April 18-24, 2010:: Georgia's Cities Week (Gerogia Cities: Energy to Transform) Hinesville will share information about the services the city provides to residents. From clean ups, to coloring contests, to festivals and open houses it is a great chance to see what the city has to offer!

Yesterday, at a Liberty County Chamber of Commerce Progress Through People Luncheon, Brigadier General Jeff Phillips cheerfully spoke about the great relationship between Fort Stewart and Hinesville, GA; as well as the plans for the 77,413 Troops and families.

"Hinesville is a warm and friendly place for military families to live," General Phillips said that is what Washington told him when he received orders to PCS to Fort Stewart. Those words are now General Phillip's personal belief after he has lived it for himself and why he now calls Hinesvlle his home. His appreciative and sincere comments included Fort Stewart seeing "fabulous support that the Hinesville Community as giving," and the City of Hinesville's recurring harmonious system to work with.

Good news for Fort Stewart troops was in abundance during his presentation as we not only expect "1,000 or so"more troops to be added to the 3rd ID family but also welcome home over 10,000 troops between September and December. On behalf of the ARMY, General Phillips expressed the regretfulness of the ARMY not being able to bring a 5th Brigade to Fort Stewart, and in encouraging words explained that he does not see Fort Stewart getting smaller. Fort Stewart offers many resources to the ARMY and has important functionalities parallel to the massive base of Fort Hood in Texas. General Phillips continued with great news that the ARMY plans on launching "Campaign Continuity", where they will keep 3 units at home for every 1 unit deployed. This will have a very good impact on business in Hinesville.

Genral Phillips gave an amazing presentation that was honest, positive, and mirrored the inevitable fact that Hinesville is growing. Thank you General Philips for your invigorating presentation.

Thank a soldier, thank a soldier's spouse and family. They face the ulitmate challenges and endure countless sacrifices. God Bless the military and their families.

If you have any questions or concerns about this blog or about the Hinesville area, please feel free to contact Janie Diggs at 912-980-1319 or Janie@TopProducer.com . You can also visit me at www.JanieDiggs.com .

Its that time of the year again! Our awards banquet was Friday night and it was a very nice set up.  Traditionally our awards banquets have been semi-formal to formal and on a Friday evening in March.  This is where we are presented with Awards for production, REALTOR of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Community Service awards, etc.  This years event was fun, delightful, and full of praise. There was a live band, dancing, and good food. We had a good turn out and everyone looked beautiful and happy, especially the awardees :-)

Despite the successes of the Award Banquets in the past, there has been some discussions over the last few years about whether or not these Award Banquets should become luncheons in lieu of a semiformal event of the year. Some people are saying that a luncheon would be easier, while others are saying that it takes away from the award by minimizing its worth.

I want to know what you think. Does your Board of REALTORS do a large annual function? or do you do a luncheon? Would you prefer one over the other? and why?

The City of Hinesville and All of Liberty County has earned the privilege of becoming a Georgia Work Ready area.  This state initiative opens great opportunities for job seekers, current employees, and employers.

For job seekers: Take a FREE test at the Liberty Campus Savannah Technicial Institute in Hinesville. The test will measure your work skills in three categories. Depending on your score you will receive a Certificate labeled Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. These are levels.  If you feel that you want to get a better level certificate, you can take a FREE online course to learn the skills and then retake the test.  Walk into an interview and feel confident that you have what they need.

For current emplyees: Take the FREE Work Skills test and you could increase the opportunity to get a promotion in your current job field, depending on your employer.

For employers: There is a general test offered that will measure a persons general knowledge on mathematics, locating information, and reading for information. If you need a more specific test done, you can request for a test be made for that specific job position.  This is normally $2000, but because we are "Work Ready", it is FREE. A person will "shadow" the job on site and make notes as to what is needed for the job.  A test will be created, and may be offered for FREE to the public.  Then you can require that only a certain level of certificate for that position is required to apply; within labor laws. This will cut down on HR work and save you time and money! Some employers are already requiring a certificate in order to accept any applications for any positions. Also, if you have less than 50 employees, you may be eligible to receive $250 per certified employee that you hire. There is a cap on the total amount you can receive. This extra incentive will cut the cost of time paid during training.

