Two Great Reasons for San Jose Seniors to Sell (and Buy) in 2010

Two Great Reasons for San Jose Seniors to Sell (and Buy) in 2010

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

I’ll make it brief and to the point: 2010 is your year to sell if

1) You plan to sell and want to buy another property, especially if the new property will be less than $800,000, and/or

2) You have significant equity built up and want to save capital gains tax, as the existing benefit ends at the close of 2010.

Currently, there is a new, limited-time tax credit available to homeowners selling and buying a property (both must close by April 30, 2010). Also, a single person who closes by December 31, 2010 can keep $250,000 in tax free capital gains, and a married couple doing the same can keep up to $500,000.

Sales of assets held more than 12 months and sold on or after May 6, 2003 qualify for the 15 percent capital gains rate (5 percent for lowest income taxpayers and zero percent beginning in 2008). The capital gains rate reverts to 20 and 10 percent for assets held for more than 12 months and sold after December 31, 2010.

Is NOW Your Time to Buy a Home?
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Santa Clara at the Bottom of Forbes List

Santa Clara at the Bottom of Forbes List

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Everyone wants to be in the Top 10…except on Forbes list of most overpriced homes.

This newly updated list features Kissimmee/Orlando, Florida as #1.

To find the cities with the most overpriced homes, they ranked the 40 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas--geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, for use in collecting statistics.

Using data provided to Forbes by Altos Research, a Mountain View, Calif.-based real estate research firm, each metro area was ranked on the following:

1) percentage of homes that had seen price reductions, an indicator of inflated pricing;

2) the median number of days spent on the market (the longer homes stay on the market, the more likely they are to be overvalued);

3) and the ratio of median list price (or asking price) to median absorbed price. As an indicator that other previously overpriced areas have evened out, Las Vegas, Sacramento and San Francisco are all at the bottom (#37-40) of the list.

Imagine my relief as a real estate consultant who specializes in selling homes in San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Los Gatos & Campbell, to find out the great news: Santa Clara is near the bottom! We're number 38! Yay! (Only two areas were lower than us).

You can check it out at http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/03/cities-overpriced-sales-lifestyle-real-estate-miami-florida-homes_chart.html 38 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area 34343724 http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/03/cities-overpriced-sales-lifestyle-real-estate-miami-florida-homes_chart.html.

Toys for Toys Football Game Fundraiser Sat., Dec. 12th at 2pm

Toys for Toys Football Game Fundraiser Sat., Dec. 12th at 2pm

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Do you love football? Do you want to help children have a good Christmas?

Whether you live in Santa Clara County or San Francisco, if you’re looking for a fun way to get your football fix and feel good by doing good, come watch the 2nd annual Toys-4-Tots Football Fundraiser this Saturday afternoon at 2pm.


TFT poster

Held at Jefferson High School in Daly City, (6996 Mission St., Daly City, 94014) the game features the South Bay Stallions vs. the Pacifica Islanders. Both teams plan to play hard and give an entertaining game for fans.

Either bring a new unwrapped toy (value $10+) or buy a ticket for $10 at the door. All proceeds benefit Toys for Tots. For more info, visit www.sbstallions.com or www.ncfl.com.

Support Cupertino Schools! Inexpensive Holiday Concerts TONIGHT, December 10th

Support Cupertino Schools! Inexpensive Holiday Concerts TONIGHT, December 10th

by Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Are you looking for a family-friendly, entertaining way to enjoy the holidays? Wherever you live in Silicon Valley - Cupertino, San Jose, Saratoga, Sunnyvale or Santa Clara, support Cupertino area high schools and attend one of the low-cost holiday choir concerts TONIGHT, December 10th.

CUPERTINO HIGH SCHOOL December 10 — Holiday Concert at 7:00pm in Auditorium
LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL December 10 — Holiday Concert at 7:30pm in Auditorium
HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL — Winter Pops Concert at 6pm and at 8pm in Auditorium

In addition to (or if you can't make one tonight), consider:

FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL December 17 — Choir Concert at 7pm at Saint Luke in Sunnyvale
or
MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL December 17 — Holiday Concert at 7:30pm in Auditorium

These students have rehearsed and planned to bring a festive, enjoyable performance to the community. It's cold outside, but these shows will warm your heart without straining your pocketbook.

Joining the 200 Club

Joining the 200 Club

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Since my blog about passing the 100-post milestone, I’m happy to report this is my 200th blog post on ActiveRain.

What’s happened between 100 and 200?

Since I posted my 100th blog on October 15, 2009, in less than 2 months I’ve

1) Moved up from somewhere in the 500 zone to being in the Top 200 AR bloggers in my state (California, the most populous state in the nation-and FULL of RE agents! As in 24,591 on AR)
2) Upped my ranking in Santa Clara County to #6 (out of 1081 agents-as I was writing this, 2 more joined, it’s now 1083 agents in Santa Clara County)
3) Become the #2 Featured Agent in San Jose (out of 556)
4) Seen my Google ranking rise on October 27th to the Top 10 position in 2 different target markets (Cupertino homes for sale, Saratoga homes for sale) and Top 20 position for San Jose homes for sale)
5) Presented a Webinar at the inaugural Virtual Real Estate Bar Camp on It’s Raining Blogs: How to be an ActiveRain Rainmaker, and why agents should blog and be on Active Rain.

