MAUMELLE, Ark. (KTHV) - If you are looking for a new home, now could be the time to buy. But declining home values in Arkansas aren't good news for everyone.

According to CoreLogic, average home prices are up across the country. They're 7.4 percent higher compared to prices last summer. But in Arkansas, home prices have gone down by 2 percent.

"There's not one thing in particular to pinpoint, just a lot of people decide to sell at the same time," said broker Kim Burkes.

In 2014, 269 more homes were listed than in 2013, but the average sale price has gone down from $192,624 to $184,070, according to the Cooperative Arkansas Realtors Multiple Listing Service.

"Some of those may be foreclosures and short sales which brings the general price down," Burkes said.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - If you are looking to rent a home, beware. The Attorney General's Office is getting reports of scammers who are advertising homes that are not for rent.

This scam is nothing new. It has been going on in Arkansas for years, but people are still falling victim to it. Scammers are stealing pictures from legitimate real estate ads and making it look like homes are for rent when they are not. They are getting people when they are most vulnerable.

WATCH STORY: http://on.kthv.com/1hu3Fja

"It was heartbreaking to think that she was no't going to have the things that she needed to succeed because I fell for this," said Mary Lorance.

Like any mother, Mary Lorance is looking for what is best for her daughter. She wants her to go to a good school and live in a nice neighborhood. Mary had her sights set on renting a home in Cabot.

The Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA) recently introduced a program that offers a Federal Tax Credit for First-Time-Homebuyers.  It is called the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) Program.  The MCC Program is offered by the Internal Revenue Service to encourage borrowers to buy their first home. 

For borrowers that qualify, if offers them up to a $2,000 Federal tax credit for each year that the house they are buying is used as their principal residence.  To qualify borrowers must be first-time-homebuyers, except in targeted counties; must meet household income limits, which vary by county; and not exceed a purchase price of $225,000.  The MCC is not part of the home financing, but rather an incentive the IRS offers to get first-time-homebuyers to buy a home.