The State of Washington is all set to go for the $8,000 tax credit bridge loan for first time homebuyers. However, the IRS is not.
Currently, the way the $8,000 tax credit works for a first time homebuyer (a first time homebuyer is defined as someone who hasn’t owned a home in the past 3 years) is he/she will purchase a home then file an amended tax return to get the tax credit.
For the $8,000 tax credit bridge loan, the down payment would be advanced to the buyer thru a third party then paid back to the third party when the buyer gets their refund from their amended return. However, with an amended return the refund has to be mailed to the buyer at his/her current address. This is where the IRS comes in, the State of Washington and Washington Association of Realtors are working with the IRS to have the refund made payable to the third party handling the funds instead of the buyer.
Personally, I hope they get the fund handling issue hammered out soon. Originally posted at 8000 home tax housing credit.
Last week, Colleen was called for an interview on the current state of the housing market for our local KEPRTV news channel. I don’t know if 1 minute of TV exposure qualifies for 'celebrity' status, but at our house I learned that we can scrub a house spotless in less than 15 minutes notice and only a celebrity could motivate our three pretty girls and two handsome boys to do that. We were given 15 minutes notice the reporter was on the way! Colleen admitted to me that she was very nervous, although on the outside she was as calm and composed as ever—an amazing feat considering that the last time she was on TV was 24 years ago, on the game show, “Let’s Make a Deal”. While only one minute was used on TV, the whole interview lasted more than 30 minutes as Colleen answered all the questions very gracefully and intelligently. If you care to watch Colleen's 1 minute of fame, fast forward the video to where there is 3 minutes, 50 seconds remaining:
I be Joe Lane, the co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team. The other owner, my beloved wife Colleen, wants nothing to do with the property management side of the real estate business, nor the website stuff. That's were I come in. With five children still at home, I don't blame her. You can call me most anytime at 509.308.5513 | Don't mess with a bald dude!Originally posted at Colleen Lane
It is of no question that Country Ridge properties are in demand. At present, lots are already ninety-eight percent accommodated by residential homes, so any real estate property up for grabs is truly gold. Country Ridge is a very warm community within the City of Richland and a fair-sized population of less than 400 family homes with a well organized home owners support. Parks and other common areas for residents inside the subdivision are around eleven hectares, all of which are highly maintained, making it a very good candidate for raising a family of any type. Country Ridge is also a most sensible location for one to live in with Richland being of easy access to other Tri-City areas thru its highway system, and Richland itself is full of endless choices for recreational activities, perfect for those who wish to retire happily. Owning a Country Ridge property is truly like purchasing a good life. See Country Ridge Richland Washington
*Country Ridge has 363 occupied homes and 2 vacant lots. The first of 8 phases was developed in the late 1970’s. There are 11 acres of parks and common areas throughout the subdivision. -Homeowners association site
Have you heard about the Indianapolis board of Realtors® decision to require their members to not allow Google to index their IDX listings (with the exception of the agent's personal listings of course)?
I wonder if this policy were to spread nation wide, how this would affect Zillow, Trulia, etc. Just today we received a listing for a property in Country Ridge. I did a search for 'country ridge richland wa' and noticed Zillow, realestate.com, etc., ranking for their property listings.
My guess is, if real estate agents were not able to index their website's IDX feeds then these national power houses would get even more powerful. As they (Zillow, etc.) would be the only websites indexing agent's listings. :(
Related Reading @ RealEstateWebmasters
•:*¨¨*:• Colleen Lane •:*¨¨*:•
My ActiveRain Blog / My Localism Blog | ColleenLane.com
I am the Realtor® that makes things move in The Lane Real Estate Team, while my husband Joe is the dude that provides the marketing that gives me the great clients I have. My sole purpose in life is to serve God, family, and clients. Joe's sole purpose in life is to serve God, me, and family (and ski). We have five children, all at home, all ours. We've been happily married for 23 years, and Joe has forgotten the anniversary almost all of those years! We service the Tri Cities Washington real estate market to include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, Washington. Visit our latest listing at West Richland Homes For Sale.
Today, with the recession taking a toll on the world markets, dedicated real estate compromises too are underway. There are a number of real estate providers and news construction owners who are now making available lease to own housing options. These options provide the home owner with the unique opportunity of generating the rent for the leased property and assimilating the same with the home owner or property constructor as a cash down deposit when and as he wishes to own the property.
The lease to own housing options offer the leaser of the premises the opportunity to tap on the potential of the premises and get used to the neighborhood. The lease to own housing option is ideal for the low income first time property investor. The person gets a fair chance at investigating the property and negotiating a fair deal after getting used to the home.
These homes are also designed to offer a fair deal to the owner of the premises. Many times these lease to own housing options are available in areas where the sale for real estate is not really up by measure. In that case the owner benefits by the rent and the final purchase offer made by the renting party. See lease to own homes.
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Colleen Lane | Washington Realtor® specializing in Real Estate in Tri Cities WA for the cities of Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, and surrounding areas. Call 509.438.9344 today!
The Lane Real Estate Team
Colleen & Joe Lane
Service Minded Real Estate Agents
For most of our 20 years of marriage, we've owned and managed service businesses. Our customers come first as we offer a well organized, professional approach to the real estate business. Integrity is our ideal and we are committed to doing what we've said we will do. No compromises, no mistakes. We have helped set a higher standard for the real estate industry and we take pride in the reputation we have earned. Phone calls are returned promptly, appointments are kept, fees are fair, workmanship standards are high, and we arrive ready to do our best work for you, our client.
