This has been THE year for first-time home buyers to take advantage of the housing market and buy that first home.  Anyone who did (and met the guidelines) got to take advantage of an $8,000 check from the government as a tax credit!

Right now, this tax credit is only available if you get your closing in by November 30, 2009, but hopefully a new bill proposed by Sen. Johnny Isakson and Sen. Chris Dodd will not only expand the deadline, but could also expand the tax credit amount from $8,000 to $15,000!

There’s lots of support for the bill from the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders, but Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday that he hasn’t “made judgment yet” on extending the credit.

Check out this Mortgage News article for more info.

There’s no date when the new bill will be decided on, but we’ll keep our ears open for it!

Want a chance to win a million dollars? (Now THAT would certainly boost your Quizzle rainy day fund grade…) How ’bout some $2,000 VISA gift cards? I know…it sounds too good to be true, right?

Not necessarily!

Our friends at Quicken Loans just launched a fun sweepstakes called Unlock Your Inner Millionaire where not only do you enter for the chance to win some big cash, but there’s also a lot of daily gift card prizes too – like gift cards from Fathead, Xeko, Target, and Amazon.com.

In the online game, you get to select a key and then try to unlock the door of a number of homes – and you can keep trying every day! The sweepstakes runs until December 31, 2009 so have a little fun and see if you can unlock some prizes!

Quizzle gives you a free credit report and free credit score every six months. But sometimes, you want to know what’s going on with your credit right now.

Starting today, if you want a new credit report and score before you’re due for your six month freebie, you can buy one through us for just $7 – anytime you please.

But what about the free one? Don’t worry, we’ll still giving you a free credit report and free credit score every six months whether or not you decide to buy an extra in between. And since eliminating guesswork is kind of our thing, we created a credit report calendar – a count down, if you will – to show you exactly how many days you have left until your next free credit report and score.

‘Cause hey – when it comes to your credit – you should be in charge. Don’t guess. Know. Anytime you want.

You’re thinking….did I read that right? $500? Must be a catch, huh? Not this time.

We’ve all heard the news – it’s a great time to buy a home, right? But now, Quizzle’s mortgage partner, Quicken Loans, wants to give you another reason to buy a home this summer with their $500 Home Buyer Bonus.

Here are the details:

• Purchase a new home and get your mortgage through Quicken Loans.
• Signed purchase agreement and loan application must be received by July 14, 2009.
• Your loan must close by December 31, 2009.
• Receive a check for $500 after your loan closes with Quicken Loans.
• BIGGER BONUS – get an additional $250 (that’s a total of $750 in your pocket!) if you work with an In-House Realty approved real estate agent. In-House Realty can help match you with an experienced real estate agent in your area at no cost!  And until July 31, they’ll be paying you!!

Log in to Quizzle to check out YOUR mortgage options and your current home value.  Then go to Quicken Loans and fill out this easy form to talk to a Home Loan Expert and apply for your loan.

Don’t forget – first-time home buyers can ALSO get up to an $8,000 tax credit when you buy a home this year. Add all this with some of the lowest home prices and lowest rates in history and it’s a no brainer – there has simply never been a better time to buy a home!

It’s Earth Day and Quizzle can’t wait to celebrate with our Green Quiz!

If you haven’t taken a peek at it yet, what better day than TODAY to find out how “green” you are! In the quiz, we’ll give you a personalized Green Score based on some green-minded questions you’ll answer about your home.

What do you get from the quiz? Customized ways you can change your life to save money and save the earth. As a little bonus (for you and Mother Earth) you’ll get an exclusive 10% discount on tons of energy-efficient products when you purchase anything from Choose Renewables, our partner in the green quiz. Just enter “Quizzle10” at the Choose Renewables  store to receive this Earth Day discount.

You know your Quizzle Score…now find out your Green Score! Take the quiz now and find out how easy it is to start your earth-friendly lifestyle!