Good News:

$8,000 Home Buyers Tax Credit Approved & Extended by Congress

This is a fabulous and savvy move by our congress. This home buyers tax extention  will help consumers, realtors and help to stimulate our economy.

Congress has approved the $8,000 home buyers tax credit extension.This bill was unanimously passed by both houses.

This bill was set to expire at the end of this month. The Home Buyers extension date is now April 30, 2010. You must be entered into a contract by this time.   Homes must be closed by June 30, 2010.

There is another new $6,500 Home Buyers tax credit incentive for existing property owners that want to sell their home and possibly buy another during the same period of time. You must have owned your current residence for 5 consecutive years to be eligible for this.

Here  are a couple of the qualifying limits listed below:

Qualifying Income limits:
     raised from $75,000 to $125,000 for single tax payers 
     raised from $150,000 to $225,000 for joint tax payers

The maximum allowable home purchase price is $800,000 to qualify for this home buyers credit.

  Here is a link where you may find out more information on the Home Buyers Tax Credit:             http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204671,00.html

 It is a great time to buy a home. Interest rates are low. There are many homes to choose from, on the market. If you are interested in purchasing a new home, or selling an existing home, just give me a call. It would be "my pleasure" to help you!

Your Real Estate Connection

Just Reduced to $45000.

Must see!  Great First Time Home! Newly remodeled 2 bedroom 1 bath home in older established Gastonia neighborhood.

Has new central air conditioning, new gas pack, 2 car concrete driveway, fenced front yard, screened in front porch, 8x12 out building, New carpet, new linoleum,Ceiling fans.

Give me a call today to see this newly remodeled home!

Partial  tax credit possible for first time homebuyers.

Ginger Moore

704 865 4290

Cell: 704 689 1502

Do Some Granite Counter Emit Radon Gas?

Yes they do. Not all granite counter tops emit this radon gas, but if you have them in your kitchen, you should check and see if they are emitting radon gas. It is very simple to find out if they are doing this. Just go down to your local Home Depot, Lowes or any hardware store, and get a radon gas kit tester. It can tell you immediately if these coutertops are indeed emitting radon gas. These kits usually sell for around $20 to $30. This is a small price to pay, for peace of mind. It is very important to test for this radiation, because radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Children and a developing fetus are extremely susceptible to this radiation. You may also find granite used in building fireplaces. Please test any area that granite is used in your home.  Since we know it can cause lung cancer, and harm developing children,  please use caution if  you are pregnant and have granite coutertops.

Gastonia NC  is a sleepy small suburban town, right outside of Charlotte.  Many workers from Charlotte live and commute from the Gastonia area, and call it home. Taxes, and home prices are lower, here, as you might expect, than our neighboring Charlotte. Affordable homes are plentiful. You can get more square footage, and a more luxurious home, for your money, here in our city. It is a most wonderful southern town, where you will be greeted with southern hospitality and warm broad smiles.  It is an excellent place to live, raise your children, and call home. We are perfectly situated between the beautiful, majestic mountains of NC, and the tranquil, sandy Carolina beaches. You can get to both places within a few hours. I am a native Charlottean, but have lived in Gastonia, and called it "home"  for the past 23 years. We have some superb academic schools for our children, fabulous restaurants, aromatic coffee bars, and an awesome, fully stocked shopping mall where you may want to  walk and shop inside. Gourmet Restaurants are plentiful, full of every type of quisine. Our weather is fabulous! We have mostly sunny days, and only have a few cold months during the entire year. Snow is rarely seen around here. I seldom have to wear a coat in the winter time. We also have walking/biking trails that run by the scenic green wooded park and the crystal clear creek. Come to our beautiful city and see for yourself. Get a sample of the gorgeous Carolina Blue Skies, and you may never want to leave. It would be my sincere pleasure  to help you with buying, selling or relocating to this grand, warm and friendly, southern historic city!

We'll leave the lights on for ya! :)

