E.Pat Foster

I (@gramEpat) was recently reading an interesting tweet from @maineRealtors about the Home Buyer Recent Tax Credit: 10 Things To Know - via CNN Money - Click the link for a very interesting article.

It clearly explains the new Tax credit law * . At least, I hope I clearly understand it. ...Now if they can just come up with a plan to help the 2nd home/vacation home buyer market...that would make me a 'happy camper'....

The first time buyer tax credit has made a huge difference in many parts of Maine...but our tourist industry areas also need a 'shot in the arm'. ... (*The increased sales price limit for a principal residence (up to $800,000...) should be helpful to jumpstart the market in the Bar Harbor area.)

I want to share the beauty that surrounds us in Acadia National Park!...

November Sunset ......a kaleidoscope of colors from our deck

The tax credit has been very beneficial to our housing industry and especially to the State of Maine!...(See Press release at the bottom of this message.)

National statistics released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) indicate a 7.7 percent single-family home sales increase in the past 12 months!

With your help, we can 'keep the ball rolling'. Please contact your State Senators and ask them to support the Dodd-Lieberman-Isakson amendment to extend the housing tax credit.

To all you Maine Realtor 'Rainmakers':To contact Senators Snowe and Collins , you can send email directly from their sites, or get phone/fax info at: Sen. Snowe: http://snowe.senate.gov or Sen. Collins: http://collins.senate.gov.

TAX CREDIT EXTENSION: NAR reports that early next week the U.S. Senate will be voting on two amendments that would extend the first-time homebuyer tax credit. NAR is only supporting the Dodd-Lieberman-Isakson amendment because it will: provide the $8,000 tax credit to any buyer (not just first time); set income limits at $150,000/$300,000 for single/married buyers; make the credit available until June 30, 2010.

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MAINE REAL ESTATE SALES UP 22.74 PERCENT IN SEPTEMBER

SOUTH PORTLAND (October 23, 2009)-Sales of single-family existing homes in Maine rose a strong 22.74 percent in September 2009 compared with the same month in 2008. The Maine Real Estate Information System, Inc. reported a median sales price (MSP) of $167,000, a decrease of 6.05 percent from last September, again highlighting the increase in the first time buyer market in Maine. The September median price is an increase from August 2009's MSP of $162,800. The median sales price indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.

"God Bless the USA"...(Lee Greenwood Video). It makes me so proud to be an American.

"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "

I was doing a google search and discovered that the unofficial national anthem of the United States was composed by an immigrant who left his home in Siberia for the USA when he was only five years old. The original version of "God Bless America" was written by Irving Berlin (1888-1989) during the summer of 1918 (Thank you, Irving Berlin for these inspiring words and for sharing your incredible talent).

And..Thank you, Artist Gail Ribas, for sharing your incredible talent! I LOVE your paintings and value your friendship!

Happy 4th of July....Hope our paths cross during the day at the Bar Harbor Festivities! (My Home Sweet Home)
"God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America,
My home sweet home. " Realtor GramEpat

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can " ...

Don't give up looking for 'Your piece of Maine'. Let me know how I can help.(See info below about recent legislation).

PS: Just FYI:
I have no intentions of climbing the mountain and attempting to help move Balance Rock!
Many tourists in Acadia National Park have tried unsuccessfully to do that without my help! :)

Bubble Rock on South Bubble Mountain, Balance Rock on the Bar Harbor Shore Path, and white Lucerne granite are classic examples of glacial erratics found on Mt.Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park.

OUR MAINE GOVERNOR REMOVES TRANSFER TAX INCREASE: Thank you to Governor John Baldacci who REMOVED the proposed Transfer Tax increase on homes priced $500K or higher that was passed in the initial Tax Reform Legislation. The Maine Association of Realtors would have preferred a veto of the entire bill, however, the removal of this increase before passage of Tax Reform is HUGE for real estate in our State.

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I got a kick out of a recent Warren Buffett quote that a friend told me:

"Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked". Warren Buffett

FYI:The water temperature at Sand Beach, Acadia National Park's popular swimming area, rarely exceeds 55 degrees, so don't even think about skinny-dipping in those Maine waters. According to a posting at boston.com/travel, "It's far better to stroll at night -- and bundled up -- when the shimmering bioluminescence from microscopic creatures in the bay can sometimes illuminate the adjacent rocky bluffs".

"If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians".
Warren Buffett
"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price".
Warren Buffett
"In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield".
Warren Buffett
**" If you're in the luckiest 1 per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent"**.

No worries on this end...I'm covered with Polar Fleece from head to toe!..

Realtor GramEpat

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