Even, perhaps especially, in an economic downturn, people are trying to make a living in the real estate market.

You are currently browsing the Thomasville Georgia Real Estate Blog blog archives for September, 2009.
Even, perhaps especially, in an economic downturn, people are trying to make a living in the real estate market.
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Thomasville GA foreclosures, Thomasville Rentals
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Are you looking at homes for sale in Thomasville GA and feeling overwhelmed by the choices? Back in the Dark Ages before the Internet (1986 or so), if you wanted to look at a house, you had to call a real estate agent, find out the address and then physically drive to the house. Thanks to the Internet, however, you can start narrowing down your choices before you ever talk to your agent.
What do you need to know?
Looking online can give you the information you want to know about the homes for sale in Thomasville. However, if you just go surfing on the Web, that information can be as overwhelming as the number of choices. Before you start shopping online, make a list of the things that are important to you about the city or neighborhood in which you want to live, such as:
Once you have your list of questions, go online with an eye to answering them. Here is a list of links that might help you on your quest for information:
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Home Buyers Tips, Thomasville Home Search
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Tags: Buyers Tips, First Thomasville Realty, Thomasville real estate agent
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When buyers are looking at a Thomasville condo, they aren’t just looking at the place itself. Although how a home looks on the inside is important, many are also looking at the surrounding neighborhood. When you get ready to sell your home, start thinking about what other things you can sell. Here’s a short list of other benefits to promote:
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Sellers Tips, Thomasville condo
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If you have some Thomasville GA real estate to sell or you just want to raise the property value, keeping hip to the market trends is paramount. Kitchens are one of the biggest selling points of any residential property. Energy efficient and cost effective are the catchwords of the day, and recycled is the way to go. Here are a few of the newest eco-friendly kitchen products that can find you buyers and up your property value.
Tags: Energy Efficient, Green Homes, Homeowners Tips, Sellers Tips
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Not everybody is dealing with the worry of buying or selling Thomasville GA real estate. Some are quite happy where they are, have no intention of moving, and selling is the last thing on their minds.
However, there are a lot of incentives out there to do something in Thomasville GA real estate, and many are itching to dip into those incentives. So, if you’re not selling or buying, what can you do? Here are a few ideas:
Upgrades
Upgrades are something you can do to your home at any time. However, with the many government incentives out there, you can upgrade your home to be more energy efficient for less. For example, thanks to federal tax credits, you can install solar panels or a geothermal heat pump and get 30% back once you file your federal taxes.
Instead of just jumping in on upgrades, it’s best to start with an energy audit. An energy audit will tell you where your problem areas are in order of priority, as well as what incentives and credits are available to help you compensate for the cost.
In addition to getting you incentives and credits, these upgrades will raise the resale value of your home. They’ll also lower your utility bills
Tags: Energy Audit, First Thomasville Realty, Homeowners Tips, Refinancing, Remodeling
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If you’re ready to sell your home but it’s not yet on the market, asking the right questions of your Thomasville GA real estate agent is a good way to help your home get sold. These questions assist agents in creating a customized marketing plan for your home, as well as helping you know what to expect. The top five questions are:
1. When is the best time of year? Spring is supposedly
Tags: Home seller tips, Thomasville GA real estate agent
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If you’re looking at Thomasville GA homes to rent but think you can’t afford them, you might want to take another look. This is especially true if you have a good credit history. When it comes to finding tenants, landlords have never been more willing to play
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Thomasville Homes for Rent
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The federal government has sought out numerous ways to revive the economy. The morbid housing market has, of course, been a point of focus. The answer? The federal government created the first time homebuyer tax credit that provides $8,000 in down payment assistance. If you are considering taking advantage of the program, you better hurry. It is about to expire.
The first time homebuyer tax credit is a dozy. It provides a whopping $8,000 in down payment assistance. In typically government fashion, however, the “first time buyer” doesn’t really have to be a first time buyer. Instead, it is simply defined as a person who has not owned a home in the three previous calendar years. Not bad, eh?
The first time homebuyer tax credit has been a raging success. What many potential homebuyers do not realize is it is about to run out. The magic date is December 1, 2009. As I am writing this in late August, that deadline still is three months away. Ah, but there is a very important catch to this deadline. You must CLOSE your purchase before December 1, 2009 to qualify for the benefit.
