Sandy Ogburn Sandlin - Fine Baton Rouge area homes

It's the 4th of July and we hope that you are having a great holiday celebration wherever you are. You may think that we citizens of Louisiana know how to celebrate Mardi Gras, but we do up any holiday right. The homes here offer so much value and so many amenities that you could celebrate at home before attending nearby festivities.

If you were a citizen of Prairieville, Gonsales, Baton Rouge or any of the fine communities in the three parishes we serve, here is what you could be doing today.

Want a traditional 4^th of July celebration complete with a parade, hot dog eating contest, games, and fireworks at Bouligny Plaze? Spend the day at New Iberia City Park sponsored by the New Iberia Jaycees.

For an event with a real local flavor, enjoy the Red, White and Blueberry Festival in Clinton, where you can sample (and bring home) jellies, pies, and cobblers and win prizes for your best blueberry recipe.

Like fireworks, perhaps at the end of great day of grazing and swimming? Come to the Let Freedom Ring Festival in Thibodaux.

If you want to venture into Baton Rouge, you can help a good cause and enjoy Rouge, White and Blue margaritas, fireworks, dancing, and barbeque at the 5^th Annual 4^th of July Fundraiser at the LSU Museum of Arts.

If you enjoy entertaining at home, the greater Baton Rouge area offers homes to accommodate a few friends or a crowd. The gourmet kitchen at newly-constructed Baywood Quarters in Baton Rouge has a wrap-around bar where your guests could linger before moving out into the courtyard.

Like to swim? If you owned our fabulous showcase home at 18273 Magnolia Oaks Dr., you could host a beautiful pool party in the enclosed pool on this elegant 1.3 acre property.

If you are a boater, you would not have go far to board your craft if you owned the home with a boatslip on the Amite river at 14460 Samantha Dr. in Port Vincent. Reasonably price and spacious, this home would work as a primary residence or an inviting second home.

Do you just want a peaceful day at home? If your address was 15476 Ryan Ave. in Prairieville, you could sip your sweet tea from the extended covered patio as you gazed at the lake.

By Labor Day, the next holiday, Sandy Sandlin and her Team can make this happen for you. Visit her ReMax website or give her a call at (225) 677-SOLD for a real down-home Prairieville welcome.

Spring and summer are great times to plan and then carry out home remodeling projects. Things like painting, siding, roofing, and window repair are best done when it the weather is mild. This year, credits are available through the Stimulus bill for insulation, doors and window, and alternative energy sources, so there is extra incentive to make upgrades that make economic sense while making the home more attractive and comfortable. Finding a contractor might be a little more difficult in some areas where some owners are staying put rather than selling, but quality licensed contractors are out there waiting for your call.

The home remodeling industry is basically unregulated, so contractors can charge whatever people will pay. It is the career choice of scammers who "were doing a job in the neighbor and have extra supplies" and prey on the elderly and the uniformed.

Since many remodeling tasks are best left to licensed contractors, what should a homeowner look for before entrusting a job to a contractor?

There can be a lot of variation in the charges for different projects, so getting three estimates is a sound practice. It might be a good idea to visit Lowe's or Home Depot (or check on line) to get a ballpark price for the supplies. This could be helpful if there is a big spread in the estimates. Often the supply costs to contractors are similar, but the mark up on the materials and the labor vary widely. Even though you might want to stay within a budget you have in mind for the job, going for the cheapest contractor might not be the best idea; ironically, picking the most expensive one does not guarantee quality. If you anticipate selling your home in a few years, don't go overboard on the cost so your home's value is in line with neighborhood prices.

Using a contractor recommended by a friend can be a great idea - but still get a few estimates. Your friend's job might give you an idea of how the finished product looks and the workmanship of the contractor and his crew. You might also hear war stories and editorial comments that will help you assess if you're friend's contractor is good choice for you. If have to pick a contactor blind, make sure to ask for recommendations and actually call the customer to see if they would recommend the business. You might even call the Better Business Bureau to verify if the vendor has had complaints against and how he has resolved them.

