Union City Eases Up (slightly) on Rental Owners: Rental property owners in Union City will now have until July 31 to comply with the businesses license requirement. Any property owner renting a single family home, condo or multi-family development must have a business license. Those who do not currently have a license must also pay one year in arrears.
Union City staff will be sending a letter that includes this updated information to property owners early next week.
For more information please contact Christina Nitoff at (510) 675-5343.
Now that the real estate market is picking up, so is the rental market. I have several homes and condos for rent, some available for immediate move in.
Please click the “RENTALS” link at the top of my website for information and a photo tour of these properties.
Please contact me for an appointment for viewing them.
Thanks,
~ Barry 510-794-7690 or 510-386-5066
I’m back from a week in paradise. We stayed a week in Maui. We all had a great time…of course, any week in Hawaii is better than a week at work. 
It was a real family vacation…wife, daughter, my mother and mother-in-law. I’ve been there several times, but this was my mother-in-law’s first time to Hawaii. She was pretty excited.
We visited my sister and her kids who live in Maui. We also did many other “tourist” things. The Luau, underwater sub, and the trip to Hana. On the way to Hana, I highly recommed making stops along the way. Bring a bag lunch and see the sights. And stop at the black sand beach and see the lava rock formations there.
We had a lot of clouds and a little rain almost every day, but we still warm weather dispite the rain. I had plently of time to read a book and sit by the pool. So now it’s back to work, and there’s plenty to catch up with. Thanks for reading…and I hope you can take your own vacation soon.
Many small businesses that provide health insurance coverage to their employees now qualify for a special tax credit, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Included in the health care reform legislation, the credit is designed to encourage small employers to offer health insurance coverage for the first time or maintain coverage they’re currently offering. The credit is available to small employers that pay at least half the cost of single coverage for their employees.
For example; small employers are considered to have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees paying wages averaging less than $50,000 per employee per year. However, because the eligibility formula is based in part on the number of FTEs, not the number of employees, many businesses will qualify even if they employ more than 25 individual workers.
The maximum credit is 35 percent of premiums paid in 2010 by eligible small business employers. Eligible small businesses can claim the credit as part of the general business credit starting with the 2010 income tax return they file in 2011. For tax-exempt employers, the IRS will provide further information on how to claim the credit.
On last Monday, April 5, banks nationwide began offering the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA). This new federal program will try to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by offering incentives to lenders that offer a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.
Earlier this week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported some lenders and loan services have been slow to implement the program or are unaware of its availability.
NAR has prepared resources to help REALTORS® answer questions about HAFA. Their new short sale Web page includes HAFA forms, breaking news and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac real estate commission policies.
Call your Realtor today for more info, or contact me and I will be happy to forward you some information.
~ Barry Ripp emailto: barry at barryripp.com
Post Office recycles electronics FREE. Next time you’re in the post office, ask the postal clerk for an envelope to recycle your cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, ink jet cartridges, digital cameras, and small electronics. The post office provides this free service, and all you have to do is peel the label of this 6-inch by 5.5-inch envelope and drop in your mail box.
Find local recycling centers for many other materials at Earth911.com
A new national survey gauging attitudes toward housing finds that 65% of Americans still prefer owning a home, despite the challenging economic environment and the housing downturn. The Fannie Mae National Housing Survey, conducted between December 2009 and January 2010, polled homeowners and renters to assess their confidence in homeownership as an investment, the current state of their household finances, views on the U.S. housing finance system, and overall confidence in the economy.
The survey revealed that homeowners and renters alike are taking a more cautious approach to homeownership. 23% renters polled said they will buy a home later than once planned. In addition, Americans with traditional, fixed-rate mortgages with predictable payments are significantly more satisfied than those with other types of mortgages. Respondents cited non-financial reasons such as safety (43 percent) and quality of local schools (33 percent) as driving factors in wanting to own a home, ahead of financial considerations.
60 percent of consumers believe that buying a home today is harder than it was for their parents, and 68 percent think it will be even more difficult for their children. 88 percent also believe that walking away from an underwater mortgage is not acceptable.
~ Barry Ripp www.barryripp.com
Are you ready to paint that old house?
Well, if it’s built before 1978, you may be in for a surprise. That’s because lead-laced paint was used in more than 38 million homes before being banned for residential use in 1978. And starting in April 2010 (next week), the EPA’s Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) rule takes effect; it requires that anyone paid to do a job that will disturb lead paint must:
- Be EPA certified
- Follow specified safety practices to contain and properly clean the work area, minimizing the generation and distribution of lead-paint dust
- Pass a final cleaning inspection
- Provide homeowners with proper documentation, including the Renovate Right pamphlet and a pre-renovation form
The bad news: Renovation prices may go up, what with more certifications, work requirements and inspections. The good news: Job sites will be safer for contractors and homeowners.
If you’re hiring a remodeler or painting contractor, know what to expect from them. Check these important facts about the dangers of lead, checking for lead in your home and keeping your family safe.
Good luck with your painting project.
This information was obtained from the “Handyman Club of America”
The Federal Reserve announced it will maintain its target for the federal funds rate in the 0 percent to 0.25 percent range, and expects economic conditions to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period of time. “Information … suggests that economic activity continues to strengthen and that the labor market is stabilizing,” the Fed said in a prepared statement.
“Household spending is expanding at a moderate rate, but remains constrained by high unemployment, modest income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. Business spending on equipment and software has risen significantly,” the Fed said. “However, investment in nonresidential structures is declining, housing starts have been flat at a depressed level, and employers remain reluctant to add to payrolls.
“While bank lending continues to shrink, financial market conditions remain supportive of economic growth. Although the pace of economic recovery is likely to be moderate for a time, the Committee anticipates a gradual return to higher levels” the Fed said.
The Fed also said it would end its program of purchasing mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to help keep home loan rates low. That program will conclude at the end of this month when the Fed’s mortgage bond holdings reach the $1.25-trillion limit it set last year.
Affordable home prices, tax credits for home buyers, historically low interest rates, and a large number of distressed properties prompted many first-time home buyers to enter the market in 2009, according to C.A.R.’s 2009-2010 “State of the California Housing Market” report released today.
California’s median home price hit bottom in February 2009 at $245,170. Since then, the median home price has increased steadily in month-to-month comparisons, but remained below 2008 levels throughout 2009. The annual median price is projected to increase to $280,000 in 2010 from $271,000 in 2009.
Homes priced $500,000 or less dominated the sales mix throughout 2008 and early 2009, but peaked at 85 percent in January 2009. Meanwhile, the market share of homes sold for more than $500,000 increased from 15 percent in January 2009 to 25 percent in July 2009, holding steady around that figure for the remainder of last year.
So if you are thinking of buying, what’s stopping you? Contact me and I can show you your next step, why wait any longer?
