| Congratulations Greg Rand and Marsha Rand! by Joseph Rand |
We usually use this space to discuss real estate market issues, but we would be remiss to not congratulate Greg Rand and Marsha Rand on cover stories this week.
Greg is on the cover page this week on RIS Media's Real Estate Magazine, the leading magazine covering the real estate industry. He's on the page with Sherry Chris, the President of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and Kevin Levent of Better Homes and Gardens Metro Brokers in Atlanta. The story is an interview with Greg and the others about Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty's approach to handling market change and our innovative approach to servicing clients and agents.
And Marsha is profiled in Provident Bank's new PBNY Connect Magazine, which profiles local businesses within the Hudson Valley. In the profile, Marsha talks about starting the Rand Realty organization, and how it has grown to become the largest real estate brokerage in the Hudson Valley.
We're proud of both of them. We honestly believe that we have built one of the best businesses in the Hudson Valley, and one of the best real estate companies in the country, and we're grateful that industry leaders like RIS Media and Provident Bank would recognize the accomplishments of our partners.
Oh, and anyone who happens to run a major publication is free to give me a call about putting me on their next cover. I'm waiting by the phone.... |
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| Home Buyer Tax Credit 100-day Countdown by Joseph Rand |
| I was on the Channel 11 WPIX evening news last night with Jim Watkins, talking about our new site homebuyertaxcredit.com and going over the eligibility requirements for the tax credit. One thing jumped out at me by the end. We've quickly gone from a tax credit that was extended to great fanfare in November, to a tax credit that only has 100 days of effectiveness left.To claim the credit, you need to be in contract by April 30, 20 ...Read More |
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| End the Marriage Penalty in the Home Buyer Tax Credit. by Joseph Rand |
| Today, we've published an op-ed in the Journal News calling for the elimination of the "Marriage Penalty" in the Home Buyer Tax Credit. As we developed the HomeBuyerTaxCredit.com consumer resource site, we discovered that married couples are treated differently from unmarried couples. Essentially, for married couples, both spouses have to both be eligible, and to be eligible for the SAME credit, in order to claim a tax credit.Wha ...Read More |
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| IRS Issues New Forms for the Home Buyer Tax Credit by Joseph Rand |
| This past Friday, the IRS finally issued the Form 5405 that taxpayers need to claim the Home Buyer Tax Credit for their 2009 tax year return in April. This was important, because many taxpayers who wanted to claim the credit were waiting on the form. The IRS also warned that people should expect delays in the procesing of their returns, since the IRS is going to be reviewing claims for the tax credit.We have full coverage for the IRS docume ...Read More |
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| Announcing HomeBuyerTaxCredit.com by Joseph Rand |
| We wanted to share with you the news that Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty has launched a new national website called HomeBuyerTaxCredit.com, which is the best national resource site for information about the Home Buyer Tax Credit. At a time when the national franchise brands have actual misinformation on their sites about the tax credit, we're proud to have the most comprehensive and comprehensible resource site in the country.
We took all ...Read More |
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| Tips for Sellers on the Tax Credit Deadlines by Joseph Rand |
| We just posted a list of Seven Tips for buyerson how to make sure they meet the Home Buyer Tax Credit deadlines: April 30 to be in contract, June 30 to be closed.
We wanted, though, to make a special advisory for buyers who want to take advantage of the “step-up” tax credit, and who are selling their current home. As you know, the Home Buyer Tax Creditis available to both first-time home buyers and “step-up” buyers who are long-time home ...Read More |
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| Seven Tips for Making the Home Buyer Tax Credit Deadlines by Joseph Rand |
| Let’s talk about deadlines.
I’m very good with deadlines, or very bad, depending on how you look at it. I’m good in the sense that I generally meet my deadlines (our Marketing Department might take issue with that, but I stand by it).
I’m bad in the sense that meeting those deadlines generally involves a lot of coffee, late nights, and immense stress, because I leave everything to the last minute.
When it c ...Read More |
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| Tax Credit Misinformation Everywhere, including the New York Times by Joseph Rand |
| We have tried very hard in the last two months to present accurate, up-to-date information on the Home Buyer Tax Credit. This started the day the law passed in early November, where we sent out an advisory to clients who might be eligible under the revised tax credit guidelines to put off closing until after November 6th to ensure they could get the credit. We've continued that effort with what we think are the best resources on the t ...Read More |
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| Managing your 2009 and 2010 income to keep yourself eligible for the home buyer tax credit by Joseph Rand |
| In the last week of the year, people sometimes make decisions about their income with a view toward their tax obligations. Given that, we thought it would be a good idea to advise people about a quirk in the home buyer tax credit law.
Here’s the situation. Let’s say that you’re planning on buying a home in 2010, and would like to get the home buyer tax credit if possible. You’re planning on being in contract by April 30 ...Read More |
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| Home Buyer Tax Credit Eligibility Test Now Live by Joseph Rand |
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We are delighted to announce our new Guide to the Home Buyer Tax Credit, which is available on our site. In the Guide, you can find all the material we've put together for the tax credit, including:
· An At a Glance Page that includes all the most important information quickly and easily.
· An extensive Overview of the whole tax credit.
· A Frequently Asked Questions section.
· A “Scenarios” section to get at some more complex applicatio ...Read More |
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