If you are installing windows or other products that qualify for tax credits or rebates, make sure that the contractor gives you the proper receipts so you can claim the credit. Make sure to tell the contractor that you want to take advantage of the rebate so he buys qualifying materials.

When a contractor is at your home working with power tools and working on ladders, accidents can easily happened. To prevent liability and undue usage of your own homeowners' insurance, make sure the contractor is licensed, bonded, insured, and covered by workmen's comp. A reputable contractor won't minds showing you're a copy of his paperwork.

After you have decided on the contactor, he will probably ask for a deposit. To make sure that he follows through and completes the work, give him the minimum he requests as a downpayment and make additional payments at intervals. Only pay the balance when the job is done to your satisfaction. Contractors often schedule several jobs and may not come back to work on your job if they have no incentive.

If you wonder which improvements you make will increase the asking price of your home in a few years, ask an experienced Realtor® for direction. Sandy Sandlin and her team at ReMax Excellent Properties can give you the help you need. If you are ready to buy or sell house now, Sandy knows Greater Baton Rouge real estate.

Sandy Ogburn-Sandlin with RE/MAX Excellent Properties was recognized among the "Top 100" agents in the country in the Wall Street Journal published June 10th.

The article states top performing sales professionals ignore market turndown & turn in record year. The Wall Street Journal announced the 2009 rankings of the top real estate professionals in the country based on calendar 2008 results.

The Wall Street Journal list is based on a survey of over 7000 brokerage firms, association of Realtors, and hundreds of other sources to determine the top real estate professionals in the United States. The definition of what constitutes an individual sales professional and a team has been developed from the input from dozens of industry professionals, states the Journal.

Sandlin has been listed as #1 in the state by RE/MAX Dixie region for the past 15 years.

"When the market gets a little difficult we always seem to do more business," said Sandlin. "Our buyers and sellers realize in times like these they really need a Realtor® with a lot of experience and knowledge to help them make the right decisions" said Sandlin.

"My team understands the importance of market research and we always advise our clients based on supply and demand," said Sandlin.

RE/MAX Excellent properties is located at 16581 Airline Highway in Prairieville.

Wondering how much home you can afford? Sandy's Team will help you work up the numbers and help you find an affordable home in Prairieville, Baton Rouge, or anywhere else in the tri-parish area of Ascension, East Baton rouge, or Livingston. Visit our Sandyco.com website today.

If you're thinking of buying a new Prairieville home this year, you may already be familiar with the $8,000 first time homebuyer's tax credit. That's a great incentive! It can now even be used toward the downpayment or closing costs, but if you wait to get with your tax return, it could pay for most of your new deck or buy a lot of drapes and appliances.

Even before the current tax credit came into being, there are many tax advantages to owning a home. Some might help you now and some later, but since buying a home is a long term investment over time, most of these credits will interest you.

Yearly mortgage interest deduction: You can deduct up to one million dollars in interest on you primary residence or second home. These deductions are familiar to most people. Recent discussions about reducing or eliminating this mortgage credit met with public outcry, so you are safe in assuming that mortgage interest will offset your mortgage in the future.

Property tax deduction: All property taxes are deductible as well.

Points: If you bought a new home or refinanced an old one, your origination fees or points are deductable in the year you paid them. Closing costs are not deductible but hold on to your records - you may be able to deduct them when you sell.

Private mortgage insurance (PMI): If you need PMI because your down payment is less than 20%, you can deduct the cost of premiums if your income was less than $100,000 and your loan originated between December 31, 2006 and January 1, 2011.

Moving expenses: If you relocated for a full time job 50 miles or more away, the cost of packing, transporting, and storing your furniture is deductable.

Energy credits: If you replace door or windows, add insulation, or add alternative energy sources, you can qualify for a credit. Make sure to follow government directives so you purchase the right thing and keep your receipts.

Damage claims: If your home was damaged from a sudden unexpected event such as a natural disaster, fire, vandalism, or theft, you can deduct whatever your home insurance did not pay, less a $100 deductible and 10% of your gross income. Hopefully you won't need this credit, but knowing how hurricanes love to visit Louisiana, this could come in handy.

