Since January, first-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 as part of an economic stimulus package put into place earlier this year. That program, which left those who are not first-time home buyers out in the cold, was set to expire at the end of November 2009. On Wednesday, the Senate voted to extend and expand the tax credit to include many buyers who already own homes. Now it just needs to get through Congress, where a vote will take place Thursday.

Buyers owning their current homes at least five years will be eligible for tax credits up to $6,500. First-time homebuyers or those who haven't owned a home in the last three years would get up to $8,000. Both groups would have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30, 2010 in order to be eligible.

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), said, "This is probably the last extension."

Also included in the bill passed in the Senate is a plan to extend unemployment benefits for those without a job for more than a year, and a clause that would allow companies now losing money to recoup taxes paid on profits earned in the previous five years.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said:

An apartment company operating in four states - Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas - is promising two months of free rent if its apartment tenants lose their jobs. Goldberg Cos. says that layoffs have become the top concern for prospective renters.

In response to these concerns, the company launched their "Layoff Proof Lease" program recently. In order for tenants to qualify, they must have signed a 12-month lease and have made three rent payments. When tenants provide a termination letter or other proof of job loss, they will get 60 days rent-free. After the 60 days, if their situation doesn't improve, they're able to back out of the lease.

Jordan Goldberg, Senior Vice President, said that his family's company hopes the offer will help attract new tenants as well as retain current ones.

This month features the ultimate battle in breakfast food freebies, with both Denny's and IHOP restaurants attempting to lure in customers by offering free food.

On Tuesday, February 3, Denny's (NASDAQ: DENN) is offering a free a Grand Slam and coupon book to all customers that show up between 6am and 2pm. If you're not a frequent Denny's visitor, a Grand Slam consists of 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 sausages, 2 slices of bacon.

On Tuesday, February 24 it's National Pancake Day at IHOP, where from 7am to 10pm all customers will be treated to a free short stack of pancakes. For those of you who don't know what a short stack is, its three pancakes. All they ask is that you consider making a donation to a local children's hospital, through the Children's Miracle Network or other means.

So which deal will you go for? Dennys or IHOP, or both? Me? I'll be staying home. No free meal is worth the inevitably long wait at either restaurant.

A mystery Russian billionaire has outspent the richest of the rich, breaking a world record in splashing out $748 million on one of the most gorgeous villas on the French Riviera. The final sale price of the Villa Leopold, a Belle Époque mansion on the heights of Villefrance, has amazed real estate agents. On the otherhand, locals worry about the invasion of Russian money on the Côte d'Azur, and wonder if it is getting out of hand.

Russian oligarchs have been funnelling in money, and snapping up seaside properites at Cap Ferrat, Cap d'Antibes, Saint-Tropez and other playgrounds along the Riveria since the early 1990's. But none have come even close to what the unnamed Russian billionaire just paid for the Villa Leopold.

The mystery Russian just closed the deal with Lily Safra, widow of Edmond Safra, a Lebanese banker killed by an arsonist's fire in Switzerland in 2003. Safra is said to have held out for months as the buyer raised his bid for the villa.

Villa Leopold, located between Nice and Monaco, was acquired by King Leopold II of Belgium in 1902.

A new survey from Zillow.com shows that Americans are overconfident and in denial about the reality of the value of their homes. 62% of those surveyed said that they thought their homes had appreciated in value over the past year. The reality is, however, that only 19% of US homes increased in value, and 77% decreased in value. Just 5% stayed the same.

According to Stan Humphreies, VP of data and analytics and Zillow, said that the gap between what consumers believe their homes are worth and the actual values is due to "a combination of inattention and a fair bit of denial that causes people to believe their home is insulated from the woes of the market that affect others, but not them."

The survey also showed that 90% of homeowners report that foreclosures have already occurred in their local market.

Humphries continued, “Although many homeowners may believe the worst is over, we think this level of optimism is out of sync with actual market performance."

Having failed to comply with a new law aimed at "raising the standards" of the mortgage lending industry, 40% of Indiana's mortgage brokers have lost their licenses. Ouch.

The new law requires mortgage brokerages to "name a principal broker with at least three years experience who has passed a state exam and will oversee his company's business affairs." It sounds reasonable enough, but was quite a drastic change from the low entrance barrier that was previously in place in the Indiana mortgage industry.

Mike Monaco, president of the Indiana Association of Mortgage Brokers said: "Make no mistake about it, we had one of the easiest entrance barriers in the country." Furthermore, the states formerly low standards was amongst the factors which lead Indiana to consistently have one off the 10 highest foreclosure rates in the country. Monaco also said that many of the brokers who lost their licenses had likely already left the business due to the downturn of the housing industry.

Taking into account the 143 brokerages who voluntarily gave up their licenses, the total number of mortgage brokerages in the state of Indiana has been halved since July 1st.

No segment of the U.S. housing market is safe from the price corrections and declines currently taking place throughout the country. The luxury housing market is no exception, with banks pulling back lending to even high net-worth households. Luxury home prices in three major California cities, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, all posted modest declines in the first quarter of 2008.

In a survey released Monday, First Republic Bank provided price estimates that revealed the average luxury home in Los Angles was at $2.35 million at the end of the first quarter, down 2.2% from the fourth quarter average.

In San Diego, luxury homes here also experienced a 2.2% decline, dropping to an average of $2.06 million. San Francisco's luxury housing market fared a bit better, experiencing just a 0.8% slide.

In the month of March, prices for commercial real estate fell more than 2 percent, Moody's reported on Monday.

From the period of February to March, Moody's REAL Commercial Property Price Indices fell 2.3%, representing the largest one-month decline since the birth of the index. However, prices are up 0.9% since last March.

As it has become tougher to borrow money to buy property, the decline should be at least somewhat expected.

Retail property prices experienced the biggest drop, but prices on offices, apartments, and industrial property also fell.

Are you a female heads of households looking to buy a home in the Cleveland area? If you answered "yes" you will probably want to attend the 'Mortgages for Mothers' being held by Dollar Bank at the Cleveland State Wolstein Center. The event has been held for eight years and attracts 300 attendees. With the real estate slump and financial uncertainty ahead, it is probably best to talk to an expert before buying a new home.

"The combination of aggressive sub-prime lenders plus borrowers anxious to become homeowners may have led many into a bad loan that they couldn't afford," explained Larry Slenczka, Dollar Bank's Vice President of Community Development who is running this years event. "For the past eight years, Dollar Bank has been holding these free workshops to explain to potential borrowers the complexities of the mortgage process and to help them design a plan to buy a house within their means and to obtain a mortgage that they can afford."

While 'The Beatles' famously sang "Magical Mystery Tour" in 1967, the city of Cleveland will host something much more depressing when ReMax realtor Al Stasek will launch a $15 tour of homes that have been foreclosed and up for sale.

Stasek will show a dozen homes and is taking bids right on the bus. Each trip to a foreclosed home will include a brief tour of the property. Stasek also plans on more tours if the trip is succesful. The first trip is scheduled for April 5th at 11 am.

If you are interested in attending the real estate bus trip, you are asked to call (877) 925-1018 ex.160.