Colorado Springs Real Estate: Home Buyer Tax Credit Has Been Extended and ExpandedThe Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection is happy to announce that the $8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit HAS been extended! It passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama last Friday!
To qualify for this First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit extension, you must not have owned a home in the last 3 years. Income limits for this tax credit have been raised and now are:
In addition to that,this new law offers $6,500 tax credit to EXISTING home owners who have lived in their current home for 5 consecutive years of the last 8 years, and want to “move up” and buy a different home (up to $800,000)! However …
Whether you are a first time home buyer or an existing home owner looking to move please remember, the home must go under contract by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30, 2010. Not only does the extension help first time home buyers get a home, but it also helps reward current home owners who have stuck it out through this shifting market. Remember: If you qualify, this tax credit goes against any taxes that you may owe, and any difference will be refunded to you! *Please talk with your tax attorney or accountant to see if and how this tax credit could apply to you. For more information on how we can help you take advantage of the extended and expanded tax credit, please give us a call: 719.434.7525
Thanks for reading our Colorado Springs Real Estate Blog! Posted on November 10th, 2009 by Mariana Wagner
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Information for Colorado Springs Homeowners and Renters in DebtThe Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection – The Wagner iTeam believes in the Dave Ramsey philosophy of debt: GET OUT OF IT! Read Also: The Seven Deadly Debt Sins
Because of these beliefs, we are always looking for other professionals who support this line of thinking about debt. Below is information from our friend, and former neighbor, Brent Ebaugh of WellSpring Finacial Hope.* Check it out… Are you ready to be debt free? The Wellspring Financial Hope Foundation is your key to getting out of debt once and for all. We are not like any other program out there for many reasons, but the most important reason is that our program actually works! Our system is ethical, biblical, simple and beneficial for your entire family. For one affordable, up-front fee, you will get a personal finance coach who will teach you one-on-one how to change your financial future and get out of debt once and for all. No games, no hidden fees, no gimmicks, no surprises. It is your turn to be debt free! What We Believe We believe that according to Matthew 6:25-34 it is God’s will for His people to live without financial stress and worry. We believe that good money management eliminates significant stress from our lives, helps us better provide for our families and allows us to model God’s love by being able to give generously to others. Because God has promised to provide for our every need, one of our core beliefs is that financial problems are never inherently about money. Even in difficult circumstance that arise from death, illness, job loss, divorce or other life events over which the person may have had no control, we believe that God has a purpose in every season of life He takes us through. How It Works Our coaches will work with you to set up a family spending plan that matches your needs and your lifestyle. We have hundreds of resources to help you cut expenses, stretch your dollars and maximize your hard-earned income. Next we help you work with your creditors to get interest rates lowered, payments set at affordable amounts and collection calls stopped. Finally we create a customized debt elimination plan that allows you the flexibility to pay off debts right on schedule or ahead of time as your income allows.
Brent Ebaugh | 719-213-9871640 Chapel Hills Drive | WellSpringFinancialHope.comBecause we have not gone through this specific program, we cannot personally endorse it. However, it may be a perfect answer for a Colorado Springs homeowner or renter buried in debt. If selling your Colorado Springs home is part of your “Get Out of Debt” plan, please contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation, where we can give you a great idea what your home is worth, and what your options really are. 719.434.7525
Thanks for reading our Colorado Springs Real Estate Blog! Posted on November 1st, 2009 by Mariana Wagner
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Two Sides of Ignorance in the Colorado Springs Real Estate MarketIn the latter part of September 2001, Derek came home from an afternoon showing homes to his very first buyer client, as a Realtor® in Colorado Springs (we’ll call her Ms. P) and sits at the computer in obvious bewilderment. He logged onto the local MLS and then paused for a few minutes.
“Well, it went ok. But I need to narrow down her search to homes on streets with no mature trees and a lot of street lamps.” “Huh?” I now joined him in his bewilderment. There are not search-able fields for either of those requests. How were we going to search for homes in Colorado Springs with those guidelines? This was going to be interesting. We decided to pull up all homes that fit her previous requests and then we spent the better part of 2 days driving around each street in each neighborhood making notes about the trees, foliage and street lamp placement. We found some great, well-lit homes. Man! Ms. P was going to be proud when they met up the next weekend! Well, the next weekend arrived, and after several hours of showing homes, Derek came home quite irritated. What was wrong? How could she NOT like any of the homes that Derek picked out! They were perfect! Derek then called his managing broker. Maybe he could help him figure this out. After a few seconds on the phone, Derek’s face fell. He got off the phone and let me know what the “problem” was. Let’s just say that we learned the hard way what “I don’t want to live in a dark neighborhood” means. Yeah, Ms. P didn’t care about trees and street lamps. Derek got on the phone immediately and called her. First, he let her know that he had no idea that her requests were discriminatory in nature. He told her that it made no sense and that he did not understand why she would think in those terms. Second, he educated her on how there is NO WAY that he can or would ever narrow down a home search based on discrimination. Finally, he said that she can either a.) Find a new agent to represent her, or b.) Narrow down the search herself. He would have no part in a discrimination-based home search. After a brief silence and a short good-bye, Derek hung up the phone. We waited a couple days, not knowing what Ms. P was going to decide on. Those were a tough couple of days, as Ms. P was Derek’s first client … ever. And, we never thought that we would actually have to deal with the discrimination that we learned about in real estate school. Well, she called back, and for reasons that we will never really know she decided to buy one of the homes that Derek had shown her originally. We do not make decisions based on discrimination and I guess it never occurred to us that others still do. It is a sad thing. Our ignorance of the presence of existing discrimination clashed with her ignorance of the absence of discrimination. … At least we now know where all the well-lit streets in Colorado Springs are. *Originally Posted By Mariana Wagner on Active Rain on 1/24/07 Two Sides of Ignorance *
Thanks for reading our Colorado Springs Real Estate Blog! Posted on September 2nd, 2009 by Mariana Wagner
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“Honey. What’s up? How did your day go?” I was excited about his first time out showing homes, as well as interested in why he was so bewildered.
Are You a Victim of Housing Discrimination? Equal Housing Opportunity and Fair Housing Laws
We here at the Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection take fair housing laws VERY seriously and refuse to work with anyone who practices ANY level of discrimination – to include home sellers, lenders, landlords, other real estate agents, etc. It is illegal to discriminate in housing on basis of race, color, Per the HUD website:
If you feel as though you were a victim of discrimination when trying to rent or buy a home, you can file a complaint with the Housing and Urban Development Housing Discrimination Department. Read More About Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Read Also:
*Thanks to New Hampshire Association of Realtors® – Monika McGillicuddy and Matthew Rathbun for sharing the video.* Posted By: Mariana Wagner | 719.434.7525
Thanks for reading our Colorado Springs Real Estate Blog! Posted on September 1st, 2009 by Mariana Wagner
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The House Fairy – Cleaning, Organizing and Simplifying Your Colorado Springs HomeThe House Fairy is a locally-owned business for home owners, home sellers and buyers who want a clean and peaceful home. Available in Colorado Springs, Black Forest and other surrounding areas. Garon Wennik is a good friend of ours and started The House Fairy to help people – by cleaning, organizing and simplifying … adding an Earth-Friendly sparkle to your home. The House Fairy can be hired for:
Garon Wennik | 719.310.9225
Thanks for reading our Colorado Springs Real Estate Blog! Posted on August 19th, 2009 by Mariana Wagner
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