What Should I Know About Buying A Foreclosed Home in Tallahassee?

Price Reduced on 862 Dover Street in Saxon's Northwest Addition

Saxon's Northwest Addition, Tallahassee  -  Announcing a price reduction on 862 Dover Street, a 1,752 sq. ft., 3 bath, 4 bdrm single story "Traditional". Now MLS® $115,000 USD - Drastic Reduced.

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Tallahassee Private Distress Sales & Preforeclosure Properties

Price Reduced on 265 Ross Road in Oak Ridge Place

Oak Ridge Place, Tallahassee  -  Announcing a price reduction on 265 Ross Road, a 1,084 sq. ft., 2 bath, 3 bdrm single story. Now MLS® $72,000 USD - Consider all offers.

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Price Reduced on 7100 Sandy Creek Court in Sportsman Paradise East

Sportsman Paradise East, Tallahassee  -  Announcing a price reduction on 7100 Sandy Creek Court, a 1,960 sq. ft., 2 bath, 5 bdrm manufactured home "Mobile Home". Now $90,000 USD - Awesome $40,000 Reduction.

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How do we begin the Tallahassee Home Buying Process?

How do we begin the Tallahassee Home Buying Process?

We have asked yesterday our self a few questions and have established that we properly could afford a home in Tallahassee. Today we look a little into what you need and what you want. The first we are asking our self  on how much we can afford in monthly payments. If you are paying rent than this is a good number to start. Do you want to safe and pay a little less what you are paying now or are you comfortable to pay a little more.

After we have established the payment criteria we are creating a list in what you want and answer follow questions:

1. How many bedrooms do you want?

2. What area of Tallahassee do you like?

3. How important are Tallahassee schools to you?

4. How close to work you want to be?

5. Do you want a Tallahassee condo, Town home or Single Family Home?

You see home buying in Tallahassee is not that stressful. Take your time and think all the above questions and wright them down. The answer will be needed down the road.

Have fun with your brain storming :)

So you want to buy a Home in Tallahassee

So you want to buy a Home in Tallahassee,

you are looking on my web blog and try to find as much home buying information as possible. You have decided and want to Buy a Home in Tallahassee , you drive around to see all the nice homes and wonder if you are ready to buy. Of course you have educated your self, you see and hear it everyday in Radio, TV, Magazine and Commercials, and you know interest are at the lowest point in history and now is the time to buy.

How do you know if you are ready to buy a Home in  Tallahassee?

Begin asking your self those questions:

1. Do I have steady Income, such as employment, retirement…  ?

2. Have I been in employment for the past 2 to 3 years preferable in the same job or the same employer?

3. Can I show a good record of paying my bills in time?

4. Do I have long-term bills such as Loan payments on a Car etc. ?

5. Do I have saved some money for a down payment or are there down payment assistance programs available in
Tallahassee, Leon County or in the  State of Florida to assist me?

6. Can I afford a Mortgage Payment right now? (take a look what you are paying on rent)

If you answer those questions with yes-probably you are ready to buy Your Home in Tallahassee.

Want to know how to begin the Buying Process?

Contact me today at 850-364-3946, I look forward to hear from you,

Price Reduced on 316 Fairfield in Lakewood

Lakewood, Tallahassee  -  Announcing a huge price reduction on 316 Fairfield, a 1,104 sq. ft., 3 bdrm, 1 bath single story. Now MLS® $45,000 USD - Quick Sale.

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Which Home-Related Expense are Tax Deductible?

Which home-related expenses are tax deductible? 

Mortgage interest and property tax are well-known deductions. Here are some others:

• The interest on a home equity loan is fully tax deductible unless the balance on the original mortgage plus the equity loan is greater than the property's value. After that, it's on a sliding scale.

• If you bought your home after Jan. 1, 2007, mortgage insurance is fully tax deductible if your income is $100,000 or less.

• Mortgage interest and property taxes on a vacation home are deductible. Even an RV as long as it has cooking, sleeping and bathroom facilities.

• If you paid points to get a better interest rate on any of your home loans, you can deduct the points in the year you paid them. If you refinance the home, points are deducted over the life of the mortgage.

• If you changed jobs and had to move more than 50 miles and had to sell a home because of the move, moving expenses are deductible unless reimbursed by an employer.

If your home has been damaged by a natural disaster such as fire, hurricane or flood, some of the bills for renovating the property that was not covered by insurance can be deducted. Check with your tax preparer for more information.

If you have any questions or need capable and caring representation, please call me at 850-364-3946.

Price Reduced on 862 Dover Street in Saxon's Northwest Addition

Saxon's Northwest Addition, Tallahassee  -  Announcing a price reduction on 862 Dover Street, a 1,752 sq. ft., 3 bath, 4 bdrm single story "Traditional". Now MLS® $145,000 USD - $10,000 Reduced.