Why is this a catch? Well, the issue boils down to how a home purchase works. You, the buyer, makes an offer and the seller counters until the two of you work out a deal. The transaction then is usually given a 30 day period, known as escrow or settlement, when the inspections, title, insurance, repairs, deposits and other necessary items are taken care of by both parties. Only when everything is hunky dory does escrow end or “close”. Practically speaking, this means a home that is sold on October 5th, would not actually close until November 5th and the buyer would miss out on the first time homebuyers tax credit!
There is always a chance the federal government will extend the first time homebuyers tax credit program, but you can’t be sure. To be safe, you need to purchase a home in the month of September if you hope to use a traditional 30 day escrow and still qualify for the $8,000.
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Thomas Ajava writes for TaxIRSAttorneyOrlandoFL.com – find an IRS tax attorney in Orlando, FL. |
Tags: $8000 Tax Credit, First Time Homebuyers
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Purchasing a Thomasville GA home for sale, especially as a first-time buyer, is incredibly exciting. However, just because your offer is accepted doesn’t mean the deal is done. Lots of things can still cause the deal to fall through. Here are just a few things that might slow or stop your purchase:
Tags: Buyers Tips, First Thomasville Realty, Thomasville GA home for sale
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Thanks to President Obama’s ambitious plan to improve the housing market, being on the list of foreclosures in Thomasville Georgia doesn’t necessarily mean that foreclosure is inevitable. You have options, and the President’s loan modification program makes keeping your home even more possible.
Overview of the Plan
The President’s plan to reduce foreclosures in Thomasville Georgia is based on the thought that struggling homeowners wouldn’t sell their houses if they could only make the monthly payments. Due to this belief, participating lenders are required to reduce monthly payments for homeowners who qualify until they’re no more than 38% of the homeowner’s monthly gross income. After that, the government lends a helping hand. Between the lender and the government, the mortgage payments would be dropped to no more than 31% through various means (extension of the loan, reduced interest rate, etc).
Even with the 31% threshold, many are afraid that’s not enough incentive for homeowners to keep up payments on a depreciating home. They speculate that homeowners may default on the loan anyway. To cover this possibility, the administration is offering cash incentives to lenders and struggling homeowners.
Each lender that participates will receive $1,000 per loan modification. Those lenders will also get an annual $1,000 for up to three years as long as the homeowner keeps their payments up. For homeowners facing foreclosures in Thomasville Georgia, the good news is that borrowers can get their principal lowered by $1,000 per year for up to five years. Again, however, it depends on whether they keep their payments up.
You May Qualify
This is fantastic news for many. If you’re facing foreclosure due to financial hardship, you may qualify for loan modification under the administration’s plan. If you live in the home, the principal balance still owed is less than $729,750 and you received the loan before January 1, 2009, you’re eligible. Be aware, however, that you have to prove that you live there, that it’s your primary residence and that you’re having a financial hardship.
If you’re behind on your mortgage or facing foreclosure, First Thomasville Realty can help you figure out your options. Time is of the essence, so give us a call now at 229-226-6515.
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Foreclosures in Thomasville Georgia, Homeowners Tips
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There’s a group of individuals constantly overlooked when someone has a home for sale in Thomasville GA. It’s not just newlyweds, families and women looking for homes. Men are on the look out, too. So what are they looking for? Here are a few points on the list:
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, man cave, Sellers Tips
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Tags: First Thomasville Realty, For Sale By Owner, Sellers Market, Sellers Tips, Thomasville GA real estate agent
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Being eco-friendly is an important issue to most people today. Making your home as energy efficient as possible makes sense on many levels, but do you know it makes sense when it comes to federal tax credits too? They’re not small incentives either. These tax credits are another major reason to be serious about going green in your Thomasville Georgia home.
Tax Credits for Existing Homes
Making your home energy efficient will benefit you whether you are planning to stay in your home for years to come or you are considering selling in the near future. Prospective buyers will react favorably to eco-friendly installations. It will also help move your Thomasville Georgia home faster and get a better price.
In 2009 and 2010, you could get major tax incentives for going green too. When you purchase certain energy efficient items, you may get as much as 30% (up to $1,500) of the cost of the item returned to you as a tax credit. These items include:
Tax Credits for Construction and New Homes
There are also excellent tax credits for consumers building a new home. These credits are up to 30% of cost on acceptable items with NO limit. These items include:
Protecting your Thomasville Georgia home, making it more energy efficient, and saving money has always been important, but there has never been a better time to get started.
