Sitting on the Bridge At Last
I’ve talked about this idea for years. When I came up with the idea of marketing myself sitting on the Cape Coral Bridge I thought it would be fun to be on the big billboard at the bridge. Well, I finally made it happen. I’m on the Cape Coral Bridge. Isn’t that cool?
WASHINGTON – July 1, 2010 – The deadline for closing on a home and qualifying for the federal homebuyer tax credit ended at midnight, and the National Flood Insurance Programs expired May 31, 2010. But two bills reauthorizing each program received Congressional approval yesterday, though both still need President Obama’s signature to become law, a move expected shortly.
Once the president signs the bills, both extensions become retroactive, meaning the law will not recognize a lapse in coverage for either program.
Homebuyer tax credit
The only thing that changes under the new tax credit bill – The Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623) – is the deadline for closing on a home. Under the latest version of the tax credit, buyers had to secure a signed contract by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30, 2010. The bill extends the closing deadline to Sept. 30, 2010.
Short sales, however, can take considerably longer than two months to close. And an onslaught of buyers trying to beat the June 30 deadline proved challenging to Realtors, title companies and lawyers trying to beat the clock.
The National Association of Realtors lobbied heavily to get the tax credit extended, but Congress took the issue down to the wire before eventually approving the change.
National Flood Insurance Program
The federal flood insurance program has general support among lawmakers, but they continue to disagree on the details. As a result, it has expired three times this year, only to be reauthorized after the fact by Congress. Each extension is considered a short-term fix so lawmakers have time to consider a long-term solution.
Officially, NFIP is still on hiatus until the president signs the bill, HR 5569, into law; but once that happens, it’s official again back to May 31, 2010.
© 2010 Florida Realtors®
Energy is on the front page of the news a lot this past year or so. We are either talking about paying an incredible price at the pump or the Gulf Disaster spoiling the Louisiana shoreline and the eco systems.
My lease was up on my SUV and I needed to car shop. That is a very painful experience. I checked other car dealerships. Over the last decade I have driven only a Lexus because of the unmatched customer service, quality of the vehicle and the features that have made the Lexus a Lexus. The folks at Scanlon Lexus are the very best. The sales team, management, credit manager and service have always been the most professional, friendly and easy to deal with I have ever seen.
This year it just made sense to go for the hybrid. It is time to do more for our environment and go green. The HS250 is a great car and I get 29 miles per gallon. Now that is exciting! It’s not only good for the environment; it is great for the pocket book. I had the windows tinted to save on AC and it does.
Now we have to get greener in our homes. We need to turn down the hot water temp in the tank and blanket wrap it, turn up the temp. in the house. It is summer time; wear less and run the ceiling fan when you are in the room. Turn it off if you are leaving. Trim and hour off the pool pump. Make sure any windows with eastern or western exposure need tinting and blinds. With these small things you can save a ton of kilowatts. One more thing, those light bulbs that save energy. Just do it.
Now how hard is that? The greening of America. Let’s help.
The Cape Coral and Fort Myers Area Real Estate Markets are Hot again.
Call us and we can set up your search for you!
239-945-6559
The Southwest Florida Team is your biggest real estate connection between Cape Coral and Fort Myers. We serve the entire Southwest Florida area including Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Ft Myers Beach, Pine Island, Sanibel and Captiva Islands and Bonita Springs.
We all know the story of Cape Coral’s early years. There were a lot of brave people that came to the “promised land”. They fought off mosquito’s and lots of growth issues with very little money and look at us now.
We went from the “fly um, wine um and sign um” to beautiful waterfront wonderland and back again to national news of the highest number of foreclosures in the country.
Ok, I know there were problems of overbuilding, over spending by government and the housing debacle which has brought this city to its knees. But, I think the worst is over and new people are making Cape Coral home. They have new ideas and positive expectations of their future here in Cape Coral.
The vacant homes are being sold and filled with new residents that are neighbors, tax payers, shoppers and volunteers. We still have blue sky, palm trees, pelicans, eagles, borrowing owls, tropical breezes and the Publix bakery. It’s still Paradise!