Sunday, March 29, 2009

Our current obsession

..................................................
Some of you may know and some not but we have been
in negotiations to buy this loft for awhile now--
We are so excited to move in but there is A LOT of
work to be done! The space is exactly what we need
and is in our fav little neighborhood--here are the
before pics(ie what it looks like now) I will TRY to
keep you updated although I am horrible at this stuff!










Tuesday, March 24, 2009

6000 tax credit for New construction

$6,000 Utah Grant for New Construction Not Just for First Time Homebuyers - Does Not Have to be Repaid

State of Utah $6000 home purchase grant

The State of Utah is offering purchasers of new construction a $6,000 grant that does not have to be repaid. You do not have to be a first time home buyer to qualify, but there are a few limitations.

Here are the basics of the "Home-Run" grant:

Does the amount of the grant vary? Is it up to $6,000? No. The amount of the grant for qualified applicants will always be the full $6,000.

Does it have to be re-paid? No. The $6,000 grant does not have to be re-paid.

Do I have to live in the home? Yes. The grant is for owner-occupied transactions. You must move into the home as your primary residence within 30 days of closing.

Do I have to be a first-time homebuyer? No. You need only to purchase a newly constructed home that has not yet been lived in.
AND you can still qualify for the 8,000 tax credit if you are a first time homebuyer!

Where did the money come from? From the Federal stimulus money given to Utah.

Are there income limitations to qualifying? Yes. A single Buyer cannot earn more than $75,000 per year and a couple that files jointly cannot earn more than $150,000 combined.

Does taking this grant disqualify me from the $8,000 Federal Tax Credit being offered by the Federal Government? No. There is an up to $8,000 federal tax credit for first time homebuyers who purchase a home between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009. (Details here) If you qualify for the $8,000 tax credit, you probably qualify for the $6,000 grant and can receive a total of $14,000 in credits/grants if you purchase new construction in Utah.

How long does this program last? While supplies last. There are only about 1600 grants available and once they are gone, they are gone for good.

Why the $6,000 grant? Lawmakers believe that this will help move some of the over 2,000 completed new construction homes on the market that are currently unsold.

How do I receive the money? When you have identified a property, your lender can submit the paperwork to reserve one of the grants available. At closing, $6,000 will be wired to the title company to be used on your behalf. It can be applied toward closing costs, fees, even down payment.

Are there any other restrictions? You must purchase the home with a 30 year (or less) fixed-rate mortgage. (FHA, VA, Utah Housing, Conventional are all options)

Bill text: http://le.utah.gov/˜2009/bills/sbillamd/sb0260s02.htm

Signed into law by Governor Jon Huntsman March 19, 2009

Thursday, March 19, 2009

the rates are falling! the rates are falling!

I want y'all to know that rates are
again below 5% on a 30yr fixed--
additionally I HAVE to make sure you
realize:
If you are a first time homebuyer
you will get 8,000 FREE from the
federal gov(talk to your lender)
NEVER has to be paid back--this is YOUR
bailout people!
and
now a state program for new construction
gives 6,000--hurry to get that one though
because there is a cap!

Time to buy or refinance!
Call me if you want to take
a peek at the market or if
you need to find a lender--
I know lots!

Rule of thumb for refinance:
If the rate is 1% or more lower
and if closing costs will pay off
with the difference in new mortgage
within the time you will live there--

Me and My Groceries--all over town!

Yesterday was shopping day for me--why
Wed you ask? Well the biggest reason
is that it is SM's poker night with
the guys--other than that: I had time
to come up for air--OR DID I?

Yesterday was an open day with a busy
afternoon/night. Because of my WONDERFUL
neighborhood and neighbors I had my night
chuck full of events(who needs SM anyway--who?)

SO I went to Smiths, and then to Costco and headed
home only to discover that it was 6pm!! I was
supposed to be at the DCC meeting AT 6 and I still had
to drop off my car and groceries! SO instead of wasting
all that time on that I decided to drive over and let
the groceries wait in the car--an hour wouldn't hurt right?
It's not like I had icecream in my car and it was July.
So I went to the meeting and of course there were new
people to meet so I stayed for 1.5 hours, then, because
my sister lives in the hood now(which explains everything about
my apparent lack of posting the past few weeks)
so I stopped in to visit her for a sec(timer on groceries now at
2 hours) THEN i realized that I was supposed to be at the No Cookie
Left Behind Party at my neighbor's house at 7:30 SO--I packed all of
my groceries from my car, into the shopping cart that is provided by our
building and headed over to the party--with my groceries--
I planned, as always, to only stay for a few minutes(grocery timer
to be slightly over 2 hours, but if everything was still good it would
keep for another 20 minutes right--keep in mind that this type of
delusion fuels my life ;)) So I went, I partook and stayed for an hour--
grocery timer now at 3 hours--and all of my neighbors making fun of how
much food I actually buy for just the 2 of us--
The truth is--I have a feeling that this is one of the only neighborhoods
in Utah where something like this would happen--I am certainly not the
most busy person or the most social person in the state but I literally
know--outside of any church or work structure 20-30 people in my neighborhood--
WOW--love it!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

New Store in the Hood Uptown Cheapskate


Uptown Cheapskate

According to their website:
"Uptown Cheapskate is more than a fashion exchange concept. It is an attitude, a personality, and an art form. Uptown Cheapskate empowers individuals to express themselves using brand name fashions and modern style without the typical price tag. The concept is simple really: we buy and sell your favorite brands at prices that everyone can get excited about. We’re not trying to change the world; just offer an exciting new way to shop it."

I am happy to have a NON chain clothing store in the area(I love the Gateway but c'mon that can't be all there is--RIGHT?) esp in this economy!
I stopped in today and was pleasantly surprised. Brands from Diesel to Forever 21 graced the
stuffed racks. The staff was friendly, they have a great selection and all their inventory is in really great condition.
I found shoes, hats, purses, JEANS(tons--starting at 14.99) tops, dresses(7.99) for both girls and guys.



Def stop in, def buy and sell here and def use the free parking in the back or ride trax(it is just across the street) or if you are an Urbanite like me casually walk over when you get a free minute(yes I love it--I know you are jealous)