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7 Ways to Print Smarter

7 Ways to Print Smarter

 Do you waste a lot of paper and ink when you print?  Here are 7 ways to save money and help the environment:

·         Narrow your margins to fit more text on the page.   Make the new margins your default setting.  In fact, there’s a campaign to get Microsoft to change the default margin settings on its Word software.

·         Use print preview.  Check to see if the document you’ve created looks right before you hit Print.  You also can see multiple pages so you know if a few words have spilled over onto a new page.

·         Print in “draft mode.”  This uses less toner or ink than normal and works great for documents you’re probably going to read and toss anyway.  Find the setting under Print Properties.

·         Look for the “printer friendly” option.  Many web sites offer this version of an article so you don’t print the pictures, ads and other banners that surround the material you really want.

·         Only print the pages you need.   Why print all the pages when you only want to see one?

·         Print on both sides of the paper.   Many printers give you this option.

·         Don’t always believe the message that says you’re running out of ink.  Your cartridge is bound to last quite a bit longer.

We're thinking of buying a home in a new subdivision. What are the “impact fees” we've heard about on new houses?

Impact fees are a kind of tax that many cash-strapped cities are assessing on remodeling and new home construction. Depending on where you live, they can be substantial.  You'll find impact fees in some cities in South Carolina, California, Oregon, Florida, Colorado, Arizona and Washington.  Typically the fees are assessed by cities to pay for new roads, parks and sewer lines.

           
According to Texas consulting firm Duncan Associates, impact fees can add an average of $10,500 to the cost of a new home in cities where they are imposed.  Of course, many cities have substantially smaller fees.

           
Property rights advocates are against the fees, saying local governments are just afraid to go to taxpayers to ask for more money.  But proponents say the taxes are fair because they are targeted at the very people who are causing an impact on the city services:  builders of new homes.

           
In any case, these fees are rarely assessed on the sale of an existing property (though the fees could raise the price of a property).

           
This is something to consider when deciding whether to build or buy.  You can find out if a locality assesses impact fees by checking with the city building permits department.  If you have any questions, or need capable and caring representation, please call me at 850-364-3946.

How To Live With Food Allergies

Are you one of the 12 million Americans who have allergies to the top eight food allergens – wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts or peanuts?  Make your life easier by following these suggestions from culinary expert Carol Fenster of Savory Palate:

·         Get a professional diagnosis so you know exactly what to avoid.

·         Be disciplined.  For example, if you have to avoid gluten (a protein in wheat and barley), you can’t even have a bite of it. 

·         Look for hidden allergens.  Did you know there’s wheat in licorice candy and canned soups?  And soy frequently appears as soy lecithin in processed foods?

·         Read labels.  Labels on food manufactured in the U.S. now must state in plain English if they contain any of the eight allergens.

·         Buy an allergen-free cookbook.  You’ll learn that sorghum flour can be used instead of wheat flour, rice milk can replace cow’s milk, and flax meal can be used for eggs in baked goods.

·         Avoid cross-contamination.  If someone in your family has allergies, you’ll need to use a separate toaster for gluten-free bread, and be careful with serving utensils.

Happy Birthday America!

This 4th of July will be our great country's 234th birthday.  A cause for celebration?  You betcha! You may wonder where the free (I like free!) firework displays will be at Tom Brown Park in Tallahassee this year. Well, wonder no more.

http://www.celebratetallahassee.com/celebrate/default.asp

Tip: If it is super hot, carry a spray bottle with water and keep yourself (and others) misted down.

Call me corny or call me patriotic but I just have to say, "I love living in the USA."  Especially in Florida.  Why? It's an easy place to live.  The climate rocks! (Okay, it's 90° today but generally speaking we have little to complain about.) Manmade and natural disasters in Tallahassee are few and far between. No oil slicks or hurricanes here. Living in the Capital of Florida is never boring.  The overall nature of  Leon County residents is upbeat. After all, most of us moved here wanting a better life.

Sure the economy could be better and will be eventually. BUT in the meantime we have a roof over our heads (might not be the same one we used to have but we have one) and food in our bellies.

Even though life may seem uncertain for many home owners, the systems that are being used are working and are improving and many people are able to start over with brand new lives. This is the "new normal" so I have given up talking about how it used to be (so many of us do this and it's keeping us stuck!) and am focusing on moving forward.

Cheers!

Tax Credit

After a close brush with the deadline, Congress has passed an extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline, the Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623). The extension applies only to transactions that have ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010 that have not yet closed.  The legislation is designed to create a seamless extension the new closing deadline for eligible transactions is now September 30, 2010.  There will be no gap between June 30 and the date the President signs the bill into law.

For more information call 850-364-3946 or visit my website www.YourGreatHomes.com