Dora and Vincent Kwok,CNE - Chandler, Arizona Real Estate

Krispy Kreme Arizona is celebrating its year anniversary this Wednesday, May 13, with a special "breakfast for a year" offer.

The first 365 people to visit each Krispy Kreme Arizona store on May 13, 2009 with a printout of their facebook page showing that Doughnut Dan is a "friend" will receive a card redeemable for one free doughnut and one 12-oz. coffee per day for one year at a participating Arizona Krispy Kreme location. Card expires May 12, 2010.

Got my card at the newly (March 2009) opened Krispy Kreme store in Chandler at the Southwest corner of Arizona Ave and Ocotillo Road. I brought in a print out showing Donut_Dan and I are friends on Facebook and received a free card...redeemed it for a free afternoon donut snack! This was around 4:00pm. They still had many, many more cards. Good luck to all you donut lovers!

Locations:
Chandler: Arizona Avenue and Ocotillo Road (5:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.)
Mesa: 6626 E. Superstition Springs Blvd. (5:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.)
Phoenix: 620 E. Roosevelt St. (5:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.)
Phoenix: 2747 E Indian School Rd. (5:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.)
Paradise Valley: 12629 N Paradise Village Parkway West (5:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.)
Tramanto: 3170 W. Carefree Hwy (5:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.)

BTW, any one know of other Facebook promotions like this one?

Chandler Houses and Condos Affordable! Chandler FHA Loan Limits Increased!

Great news! New FHA loan limits passed! The new limit for Chandler is $346,250!!!!
FHA minimum down payment is 3.5% So, with the new limit allows purchase of a house priced at $358,808 with a down payment $12,558.

With this change, more houses and condos in the $247,000- $358,000 price range will be sold. With interest rates below/at 5.00%, this makes houses and condos in Chandler and the Phoenix area affordable.

If you need a list of houses or condos in Chandler under $358,000, give Dora or Vincent Kwok a call at 480-252-3396 or an email at Dora@KwokProperites.com.

Mortgage maximums as of Wednesday February 25, 2009

Posted by: Dora & Vincent Kwok - Chandler AZ Real Estate Agents with
Keller Williams Legacy One Realty. We specialize in Chandler Real Estate and other
Southeast Valley homes (Ocotillo,Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale).
We can be reached at: Dora@KwokProperties.com or (480) 252-3396

This Market Report is for Maricopa County, Arizona based on data from the ARMLS for October 2008.

Maricopa County includes the cities of Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Glendale; to name a few.

The graph compares closed sales trends for the past 3 years. The Blue line is 2006(11/05-10/06), the red line is 2007 (11/06-10/07) and the green line is 2008 (11/07-10/08).

Although sales have declined from last month by 13.7%(Sept 08 vs Oct 08), sales over the same month last year(Oct 07 vs Oct 08) have increased by 54.4%! There has been a dramatic increase in buyers, saying YES, to the current market. There are many great values in this market! For sellers, homes that show well and are priced competitively are selling. If you are interested in getting more information about this current real estate market, please contact Dora and Vincent Kwok at 480-252-3396.

Posted by: Dora & Vincent Kwok - Chandler AZ Real Estate Agents with
Keller Williams Legacy One Realty. We specialize in Chandler Real Estate and other
Southeast Valley homes (Ocotillo,Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale).
We can be reached at: Dora@KwokProperties.com or (480) 252-3396

On Thanksgiving evening it started to rain and the rain got louder and louder...it was hailing! small hail, but still hail...getting hail is a very unusual weather event in Chandler or the Phoenix Area. The kids were excited and we all were surprised that the hail stuck when it hit the ground. See the pics below

Posted by: Dora & Vincent Kwok - Chandler AZ Real Estate Agents with
Keller Williams Legacy One Realty. We specialize in Chandler Real Estate and other
Southeast Valley homes (Ocotillo,Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale).
We can be reached at: Dora@KwokProperties.com

One of the new provisions of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 is the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. The tax credit is designed to encourage first-time homebuyers to make the leap to purchase their first homes in Chandler Arizona, Phoenix, and the rest of the United States.

Here is a quick summary:

* The credit available for homes purchased between April 8, 2008 - July 1, 2009.
* The credit amounts to 10% of the purchase price of the home not to exceed $7,500.
* A first time homebuyer is someone that has not owned a home in the last 3 years.
* Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.
* The tax credit works like an interest free loan and must be repaid over a 15 year period.

How does a tax credit work?
A tax credit is a special provision that reduces income tax liability on a dollar for dollar basis. When filing a tax return, you must include income items, deduction items and the number of exemptions, among other things, to figure your total tax liability. If your total tax liability ends up being $7,500 and you qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit, this credit would be applied and would wipe out all the tax due. If your employer had already withheld the $7,500 from your pay checks throughout the year, you would receive a tax refund of $7,500.

Does the tax credit have to be repaid?
Yes, the credit does have to be repaid, so it's more like an interest free loan. Homebuyers will be required to repay the credit to the government, without interest, over 15 years or when they sell their house, if there is sufficient capital gain from the sale. For example, a homebuyer claiming a $7500 credit would repay the credit at %400 per year. The homeowner does not have to begin making the repayments on the credit until 2 years after the credit is claimed. So, if the tax credit is claimed on the 2008 tax return , a $500 payment is not due until the 2010 tax return is filed. If the homeowner sold the home, then the remaining credit would be due from the profit on the home sale. If there was an insufficient profit, then the remaining credit payback would be forgiven.

If you are interested in getting more information about this program for first-time home buyers or other programs available, please contact Dora Kwok and Vincent Kwok at 480-252-3396.

Posted by: Dora & Vincent Kwok - Chandler AZ Real Estate Agents with
Keller Williams Legacy One Realty. We specialize in Chandler Real Estate and other
Southeast Valley homes (Ocotillo,Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale).
We can be reached at: Dora@KwokProperties.com