Archive for the ‘Misc Information’ Category

Tom Vandiver will have a presentation of information about how to get disabled persons out boating at West Marine, 3500 Barrancas, Pensacola on Saturday, 24 April 0800 – 1200 in the parking lot. The intent of this program will be to demonstrate how persons with physical disabilities can board boats safely and enjoy boating.  Tom will have his 22′ Panga center console fishing boat which is prepared for a wheelchair and special safety features. He will also have pictures of boarding techniques for getting handicapped persons on and off his Cal 46 sailboat.

If you know of any physically disabled folks, please tell them about the program. On Saturday 15 May there will be “Take a Disabled Veteran Boating, Fishing or Sailing” day. Tom is working with the Veterans Administration and through the PFF, (www.pensacolafishingforum.com) and already 12 boats volunteered to take veterans fishing. They need some sailboat owners to step forward and take some wounded warriors for a day sail as well. Call Tom at 850 572 1225, e mail oldflathead@bshmarine.com or drop by the 24 April program at West Marine.

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Have a look at the newest section of my website regarding waterfront property. The content will evolve quickly. Some of the properties shown may be listed by other real estate brokerages, however if you want to make an appointment to tour a listing or just want additional information or clarification, please allow me to help by emailing, phoning, or texting me, and I will be happy to assist you; I can show any property for sale regardless of the listing brokerage and at no cost to you. The following subpage links will provide you with a selection of waterfront property from a boater’s perspective. The three categories are Homes, Condos, and Vacant Land. Please choose the category for the waterfront property type you are researching.

• Condos
• Homes
• Vacant Land

If you own a boat or yacht and are looking for a home, condo or vacant lot on the water in Northwest Florida, you’ve come to the right place. I am here to help boaters find and purchase that perfect Primary Residence, Getaway, or Retirement home in one of the Waterfront Communities in the Greater Pensacola area, where homes and condominiums have private docks or a marina close by.

To make it easy for you, I am focused on each boating community, displaying the homes and properties currently for sale in each community, updated regularly. You will also find helpful community links to aid you in evaluating each community including a community photo album and information on local marinas, yacht clubs, marine supplies & services, area information, etc.

If you own waterfront property in the Northwest Florida area, to include Gulf Breeze, Perdido Key, Pensacola Beach, Milton, or Pace, and are interested in selling, I invite you to contact me to discuss what Rational Realty, LLC can offer you.

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WASHINGTON – Nov. 6, 2009 – President Obama signed H.R. 3548 this morning, enacting into law an extension, and adjustment, of the $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers. Among other things, the extension adds money for certain move-up buyers; creates one deadline for signing a contract and a later deadline for closing; changes income requirements; and limits a purchased home’s cost to $800,000.

“Extending the homebuyer tax credit and expanding it to reach more homebuyers is the right thing to do,” says 2009 Florida Realtors® President Cynthia Shelton. “It is critical to maintaining the positive momentum we’ve been experiencing in the housing market and in the overall economy. Florida Realtors applaud congressional leaders for taking action to extend the homebuyer tax credit into 2010, which will help Florida families realize their dream of homeownership, improve our communities and strengthen our economy.”

Adds John Sebree, Florida Realtors vice president of public policy, “Florida residents enjoy two additional advantages. The Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program (FHOP), created by the Florida Legislature earlier this year, still has approximately $28 million that first-time homebuyers can access and use toward their downpayment. And move-up buyers now have the ability to ‘port’ their current property tax savings to a new home.”

First-time homebuyers

Most details for first-time homebuyers mirror the rules currently in existence. The maximum tax credit remains $8,000 ($4,000 for married individuals filing separately), and anyone who has not owned a home within three years is considered a “first-time buyer.”

• A purchase must be under contract by April 30, 2010.

• A purchase under contract by April 30 must close no later than June 30, 2010.

• After Dec. 1, 2009, income limits rise to $125,000 for singles and $225,000 for married couples; up from limits effective through Nov. 30 of $75,000 for singles and $150,000 for married couples. The tax credit phases out incrementally at each $20,000 increase in income.