This is a fantastic program that give endless opportunity to everyone.  Great Job Liberty County for getting certified to offer this to your community! 

If you would lilke more information on this program, pelase visit www.gaworkready.org. If you ahve any questions about the local real estate for the Hinesville/Fort Stewart area, please visit www.JanieDiggs.com.

CNN broadcasted a news release last night about Hinesville, Georgia that was completely out of context and cruel to our community.  I am enraged at the lack of real research done on the story and the completely false insinuation of Hinesville's support of General Cuculo III and our honored Troops of 3rd ID. To make it seem like our community was attacking leadership on Fort Stewart was disappointing to me.  If CNN needs negative news, stick with the Health Plan saga and things that really need your help. Stop Lying and hurting communities that are striving to live, prosper, and succeed. Interviews were twisted and good, hard working, reputable people are embarrassed about the spin that CNN reported.

Hinesville is a growing city that is building as we speak in several areas.  Any person who does the right research will see the new industries developing and the businesses are progressing.  Local newspaper, the Coastal Courier, recently published a Business in Progress section that was pages long about the things that our community is developing and shows our positive growth.

The announcement that a 5th brigade was not going to be added to our community had its negative impacts on some large municipality developments/plans and and a few proactive builders who took a risk based on the expectation of a new brigade; however, we have always supported our soldiers and our great Generals that take on the responsibility of leading our spouses, children, and parents through war and serving our country.  The news that the new brigade was not going to be added was a decision our community will conquer, but in no way does this community blame General Cuculo III or Fort Stewarts leaders and soldiers. 

The news broadcast was based on isolated occurances where builders risked large debt for the possibility making millions of dollars. No one blames the builders, they did what any smart developer would do, and unfortunately they are suffering individually; because the unexpected occured. The video taken of the "ghost town" was a small area that does not represent the majority of Hinesville, where a few builders are definitely suffering.  

Hinesville is a great place to live! I am publishing this blog, not as a Realtor, but as a supporter of the Hinesville community, who has lived in the area for almost 20 years. I am a past military dependent as a daughter and wife. I am passionate about our community and the positive direction that our military and local leadership has always taken us. We decided to raise our children in Hinesville despite pcs orders and opportunities outside of Hinesville. Our leadership deserve thanks, not cruelty and lies. 

To find out more check out www.cityofhinesville.org and www.libertycounty.org..If you are looking to move to the area and have questions concerning our community, please contact me, Janie Diggs at janie@reliberty.com and you can also visit www.janiediggs.com.

THANK YOU LIBERTY COUNTY and CITY OF HINESVILLE LEADERS...ROCK OF THE MARNE!

First-Time Homebuyers (FTHBs): First-time homebuyers (that is, people who have not owned a home within the last three years) may be eligible for the tax credit. The credit for FTHBs is 10% of the purchase price of the home, with a maximum available credit of $8,000.

Single taxpayers and married couples filing a joint return may qualify for the full tax credit amount.

Current Owners: The tax credit program now gives those who already own a residence some additional reasons to move to a new home. This incentive comes in the form of a tax credit of up to $6,500 for qualified purchasers who have owned and occupied a primary residence for a period of five consecutive years during the last eight years.

Single taxpayers and married couples filing a joint return may qualify for the full tax credit amount.

What are the New Deadlines?In order to qualify for the credit, all contracts need to be in effect no later than April 30, 2010 and close no later than June 30, 2010.

Tax Credit Versus Tax Deduction  It's important to remember that the tax credit is just that... a tax credit. The benefit of a tax credit is that it's a dollar-for-dollar tax reduction, rather than a reduction in a tax liability that would only save you $1,000 to $1,500 when all was said and done. So, if a first-time homebuyer were to owe $8,000 in income taxes and would qualify for a tax credit of $8,000, she would owe nothing.

Better still, the tax credit is refundable, which means the homebuyer can receive a check for the credit if he or she has little income tax liability. For example, if a first-time homebuyer is eligible for a tax credit of $8,000 but is liable for $4,000 in income tax, she can still receive a check for the remaining $4,000!

Higher Income Caps The amount of income someone can earn and qualify for the full amount of the credit has been increased.

