The system is simple and, thus far, largely unavoidable. When a user attempts to make a post, Craigslist asks for verification with a viable phone number. It then automatically calls the number and issues a verification code which must be re-entered for the post to go live.
For the purposes of the IRA distributions, a first-time home buyer is anyone who hasn't owned a present interest in a main home for the previous two years. For example, if your parents have promised to leave you their home in their will, that isn't a present interest in the home, so you still qualify.
First-time buyer courses help buyers receive information that will prepare them to purchase a home. According to a 2009 study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 35 percent of those who attended first-time buyer courses bought a home within 18 months of completing the education.