• Effective immediately: The maximum home value purchased cannot exceed $800,000. Prior to the law being signed, first-time homebuyers had no limitation on a home’s cost.

Current homeowner tax credit

An existing homeowner who purchases a home may now claim a tax credit of up to $6,500. To qualify, that owner must have owned and used the same residence as a principal residence for any consecutive five-year period in the previous eight years.

• This new tax credit is effective immediately. Eligible homebuyers do not have to wait until Dec. 1 to close in order to qualify.

• Personal income limits, maximum home value, and contract/closing deadlines are the same as those for first-time homebuyers.

Long-time Florida homeowners who enjoy discounted property taxes resulting from the state’s Save Our Homes amendment qualify for property tax portability, notes Sebree. For more information or to calculate how much tax savings can be transferred to a new home, visit floridarealtors.org at: http://www.floridarealtors.org/LegislativeCenter/TopInitiatives/index.cfm

Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program

Under FHOP, first-time Florida homebuyers can obtain interest-free bridge loans to access their federal tax credit before they complete a home purchase, enabling them to use that money upfront for downpayment and closing costs. Once buyers submit their returns to the IRS and receive their tax credit money, they repay their loans to the state.

The Florida Realtors-backed program came out of the 2009 session of the Florida Legislature. However, as part of the 2009-2010 budget year, did not become effective immediately. They tax credit extension will allow many first-time buyers to tap into the approximately $28 million in the program’s remaining funds.

While funded by the state, the money is distributed through the city and county housing offices that operate the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program. There is no standardized program, and each local agency may operate under different rules for distribution. For more information, buyers should contact their local SHIP office.

To find a local SHIP office, go to: http://apps.floridahousing.org/StandAlone/FHFC_ECM/AppPage_SHIPLGContacts.aspx.

Additional changes

The tax credit extension includes other new rules, such as:

• The new law also impacts dependent purchases of homes, which weren’t addressed under the old rules.

• The new law requires a buyer to attach documentation about the home purchase to his or her income tax return. An audit found that some buyers are claiming the tax credit when they don’t deserve it, and investigators continue to seek out fraud. To minimize tax abuse going forward, buyers won’t receive the credit without submitting proof to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The homebuyer tax credit is collected as part of the normal income tax process. As a credit, it’s calculated separately from an individual’s income tax, and paid regardless of taxes owed or withheld from income. As always, however, only a tax planner can render specific advice to anyone seeking the credit. For more information on the credit, contact a tax planner or visit the IRS website at: http://www.irs.gov.

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Existing-home sales, including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – jumped 9.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of 5.57 million units in September from a level of 5.09 million in August, and are 9.2 percent higher than the 5.10 million-unit pace in September 2008. Sales activity is at the highest level in over two years, since it hit 5.73 million in July 2007.

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Manufacturing grew in August for the first time in more than a year and a half, suggesting a broad, stronger-than-expected recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s.

The Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday that its much-watched manufacturing index grew from July to August for the first time in 19 months, rising to 52.9, the highest level since August 2007. Anything above 50 signals that manufacturing is expanding.

The institute says the figure corresponds to an overall economy growing at an annual pace of 3.7 percent, about twice as fast as economists have been predicting.

“It’s very good news,” says John Canally Jr., investment strategist at LPL Financial in Boston. “And it wasn’t just autos.”

To read the entire article, visit: Florida Realtors – http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=222669

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If you are interested in becoming a Florida Licensed Real Estate Agent, then please feel free to contact me by phone or email for information on how to get started in this rewarding career.

Rational Realty, LLC is always happy to accept a new agent into the brokerage.  You can visit Rational Realty on the web at www.RationalRealty.com.

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Have a safe and enjoyable 4th!

Happy 4th of July

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Warrington Revitalization Committee

Meeting Announcement

Tuesday July 14, 2009 at 5:30pm

Warrington Presbyterian Church

406 South Navy Blvd, Pensacola — Fellowship Hall

Please attend and let your voice be heard!

Guest Speaker: Commissioner Gene Valentino

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July 11, 2009 the Blue Angels will be performing over Pensacola Beach.  Get there early for a good spot.

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