After renting for years, Trish Salvadia is on the verge of owning a house, thanks in part to the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit.

The credit was set to expire at the end of this month, but because President Barack Obama signed an extension Nov. 6, more buyers like Salvadia will be able to take advantage of it.

A single mom, Salvadia will move into her Manor Township home before the end of this year, so she and her two sons will be spending Christmas there.

Local real estate agents say the tax credit has had a major positive impact on the entry-level market. But what they like even more about the extension is that it includes a $6,500 tax credit for repeat buyers, which could boost still-struggling segments of the market.

Buyers who want to take advantage of either tax credit must have a house under agreement by April 30 with settlement no later than June 30.

The $8,000 credit is for first-time homeowners. Those who have owned and occupied a residence for at least five consecutive years out of the past eight can claim the $6,500 credit if they buy another house.

In both cases the income limits are $125,000 for an individual and $225,000 for a couple. The previous limits for the $8,000 credit were $75,000 and $150,000, respectively.

Qualifying buyers may purchase a property with a maximum sale price of $800,000.

Jeff Funk, the broker at Charles & Associates Real Estate, said the first-time homebuyer credit made its biggest impact over the last few months. "There was a flurry of activity of people wanting to get in before [the credit] expired."

In Lancaster County, pending home sales rose 30.2 percent in August and 26.8 percent in September, according to the Lancaster County Association of Realtors. October totals aren't yet available.

Pending sales of homes priced between $100,001 and $200,000, which is what many entry-level buyers purchase, soared 45.8 percent in August and 42.1 percent in September.

Scott Ulrich, president of LCAR, said the $8,000 credit has really boosted the entry-level market. In fact, he said, a number of agents have told him, "I wouldn't have half my business without that."

The tax credit "was really a very effective tool," agreed Jeff LeFevre, an agent with Prudential Homesale Services Group.

Carole Kirchner does a lot of work with first-time buyers and recently taught a class for them through the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership.

An agent with Prudential Homesale Services Group, she said the $8,000 credit didn't have much effect initially but picked up steam when more people learned about it.

"The good news is, they extended it," so people who failed to act earlier can still take advantage, Kirchner said.

The tax credit definitely aided the Lancaster city housing market, she said. Some of her city listings drew multiple offers, Kirchner said, "and that hadn't happened in a while."

Her cousin Theresa Kirchner, who works for the School District of Lancaster, said the availability of the $8,000 credit probably expedited her decision to purchase a home.

Kirchner bought a condo in Lancaster city, which she moved into last spring.

Jonathan Healy and his wife, Amanda, were already looking for a house when they found out they were eligible for the $8,000 credit.

Amanda Healy said she saw an announcement on it and thought, "Hey, we can cash in on that."

The Healys, who have three children and a fourth on the way, were renting before they purchased their home in Lancaster Township.

And because of money from the tax credit, she said, "we were able to afford to get things for the house," such as appliances.

Jeff Funk said the $8,000 credit is helping people pay for home improvements, and "they're putting that money back into the economy."

Economists at the National Association of Realtors estimate that the initial credit has already pumped about $22 billion into the general economy, and project that around 2 million people will take advantage of either tax credit this year.

Funk said the addition of the $6,500 credit for current homeowners is especially significant.

"It targets another segment of the market," he said.

And because buyers need to get homes under agreement by the end of April, Funk said he expects the winter to be busier than normal.

"Typically, we look to spring" for real estate activity to pick up, he said, "but I think you'll see that bump up."

Like Funk, Scott Ulrich said the $6,500 tax credit should be a tremendous incentive. "People that have owned a home for a number of years and built equity" will now be able to sell their current residence and move up, he said.

That could create an upward domino effect, spurring sales of higher-end homes, Ulrich said.

"But you gotta do it by April 30," he said.

Jeff LeFevre said that raising the income limits also brings in more potential buyers.

For example, he's listing a $375,000 home that hasn't seen a lot of interest. That could change, however, with the $6,500 credit and higher income limits in effect, LeFevre said.

As move-up buyers become more active, that increases the inventory of available homes, creating even greater opportunities for first-time buyers, he said.

"It'll stimulate the marketplace in general," LeFevre said. And that, in turn, can boost the overall economy.

"All in all, I think we're on the right track," he said, "and this will help us more."

LeFevre said he doesn't expect any more tax credit extensions, so this is the final chance.

"We're going to have an interesting spring," he said.