 |
What The Economic Stimulus Package
Means To You
Since
passed by overwhelming Capitol Hill
majorities in January, there has been
much talk regarding the economic
stimulus package. Yes, it will cost $168
billion, but what does it actually do
for individuals?
The stimulus package is designed
to help the country moderate the worst
effects of a slowing economy and perhaps
even avoid a recession. The idea is to
encourage spending and with more
spending to increase economic activity.
While the theory looks good on paper, it
will likely take months or years to know
if it actually works.
From a personal perspective the
January stimulus package has five major
components that will immediately impact
individuals with an interest in real
estate.
1. Checks from Uncle Sam:
According to the White House, taxpayers
can receive rebates of up to $600
|
|
Metro Atlanta
Report: A GREAT Time to Buy
I
am going to report more negative
trends for February. However, I am going
to look for any type of “light at the
end of the tunnel” and share the results
with you.
|
|
|
Is Your Credit Score As
High As You Think?
It
is common to assume that paying bills on time
automatically means having a high credit score.
Unfortunately, that's not always the case. There
are many misperceptions about how scores are
calculated -- and yours could be lower than you
might expect.
Credit scores are used by financial
institutions to determine whether they should
lend money to a potential borrower and, if so,
what interest rate should be charged. A higher
score means an applicant is statistically less
likely to default on the loan so they get a
lower interest rate.
Ignoring your credit score could be a
costly mistake. As an example, let's say you
bought a $400,000 house with a 30-year
fixed-rate mortgage at a 6-percent interest
rate. Over the term of the loan, you would pay
interest charges of $463,354. If, however, you
had a lower score and your bank bumped your
interest rate up to 8 percent, you would pay
interest charges of $656,619. That's a hefty
difference of $193,265.
|
|
|
|
Appealing Your
Property Tax Bill
If
your property tax is aligned with or assessed
based on the value of your home, a swing in
property values could warrant close scrutiny of
your property tax bill.
Some more progressive tax jurisdictions
will make the adjustment for you -- up or down
-- but most only move your rate up or they'll
wait for the property to change hands before
adjusting the tax. Even where adjustments are
automatic, you still may not be satisfied and
will need to appeal the deal.
Over valued or over assessed property is
perhaps the most common and successful grounds
for challenging your tax bill.
When the economy is faltering and spawning
foreclosures, short sales and homeowners
otherwise bailing out of homeownership, consider
it a red flag -- it's time to scrutinize your
property tax bill.
Many homeowners bailout, accept the
foreclosure or take the short sale way out
because their mortgage is more than the value of
the home, which may have fallen for a variety of
reasons.
The incidence of incorrectly calculated
property tax bills may also warrant a close
inspection of your property tax bill or an
appeal.
Many errors in calculating your property
tax bill also stem from clerical
|
|
|
|
|
Sell Your Home for
FREE
Sell Your
Home on the Multiple Listing Service
(FMLS) and Realtor.com for FREE!! Home
Buyers Receive up to 1.5% of the Sale
Price of the Home You Buy Cash-Back at
Closing.
|
|
New Monthly
Feature: Forsyth County, North Fulton and West Gwinnett
Real Estate Report
If
you would like to receive and in-depth analysis of the
Forsyth County, North Fulton and West Gwinnett real
estate market, including an analysis by price range (the
numbers vary significantly based on price range) call
our pre-recorded toll free order hotline at 877-411-9264
ID # 1625 or you can order it only line at
www.ATLMLSdata.com.
Daily News and Advice
Read about the events shaping the
Real Estate market today, find current interest
rates, or browse the extensive library of advice
and how-to articles written by some of the top
experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.
|
More
Articles
|
|
|
