Black & Associates,LLC

Community Shout Out to Local Athletes: now and then

Black — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:52:37 +0000

After recently hearing that Aaron Henke had a successful athletic career at Silex High School and had signed with Culver-Stockton College to play basketball, I decided to look him up. If you ever google “Aaron Henke” you will find sources such as STL today, MaxPreps, jsonline, lcj, flickr, and MSHAA among others listing him as a great asset to the Silex Owl wrestling, baseball, golf, cross-country, and of course basketball teams. They list his many acclaims which include leading scoring positions, assignments to the “All County” and “All District”teams, and much more. Knowing the Henke family, Iknow that Aaron is a not just all “brawn” but that he is also very “brainy.” Aaron, in addition to all his athletic prowess, was ranked at the top of his class and was a very dedicated and involved student. I suppose what I am trying to get at with this blog is that when I am sitting in a Real Estate office its good to hear about local students thriving. Its very refreshing to hear success stories of young, well-rounded members of our community.

So, this was a shout out to Aaron Henke…Congrats on all your achievements and I wish you many more in your future!

If you have anyone you’d like to give a shout out to please do so by commenting on this blog or just stopping in to tell us about them! We’d love to hear more success stories here at our office!

Thanks,

Les

P.s. the inspiration for this blog was a 31 year old basketball program…follow this link to see the inspirational program which features a handsome pic of our broker, Dale Black… enjoy! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/photo.php?pid=30591576&id=1293912395&ref=mf

p.s.s. Don’t forget to look for the names of other upstanding community members in the team roster!

FREE STUFF TO DO AROUND TOWN

Black — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:44:37 +0000

Even though the market is slow and money is tight…We have a lot of options in our general for cheap and free Things.

Chamber is putting on a movie night This Thursday July 31’st. DID I MENTION IT IS FREE!!!!!

It will be at the Troy City Park. We have attended one of these and it was extremely fun and the MASSIVE BLOW UP MOVIE SCREEN WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE.

When: July 31st at 8:30

What: Shrek

Where: Troy City Park “Fair Grounds Park”

They will be putting another on showing “Wild Hogs” on August 14 next to the Super 8 Hotel.

OTHER FREE THINGS…

A Drive and picnic in Cuivre River State Park…Outstanding Value and right out our back door.

St. Louis Science Center

St. Louis Zoo AMAZING !

The Muny. Get there early as free seats are limited

St. Louis Art Museum

Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tours Free for now… Who knows with In-Bev buyout. BETTER HURRY !

Cahokia Mounds State Park

Grants Farm

That’s all I have for now. If you guys can think of any cool FREE or Cheap things. Drop us a line and we will post it.

See ya

Les

Selling in a Buyer’s Market

Black — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:49:09 +0000

The most important concept you need to understand in selling your home is that you are in a huge competition with other Sellers to win over the Buyer. Ask yourself, “what is it I look for when buying fruit at the supermarket”? I would bet you would say that you are looking for the best looking fruit at the best price. Simple huh? That is exactly what homebuyers are looking for. The best looking house and the best price. If your house is not the best looking at the best price your probably not going to sell in today’s market. Declutter and shine your house. Make everything look like a million dollars! Spend some time researching the price of other homes that are selling just like yours. Make sure your home has the most attractive price. Remember…It’s just like buying fruit except you can’t squeeze it.

Why Own Instead of Rent?

Black — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:48:54 +0000

You’ll have a place that is yours!
You’ll own it, have a place to raise your children and become a part of your community. You can pass your home down to your children, and their children, creating security for generations to come.
You may pay less to own a home than you would to rent – and it’s yours at the end!
Homeownership can reduce the federal income taxes you pay. You can deduct the interest on your home mortgage and property taxes you pay on your home on the tax returns you file each year. These tax savings partially reduce, or offset somewhat, the actual cost of owning your home.
Your monthly payments won’t ever go up if you choose a fixed-rate mortgage!
If you choose a mortgage with a fixed-interest rate (one that stays the same for the life of the loan, say 30 years), you’ll pay the same mortgage payment each month for the entire 30 years of the loan (if your taxes go up, your escrow will go up – increasing your monthly payment).
You’ll build a good nest egg!
Owning a home and building equity is the single greatest source of financial security and independence for the majority of people who’ve taken this step.

First Time Homebuyers Grants

ncrawford — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:02:47 +0000

There are several non profit agencies with grants available for first time homebuyers. A first time homebuyer can, in certain cases, be someone who has not owned a home in the last 3 years. One of these grants is for $10,000.00 that can be used for down payment and some closing costs. Each agency has different qualifications and terms. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at ncrawford@usa-mortgage.com. Doing your homework on these can definitely payoff!

Nancy Crawford USA Mortgage ncrawford@usa-mortgage.com

How to Comment on this Blog

Black — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:58:55 +0000

In order to comment simply click on the heading of the blog you would like to comment on and that link will take you to a page in which you can post a comment. We would love to hear from you!

2 New Overpasses, Rumors of Others (Comment Here)

Black — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:21:55 +0000

With a new overpass at Hwy C and 61, another new overpass going in at Hwy U and 61 and rumors of an overpass going in at North Lincoln and Hwy 61 these developments will certainly impact the commercial growth in our area. Give me your thoughts about where you think commercial growth is headed in our area.

Dale Black dale@blackandassociatesllc.com

Does It Make Sense to Remodel?

Black — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:48:30 +0000

I am often asked the question is it better financially to fix my old house up or buy a new or used home that fits my needs. The following are figures from Remodeling Magazine’s 2007 Cost versus value report. Hopefully they will help you choose the best financial option for you. This survey was done in the West North Central Area of the United States which includes the St. Louis area.

Project % of Cost added to Home Value

Basement Remodel 65.1%

Bathroom Addition 56.4%

Family Room Addition 57.3%

Garage Addition 57.9%

Kitchen Remodel 69.5%

Sunroom Addition 54.3%

Hope this information helps you make your decision.

Dale Black dale@blackandassociatesllc.com

Financing for Investment Properties

ncrawford — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:24:54 +0000

Fixed rate investment property loans currently need 10% down on 1 - 2 units and 25% down on 3 - 4 units. Reserves (assets not used for down payment or closing costs) equal to 6 months payments (principal, interest and escrows) are required for the purchase of investment property. You may use 75% of the fair market rent (determined by appraiser) towards your income to qualify. If anyone has questions regarding these loans please feel free to reply!

Nancy Crawford USA Mortgage ncrawford@usa-mortgage.com

Tax Benefits of Real Estate Investing

Black — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:27:25 +0000

There are all kinds of Real Estate Investments: Apartments, single family homes, office buildings, shopping centers etc.

All of these offer big tax incentives for the real estate investor!

The IRS REQUIRES real estate investors to depreciate their investment properties.
Depreciation is a “paper loss” required for estimated wear, tear and obsolescence. However, land value is not depreciable. This applies to 100% of the money invested in buying vacant land and that part of the property value apportioned to land on an improved property. (That is, land with a building on it).
Condominiums do not have a land element and 100% of the purchase price can be depreciated.

	Residential income property is depreciated over 27.5 years on a straight-line basis.
	Commercial property is depreciated over 39 years, also on a straight-line basis.

Dale Black dale@blackandassociatesllc.com