Santa Clarita Valley Real Estate

How to get a valuable first-time homebuyer credit Congress included an attractive tax credit in the economic-stimulus law, but the fine print is tricky. Here’s help to see if you qualify, and to determine whether to claim it this year or next. By The Wall Street Journal The recently enacted economic-stimulus law contains an unusually attractive new tax break for many homebuyers — if they can only figure out how it works. The new law sweetens a provision known as the "first-time homebuyer credit." In essence, if you meet certain qualifications, you may be eligible for a tax credit of as much as $8,000. You also have a choice of claiming the credit on your federal income-tax return for 2008 or 2009. A credit is typically more valuable than a deduction, since it eliminates your taxes on a dollar-for-dollar basis — and in this case, you may get it even if you don't owe any taxes. But Congress made the homebuyer-credit fine print so devilishly tricky that m

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. ( Map ) - City of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita also took home the Grand Prize for its Support for Small Business Program for the category of Economic Development Programs, which recognizes outstanding and innovative programs which made a significant contribution to the field of economic development during 2008. A third Grand Prize was awarded to Santa Clarita for its Enterprise Zone Marketing Campaign for the category of Economic Development Promotions, which recognizes outstanding efforts and achievements in economic development advertising, marketing and promotion. "The City of Santa Clarita consistently strives to implement and execute programs that assist businesses to thrive in Santa Clarita ," said Santa Clarita Mayor Frank Ferry . "These CALED awards are a huge honor, as well as testament to our hard work and dedication to Santa Clarita businesses and its workforce." Most recently, the Los Angeles Economic Development C

The real estate market has been showing signs of life in recent weeks with increases reported in both new- and existing-home sales, as well as pending home sales. Surveys and statistics show that government efforts to lower interest rates, and incentives such as the $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers are strong factors in moving buyers off the fence. But, don't forget that the first-time buyer tax credit doesn't last forever. In fact, there are only a few months left for buyers to get under contract in order to close prior to December 1. Now is the time to reach out to take advantage of this powerful incentive and act soon if your a first time buyer who wants to take advantage of the $8,000. tax credit. Seize the opportunity! www.scvrealty.com

The homebuyer tax credit is one of 10 key provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama into law on Feb. 17, 2009. The bill provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. The credit does not require repayment. Most of the mechanics of the credit will be the same as under the 2008 rules: the credit will be claimed on a tax return to reduce the purchaser's income tax liability. If any credit amount remains unused, then the unused amount will be refunded as a check to the purchaser. Chart Highlighting the Major Modifications to the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit > (PDF: 309K) Frequently Asked Questions > (PDF: 483K) Download the IRS First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Form 5405 > (PDF: 257K) NAR's Presentation: The 2009 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit > (PDF: 319K) NAR's Presentation: The 2009 First

Ticket sales are still going very well. Several events are already sold, however…. You can still purchase tickets for the Chuckwagon Dinner Show, (April 23) with Sourdough Slim, the Rancho Camulos lunch/show with Dave Stamey, and the Art at Hart Quick Draw (April 25) where you can watch artists create their masterpieces in one hour or less. Afterwards, The Friends of Hart will auction the paintings. Artists who will be painting are: Nancy Degan Jay Wegter Toni Haih Frank Rock Reine River Deborah Kunic Serena Kunic Nadia Littlewarrior Laura Wambsgans At last count we’re almost sold out of our Friends of the Festival tickets. This package is a great deal ($150) that includes preferred seating for all 8 shows at the Melody Ranch Stage, a free festival t-shirt and poster and all weekend access to our VIP Bunkhouse with food and beverage. Another great bargain is the Two Day Weekend Pass which gets you into the Festival at Melody Ranch both Saturday and Sunday for the low price of $30. h

This weeks forecast is for wet weather which can lead to something we all should know more about. Ever seen or suspected MOLD in your home? With the rainy season here, mold tends to be more present. Being aware of how to handle mold can have a significant impact on air quality in your home. I found some valuable information from the EPA that offers up recommendations on this live organism. We have all seen the headlines... but most insurance policies don't cover mold. "Mold causes tenant to take landlord to court" (Kenwood, MI) "Star Jones fights uphill mold battle" (New York, NY) "Mold destroys nation's history" (Monticello, PA) Millions of Americans suffer from allergic reactions to molds yet most don't even realize that fungi could be the cause of their sneezing and sniffling. As a resource you can get the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's handy pamphlet called, "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home". This pub

CITY OF SANTA CLARITA TRANSIT We would like to hear from you! The City of Santa Clarita has hired Walker Parking Consultants to study commuter parking in the City of Santa Clarita. The goal of the study is to help the City manage the parking for maximum efficiency and customer service, and also to determine how much parking might be needed in the future. We are interested to hear your thoughts on what works well, what doesn’t work well, and what people’s parking habits are. Please visit their website at www.santaclaritatransit.com to participate in an online survey regarding parking in the City of Santa Clarita. A direct link to the survey is provided on our homepage. For more information contact City of Santa Clarita Transit at (661) 294-1BUS (1287).