Sharon Fleming, Realtor® Port St Lucie~Florida

Hello my friends,

It is me again, Sharon reflecting on the past year and looking forward to a NEW YEAR! So many things have happened to me over the past six months, life altering experiences. I take the good with the bad, I became a Realtor this year, which helped me open my eyes to the Real Estate World and helped me experience what it is like to truly help people. My mother is batteling Breast Cancer for the Second time, she just endured a Masectomy, loosing her beautiful long Blonde hair, and is dealing with Chemotherapy. I see what she goes through daily, and it makes me realize that when I think I am having a bad, day, week, month, or year. I look at her and she picks me up, lifts my spirits, and helps me realize what is truly important. Each Other! I am determined to make it in this business and this year WILL be my year to shine, along with the rest of you. I wish Health, happiness, and new found success to each and every one of you that reads this. I know what is important in life, it is not money, it is not your status on the social ladder of life, it is actually HELPING someone. If it is helping them achieve their dream home if it just giving advice, maybe picking someone else up when they fall short of their expectations, then that is what we are here to do! Stay tuned my friends, I do assure you that this is my year to shine. I have a true Angel by my side, my MOM! Her support through everything is amazing, she is my rock, after all I am the woman I am today because of her. I am lucky to have met so many great people along the way, and I am excited to meet even more, and to form long lasting relationships. This is my so called New Years Resolution: Shine like I have never shone before!

Good Luck to everyone in 09! LET'S SHINE IN 09!!!!!

In an article that I read today I saw that in several states banks are selling foreclosed homes for $1,000.00 and even LESS. All in an effort to get these homes off of their books, and in most instances, the price of the home does not even cover the price of the Commission to the Real Estate Brokers, or adding money so that it is worth the Real Estate agents time to just take the listing, so essentially these banks ARE giving the homes away, just so they do not have to deal with selling the property and all the issues that come with that. Granted these types of properties are in MUCH need of a total remodel just to bring them up to code, but in any case I am sure it is worth it. This is definitely a sign of the times, homes selling for $1,000.00 I did not think I would see this day. But it is here upon us, I am not sure if it is going to help or hurt the market either, do I want the house next to mine selling for $1,000.00 DEFINITELY NOT! But it might just help to clear up all of the abandoned houses and stop the vandalism in our communities. I have mixed feeling about it. I know the clean up has to begin and I guess helping other to own homes that otherwise would not be able to is a start. Helping out each other I guess. What is your take on it?

So here are SOME of the proposed tax breaks for us:

Individual Tax Breaks

New Credit for Middle-Class Workers

We will likely see a new credit of up to $500 for working singles and up to $1,000 for working couples. The credit will probably be delivered via reduced federal payroll tax withholding, so it will take a few months for most workers to collect the full benefit in the form of bigger paychecks. When a similar-sounding credit was pitched during the campaign, it was to be phased out for singles earning over $75,000 and for couples earning over $150,000, but it appears those income limits may be moving targets now. How the credit might be extended to self-employed folks remains to be seen.

Liberalized Earned Income Credit (Yeah!!! I have 3 children)

During the campaign, Obama pledged to increase the number of individuals who are eligible for the earned income credit and provide larger credits to noncustodial parents who fulfill their child support obligations, low-income married couples, and families with three or more children. Earned income credits are "refundable," which means taxpayers can collect them even if they don't owe any federal income tax (in other words, the government pays you instead of the other way around). There's a good chance the upcoming stimulus package will include this change.

Business Tax Breaks

New Five-Year Loss Carry Back Allowance
Businesses might be allowed to "carry back" tax losses incurred in 2008 and 2009 to the previous five years. That way, taxes paid on earlier profits that were wiped out by recent losses can be reclaimed immediately as tax refunds. Under the current rules, losses can generally be carried back only two years and excess losses must be carried forward to future years -- which means those losses can't do any tax-saving good until future profits are earned. With many companies facing uncertain prospects, extending the loss carry back period to five years would be good tax policy in my opinion.

Extended Section 179 Deduction Allowance
Thanks to the Section 179 deduction privilege, many small and medium-sized businesses can depreciate most or all of the cost of qualifying new and used assets in the first year they are put to use. Most depreciable assets (other than real estate) qualify for this deduction -- including equipment and most purchased software. For tax years beginning in 2009, the maximum Section 179 deduction was scheduled to drop from $250,000 to only $133,000. The upcoming stimulus package could extend the $250,000 allowance or perhaps make it even bigger.

Extended First-Year Bonus Depreciation
Last year, businesses were allowed to claim 50% first-year bonus depreciation for qualifying new (not used) assets that were both purchased and placed in service during calendar 2008. But this valuable break expired on Dec. 31. Unlike the Section 179 deduction, first-year bonus depreciation was available to even the largest businesses. The upcoming stimulus package could extend the first-year bonus depreciation deal through 2009.

New Jobs Credit for Employers
The stimulus package could include new tax credits for employers that hire more workers and perhaps even for those that forgo laying off workers. Details are cloudy, but a range of $40 to $50 billion worth of tax savings is being mentioned. (During the campaign, the Obama tax plan included giving businesses a $3,000 credit for each new full-time job created in the U.S.)

I am sharing something that may be useful to you or someone that youmay know. I got this from a client that asked me to post in my Blog. So here is it. It is a free cell phone with 68 minutes per month and service for FREE for one year. To see if you or someone that you know may qualify visit.

www.safelinkwireless.com

It is for Low Income Families. I am not sure the guidelines, go to the site and read up on it.

This works in Florida, I am not sure what other states it works in, try it out and see if it is available in your state before sending someone you know there :)

Hope it comes in handy to someone in need.

Sharon

After reading an article today on "How to Convince your buyer to BUY NOW!". I now realize that is something you just DON'T DO! Helping convince someone to make one if not THE largest single transaction of their lifetime, is something that your buyer should not have to be CONVINCED to do. As a Realtor we should be there to offer Knowledge, which means knowing the area, the market conditions, the schools, the workforce, all aspects of the community itself not just the piece of property, take it to the next level and be supportive of your buyer, let him/her know that you are there for them to offer support and to offer advice when needed, and HELP them make a sound decision, don't convince them that "THIS" is the property they should buy, this is not the way to do it, taking it to the next level, that is what I want to do, take it beyond the usual transaction, where we are trying and trying to convince someone to buy this or that property.

Take it to the next level of TRUST,with that trust your buyers will see that you truly are in this WITH them. And if now is NOT the time for them, when the time comes, who do you think they are going to turn to, or tell that certain someone else who may be ready to buy, it will be you because you have earned that trust and loyalty.

Have a SAFE & Happy New Year!

~Sharon~