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About Calloway County, KY

KIDS AGAINST HUNGER MURRAY KENTUCKY, LLC launched very successfully Saturday!

Earleene Woods, ASP, CRS, GRI: Real Estate Agent in Murray, KY

After two hard, long years of work, Kids Against Hunger Murray Kentucky, LLC has finally come into existence and had it's first official work day. Well, I really shouldn't say work because it was a lot of fun too.

Kids Against Hunger Murray Kentucky, LLC Board

Pictured above is the Board of Directors for Kids Against Hunger Murray Kentucky, LLC after the day of packaging with one of the 2 pallets of food that was packed.
Over 80 volunteers gathered on Saturday, August 28, 2010 and packaged 14,256 meals for the hungry of Murray and Calloway county Kentucky!
Interested in starting a satellite in your area?? You can feed the hungry a nutritionally balanced meal for around 23 cents a meal!! Feel free to contact me for more information or go to their website at www.kidsagainsthuger.org

The information below is taken from the Kids Against Hunger website:
Kids Against Hunger packages highly nutritious, life-saving meals for starving children and malnourished children and their families in developing countries and the United States. The goal of the organization is for its meals to provide a stable nutritional base from which recipient families can move their families from starvation to self-sufficiency. Kids Against Hunger accomplishes this by mobilizing the energy and caring of American children, teens, and adults on behalf of hungry children around the world. Kids Against Hunger seeks to end the literal hunger of children receiving the meals, but also satisfies a hunger among prosperous Americans - a hunger for meaning and contribution.

Fulfilling Kids Against Hunger's mission requires a vast food packaging capacity to meet an endless demand for food. Because physical constraints of the International Headquarters facility initially prevented further growth in production, the organization began expanding its operations by setting up food packaging "satellites". Kids Against Hunger believes that the best way to engage the largest number of people is through a decentralized, locally-based network of food packaging satellites that are active in their community. This model engages and empowers people to realize they can make a difference in solving the worldwide problem of starvation and establishes relationships with organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, and many churches of widely varying denominations and faiths. This growth strategy also allows the organization to continuously expand its food packaging capacity and volunteer involvement.

The process of establishing a meal packaging satellite is easy. Individuals and groups who are passionate about feeding children license the Kids Against Hunger name, food formulation, and packaging process. This agreement governs product content and quality, as well as adherence to best practices. Each satellite is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and all of them are using volunteers in the same manual process to package the standardized food formulation for distribution to dozens of countries all over the globe.

It is Kids Against Hunger's goal to develop this food packaging network, over the next ten years, with a two-tiered approach of local packaging satellites and regional divisions. The organization seeks to set up 50 divisions and 500 packaging satellites across the USA. Through this structure, Kids Against Hunger expects to generate the capacity to produce over one billion meals per year.

Since its launch, Kids Against Hunger has provided over 162 million meals for children and their families in more than 60 countries through the efforts of hundreds of thousands of volunteers.

2010 Kentucky Tax Lien Investing Update

Greg Taylor, Murray Kentucky Real Estate Attorney and Investor: Real Estate - Other in Murray, KY

Gregory T. Taylor, Esq.

306-B South 12th St.

