Home for Sale in Houston TX- 17427 Saddlebrush Trail
The Texas Primary Is Finally Here! Information on Who, What, and Where
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Harris County Primary Elections are HERE! What to do?… Where to go?…
Harris County Primary Elections are finally here!!!
Early voting starts Monday, May 14, 2012 and runs through May 25, 2012. Election Day is May 29th. But don’t wait till the last minute.
Where do I vote? Find out at: http://www.harrisvotes.com/
What’s on the ballot? Find out at: http://www.harrisvotes.com/
What does it all mean? Help, I need some guidance.
NRA grades some of the candidates at: http://www.nrapvf.org/grades-endorsements/2012/texas.aspx
Don't Give Up Your Freedom to Vote!
Homestead Exemptions in TEXAS-Are You At Risk?
If a husband and wife own a property and the spouse passes away, the current spouse MUST re-apply for the homestead exemption at 100%. Because when you are married, they give 50%-wife/50%-husband. If they don’t re-apply, they will remove 50% of the exemption and generate a rollback tax for the year or years that may apply.
A new department has been created at HCAD and once a month they check the death records to see who has died and compare to the current exemption on the property.
On a property closed last year, HCAD sent a letter to the property, and by the time the letter was sent, the husband had passed away — so the heirs have to apply to get it back on.
The same scenario applies for a DIVORCED COUPLES … the now single person needs to reapply for 100% ownership or they will remove 50% and re-tax.
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We can agree that this is not a great subject to think about, but is good information to know.
Is It REALLY Smarter to Buy Instead of Rent?
We keep hearing why it’s smarter to buy vs. rent and this information is no exception. Let’s look at these 5 great points:
1. Real estate keeps pace with or exceeds the rate of inflation- Today everyone is concerned about the level of federal spending. A key concern is inflation. Hard assets such as real estate, gold and silver — have historically served as hedges against inflation
2. The lowest interest rates since the 1950s -Remember in the downturn in the 1980s, they jumped as high as 21 percent. In the early 1990s, they were at 12 percent? That wasn’t all the long ago. Don’t look back and kick yourself for not paying attention to the signs.
3. Increasing interest rates add up fast- It only makes sense to buy now when rates are at historic lows.
4. The market may have already bottomed-You need to ask yourself how much further you believe the market will drop as a percentage. If you think it may still drop 10% consider how much the increased rate will cost you over the life of the loan.
5. Build your wealth, not your landlord’s- An additional benefit of homeownership: each month you pay your mortgage, you accumulate equity. In contrast, renters are paying down their landlord’s mortgage, allowing the landlord to accumulate the wealth rather than them.
Thus, in the long term, for some individuals it’s almost always smarter to buy rather than rent.
For more detailed info visit: http://lowes.inman.com/newsletter/2012/03/28/news/183098