public school teacher and teacher of young children she is aware of a family’s need for security. What affects parents also affects children. From infancy into adulthood children are protected by responsible parents. locking mailbox.