Sioux Falls SD real estate listings and homes for sale, home buying, home selling information – Real Estate Ray Group

Real Estate Ray's Blog

Location, Location, Location

February 6th, 2009 3:37 PM

When buying a home it’s important to find one that fit your needs today as well as in the future. You’ll need to find a home with enough bedrooms, garage spaces, bathrooms and amenities that fit your lifestyle. One thing that may be overlooked in the excitement of finding your perfect home is the neighborhood.

Our first house was in, what I call, a turnover neighborhood. One where most of the residents were older, retirement age folks. They raised their kids in the neighborhood and most of them were moving to smaller homes or going somewhere warm to retire. We were one of the very first young couples to move into the neighborhood. Soon after that houses up and down the street went on the market…we thought it was because we moved in and they didn’t like us!

Well…long story short…lots of other young couples like us moved into the neighborhood within the first year and, because of busy schedules not all of us knew each other. One of our neighbors was a delivery guy Monday through Friday. Left early in the morning, came home in the early evening, kept his lawn mowed, pretty much kept to himself…a pretty good neighbor…until the weekends!

This quiet neighbor was also a pretty good motorcycle mechanic it turned out. So, on Saturday and Sunday all of his friends would come to his house with their motorcycles and he would give them a tune up or a good once over to make them run a little better. Now, don’t get me wrong…I have nothing against motorcycles, mechanics or those who ride motorcycles…BUT…the only way to test a motorcycle after a tune up is to drive it down the street as fast as you can, several times. It gets a little noisy to say the least.

Here’s my point about neighborhoods; They aren’t always what they appear to be. The quiet neighbor Monday through Friday can be the noisiest one on the weekends.

I suggest that you drive through the neighborhood in the morning, the evening and on the weekends. Better yet, take a walk in the neighborhood at different times of day and on different days of the week. You may notice that everything is just fine, but you may also find a potential problem you don’t want to deal with.

You can also call the police station and ask about police calls that have been made for specific addresses in the past 12 months. You’ll find out what the call was for but not the specifics of the call.

I also recommend doing a search for sex offenders in the neighborhood prior to making an offer on the house. In Minnehaha County you can go to http://www.minnehahacounty.org and search the entire zip code that your new home is in. You’ll find the name, address and the crime committed by the offenders living in the area.

If you love the house but not the neighborhood…keep looking. Finding a good neighborhood is good for your family and for your homes re-sale value.

To learn more about purchasing a home, keep touring my website or call me at 728-9997 or drop me a note at ray@hjnteam.com

Posted by Ray Schut on February 6th, 2009 3:37 PMPost a Comment (0)

Just Listed! 3904 E 21st St Sioux Falls, SD 57103

February 25th, 2009 11:12 AM

$122,500.00
3904 E 21st St

Sioux Falls, SD 57103

Beds: 4.0	Rooms: 0
Baths: 1.00	Sq. Ft.: 1591.00
Garage: 1.0	Built: 1962

This is a new listing that
I thought you might be
interested in. Visit this
listing online to see more
photos of the property,
Google Earth satellite
images, and much more.

If you have any questions
about this property or
require more information,
please feel free to call.

Ray Schut
Real Estate Ray Group
605-728-9997
www.realestateraysiouxfalls.com

Visit this listing at Here

Posted by Ray Schut on February 25th, 2009 11:12 AMPost a Comment (0)

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

February 18th, 2009 3:17 PM

Everyone is talking about the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. There has been a lot of uncertainty about what exactly is happening with all of this. Below is the easiest to understand break down of how this will apply to you. Thank you to Justin Pfeiffer for this information

Here are some things to keep in mind:

A first time home buyer is defined as someone who has not owned a home in the last three years
Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit
You cannot purchase the home from a related party like a spouse, direct ancestor, or direct lineal descendent (child or grandchild); however, you can still qualify for the credit if you purchase a property from siblings, nephews, nieces, and others
If you are married, both spouses must be first-time home buyers
If more than one unmarried individual is buying the property, the credit can be split up among all the individuals who qualify. However, the total credit taken cannot exceed $7,500 for homes purchased in 2008 and $8,000 for homes purchased in 2009

For Homes Purchased Between April 9, 2008 and December 31, 2008

The credit amounts to 10% of the purchase price of the home not to exceed $7,500
The tax credit works like an interest free loan and must be repaid over a 15 year period

For Homes Purchased Between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009

The credit amounts to 10% of the purchase price of the home not to exceed $8,000
The tax credit does not need to be paid back if you continue living in the home as your primary residence for three years without selling it

How does a tax credit work?
A tax credit is a special provision that reduces income tax liability on a dollar for dollar basis. When filing a tax return, you must include income items, deduction items and the number of exemptions, among other things, to figure your total tax liability. For example, if your total tax liability for the year is $8,000, and you qualify for the full $8,000 tax credit, this credit would wipe out all of the tax due. If your employer already deducted the $8,000 from your pay checks throughout the year, you would receive a tax refund of $8,000. If you owe less than $8,000 in taxes for the year, you are still eligible for the full $8,000 credit when you file your tax returns. In that case, the IRS will write you a check for the difference between $8,000 and your actual tax bill.

I am available to answer questions about the stimulus package as it effects out industry. Please call or email me anytime.

Justin Pfeiffer

Mortgage Loan Officer

First Bank & Trust

2300 W 57th Street

Sioux Falls, SD 57108

Office: 605-782-8095

Cell: 605-360-3600

Fax: 605-335-2233

Posted by Ray Schut on February 18th, 2009 3:17 PMPost a Comment (0)