P.O. Box 505

Murray, KY 42071

Ph/Fax (270) 761-4558

2010 Kentucky Certificate of Delinquency Update

DISCLAIMER: I’ve got to start with this first. This is not an exhaustive review of the statutes and is merely for informational purposes. Don’t take it as legal advice. There are still a lot of things to be fleshed out with this but it is good to know what is going on now. The recent overhaul of the Kentucky Certificate of Delinquency laws has resulted in a few more hoops for those of us interested in tax lien investing to jump through. I’ll be referring to the Certificates of Delinquency as “liens” throughout this summary. Here is what has remained the same:
  • 12% simple interest rate earned on amount paid for liens
  • Interest is accrued at 1% per month with any part of a month counting for the whole month.
  • In addition to the interest, tax lien purchasers may collect for expenses incurred in collecting the lien, including:
    • $100 administrative fee
    • Attorneys fees prior to initiating litigation (Mailing letters, fielding phone calls, generally handling the collection of the liens for a client)
      • Up to $350 for liens $350 or below (no more than 100% of cost of lien)
      • Up to $560 for liens $700 or below (no more than 80% of cost of lien)
      • Up to $700 for liens above $700 (no more than 70% of the cost of lien)
    • ALL attorneys fees and costs (providing they are reasonable) involved in foreclosing or otherwise collecting the lien through litigation
The best thing about this is that you can purchase the liens, and then hand off the entire collection process to an attorney such as myself with no direct expense to you. This includes drafting and mailing the letters required by statute as set forth below. You will get the full 12% return on your money without subtracting for fees and expenses. AND NOW FOR THE JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS PART! Here are the relevant changes and the new tax lien investment and collection procedures:
  1. Registration to purchase tax liens.
    1. Anyone who is going to buy 5 or more liens statewide OR 3 in any one county OR spend more than $10,000 on liens statewide MUST register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue.
    2. You will have to pay an administrative fee to register to buy the tax liens.
    3. You will have to be in good standing with regard to taxes owed to the state and prior business record (this is done to prevent some of the predatory tax lien investors from investing in this state again).
  1. Tax Lien Purchasing Procedure
    1. The county clerk will now handle the sale of all tax liens. They will no longer be purchased at the Sheriff’s office.
    2. The Department of Revenue will determine and advertise the dates of the sales in each county and the dates and times will be staggered so that people can purchase liens in multiple counties.
    3. The dates of the tax sales will fall between July 15 and August 31 of each year and will be advertised at least 30 days in advance in the paper.
    4. You will have to register at least one week before each with each county clerk in order to buy liens and you will likely have to put an advance deposit down. You may have to pay a registration fee to the clerk for the right to purchase liens at the sale, up to $250.00 per county.
    5. The county clerks will be allowed to refuse to sell liens involved in litigation or that are likely to be duplicate bills. This will cut down on the amount of liens that are refunded because they are uncollectable.
    6. The Department of Revenue will determine the purchasing procedure that will be used statewide and it will most likely involve some type of lottery system so that multiple purchasers will have an equal chance of buying liens.
    7. One person may not represent multiple entities at the tax sale and no related entities shall be allowed to purchase liens. This prevents the big buyers from flooding the sale with their proxies and buying the bulk of the liens.
    8. If you hold a lien on a property from a prior year, you will be allowed first chance to purchase the lien on the property for the current year.
  2. Notice Requirements and Collection Procedures on Tax Liens
    1. Address Collection from PVA – You must do this prior to sending out the letters below.
  1. i. You must contact the county’s PVA and get the most recent address for each property owner by sending them a list of the property addresses and map numbers on the properties that you purchased liens for at the tax sale.
  2. ii. The PVA will respond within 10 days and will charge you $2 per address.
  3. iii. If you send out any of the letters set forth below and they are returned as undeliverable, you MUST re-send (with proof of mailing) the letters to the property address (NOT the owner’s mailing address that you got from PVA) with the letters addressed to “Occupant” within 10 days of having the mail returned to you.
  4. i. The certificate is a lien of record against the property
  5. ii. The lien is accruing 12% interest as set forth above
  6. iii. If the lien isn’t paid, it will be subject to collection as provided by law
  7. iv. A detailed payoff statement as of the date of the notice, showing purchase price, interest, and fees and costs (including statute references to why those fees and costs are collectible).
  8. v. Contact information for the lien buyer – Name, physical and mailing addresses, and telephone number.
  9. vi. YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO COLLECT YOUR FEES AND INTEREST IF YOU DON’T SEND THESE NOTICES
  10. i. Before you can initiate foreclosure suit, you have to send out a notice at least 45 days prior to filing suit that lets the taxpayer know that you intend to file suit to collect, ALONG WITH all of the information required in the first letter above. You must send this letter first class with proof of mailing.
    1. First Letter – You must send a letter out (first class with proof of mailing via the USPS or Affidavit) within 50 days of purchasing the lien that tells the taxpayer the following:
    1. Foreclosure Notice – You have to wait 1 year before you can foreclose and you must foreclose between the first year and the 11th year after buying the lien.
  1. Miscellaneous
    1. If you purchase a duplicate bill or a bill that is otherwise uncollectible, you may apply to the county clerk for a refund and the county clerk will refund your initial payment, but NOT any interest or expenses.
Please call if you are interested in pursuing tax lien investing. I am currently handling several of these liens for various clients and would love to help you if you so desire. I hope this has been informative and beneficial for you and wish everyone great success in 2010! http://gregtaylorlaw.com

