San Antonio BRAC Relocation Home Search
October 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
In the coming months, thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families will relocate to the San Antonio area in conjunction with Base Realignment And Closing (BRAC) initiatives. Well qualified San Antonio real estate specialists are prepared to service the realty needs of our new BRAC neighbors.
My San Antonio Home Quest Realty Solutions Team is leading the way.
Contact me if you have questions or need advice about San Antonio’s realty market. As me about the latest San Antonio BRAC developments. Describe your homeownership wants and needs and I’ll send you the matching listings directly from the San Antonio Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
I’m Stephanie Kelley, Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Graduate of the Real Estate Institute (GRI). Visit me at SanAntonioHomeQuest.com , call me at (210) 863-2661 or (800) 201-9145, E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com.
FY 2009 BAH San Antonio Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps
October 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment
This link to calculate your San Antonio BAH is provided compliments the San Antonio Home Quest Realty Services Team. Visit us SanAntonioHomeQuest.com for all your San Antonio realty needs.
Click to calculate your San Antonio BAH for 2009.
$8000 Federal Tax Credit Hammer Coming Down For San Antonio Home Buyers
October 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Rapid Read Summary:
- The tax credit deadline is November 30, 2009 .
- There’s no time left to build a new home.
- There’s very little time left to contract to purchase a home using a mortgage loan.
- There’s still time to purchase a home with cash.
- An experienced Realtor(R) might be able to help beat the deadline.
For most first time San Antonio home buyers (and for those not owning a home in the last 3 years), the hammer is coming down too soon on the opportunity to take advantage of the $8,000 Federal First Time Home Buyer Income Tax Credit Program.
The program’s deadline for closing on a home purchase is November 30, 2009.
As of 10 October 2009, with only 51 days left, there’s no chance for a home buyer to have a new home constructed and completed by 30 November.
Using a mortgage loan, it takes an average of 45 days to do everything needed to close on the purchase of a resale home. Consequently, some lenders and title companies are already telling home buyers that it’s unlikely they can successfully close their purchase by November 30 unless the’ve already filed an executed purchase contract at the title company and are well into the loan approval process.
A cash buyer can usually expect to close much sooner than 45 days after executing a home purchase contract; however, every day that goes by without having a purchase contract in hand lessens the chance of closing the sale by 30 November.
If you are eligible for the $8,000 tax credit, but haven’t started your home search, contact us right away. We’ll do everything we can help you beat the November 30 deadline.
We are Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors(R), Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio. Visit us at SanAntonioHomeQuest.com , telephone us at (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-9743, and E-mail us at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com .
Home Buyer’s Tax Credit Changes Possible For San Antonio Buyers
October 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Home Buyer’s Tax Credit Changes Possible
The first major change to the $8,000 home buyer’s tax credit began moving through Congress the last week of September, giving hope to real estate and building groups pushing for extension of the entire program before it expires November 30, 2009.
House Ways and Means Committee chairman, Congressman Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, combined several smaller bills into the “Service Members Home Ownership Act of 2009″, with a floor vote expected soon.
The bill is intended to correct a flaw in the original tax credit legislation: By requiring buyers to occupy and own their first home for 36 months to fully qualify for the credit, the program creates serious problems when military, Foreign Service and intelligence agency personnel are transferred overseas.
During their absence, they are not occupants of their houses, and sometimes have to rent them out or sell. Any of these events make them ineligible to retain the $8,000 credit under current law. Ineligible buyers must then repay the credit to the IRS.
Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer, sponsor of one of the bills consolidated into Rangel’s, said “it is absurd that thousands of Americans serving our country, away from friends and family … must choose between their service work and home ownership.”
The Ways and Means committee’s bill would waive the repayment requirement when a service member must sell a home within the 36 month period because of a transfer to a new duty station or overseas, and would count service-related absences toward the 36 month requirement.
Another provision in the bill would extend the $8,000 credit for another year for personnel who may have missed out on claiming the credit because they thought they wouldn’t qualify due to an overseas posting.
The credit for these individuals would be extended to November 30, 2010 from November 30, 2009, provided the served outside the U.S. for at least 90 days during calendar year 2009.
The bill, which has bipartisan support, could be sent to the Senate for action as early as next week, Congressional sources told Realty Times.
More important for the housing market overall, however, is the precedent set by the bill’s extension of the credit for an extra year. It’s not a far leap from that position to a general extension of the entire $8,000 credit program to the same date.
The National Association of Realtors, National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association jointly sponsored an ad campaign aimed at convincing Congress to give the credit program another year.
Extracted From Realty Times and Written by Kenneth R. Harney
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Clean Windows Sell San Antonio Homes
October 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Hey, home seller! Here’s an essential marketing tip for you.
Always remember that the prospective home buyer’s first view of your house can make or break a sales opportunity, so always make sure your home’s windows give an enticing wink.
Here’s how to make sure your home has welcoming, glittering windows.
Read this article from the San Antonio Express News, Sunday, December 9, 2001, written by Maribel Zimmerman. I dug it out of my archives, because so many of my home selling clients have asked for it and found it really works!
