Sandy Springs, GA

Fulton County has received an additional supply of the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine to provide protection against the flu virus. The nasal spray vaccine is available for healthy 2-49 year olds with no out-of- pocket cost for the client. Sandy Springs residents can get their vaccine starting today between 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in Room 102 at the North Fulton Government Annex located at 7741 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.

Room 102 at the North Annex is on the bottom floor where the old Business License office was located. There will be 8 public health nurses which will dramatically cut down on waiting time from the single nurse experience in the limited space that was available at the Sandy Springs Health Center on Johnson Ferry Road.
For more information about vaccine availability in Fulton County, log-on to www.fultoncountygahealth.org or contact the Georgia H1N1 Information Line at 1-888-416-1463

Hooray - The House and the Senate this week passed legislation to extend the $8,000 home buyer tax credit to May 1, 2010, for first-time buyers and add a $6,500 tax credit for repeat buyers if they've lived in their home for five of the past eight years. Home prices are capped at $800,000.

The legislation in both houses was included in a bill to extend unemployment benefits and is expected to be signed by President Obama shortly.

"REALTORS® appreciate the swift action by Congress to extend the home buyer tax credit and expand it to some current homeowners," says NAR President Charles McMillan. "As the leading advocate of housing and real estate issues, we urge President Obama to sign this legislation into law quickly to keep the momentum going in the fragile recovery of the nation's housing market."

Under the bill, income limits are expanded to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for joint filers. Individuals with incomes up to $145,000 and joint filers with incomes up to $245,000 qualify for reduced credits.

Households who have binding contracts in place by April 30 will be allowed an additional 60 days to complete their transaction. The deadline for members of the military serving out the U.S. for at least 90 days between Jan. 1, 2009, and May 1, 2010, has been extended one year.

Taxpayers can claim the credit on their federal income tax returns. If the credit exceeds their tax bill, the government will issue a check. Taxpayers will be able to claim the credit on their 2009 income tax return for purchases made in 2010.

Compare the current tax credit with the newly passed version on REALTOR.org.

More on the credit is available from NAR.

Source: The Associated Press (11/5/2009)

HGTV's real estate Web site Frontdoor.com has identified what it calls the "tricks and treats" of buying a foreclosure:

Tricks to avoid:
**Just because a foreclosure has a low price tag doesn't mean it's a bargain. Many need lots of expensive repairs.

**Buying a foreclosure property isn't for amateurs. Buyers need a knowledgeable real estate practitioner to guide them through the process.

Foreclosure treats:
**Well-maintained foreclosures priced at 50 percent or less of their market value make home-ownership very affordable.

**Building a relationship with a lender's REO (real estate owned) department can help when it's time to make a deal.

Source: Frontdoor.com (10/29/2009)

Key lawmakers in the Senate have tentatively agreed to extend the existing $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and also offer a new $6,500 credit for existing homeowners who have lived in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period in the past eight years.

Home buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010, and close before July 1. House Democrats have expressed concern about the cost of the tax credit for the government, and allegations of abuse have resulted in an IRS probe of the program.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Corey Boles and John D. McKinnon (10/29/09)

A lot of folks I've met are not really interested in leasing their homes. I certainly appreciate why that would be. It seems that they are worried about getting their homes back in good condition that they can sell at a later point. Also, a number of prospective landlords are not really sure how to be a landlord and what would be involved.

There are a couple of good reasons to lease and house out. These include: