About Sedgwick County, KS

I'm sure you've been reading articles here and there about the proposed Tax Credit Expansion. Maybe you've wondered why YOUR Realtor(R) hasn't posted anything! Well here it is! I prefer to wait until a proposed bill actually gets signed before handing out information so that we're giving out good information and not just speculation!
It became effective when the President signed it, so here's a breakdown on the difference between the OLD tax credit and this NEW version!

Old Credit - must close by Dec 1, 2009	New Credit - Must be under contract by 4/30/2010, close by 7/1/2010
First-time buyers receive 10% of the purchase value, UP TO $8,000	This stays the same
Buyers who have owned a home within last 3 years cannot claim credit.	Buyers who have owned a home for 5 consecutive years of the last 8 years are eligible for a $6500 credit.
Income limit for singles: $75,000 Income limit for marrieds: $125,000 $20,000 additional phase-out	Income limit for singles: $125,000 Income limit for marrieds: $225,000 $20,000 additional phase-out
No limit on purchase price	$800,000 limit on purchase price
No documentation needed to file for credit	Must provide documentation of actual purchase on the tax return

Now I've already had questions from current homeowners who had sold a home and moved up in 2009. Unfortunately they did not make this retro-active, so it is effective as of the day they signed this into law. However, for those of you currently listed for sale, you now have a chance at a tax credit too! Plus this will help ensure the buyer pool keeps coming out looking instead of fading into the usual winter slowdown.

For buyers, you've got a breather and more time to find the right house without worrying about losing the credit. The loosened income restrictions will also help more qualify as first-time buyers and obtain the credit as well.

If you have any questions regarding the credit, drop me a line and we will do our best to answer! As always, since this involves your finances and taxes, of course we suggest that you check with your tax preparer for specific questions about how this will affect you at tax time!

Maize and Garden Plain offering incentives to NEW home purchasers

As noted in my previous article about the September 2009 Housing Market, homes over the $159,999 mark are having a very difficult time selling. The only homes performing worse right now are NEW built homes over $159,999. There is so much inventory on the market that if you're looking in this range, you're going to have your choice of homes! While most note the value to be found in buying a resale, or "used", home - there's definitely the option to be a home's FIRST owner, maybe still have the chance to pick out your colors, flooring, appliances, or even to build from scratch.

In an effort to spur these home sales, 2 of our suburb city areas are offering some pretty nice incentives!

Garden Plain is located on Kellogg/US-54 between Goddard and Cheney, just about 15-20 minutes outside of town. It's nice and quiet, with a small-town feel, but close enough to hop into Goddard or on into Wichita for fun and excitement. They have 2 new home developments, yet have not had any new homes built this year. The city has partnered up with a local construction supply business to offer these credits/rebates towards the city's water/sewer bills:
"The credit is $3,000 for new houses between $100,000 and $150,000; $4,500 on houses between $150,000 and $200,000; and $6,000 on houses over $200,000."

Earlier this week, Maize also announced an incentive tied into the Parade of Homes to stimulate new home sales in their area. Maize is located North-West of Wichita, right up against the Wichita border. Just hop on K-96 and get off on Maize Rd, or go north of 37th/Maize Rd. It's grown right into the Wichita area, and is very near to great shopping at New Market Square and of course is most known here for its school system.

Their incentives are limited to contracts signed by December 1st and are as follows:

"The city has put in place credits ranging from $2,000 to $6,000 on city water and sewer bills, but developers and builders say they will match that, said Deputy City Administrator Rebecca Bouska.

In effect, she said, homebuyers could get up to $6,000 off a lot, up to $6,000 off a house and up to $6,000 off their utilities for a house valued at over $500,000."

To read the full article about the credits, you can read it here at the Wichita Eagle's website or pick up your local copy of today's paper!

If you're thinking of buying a new home in these areas, drop me a line or start your home search below!

New WAAR report shows that our market has been a Seller's Market for a bit and although inventory has increased slightly, it's still leaning towards more of a Seller's Market. Totally different from what you hear on tv, isn't it?

I agree with WAAR - it's a Seller's Market here... IN SOME PRICE RANGES.

For instance, this chart was pulled from the marketing report and shows the breakdown of sales in price ranges for September.

You can see that out of 816 sales for the month, 584 or 72% of them were for homes under $159,999. That's the ones bracketed in Red for you. The ones in Green are what I call the "sweet spot" - 35% of ALL sales were between $100,000 and $159,999!

I'd say 100% that anything in the sweet spot is a Seller's Market, and pretty surely anything under $159,999.

However, I'd say with the very low number of sales above that, the over $160,000 market is still a Buyer's Market, with very long days-on-market and tons of inventory.


So if you're a buyer looking in the $160,000 and under range, better turn that tv off - it's a fight out there to get what you want. If you're selling, you should be able to line up buyers.

If you're wanting to buy over the $160,000 mark, the ball's in your court and there's plenty of choices. Selling? Make sure you're home is the best of the best for the price, easy to show, and ready to go!

For more information about the market report and how it relates to your situation, drop me a line!

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf - Just like Mom used to make, sorta!


Those of you who know me are probably spewing pop out of your nose at the idea of me posting a recipe! Ha! Just because I happen to know how to burn water doesn't mean that I'm not married to someone who can do more than push Start on a microwave!

This recipe was one of my Mom's and happens to be my favorite meal. It was very often requested for parties, where she did a Meatball version. Meatball making is time-consuming work, so the preferred method is now a Meatloaf, but it's yummy yummy nonetheless! Evertime I mention he cooked this for me, I'm asked for the recipe!

Here you go!

Ingredients

1 egg	1 1/2 lbs beef	2/3 c Cracker crumbs
1/3 c chopped onions/green peppers (optional)	1 1/2 t salt	1/4 t ginger
1/4 c milk	2 Tbs cornstarch	1/2 C dark brown sugar
1 20 oz can pineapple tidbits in heavy syrup	1/3 c vinegar	1 Tbs soy sauce

Directions

Mix egg, beef, crumbs, salt, ginger, milk, and any chopped veggies. Shape into a loaf pan or 1/12 quart dish and bake at 400° for 1 hour or until done.

In a bowl, mix cornstarch and sugar, then stir in the pineapple juice from the can, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth. Pour in a skillet and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute, then add in the pineapple tidbits.

Serve meatloaf slices over white rice with the pineapple/sauce mixture poured over.

Voila! Now, go off and make Meatloaf! But don't forget the final step - inviting me to dinner! Ha!

Two Famous Country Acts Playing Wichita

If you're familiar with the Wichita area, you know we've spent a ton of time and money and breath in building our beautiful new Intrust Bank Arena! Whether you were for or against the building, noone can deny it's a very neat looking structure and destined to bring in some great talent to entertain the community!

First to bat, or the first listed so far, will be the award-winning Brad Paisley! I hear he puts on a great act with some pretty mean guitar-playing! Paisley will be the Arena's opening act on January 9th.



Probably not the next to play, but the next to announce for the area so far is Taylor Swift. Yes, THE Taylor Swift, one of few country stars to win an MTV VMA! Her music crosses genres and is played on country, pop, and many other stations. While she hasn't confirmed her venue being the Arena, she has at least confirmed she's coming to Wichita! She's aiming to be in town April 1st.


Ticket sale dates have yet to be announced, but you can find out more and keep up to date by visiting the Intrust Bank Arena's Website! Looking forward to a ton more great acts at our beautiful new facility - giving us even MORE things to do in Wichita, KS!