Anne Rains -Bethlehem Georgia Real Estate Agent

Georgia buyers can now receive an $1,800 tax credit in addition to the $8,000 federal tax credit. Governor, Sonny Perdue, signed House Bill 261 on May 11, 2009.

The $1,800 tax credit is only available for six months; you must close on a home between June 1 and November 30, 2009 to receive this credit. Here are the other important details:

• AMOUNT: the credit is equal to either 1.2% of the purchase price or $1,800, whichever is lesser
• WHO QUALIFIES: this credit is for ANYONE purchasing a home between the deadline--NOT just first-time home buyers!
• HOW DO YOU RECEIVE IT?: You may claim one-third of the credit available in each taxable year, and may carry forward unclaimed amounts--essentially, you'll receive this credit over the course of the next 3 years

Also, there aren't any income restraints to this credit and as I mentioned before, this is not limited to just first-time home buyers. You just have to buy a single-family property within the time period.

Representative Ron Stephens said this about the bill: "I'm proud of Governor Purdue for signing this legislation, and I'm proud to have brought it before the state legislature. This bill will put people to work, reduce the inventory of unsold homes, and kick start Georgia's economy."

To determine the specific forms you need to use to obtain this credit, please contact your tax professional.

If you are a first-time home buyer and would like to learn more about the $8,000 federal tax credit, please read this article:

Understanding the New $8,000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

It's a great time to buy a home in Georgia, whether you're a first-time home buyer or not, and I would love to walk you through this process. If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

(The information from this post was obtained from this article)

A Charleston, South Carolina Steeple

Photos ©2009 Anne Rains Photography, All Rights Reserved.

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

Here's a funny story to bring a smile to your day.

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As


she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and


listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his

head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your Duck Cuddles has passed away".


The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure??" "Yes, I am sure. The duck


is dead," he replied. "How can you be so sure," she protested. "I mean


you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a


coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the


room, and returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever.


As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind


legs, put its front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck


from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook


his head. The vet patted the dog and took it out, and returned a few


moments later with a cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also


sniffed delicately at the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on


it's haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the


room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said,


this is most definitely,100% certifiably, a dead duck." Then the vet


turned o his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill,


which he handed to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, took the


bill. "$150.00!!?" she cried, "$150.00 just to tell me my duck is


dead!!??" The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it,


the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan,


it's now $150.00.

_________________________________________________________________________________

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

P.S. I'm not sure who was the original author of this joke because it was e-mailed to me. Also the photo is by: tifotter

My office is cluttered and unorganized, which absolutely drives me crazy. So, last night I decided to start tackling this huge project...not to point fingers here, but it's mostly my hubby's mess that I'm trying to sort through. However, I did go through all the files in my desk and found a lot of things I didn't need.

What does this have to do with saving money you may ask? Well, I found a magazine dated July 2008 that caught my eye--one of the headline stories was "Easy Tips to Save $1,000's"--I knew I had kept this for a reason! Today I'll share the tips on saving money through your mortgage, your bank or credit cards.

For previous articles of how to save money, click on the following links:

Simple Tips on How to Slash Your Grocery Bill

"If You Play With Snakes You're Gonna Get Bit"

MORTGAGE TIPS:

* PAY THE POINTS: With most home loans, the biggest expense is the interest. One of the best ways to lower that expnse is through the wise use of discount points--upfront fee paid to the lender. One discount point equals 1 percent of the loan amount. Generally, the more discount points you pay up front, the lower the interest rate. This is also known as "buying down the loan." A good rule of thumb: If you can recoup the cost of the points within the first 2 years through the lower monthly payments, go for the points.

• Example: You can get a 30-year fixed-rate $200,000 mortgage for 5.75 % plus 2 points (which cost about $4,000), or 6.75 % with no points. If you go with the lower interest rate you save $130 a month. It will take you about 2.5 years to recoup that $4,000 you had to pay up front to get the lower rate. However, over the following 28 years you will save $46,818 due to the lower interest rate and payments.

* PREPAY THE PRINCIPAL: Each month when you make your regular mortgage payment, write a second check for one-twelfth of the regular mortgage payment. Do this every month and at the end of one year you will have made the equivalent of 13 monthly payments. On a 30-year $200,000 mortgage at 6.75 % interest, this tactic pays off your mortgage in 24 years and saves a whopping $62,750 in interest.