Thanks to all who are reading this and you can do it, too!

Do You Need to Postpone Paying Property Taxes This Year?

Do You Need to Postpone Paying Property Taxes This Year?

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Do you need to postpone paying property taxes this year? Taxes are considered late and significant fines begin accruing immediately after 5:00 pm on December 10th.

If you are blind, disabled or 62 years of age or older, and if you have an annual income of $24,000 or less, you may have the option of having the State pay all or part of the property taxes on your home or mobile home.

However this option does not exempt you from paying eventually. Instead, this deferred payment is a lien on the property and becomes due upon sale, change of residence, or death. The filing period for property tax postponement is between May 15 and December 10 (less than 7 days from now).

Information and claim forms can be obtained by calling the State Controller's Office at 1-800-952-5661, or by visiting their website. (http://www.sco.ca.gov/)

You can also view and pay property taxes online via electronic check (for a fee of $15) or by credit card (for 2.5 percent of the balance). This can be done at http://payments.scctax.org/payment/jsp/currentSecured.jsp.

For convencience, here’s a list of local United States Post Offices with extended hours of operation here.

Mail or bring your tax payment to:
Tax Collector's Office
70 West Hedding Street
East Wing, 6th Floor
San Jose, CA 95110
http://payments.scctax.org/payment/jsp/startup.jsp

Can’t remember your parcel number? You can look up your record by either the address or parcel number here: http://payments.scctax.org/payment/jsp/getUnsecured.jsp.

Taxes are due no later than 5:00 pm on December 10th. Contact the Santa Clara County Tax Collector right away if you are blind, disabled or 62 years of age or older, and make less than $24,000 a year and need to postpone paying property taxes this year.

Do You Need to Postpone Paying Property Taxes This Year?

Do You Need to Postpone Paying Property Taxes This Year?

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Do you need to postpone paying property taxes this year? Taxes are considered late and significant fines begin accruing immediately after 5:00 pm on December 10th.

If you are blind, disabled or 62 years of age or older, and if you have an annual income of $24,000 or less, you may have the option of having the State pay all or part of the property taxes on your home or mobile home.

However this option does not exempt you from paying eventually. Instead, this deferred payment is a lien on the property and becomes due upon sale, change of residence, or death. The filing period for property tax postponement is between May 15 and December 10 (less than 7 days from now).

Information and claim forms can be obtained by calling the State Controller's Office at 1-800-952-5661, or by visiting their website http://www.sco.ca.gov/.

You can also view and pay property taxes online via electronic check (for a fee of $15) or by credit card (for 2.5 percent of the balance). This can be done at http://payments.scctax.org/payment/jsp/currentSecured.jsp.

For convencience, here’s a list of local United States Post Offices with extended hours of operation here.

Mail or bring your tax payment to:
Tax Collector's Office
70 West Hedding Street
East Wing, 6th Floor
San Jose, CA 95110

http://payments.scctax.org/payment/jsp/startup.jsp

Can’t remember your parcel number? You can look up your record by either the address or parcel number here: http://payments.scctax.org/payment/jsp/getUnsecured.jsp.

Taxes are due no later than 5:00 pm on December 10th. Contact the Santa Clara County Tax Collector right away if you are blind, disabled or 62 years of age or older, and make less than $24,000 a year and need to postpone paying property taxes this year.

onest Gardener Named Jose Acosta Made My Thanksgiving Holiday

An Honest Gardener Named Jose Acosta Made My Thanksgiving Holiday

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

“Where did I put it?” For hours, I’d been searching the usual places I set my REALTOR® photo ID card and badge holder necklace which also holds my professional identification, debit and credit cards—my desk, my charging station, the car, and next to my bed. No luck.

I was supposed to be packing for our annual family reunion Thanksgiving trip to Disneyland but the mounting anxiety prevented me from moving forward. I kept fussing and double-checking the same places, and then looking in odd ones—my library book bag, the bathroom, the office.

Finally, I began retracing my steps from when I last remembered I had it the night before. I went back to my house, no luck. I went to our neighbor’s house, no luck. As I was sitting in front of their house in my car, forcing myself to praise God in advance for answering my prayer to find it before we had to leave in the next two hours, my phone rang.

“This is Jose Acosta of Acosta’s Gardening Service. Is this Michelle Carr Crowe?” When I responded with a yes, he said the magic words I’d been praying to hear. “I found a wallet with your card and information in it.” He kindly gave me his address and said I could come pick it up from his home that night. He performs the gardening service for a neighbor of ours and had found it in the street where I’d parked my car the night before. Although I had lots of useful info in it, my home address wasn’t in there.

Jose Acosta’s honesty in reporting he found my case, and especially his timeliness in calling me as soon as he’d gotten home from work, truly made my Thanksgiving holiday. His integrity saved me from further anxiety and wasted time, and allowed me to complete my packing in peace, and fully enjoy a long-anticipated family reunion in Disneyland.

Jose Acosta, thank you again and God bless you. And to anyone looking for an honest and trustworthy gardener, I encourage you to call Jose Acosta of Acosta’s Gardener Service in San Jose, Calif. at 408.229.1706.