There are plenty of carrots to encourage you to buy a home these days.

Beyond the good prices, there are federal tax credits, county government down payment assistance programs and homes for sale that have been renovated by the county. Here are the details:

Federal homebuyer tax credit

If you’re buying a home that will be your primary residence and you’re under contract by April 30, 2010, with your closing by June 30, 2010, you may be eligible for one of these credits. You can file it with your 2009 or 2010 tax return, and you must file by mail.

n For homebuyers who have not owned a home in the previous three years, there is a tax credit for 10 percent of the purchase price of the home or if the home costs more than $80,000, for $8,000. You’ll need to fill out form 5405 and include a copy of your HUD-1 settlement statement detailing the seller’s and buyer’s names, property address, sales price and date of purchase, or, if that’s not available, other proof of purchase with those details included.

n For homebuyers who have owned and lived in a home for five consecutive years during the past eight years, there is a credit of up to $6,500 for the purchase of a new replacement residence (not a second home). To document the home you owned, you’ll need a Form 1098, or mortgage interest statement, property tax records or homeowner’s insurance records. To document your purchase, you’ll need to fill out form 5405 and include a copy of your HUD-1 settlement statement detailing the seller’s and buyer’s names, property address, sales price and date of purchase, or, if that’s not available, other proof of purchase with those details included.

For form 5405 and more instructions, visit www.irs.gov and search “homebuyer tax credit.”

Collier Neighborhood Stabilization Program

Collier County government is using federal funds to purchase foreclosed homes, rehabilitate them and sell them for no profit, says Camden Smith, a county government spokeswoman.

Homebuyers who are interested in purchasing the homes can make up to 120 percent of the area’s median income, so a family of four can make up to $84,960 a year, a family of two can make up to $67,920 per year and a single person can make up to $59,520 per year.

In order to purchase one of the homes, buyers need to be preapproved for a mortgage and contact the county to see the available houses, Smith says. The county owns 29 homes in East Naples, Golden Gate Estates and Golden Gate. Fourteen of those homes already have been reserved by families.

Homes purchased through the program are subject to an appreciation cap based on federal guidelines. The cap stays with the house for 15 years, regardless of whether the ownership changes. For example, if someone buys one of the homes for $175,000, at the end of 5 years it could only be sold for $202,873, Smith says.

Collier SHIP down payment assistance

Homebuyers who make up to 80 percent of the area median income can get 4 percent of the purchase price, or $12,000, in down payment assistance, whichever is less, Smith says. Eligible homebuyers are required to have some money saved to purchase the home — the county only matches three times the amount saved.

So, for example, if a person has $1,000 saved they could only receive $3,000, Smith says.

To qualify, a family of four can make $56,650 per year, a family of two can make $45,300 per year and a single person can make $39,650 per year.

Once purchased, the home must be the owner’s homesteaded, full-time residence. It can be sold at any time, and then the down payment assistance must be repaid. If the home is refinanced or no longer the owner’s full-time residence, the money must be repaid.