Cleaning windows: Simple Steps To A Clearer Outlook by Maribel Zimmerman
Some windows look like they were cleaned with a good amount of spit and an oily mechanics rag. Sticky fingers and wet noses pressed to the glass can wreak havoc on your view, too. But some windows look worse after they’ve been cleaned. Why? What could possibly have gone wrong? Plenty.
Hastily pursuing the perfect view can mean forgetting the most important credos of crystal-clear windows: clean water and the right tools. So, how do you get windows to sparkle the first time? It’s really not that hard.
There are several ways to do the job right. Commercial cleaning solutions can work well, but are not necessary for the job. Old fashioned household cleaners are plentiful in most homes - and expensive.
Experts at Anderson-Windows suggest beginning with the right stuff: rubber gloves; two buckets or one bucket with two wells; sudsy ammonia; white vinegar; rubbing alcohol; several clean, dry rags; a squeegee; and a ladder, if necessary.
Now follow these steps to the best view you’ve ever enjoyed:
1. First, read and follow manufacturer’s instructions on each cleaning agent and all tools before beginning. In addition, use extreme caution when using ladders and working around open windows to maintain safe operation and avoid injury. If elevation devices are required, do not use furniture, only equipment intended for that purpose, including ladders, scaffolding, and step stools. And, follow all manufacturers’ instructions for safe operation.
2. Fill both buckets with 1 to 2 gallons of the hottest water your gloved hands can stand. Use caution in handling hot water to avoid burns and scalding.
3. In one of the two buckets, add one cup each of ammonia,and vinegar, plus two tablespoons of rubbing alcohol and stir. The latter will help water evaporate faster and add that twinkle factor.
4. Begin at the top of the house, at the top of the window.
5. Wipe the entire surface with the solution. If necessary, bugs, stickers and stubborn marks can be removed using a new straightedge blade, being careful to avoid personal injury or damage to the window. Once the dirt is removed, wipe the window a second time with the clear water.
6. Immediately squeegee the window, using a rag to wipe the squeegee dry after each swipe. This will limit the streaks caused by wet lines of water at the squeegee’s edge and eliminate dripping onto your sparkling windows with wet tools.
7. Use a clean cloth to wipe only the wet corners and the sill.
Some extra tips
Again use extreme caution when working around open window openings. Never leave a window unattended, especially when children are present. Falls may result in serious injury or death.
Try swiping in only one direction - horizontal or vertical on the inside of the house, and the other direction on the outside. If you do find streaks, you’ll know which side needs to be redone.
Change the water often to eliminate streaks.
Tie a rope to the squeegee and secure it to the ladder or your belt in case you drop it. Letting the solution dry onto the window while you climb down to retrieve your tools could be the difference in sparkle and debacle.
Try cleaning the windows on cloudy, but dry days. Sunlight dries the solution too fast and makes streaks more likely.
Really dirty windows may need to be rinsed with the garden hose, but be prepared to clean them immediately. Hard water stains can be stubborn.
For more information about windows, including maintenance, repair and replacement, contact the Greater San Antonio Builders Association at (210) 696-3800 for a free copy of the Remodelors Council directory.
The Greater San Antonio Builders Association is a local trade association that offers opportunities to its members to display their products and services.
It makes no representations expressed or implied, regarding the qualifications of its members or the quality of their products and services, but invites you to examine them for yourself at www.sabuilders.com
Maribel Zimmerman is an architectural representative for Black Millwork Co, Inc., a member of the Greater San Antonio Builder Association Remodelors Council
This is the recipe for sparkly windows - Read the article, too!
1 cup ammonia (sudsy)
1 cup vinegar (white)
2 Tablespoons Rubbing Alcohol
plus 1 to 2 gallons hot water ( stir it all together)
After removing the dirt, wipe with clear water only, then squeegee.
End of Article
I’m Stephanie Kelley, Realtor ©, ABR, CRS, GRI, at SanAntonioHomeQuest.com, Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. I’m here to help you with all your realty needs. You can contact me at (800) 201-9145 or (210) 863-2661 and at swkrealtor@aol.com.
55 Days Left For San Antonio Home Purchase $8000 Tax Credit
October 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Do you qualify for the up to $8000 Federal Tax Credit for first time home buyers (and for home buyers not owning a home in the last 3 years)?
If so, and if you’re not already under a home purchase contract, then you’re seriously running out of time to do all the stuff you need to do in order to close by the 30 November deadline.
Don’t delay, start your home search today.
We’ll help make your home purchase as quick and trouble free as possible. We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors ©, at SanAntonioHomeQuest.com, Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. Contact us at (800) 201-9145 or (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-8743 or at kelleybus@aol.com or swkrealtor@aol.com .
San Antonio Texas Homes Values And Stats
October 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Find out what’s going on with home values in your San Antonio neighborhood or the San Antonio neighborhood where you want to live. Market Snapshot will keep you updated with the latest information?
Click here to enter your Market Snapshot neighborhood home values search.