* GO SHORT-TERM: Although your monthly payment may be higher, you can save tens of thousands of dollars in interest by shopping for the shortest-term mortgage you can afford. For each $100,000 you borrow at a 7 % annual percentage rate (APR), for example, you will pay over $75,000 less in interest on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage than you would on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

* DROP THE PMI: Private mortgage insurance (PMI) is extra insurance lenders require from most homebuyers who obtain loans that are for more than 80 % of their new home's value. However, thanks to the Homeowner's Protection Act (HPA), PMI is now automatically cancelled once your mortgage is paid down to 77 % of the original value of the property. Typically, PMI premiums range from $250 to $1,200 a year.

CREDIT CARD AND BANKING TIPS:

* PAY EARLY: Most credit card companies compute interest charges based on your average daily balance, so making your payment early in the billing cycle (as soon as you receive your statement rather than waiting until the payment is due) will save $5, $10 or even more a month. Why? Because you reduce the daily balance for more days in the cycle.

* JUST ASK: Tired of paying 16 % interest on your credit card balance? Pick up the phone and call customer service (the number on the back of your card). Ask for a lower rate. If you have a good payment history, chacnes are they'll lower it on the spot. The difference between 18% and 7% on a $5,000 balance is $46 a month, or almost $600 a year.

* FIGHT THE FEES: If your credit card issuer smacks you with a fee, don't be shy. Nearly all banks will waive at least one late fee ($15-$39) or over-limit fee (up to $39), but you have to ask. If you're paying an annual fee (anywhere from $50 to $300) just to have the card, ask to have that waived too.

* PAY ONLINE: If you pay 15 bills a month by mail, you're spending at least $75 a year in postage. Most large banks offer free online bill paying for customers that lets you pay any vendor, or you can also pay the vendor directly online. Go to your bank's website or the vendor's website to learn more.

You know, it's a tough economy we're in right now and whether you're on a tight budget, struggling to meet ends each month or you've saved up some cash and are more flexible with your money, it doesn't hurt to make the smartest decisions possible and find ways to save as much money as you can. I hope this tips helped you; as a first-time home owner myself, I learned a lot about mortgages through these tips.

I would love to hear what you're doing to save money during our current economic times?

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

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Photo Credit: AMagill

Original article was written by Mary Hunt and found in the July 2008 edition of Woman's Day magazine

My awesome team leader, Janice Baldwin, sent these life lessons to everyone this morning. It was written by Regina Brett, a columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. In the e-mail it talked about how Regina had just turned 90 years old; I had never heard of this woman before so I did a little research. I found her website: ReginaBrett.com and as it turns out she just turned 50 in 2006...so the e-mail floating around is inaccurate as to her age, but still contains a wonderful amount of life lessons we can learn from.

According to her website, the following article is being turned into a book titled: "God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours" --it will be released April of 2010.

So without further ado...here are the 45 Life Lessons we should know by Regina Brett:

• Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
• When in doubt, just take the next small step.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
• Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
• Pay off your credit cards every month.
• You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
• Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
• It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
• Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
• When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

• Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
• It's OK to let your children see you cry.
• Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
• Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
• Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
• Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
• It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
• When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

• Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
• Over prepare, then go with the flow.
• Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
• The most important sex organ is the brain.
• No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
• Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
• Always choose life.
• Forgive everyone and everything.
• What other people think of you is none of your business.
• Time heals almost everything. Give it time.

• However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
• Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• Believe in miracles.
• God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
• Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
• Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
• Your children get only one childhood.
• All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
• Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
• If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
• The best is yet to come.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
• Yield.
• Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

I think that Regina really knows what she's talking about! All of these tips and lessons are great ways to live your life and reminders that we only get one shot at life here on Earth. Which one was most meaningful to you?

For me, as a Christian, my favorite one is "The best if yet to come!" This one means the most to me because while this life is great, I know that I have an even better one in store for me in the future--eternity in Heaven with my Savior and Lord! Life on Earth is just preparation for eternity spent with God.

In fact, I'm reading an awesome book on Heaven by Randy Alcorn simply titled "Heaven." I am just beginning it but so far it's been very good--I'm learning a lot and it's one that I would recommend every Christian to read.

So, please tell me, which Life Lesson means the most to you?

P.S. In case you're interested...all the photos were taken by me while on my study abroad trip to Australia...a truly beautiful place! I would highly recommend a trip there if you've never been!!

Photos ©2009 Anne Rains Photography, All Rights Reserved.

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!