Ginger Moore   704 865 4290

Consumer Education

I do not wish to alarm anyone but would like your undivided attention for just a few minutes.  I have recently learned that some of the wood we use, is treated with arsenic as a preservative. I do realize this must be essential, and necessary in maintaing wood integrity and longivity, but could be a detriment and harmful to us human beings.  As a result of this wood treatment, the wooden deck that you may be using so frequently for your outdoor activities and cookouts, may pose a dangerous or even deadly health risk if you should lay your food down on it, unprotected for any length of time.  I am writing this post to inform everyone that uses a wooden deck for their picnics, so they will know and can  benefit from this knowledge.  If you should have a wooden deck, there is a strong possibility that the wood could have been treated with arsenic. As we all know, arsenic is a deadly poison, but is apparently a required additive to our wood preservation.  We all know we love decks to eat on in the summertime, and I am sure that some people use them year round for this explicit purpose.   My warnings to you: please do not lay your food down on the wood of the deck, unprotected without a plate, or without  some protection underneath it.  This is especially significant if you should have children of any age utilizing the deck.  I have seen this in the past, before I was aware of this information, where children would lay their hot dogs, cheesburgers, chips on the wood of the deck, only to come back later, pick the food up, and eat it.. Apparently some of this arsenic may seep into the food laid on the deck.  We now know that this is a dreadful thing to do,  and could quite possibly become deadly. Please dispose of any food laid on your deck, so that you may not encounter this problem.   Therefore, as you are enjoying your dog days of summer on the wonderful, secluded wooden deck, please pay close attention to your children, and where they are laying their food. Please,  no Unprotected Hot Dogs, or any unprotected food on the wood of the deck:)

My intentions are not to frighten or discourage you from using your deck.  I just want us all to be well informed, educated consumers. Use your deck  appropriately and safely. Protect your food, and enjoy the marvelous outdoors.  Have a Great summer!

Ginger Moore

704 865 4290

www.charlottelakewyliehomes.com

 http://gmoore.wilkinsonandassociates.com/

It has only been mabe 24 hours since hearing of the death of Michael Jackson, and it is still lingering on my mind.  I, like many of you, grew up with his fabulous music and videos.  He was definately the "King of Pop" and a legend in his own time.  His music influenced so very many generations and walks of life: other rock-pop professionals, down to the average people, like myself.  I can remember when "Billie Jean" first came out, (which has always been one of my favorite songs by Michael)  we would gather, sit and talk, and play this tune over and over.  We would spend our  week end nights dancing and listening to his unique music. My family of  friends and I  (that I was fortunate enough to be blessed with) from that era, would also frequent the Charlotte clubs that played Michael's timeless music.  There were only  8 track tapes, 45's and albums back then, but it sounded magnificent.  It was like no other sound at the time.   He will be deeply missed by all parts of the world!  I am happy that he made it so very big in the entertainment business. He was an extremely talented singer and dancer. Let us not forget that Michael was quite an accomplished song writer also. It is just an enormous tragedy beyond belief that such a talented and gifted young man could leave this world so soon! He had light years ahead of him, only to be taken down prematurely, by massive amounts of  prescription drugs??  Well, he may be gone, physically, but not forgotten.  It will most certainly be a long time before another entertainer can achieve the unparallelled  success that Michael Jackson accomplished in his short memorable lifetime. Michael's music has undeniably withstood the test of time. He was a musical genius!  May he rest eternally in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Warm wishes and God's bountiful blessings to his  bereaved family,  dedicated friends, and life time folllowers

Ginger Moore  704 865 4290

www.charlottelakewyliehomes.com

Michael Jackson's  other songs I adored: I'll Be There, Man in the Mirror, We are the World.  What are your favorite songs from Michael?  How do you feel about his untimely and unfortunate death? What are your thoughts on this subject?

I have been encountering a problem over the last year on several of my listings, in different areas.  It is the Mystery of the  Missing Real Estate Signs.  I will put up a brand new for sale sign, and directionals, only to come back a few days later to find they are missing.   Why would someone want to take a real estate for sale sign with my riders on it?   I guess it is just mischevious teenagers with nothing else to do, that possibly take our signs and trash them somewhere.  I do not know how to alleviate this problem.  I cannot camp out at the home, or the land...grin; so what does one do?   I suppose I will just have to keep replacing these signs, periodically.  They are not free at my firm.  We must pay for each individual sign.  Anyone out there, with similar problems or answers to the mysterious disappearance of their real estate signs?  and how do you address this situation, other than just buying new signs frequently?    I would like to solve this mystery...:) Any clues?

thanking you in advance,

Ginger  704 865 4290

www.charlottelakewyliehomes.com

Just a note to sellers out there who want to sell their home fast.  Yes, this can be done but the home must be priced right.  I have seen some selllers  that seem to think their home is worth double what the neighbor's comparable home is worth, in the same neighborhood, and similar sqare footage.  We have to do a comparative market analysis on your home, which is free,  and price it within the range of similar homes that are around you. When your home is overpriced, it just tends to sit on the market for quite a while, until the market catches up with your pricing. That could be years. Yes, I have seen homes sit on the MLS for years, when the price is too high. So, to keep it short and sweet, please price your home appropriately, and relative to the surrounding homes in the market.   Proper, suitable pricing will help to ensure that your home sells faster.  Correct pricing is mandatory for a fast sale, in this highly competitive market.  This is a win win situation for all who are involved.

Ginger Moore 704 865 4290