We all know that protecting our environment is critical for a healthy planet and for our future. With that in mind, the employees and students of Durham Public Schools (DPS) are fully involved in conservation efforts. Please take a moment to view this "DPS Going Green" video by clicking on the "4U" in the center of the photo, to see how the district is recycling and conserving energy, and encouraging students to develop good habits in doing so themselves!
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Carrboro, North Carolina is a very cool town. In fact, it has been referred to as the "Paris of the Piedmont." It is known for its walkability and its great restaurants, art galleries, farmers market, Weaver Street Market and more.
The Carrboro Merchants Association launched an excellent web site highlighting all that Carrboro has to offer, including a wonderful map of the town and information about local restaurants and stores as well as upcoming events. This is an excellent resource for local information.
The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency has two great programs for First Time Home Buyers. These programs are the Mortgage Credit Certificate and the Down Payment Assistance Program.
If you qualify for one of these programs and you purchase a home between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009, you can ALSO qualify for the $8,000 tax credit just enacted into law in the Federal Economic Stimulus Plan. See my related blog post on the tax credit.
First, who is a First Time Home Buyer? A First Time Home Buyer is someone who has not owned a home in the past three years. This is the same qualifying definition for the $8,000 tax credit.
A Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) is a federal tax credit to assist home buyers with moderate and low incomes. All home owners can claim an itemized deduction for mortgage interest. The MCC takes this a step further. An MCC "reduces your tax liability based on a percentage of the mortgage interest that you pay.
If you qualify for the MCC, you can claim 20% of the interest you pay on your mortgage as a credit on your federal income taxes. You can save up to $2,000 on your taxes.
If you do qualify for the MCC, for 2009, you will be able to combine this with the $8,000 tax credit. This would reduce a buyer's tax liability by $10,000.
Who qualifies for an MCC is based on your income and the price of the home you are purchasing. Household income is defined as the "gross income of the mortgagor and any other person expected to live in the residence who is 18 years of age or older."
The income and house price limits that apply in Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties are listed below.
|
1 Person |
$61,500 |
|
2 Persons |
$61,500 |
|
3 Persons |
$70,500 |
|
4 Persons |
$70,500 |
|
New Home |
$220,000 |
|
Existing Home |
$210,000 |
Home buyers that need help with their down payment and closing costs might be able to get down payment assistance - or, in other words, interest-free, deferred second mortgages up to $8,000. The buyer only has to pay $1,000 of their own funds and the load would pay up to $8,000 of the remaining balance.
This program has stricter income limits than the MCC program outlined above. Like the MCC program, it can be used in conjunction with the new $8,000 tax credit on home purchases between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009. The down payment assistance, however, can not be used in conjunction with the MCC. This is an either or situation.
The income and house price limits that apply in Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties are listed below.
|
1 Person |
$39,950 |
|
2 Persons |
$45,650 |
|
3 Persons |
$51,350 |
|
4 Persons |
$57,050 |
|
New Home |
$210,000 |
|
Existing Home |
$210,000 |
Chapel Hill, North Carolina -- One of America's Most Educated Small Towns
We've known this for a very long time, but now Forbes.com is letting the world know a little more about Chapel Hill. Coming in at #12 on their "America's Most Educated Small Towns" list, Chapel Hill is described on the website as being "Situated on one prong of the most educated region in the country, North Carolina's Research Triangle, Chapel Hill boasts cozy country houses among enormous pines. The high property values bring Ph.D.'s from UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as those from nearby Duke and Research Triangle Park to this homey exurb."
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Ok, here comes my bias. . . What a game last night. UNC 101, Duke 87. UNC came out of the gate with a quick 10 point lead. It was shortly after that when Duke pulled ahead and stayed ahead until the end of the first half. The Tarheels came out in the second half and pulled out all the stops. Did you see that 3-point shot by Hansbrough with 2 seconds to go on the shot clock? It was an amazing basket. Ty Lawson also had an incredible game.
This game had all the rivalry that we love to see in college basketball. Oh, what a game.
So I think this is why in North Carolina they say, "The Sky is Carolina Blue." Go Heels!
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Whether you are buying or selling property in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, Hillsborough, Raleigh, Cary, or Apex NC, Team Jodi provides seamless customer service throughout the transaction.
Jodi Bakst, Broker, Realtor, CRS, GRI, ABR, CLHMS, CDPE
Jodi Bakst has lived in Chapel Hill since 1990 and been a Realtor since 1997. She is known in her market as a consistent top producer because she is focused on real estate as a true business. She has spent years building a very effective Team. She goes to great lenghts to effectively use technology in her business. She has two excellent buyer agents with incredible experience in design, real estate law, and negotiation. They all have exceptional experience with the relocation process and the local schools throughout Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties. Jodi is a Broker, and holds the following designations, Certified Residential Specialist, Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, Certified Distressed Property Experts, Graduate Realtor Institute and Accredited Buyer Representative. She is also on the North Carolina Association of Realtors Forms Committee and the Greater Chapel Hill Association of Realtors Board of Directors. She is married with two children and is active volunteer in the Jewish community. She has an MA in Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill and a BA in Economics from the University of California Santa Cruz.
You can contact Jodi Bakst at Jodi@TeamJodi.com.
"We want you to know how much we appreciate all that you did to make the sale of our house happen, and so quickly! We have never worked with a more dedicated Realtor - we felt that we were your priority and that you bent over backward to make everything go smoothly. Thank you so much for the time, resources, and care you put into us. We will certainly highly recommend you to anyone we can! Lisa & Mike Carboni Jodi and her team were professional from the moment we met them. When we saw the brochures she designed for our home, we were amazed at the color and the format. They were top notch. Jodi kept us posted Arnold & Fern Rothman
throughout every step of selling our home. Every phone call was returned immediately. If she was out
of the office with a client, her assistant Jeff would contact us. It was very apparent they had total
communication throughout the process; Jeff is extremeley in tune with everything that is going on.
Jodi sold our home in 5 weeks! Her exposure in the realty world seems far greater than any realtor.
Being extremely detailed oriented sellers, we realized Jodi was so competent that we left most of
the process to her; she was truly one step ahead of us. This was the most stress free sale of a home
we have ever been through. Jodi also got us more for our home than we were going to settle for. We highly
recommend Jodi and her team; using any other realtor in our opinion would be a big mistake!
“We interviewed five agents before choosing you. We were incredibly impressed with your presentation. We were not getting an agent...we were getting a team. You kept every promise you made. We were confident that through your extensive systems our home was well marketed to Realtors and buyers. Your brochure on our home was gorgeous. You helped put our house in the best light with the use of your interior design specialist. You had us under contract with a back up offer quickly and for more money than we imagined. Thank you for everything. Your teamwork, professionalism and knowledge of the business put you over the top.”
Richard and Cami Gilman Previous Owners of 125 Cedar Lane Farm, New Hill
“Sue and I were very pleased with the results achieved after listing our house for sale with you. The house sold within days at our asking price with a back-up offer on the table. We believe that these results in a large part were due to your advice for preparing our house for sale and the activities that you undertook to market the house to other realtors and potential buyers. We could not ask for better service before, during, and after the sale than that we received from you and your team Thank you for all that you did.
”Tom and Sue Covalla Previous Owners of 8400 Sterling Bridge, Chapel Hill
“We are very grateful to Jodi and her Team for helping us sell our house on the terms owe wanted after only one week. The marketing plan and preparation of our house for showing were done beautifully, and up until closing every time I asked “Please, take care of this,” they did. Great job!”
Ted and Nancy Salmon Previous Owners of 1706 Claymore Road, Chapel Hill
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