More About Me

Greg Taylor, Murray Kentucky Real Estate Attorney and Investor: Real Estate - Other in Murray, KY

I am Greg Taylor. I am a Murray, Kentucky attorney and a native of Murray and Calloway County. I have been practicing law since graduating from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2003. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Murray State University in 2000 and have returned to my alma mater to teach Estate Planning for Financial Planners as an adjunct professor in the Economics and Finance Department. In addition to the practice of law, I am active in the Murray and Calloway County community.

My family includes my wife, Kristin, and daughter, Cate, and son, Ben. We are active in our church and serve as leaders of their small group at Christian Community Church in Murray. In addition to these activities, I and my parents also own Cornerstone Realty & Rental, LLC, which is a realty and property management company in Murray. Lastly, I serve as President of Creative Property Solutions, Inc., a real estate investment and management company located in Murray. I practice law in the areas of Real Estate, Corporate Law, Asset Protection, Estate Planning and Probate, and Adoptions. See my Practice Areas section for more information about how I and my team can help you with your legal needs.

I would love to speak with you, and you can visit my website at http://gregtaylorlaw.com, call me at 270-761-4558 or email me at greg@gregtaylorlaw.com. Have a truly wonderful day!

2010 Kentucky Certificate of Delinquency Update

Greg Taylor, Murray Kentucky Real Estate Attorney and Investor: Real Estate - Other in Murray, KY
2010 Kentucky Certificate of Delinquency Update DISCLAIMER: I’ve got to start with this first. This is not an exhaustive review of the statutes and is merely for informational purposes. Don’t take it as legal advice. There are still a lot of things to be fleshed out with this but it is good to know what is going on now. The recent overhaul of the Kentucky Certificate of Delinquency laws has resulted in a few more hoops for those of us interested in tax lien investing to jump through. I’ll be referring to the Certificates of Delinquency as “liens” throughout this summary. Here is what has remained the same:
  • 12% simple interest rate earned on amount paid for liens
  • Interest is accrued at 1% per month with any part of a month counting for the whole month.
  • In addition to the interest, tax lien purchasers may collect for expenses incurred in collecting the lien, including:
    • $100 administrative fee
    • Attorneys fees prior to initiating litigation (Mailing letters, fielding phone calls, generally handling the collection of the liens for a client)
      • Up to $350 for liens $350 or below (no more than 100% of cost of lien)
      • Up to $560 for liens $700 or below (no more than 80% of cost of lien)
      • Up to $700 for liens above $700 (no more than 70% of the cost of lien)
    • ALL attorneys fees and costs (providing they are reasonable) involved in foreclosing or otherwise collecting the lien through litigation
The best thing about this is that you can purchase the liens, and then hand off the entire collection process to an attorney such as myself with no direct expense to you. This includes drafting and mailing the letters required by statute as set forth below. You will get the full 12% return on your money without subtracting for fees and expenses. AND NOW FOR THE JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS PART! Here are the relevant changes and the new tax lien investment and collection procedures:
  1. Registration to purchase tax liens.
    1. Anyone who is going to buy 5 or more liens statewide OR 3 in any one county OR spend more than $10,000 on liens statewide MUST register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue.
    2. You will have to pay an administrative fee to register to buy the tax liens.
    3. You will have to be in good standing with regard to taxes owed to the state and prior business record (this is done to prevent some of the predatory tax lien investors from investing in this state again).
  1. Tax Lien Purchasing Procedure
    1. The county clerk will now handle the sale of all tax liens. They will no longer be purchased at the Sheriff’s office.
    2. The Department of Revenue will determine and advertise the dates of the sales in each county and the dates and times will be staggered so that people can purchase liens in multiple counties.
    3. The dates of the tax sales will fall between July 15 and August 31 of each year and will be advertised at least 30 days in advance in the paper.
    4. You will have to register at least one week before each with each county clerk in order to buy liens and you will likely have to put an advance deposit down. You may have to pay a registration fee to the clerk for the right to purchase liens at the sale, up to $250.00 per county.
