About Hall County, GA

If you’re considering purchasing your first home, now is the time. You can take advantage of an $8,000 tax credit and even amend your 2008 returns to get that money back this year. Now there is even talk that you can use the $8,000 as your down payment with an FHA loan with an approved FHA lender. Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said that the Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow homeowners to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment. I haven’t seen anywhere that this has already started, but it should come down soon. You have to close before Dec. 1, 2009 to be eligible for this program. A quick note, if you FHA loan, you only have to pay 3.5 percent down. If you buy a home for $150,000 you are only required to pay $5,250.00 down. Use part of your $8,000.00 for your down payment and that leaves you $2,750.00 for repairs, remodeling, furniture, or whatever you need it for. Call me today and let’s start looking! Kim Craft 770-654-6656

Guest blogger: Beau Henderson, with Fiduciary Capital:

When cash values are insecure, real estate is a smart place to put your money. If you don’t own a home, that’s the perfect place to start. Buy the best house you can afford—and the “afford” part is critical. Particularly when you are buying a home at least partially as an inflation hedge, it might be tempting to invest as much money as possible into your new home, i.e. buy the most expensive house you can manage. However, be sure to take into consideration your income, your debt, your savings and – most importantly – your spending habits. It’s only smart to invest in a house that that will hold or gain value, and foreclosure tends to have a negative effect on that. So, especially during times of layoffs, a good rule of thumb is to make sure you’ve got the financial reserves to keep you afloat in case of a sudden emergency or job loss.

One of the best parts of home ownership is the mortgage tax deduction, which, depending on your tax bracket, can reduce your effective mortgage expenditures by as much as 30 cents on the dollar. Also, if possible, get a fixed rate mortgage. That means that no matter how long you live in the house, if you don’t refinance, your housing expenses will remain the same. And the best part: while housing prices can rise and fall, as they’ve recently demonstrated, housing investments are overwhelmingly stable. Over time—and that’s key, the long term part— the value of houses almost always keeps up with inflation and generally exceeds it, and every mortgage payment you make is like putting money in your savings account.

Of course, buying the right house in the right place is important in making a sound investment. Before going after that house, find yourself a savvy real estate agent and broker who have the knowledge and skills to guide you toward the best possible investment.

Beau Henderson is a certified senior financial planner and a authorize 1031 Intermediary. His office is in Gainesville and he can be reached at 770-540-9142.

With eight years’ experience shaping the financial futures of more than 2,000 clients, Beau Henderson combines an expert knowledge of the industry with an exclusive understanding of the market. And that’s a winning combination for your investment strategy.

A Forsyth County native and graduate of the University of Georgia, Beau majored in finance and psychology. After spending two years as a Regions Bank loan officer, Beau felt drawn to financial planning, a career that would allow him to use his expertise to help his clients toward lifelong financial security and success. A Registered Financial Consultant, Beau is currently Vice President of Financial Planning and Senior Financial Advisor with Fiduciary Capital based in Gainesville, Ga.

WOW! I learned about a fantastic opportunity this afternoon being offered through the State of Georgia's Department of Community Affairs. In an effort to help struggling communities reduce the inventory of foreclosed homes sitting empty on the market, they have just rolled out a $14,000 FREE MONEY grant to buyers of these homes in most counties throughout Georgia. Gainesville and the surrounding area all qualify under this grant as does the greater Atlanta area. Now not every foreclosure qualifies and not every buyer qualifies, but many will. This is a terrific opportunity to help buyers get into a home at a discounted price, take advantage of $14,000 that can be used for down payment and/or repairs to the property, and help communities struggling with vacant foreclosed inventory by moving them off the market faster. In addition to other home buyer topics I'm going to discuss this program at my Home Buyer seminar on May 9th. What a wonderful opportunity for buyers in a position to take advantage of it! If you would like to attend the seminar, registration is free through my website at www.PowerBuyerProgram.com . Hope to see you there!

I never thought that day after day after day of rain would actually make me happy. But around Gainesville, Georgia rain is a wonderful thing these days. After 2 years of far below average rainfall and accidental excessive releases by the Corps of Engineers from Lake Lanier, we have finally hit a bit of a milestone. 1060! If you live anywhere near Lake Lanier you probably know that we have not seen this level of water in Lake Lanier since September of 2007. All last summer, boating was much more hazardous than normal with levels hovering around 16 feet below full pool, and lake lovers suffered for it. Local businesses that depend on the lake, tourism and additional patrons that Lake Lanier typically brings in felt it sting of the low lake level too. So here's to the rain, and being just over 10 feet below full pool. Keep it coming, keep it rising. As I look out my window at the slow drizzle and dreary day, I can only think to myself, "Here we come 1071!!!!" It is a great time to think about Lake Lanier real estate. Visit us at www.LakeLanierBestHomes.com.

Spring is coming and the housing market in Gainesville, GA is soon to bloom! Looking at the January numbers of residential home sales, pending home sales, and new listings in Hall county Georgia, the market is moving in the right direction. Hall county Georgia is down 20.4% in new listings, this means there are not as many homes coming on the market, so less competition for the current homes for sale in Hall county Georgia. Also for the month of January new foreclosures in Gainesville Georgia was down 2%. That is good because foreclosures for sale in Gainesville, Georgia directly effect the saleability of a the average resale due to the pricing, also helps in bringing up the average sales price. In January 2009, the number of homes for sale in Gainesville, Georgia fell 20%, this shows inventory falling, this will help lean up the over saturated market. If you are looking to sell a home in Gainesville, Georgia feel free to visit http://meganthoroman.comto set up a consultation for your home.