Professional Realtors®
Professionalism isn't a marketing buzz-word, for us it is a duty we owe to the industry and to you. Being Realtors®, we subscribe to the National 
Association of Realtors® code of ethics. An excerpt from the NAR Preamble reads: "Under all is the land. Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization. REALTORS ® should recognize that the interests of the nation and its citizens require the highest and best use of the land and the widest distribution of land ownership..." We believe this wholeheartedly.
Skilled, Dedicated Agents
We bring our years of experience in real estate and the real estate industry to the table when we work for you. As of the time of this writing, we own and manage 22 rental units in the Tri Cities area. This property management/real estate experience dates back prior to our marriage of more than two decades.
Get to Know Joe
Before marriage, I served as a United States Marine for six years honing my leadership, communication and organizational skills. I brought these skills and more to our marriage, home and business when we bought our very first rental property in November, 1986. I've since gained general construction, land development, property management, 1031 and real estate purchasing and selling experience.
•· I am a graduate of Christian Heritage College, El Cajon, CA with a bachelors degree in Business Management and Marketing. Minor degrees include Accounting and Pre-Law.
•· I served in the security specialty during my time as a United State Marine. I hold security clearances necessary for military duty.
•· I am a licensed General Building Contractor (lic# 555251) in the State of California.
•· I am a member of the National Ski Patrol.
•· Colleen and I have 5 children. The oldest is 16 years, the youngest is 16 months!
•· Our entire family actively serves as members of Bethel Church in Richland, Washington. Our volunteer work includes leadership, men's ministry, children's ministry, and general volunteer work throughout the church.
•· I am currently a member of Bible Study Fellowship.
Get to Know Colleen
Before marrying Joe, I worked in the mortgage industry as a loan officer. It was this familiarity that helped in acquiring our first rental property twenty years ago. I have continued to learn about the real estate industry during the market's many ups and downs.
•· I have held current and valid real estate licenses in both the State of Washington and the State of California since 1994.
•· Together we own and manage 22 separate rental units in the Tri-Cities area.
•· I am a former mortgage banking employee with 20 years of accounting, tax, marketing, and general business experience.
•· Joe and I have 5 children. The oldest is 16 years, the youngest is 16 months!
•· Our entire family actively serves as members of Bethel Church in Richland, Washington. Our volunteer work includes leadership, men's ministry, children's ministry, and general volunteer work throughout the church.
We manage several blogs (some new, some old, perhaps outdated) related to the real estate industry. From our real estate experience we author property management, property maintenance, and real estate technology blogs, often times discussing issues related to or relevant to our Tri-Cities, Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, and investment real estate blogs. Our daughter has jumped on board adding a Tri-Cities WSU blog. Joe, ever the health nut, has a blog devoted to those desiring to be a healthy real estate agent. Did we miss anything?
Given our experience in owning several multi-family properties, we tend to specialize in representing investors who are buying into the area, as well as anyone interested in buying property. As having bought many properties for personal ownership, we are well versed in the nuances of the real estate purchase.
Just a note to thank you for a great real estate transaction. You said the entire process would be professionally managed, and true to your word, it was.
Keep up the good work!
Bob & Noreen Palmers
We have a happy house!
-Bob S.
How´s this - a voice from the past! I was in the faculty room this afternoon, and one of my friends who I teach with came up to me and told me that he had seen my name in print. Knowing that I haven´t made the newspaper lately, and not having seen my picture in the Post Office either, I was curious. He then pulled out the presentation package that you mailed him, and sure enough, there it was, Jeff King!
I was so impressed with your presentation, I just had to write. You know I´m kind of a connoisseur of these kinds of things, and yours is the best I have yet to see. It´s certainly much better that anything I ever put together. You´ve discovered the secret to being a successful real estate agent., and maintaining a professional image.
Well, I just wanted to say hi, and wish you the best of luck. I hope you do well and enjoy the rewards of honest and professional work.
Best wishes! Your name is in my address directory.
Jeff King
I really want to thank you for doing everything you could to complete the sale. It´s really rare to find any businessman who works so hard to please his customers.
Happy Holidays,
Dolores Munsey
Just a note to thank you and your crew for the excellent job. What a difference integrity and professionalism makes!
I was very pleased with the workers you sent out. They were hard-working, organized, efficient and punctual. As a team they worked very well together. The building inspector was especially nice.
Thanks again for a job well done! Sincerely,
Michelle Finrow
Thank you for the excellent follow-up done by your people. You are very reliable.
Again a pleasure to deal with your company.
Jessica A. Bemis
My wife and I recently decided to sell our home. We interviewed four different advertised real estate agents and chose Joe and Colleen Lane to represent us. we had found their name on the intenet. We´re very happy that we picked TheLaneRealEstateTeam: They are very knowledgeable about real estate: They listened to our desires and our concerns and gave us excellent information with no hype or pressure.
We recommend Joe and Colleen very highly.
Pete and Joanne Stafford
Thanks very much for the service carried out by your company. Hopefully, we will be able to send some future business you way.
Sincerely,
Joan Campbell
Just a short note to let you know how pleased Grace & I are with the real estate services that you and Colleen did for us this past week.
We´d gladly have you come back again to represent us. Thanks again for a job well done and with the least amount of time.
Kindest Regards,
John & Grace Christianson
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