DEAR BENNY: My grandmother is in her home, already at the breaking point: It's a question of food or medicine. Her house payment is $400. She's usually a bit late paying the property tax. This month she signed papers to let the mortgage company set up an escrow account. The lender paid taxes and insurance to the tune of $1,800, and now they've jacked the payment up by $270 each month, which is more than $3,200 extra a year!

I know what you're thinking. November 30th is coming at us faster than a Mac truck, and you're wondering if you'll have time to close on a house before the First-Time Homebuyer Federal Tax Credit expires.

Like the cash-for-clunkers program that swept the nation earlier this year, the Federal Tax Credit has generated a flurry of sales activity as homebuyers hurry to benefit from the up to $8,000 incentive.

And now we're only a couple of months away from the end. Or are we?

Long-term rates are again approaching four-month lows, with 10-year T-notes just above the magic 3.28 percent level; break that and low-fee mortgages will cross just under 5 percent.

If that blessed moment should arrive, do not wait for lower or expect sub-5 percent to last more than a few hours: Surviving mortgage lenders will yell "Now!" to a few million boat-missing refinance candidates, and that renewed demand must be worked off before any deeper drop.

The NAR/NAA (National Association of Realtors) is offering a Real Estate on course November 6, 2008 designed with real estate auctions in mind. The move may be in response to the growing number of foreclosure auctions and agents who would like to know more about using the real estate auction process to his/her advantage.

The course is designed to help agents "understand and utilize the auction method of marketing and various levels of involvement. Identify properties and sellers that are good candidates for real estate auction. Establish an alliance with an auction company or establish an auction division within your company."