If you would like more information on how to take advantage of the Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency, give First Thomasville Realty a call today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Homeowners Tips, Thomasville Georgia Green homes
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For all those individuals wishing to by a home and hoping to reap some of the rewards by doing so, then you will need to know all about the 2009 first time home buyer’s tax credit. This offer is a major incentive towards purchasing a new home for the first time and you need to purchase quickly, due to the expiration date of December first, 2009. Stipulation has it, that you have to close on your new home by November 20, 2009. Keep in mind, you should always consult a tax advisor for specific information regarding your situation.
You can find new listings of home on a daily basis, so the opportunity is great for acquiring a new home, do not put it off until another day or you might find yourself not able to meet the deadline. The great first time buyers tax credit, will have many people taking advantage of the market and its crisis, but this has been done in the hopes that it will help in the recovery of the housing market. Many places are already seeing the recovery effort that is taking place within their own areas and it looks to be helping the process along.
Finding a good realtor is the key to purchasing your new home before the deadline has come and gone. You need to have someone in your court that knows whether or not you are able to claim the incentive. Regulations for lending and appraisals can become complicated and going it alone is not wise. A realtor will be able know the guidelines and explain to you many things you may not know, when purchasing a new home for the first time. Finding a realtor to work alongside will only work in your favor.
Understand that only if you are an individual who purchased a home on the first day of January 2008 or after and before the first day of December 2009, will you be able to claim the tax credit. If you purchased a new home during last year, then you will not qualify for the credit. Bummer I know, but this is how it works. You also need to realize, that there is limitations citing income as well. An individual buyer will need to have a gross income of $75,000 or under to claim the full tax credit and if you are married, then it is $150,000. If however, you are an individual that makes more than these amounts in both cases, then you may be able still claim credits at a reduced rate.
Taxpayers can claim the credit on the new IRS 5405 form when filing their taxes. This tax credit issued to boost the economy in ways perhaps we are not even aware of yet. For instance, purchasing a new home means purchasing new things that may be needed for it. This in itself will help boost the economy as well. A new home also means that there may be a new addition such as a new baby added to the home, this also means new purchases as well. The new home owner’s tax credit is a great ideal and looks to be helping in many areas of the nation’s economy woes.
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Beverly Manago is a freelance writer focused on the real estate industry. She is also a consultant for My Single Property Websites, a web 2.0 marketing tool that lets real estate agents create stunning virtual tours and single property sites easily, with a free version available for listing presentations. She also contributes to the Real Estate Technology Blog there. |
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The Thomasville Area Board of REALTORS honored our first responders today from 11:30 am until 1:30 pm at St. Thomas Episcopal Church with a luncheon as our way of saying “thank you” for all that they do to keep our community safe.
Tags: 9/11 Remembrance, First Responders Luncheon, Thomasville Area Board of REALTORS
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Tags: market value, property taxes, school rankings, Thomasville Georgia real estate agent
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If you’re looking to get a good deal by buying one of the Thomasville Georgia foreclosures, keep in mind that many of the homeowners not only didn’t have money for the mortgage, they probably didn’t have money for the upkeep of the house either. If you’ve found a home you’re interested in, here’s a short checklist to follow even before you decide to contact a home inspector.
Structure
For some Thomasville Georgia foreclosures, structure is a definite issue. Pay close attention to the following, as they may indicate more severe problems:
Are the interior walls in good condition? Any cracks and stains?
Are the floors in good condition? What are they made of? Some floors are made of substandard materials, unsafe for more than casual use.
Is the roof in good repair or are there missing/curled up shingles?
Are the gutters, downspouts and flashing in good condition?
Do the doors and windows stick or glide freely? When closed, do they block out weather or is there a draft?
Water
Inside Hazards
Many older houses haven’t been updated or may not be up to code. Here are some of the more common issues:
Is there asbestos around exposed pipes for the furnace, heating system or water heater?
Although there are many other things to consider when looking to purchase Thomasville Georgia foreclosures, these three are essential to a healthy living environment. Most importantly, make sure you’re an informed buyer.
If you’re looking to buy a foreclosed home, First Thomasville Realty can help. Call us today at 229-226-6515 or emailus at info@FTRealty.com for more information.
Tags: Buyers Tips, First Thomasville Realty, Thomasville Georgia foreclosures
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Many who have put their Thomasville GA homes up for sale in the past year are still waiting to put that
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, First Time Homebuyers, Sellers Tips
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