Federal tax credits for homebuyers have boosted sales during the past several months in Kenosha County, Realtors said.

“It’s getting people off the fence,” said Anthony Nudo, Kenosha Realtors Association president and broker associate with Bear Realty, 4011 80th St. “If a young person wants to buy, and the government says it’ll give them $8,000 to do it now, that’s motivation.”

Association sales reports on Thursday showed the tail end of 2009 started to head upward, with September through January 2010 figures greater than a year earlier.

However, total sales for 2009 continued a decline for the third year in a row. Sales from 2006 to 2007 dropped 12.9 percent, while numbers from 2007 to 2008 were down 21.2 percent, and 2008 to 2009 declined 10.9 percent.

The Wisconsin Realtors Association noted Kenosha County home sales fell the most among eight counties in Southeast Wisconsin during 2009. The region was up 1.5 percent.

Nudo believed Kenosha County did poorly compared to the region because local sales did better than the region when the home market boom began years ago.

The $8,000 credit, claimed on federal income tax forms, is for first-time buyers. There is a $6,500 credit for certain homeowners who buy a new principal residence.

“Part of that logic was that sellers would be able to lower their prices a little, knowing they had that credit coming,” said Marc Frisco, owner of Re/Max Elite, 7520 39th Ave. “That was a trigger enough to make their homes attractive in price to get people to buy.”

The smaller credit also helps entice homeowners who might be reluctant to sell in a market where prices are down, Nudo said.

The tax credits are for people with a sale or purchase contract by April 30 and closing by June 30.

Nudo expected monthly sales to top year-earlier numbers at least through April. After that?

“One thing that will spur real estate sales will be job creation” through government action, he said. “Can we sustain sales growth based on the tax credits, I wonder? What is sustainable, though, is through job creation and job retention.”

Part of the year-end sales increases came from investors — some paying with cash — taking advantage of lower prices, Frisco said. About 20 percent to 30 percent of sales Frisco has seen recently involved cash, including some of the more expensive lake properties.

“With prices lower, it’s a good opportunity for folks to make some money,” he said.

Nudo said he’s seen an increase in the number of homebuyers paying with cash, too. He said they are investors who aren’t getting the return they want from the stock market.

“For an investor, bricks and mortar are more stable than pieces of paper,” he said.