    5. The county clerks will be allowed to refuse to sell liens involved in litigation or that are likely to be duplicate bills. This will cut down on the amount of liens that are refunded because they are uncollectable.
    6. The Department of Revenue will determine the purchasing procedure that will be used statewide and it will most likely involve some type of lottery system so that multiple purchasers will have an equal chance of buying liens.
    7. One person may not represent multiple entities at the tax sale and no related entities shall be allowed to purchase liens. This prevents the big buyers from flooding the sale with their proxies and buying the bulk of the liens.
    8. If you hold a lien on a property from a prior year, you will be allowed first chance to purchase the lien on the property for the current year.
  2. Notice Requirements and Collection Procedures on Tax Liens
    1. Address Collection from PVA – You must do this prior to sending out the letters below.
  1. i. You must contact the county’s PVA and get the most recent address for each property owner by sending them a list of the property addresses and map numbers on the properties that you purchased liens for at the tax sale.
  2. ii. The PVA will respond within 10 days and will charge you $2 per address.
  3. iii. If you send out any of the letters set forth below and they are returned as undeliverable, you MUST re-send (with proof of mailing) the letters to the property address (NOT the owner’s mailing address that you got from PVA) with the letters addressed to “Occupant” within 10 days of having the mail returned to you.
  4. i. The certificate is a lien of record against the property
  5. ii. The lien is accruing 12% interest as set forth above
  6. iii. If the lien isn’t paid, it will be subject to collection as provided by law
  7. iv. A detailed payoff statement as of the date of the notice, showing purchase price, interest, and fees and costs (including statute references to why those fees and costs are collectible).
  8. v. Contact information for the lien buyer – Name, physical and mailing addresses, and telephone number.
  9. vi. YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO COLLECT YOUR FEES AND INTEREST IF YOU DON’T SEND THESE NOTICES
  10. i. Before you can initiate foreclosure suit, you have to send out a notice at least 45 days prior to filing suit that lets the taxpayer know that you intend to file suit to collect, ALONG WITH all of the information required in the first letter above. You must send this letter first class with proof of mailing.
    1. First Letter – You must send a letter out (first class with proof of mailing via the USPS or Affidavit) within 50 days of purchasing the lien that tells the taxpayer the following:
    1. Foreclosure Notice – You have to wait 1 year before you can foreclose and you must foreclose between the first year and the 11th year after buying the lien.
  1. Miscellaneous
    1. If you purchase a duplicate bill or a bill that is otherwise uncollectible, you may apply to the county clerk for a refund and the county clerk will refund your initial payment, but NOT any interest or expenses.
Please call if you are interested in pursuing tax lien investing. I am currently handling several of these liens for various clients and would love to help you if you so desire. I hope this has been informative and beneficial for you and wish everyone great success in 2010! Gregory T. Taylor, Esq. greg@gregtaylorlaw.com http://gregtaylorlaw.com

Photos Make Your Property Really Special and Unforgettable

Jane Peterson: Real Estate - Other in Kapolei, HI

Judging from my own experience, I noticed that pictures of your property can increase the value of your house for sale. But your photos should be correct and impressive.

If you send photos of your home online on your own, you definitely dream of impressing your buyers. It's clear that it’s much better to see the home than to listen to long descriptive stories about it. That’s why providing pictures plays an essential role in FSBO procedure of selling.

And besides, offering pictures online is very convenient as you do not waste time on meeting your numerous buyers and showing them your property. You'll deal only with those who are really interested in buying your home.

Of course, it'll be a great idea to ask a professional photographer to take pictures. These people know how to make your home really attractive.

But if you want to do it yourself, here are some tips for you:

- You can put some nice plants, bright magazines and books on your furniture;

- Try to make your rooms look tidy and neat; no clutter;

- Do not include your personal things in view, they are nice for you, but may be opposite for other people. Tastes differ, you know.

- Demonstrate all advantages of your home, emphasize them; avoid possibly negative details.

And in general, do not forget to make the rooms in your photos welcoming and relaxing.