President Obama will sign the stimulus package today that will, among other things, give first-time homebuyers an $8,000 tax credit if they make their purchase by December 1, 2009.  Unlike the $7,500 tax credit passed in the last stimulus bill, this credit does not have to be paid back.  The credit will be applied to a buyer's 2009 taxes when they are filed in 2010.  For current mortgage holders, rumor has it that $50 billion of the remaining TARP funds will go toward fending off foreclosures for homeowners are not yet in arrears on their mortgage but are in danger of becoming so.  The program would involve a reappraisal of homes and subsidize lenders that lower monthly payments to within 31% of a borrowers income.  Homeowners would not need to prove hardship to participate in the program, making it more widely available to those who are current but have lost a job, those whose payments have increased, and even those buyers who simply bought more house than they could afford.  This plan could be announced by the President as early as tomorrow.  While the TARP money is clearly meant to help troubled borrowers prevent foreclosures, the stimulus credit is meant to jumpstart home sales.  Home prices are already lower than they've been in years, and mortgage rates are still at historic lows, so will an $8,000 tax credit be the answer?  Your thoughts?