Single tax filers who earn up to $125,000 are eligible for the total credit amount. Those who earn more than this cap can receive a partial credit. However, single filers who earn $145,000 and above are ineligible

Joint filers who earn up to  $225,000 are eligible for the total credit amount. Those who earn more than this cap can receive a partial credit. However, joint filers who earn $245,000 and above are ineligible.

Maximum Purchase Price Qualifying buyers may purchase a property with a maximum sale price of $800,000.

Intersted in Buying a home in the Hinesville and Fort Stewart, Georgia area? Call Janie Diggs, Associate Broker, Realty Executives Liberty, 912-980-1319 or 912-877-6600 ASK FOR JANIE.

Information given by Donna Jones, VP and Branch Manager for Pine State Mortgage. Call  Donna is you would like to see if you are qualified to buy at 912-572-4000. Be sure to tell her Janie Diggs recommended you to her.

June 12, 2009 in Albany, Hinesville, and Warner Robbins from 9a-5p at their city's State Technical Institute June 13, 2009 in Atlanta, Athens, and Calhoun from 9a-5p at their city's State Technical Institute.

This expo will bring business, homeownership and gobernment resourse together to share information about federal/state and private economic development tools and other resources that are available to encourage individuals and businesses to invest and/continue to invest in Georgia's economy.

Find out the great incentive your Federal and State Government is offering in an effort to stimulate the economy!

I will be at the City of Hinesville Booth most of the day, so come visit me for a chance to win gift certificates to Kroger AND everyone who stops by to speak with me will receive a coupon that will give you a free home warranty when you buy or sell real estate in our area. BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, you dont want to miss this!!

Feel free to call me with details or questions--I'd love to hear from you!

This Expo is hosted by Governor Sonny Perdue, Commissioner Mike Beatty, Commissioner Ron Jackson, Commissioner Ken Stewart, and Commissioner Joe Doyle...Thank you Gentlement for making this great opportunity available to the public!

www.JanieDiggs.com
Associate Broker
Realty Executives Liberty
912-877-6600
912-877-6051 DIRECT

This week's issue of the Frontline announced the military's increase in 2009 BAH (for those that are not familiary with military, this is the housing allowance ). It has increased $89/mo. For exampe, E-1 thru E-4 with depedants will now get $1052 per month.  With interest rates in the last week being at 5%, and available programs at 0% down with 30 years: $1052 is the house payment of a  $145,000 home (this includes an estimated $290 for taxes and insurance, which may vary depending in where the home is and the insurance company used) ! There are several houses to include new constructon at this price and even less.  Feel free to conact me if you have any questions. www.janiediggs.com

The General spoke at the Liberty County Chamber of Commerces "Progress Thru People" Luncheon this month. He talked about the 5th Brigade that is going to be created at Fort Stewart. "Between now and 2013 at least 10,000 more people wll be pouring in here." He mentioned that this brigade that currently doesnt exist is already on the deployment chart and how critical it is to the Army for this brigade to be built. The Commader stressed the need for planning and preparation.

Liberty County is still growing and prospering through even these "tough" times. Because Fort Stewart is our immediate neighbor, we benefit with vast real estate expansion and thriving businesses.

Liberty County is the place to invest, to live, and to grow.

Major General Anthony Cucolo III the Commanding General of Fort Stewart, Georgia spoke at the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce "Progress Thru People" Luncheon. The Coastal Courier reported that He spoke about the creation of the 5th Brigade at Fort Stewart. He confidently said "Between now and 2013, at least 10,000 more people will be pouring in here. It's real. It's going to happen." This brigade that currently does not exist is already on the deployment chart and it is critical that to the ARMY that this new brigade be built. He stressed the need for planning and preparation.

Hinesville is the city that lies just outside of Fort Stewart. We are growing fast. With this new brigade coming in, along with the low interest rates, now is the time to invest in our area. Whether you are wanting to buy a home to live in, or continue your investments in real estate with single family, mulit-family, or commercial ventures, feel free to call Janie Diggs, Associate Broker at REalty Executives Liberty, 912-877-6051 to talk about several opportunites. 

 Liberty County Coastal Courier, Friday November 14, 2008. Volume 139, Issue 136