Capital gains: When you sell your home, you may have to pay capital gains tax - but not unless your profits exceeded $500,000 for married couples or $250,000 for single owners.

Improvements and closing costs: You can't deduct the cost of home improvements for your personal residence. When you sell, the cost of any permanent improvements as well as closing costs can be deducted to offset any potential capital gains liability.

Short sale debt: You can exclude debt up to $2 million if the lender forgave the debt in 2007, 2008, or 2009 after the short sale of your home.

Buying a home is not just a dollars and cents thing for most buyers. The various tax credits and incentives, however, make your purchase even more attractive.

Want to know more about the home buying process? an in-depth look at what to consider when buying a home, don't forget our Free Seminar for Baton Rouge Area Homebuyers on June 23 at 6:00 pm. Lending representatives will be on hand to address credit and mortgage issues. To register or for more information, please email info@sandyco.com or call (225) 292-7609.

Wondering how much home you can afford? Sandy's Team will help you work up the numbers and help you find an affordable home in Prairieville, Baton Rouge, or anywhere else in the tri-parish area of Ascension, East Baton rouge, or Livingston. Visit our Sandyco.com website today.

After the problems of the last few years, new home buyers are encouraged to buy "affordable homes," a very attainable goal in the Ascension - East Baton Rouge area. Five years ago, lenders encouraged home buyers to stretch the definition of what was affordable to a figure far in excess of the traditional formula: buy a home valued at three times your annual household income. The emphasis was put on the monthly payment, which is one reason why people who should have bought $200,000 homes were buying $400,000 home because some crazy mortgage packages made their payment "affordable" until the interest rate adjusted or some other term of the loan kicked in. Fortunately, lending in the Baton Rouge-Prairieville area was more conservative, which is why the foreclosure rate in the area is much lower than elsewhere.

Now, many lenders are going back to basics. With housing prices coming down to earth, due to market adjustment, foreclosures, and in some areas, a big supply of bank-owned homes on the market, price will not impair a buyer from getting a home. This is especially true in the Prairieville area. The median listing price of a three bedroom home in Prairieville, according recent statistics is $256,900 ($250,000 Ascension Parish total) and $179,500 for Baton Rouge ($179,500 for East Baton Rouge Parish total.) The median income there, according to Realty Times data, is $56,600 for all buyers and $45,280 for first time buyers. With a 20% downpayment, buyers at the median income can easily afford a $257,000 home. First time buyers who typically have 80% less income and who often put down the minimum 3.5% with FHA, could afford a $141,000 home.

Aside from the cost of the home, lenders look at housing debt to income and total debt to income ratios. The goal is to keep monthly housing costs (mortgage, home insurance, taxes, mortgage insurance) under 30% of income and total debts (housing, car, credit cards, other loans) under 36-43%. Interest rates, which vary by the borrower's credit rating, affect the amount of the mortgage payment.

Current interest rates help define what is affordable. Someone with a 680 credit score, a 40% debt-to-income ratio, and a household income of $50,000 would qualify to borrow $180,000 at 5% rates. At 5.5%, they could borrow only $168,000, while at 6.5%, the amount would drop to only $158,000. These days, 620 is the credit score floor where it likely a lender will grant a mortgage - but at a much higher rate on a cheaper house. For credit scores over 720, excellent financing deals are available - especially now when the government is helping keep rates low.

Wondering how much home you can afford? Sandy's Team will help you work up the numbers and help you find an affordable home in Prairieville, Baton Rouge, or anywhere else in the tri-parish area of Ascension, East Baton rouge, or Livingston. Visit our Sandyco.com website today.

First time buyers: For an in-depth look at what to consider when buying a home, don't forget our Free Seminar for Baton Rouge Area Homebuyers on June 23 at 6:00 pm. Lending representatives will be on hand to address credit and mortgage issues. To register or for more information, please email info@sandyco.com or call (225) 292-7609.