Vicki Morgan

Halloween Fun at the Boerne Plaza
Hosted by Emerge Boerne: A Young Professional Forum
Saturday, October 17th, 2009 10 am to 1 pm

Live Family~Friendly Music
Free & Fun!!

Free Food by some of Boerne's Best Restaurants
Kids' Halloween Games
Costume Contest
SafeTrick ~or~Treating
Winners of the Costume Contest announced at 12 pm! Great Prizes!
Families and friends are cordially invited to come celebrate local Boerne businesses and have some Halloween fun.

Ghoulish Face Painting
Go Fish
Ring Toss
Rat Trap Washers: Throw fake mice to make traps go off.
Lollypop Ghosts: Craft-making.
Cake-Walk: Similar to musical chairs. Winners receive cakes and pies.
10:30 am
11:30 am
12:30 pm
Costume Contest: The costume winners will be announced at 12pm.
Halloween Coloring Table
Obstacle Course Races: Potato sack & stick horse racing.
Sock Toss: How far can you throw?
Spiders in the Haystack: Plastic play spiders to find in pile of hay.

Some statistics I thought I'd share with you:

• 78% of first time homebuyers are between the ages of 21-29.
• Average person will have had 10-14 jobs by the time they are 38 (US statistic)
• 87% of buyers are using the internet to find their home
• Realtor.com is the number one website for searching homes
• 92% of internet buyers found their agent thru property on Realtor.com

It's no wonder that nearly every Real Estate publication is half the pages than what it was even 6 months ago. I believe that these magazines can actually be overwhelming to the consumer. Online, you can actually "punch in" what you are looking for without having to view other listings that will not meet your needs. The results - INSTANTLY! We have gotten to be such a fast-paced society and wouldn't expect anything less!

Are you in need of a listing agent? Be sure they are an agent that is a member of Realtor.com, at a minimum......Do they have their own personalized website? Do they use visual tours? All of these programs drive potential buyers of YOUR HOME back to your listing agent.

With so many homes on the market today, it might be a good idea to take your camera so that you can remember the homes you visit! Take notes during each home visit. Make notes about each one - write down the pros and cons. Also, what are your first impressions about each one? What is the school district like? If you have dogs that will need to go out for regular walks, is the neighborhood accommodating for that? Is there adequate parking? Do your research to help weed out ones that will not make "the grade." Set up another time with your Realtor to re-visit the homes of interest at a different time during the day. You will more than likely notice more likes or dislikes about the property. This will help you to confirm whether or not the home will truly meet your needs. Good Luck!

Well, that dreaded time is upon us...TAX SEASON....but hopefully you will find the following tips helpful.

According to Buffini, here are some deductions you will not want to pass up:

• Mortgage Interest
• Closing Costs for that year's transaction
• Green additions to your home
• Up to $4,000 for college tuition
• Up to $2,500 of interest on student loan (as long as the monies were used for applicable educational expenses)

Don't forget, the tax credit for the first time homebuyer is available to July 1 of this year ('09), up to $3,750 for qualifying individuals and $7,500 for eligible joint filing couples!!

Office out of your home? Be sure to check with your Accountant on how this deduction and other deductions work.

Ways to speed up the Sale of your Home:

• Trust your agent to set the right price based on what has sold in your neighborhood. A well priced house will draw more attention that an over priced house!
• Get your house market-ready before you begin showing so that your family is used to keeping your home beautiful.
• The more frequently your home is shown, the faster your house will sell! Have your home ready to show on a moments notice.
• Know ahead of time what selling price you will find satisfactory.
• Keep your home priced realistically; don't refuse to lower your asking price.

Good luck! If you need professional adivce, I am a phone call or click away.

830.446.2911 Office

www.ClassicTexan.com

Vicki