...for holiday lights! And if you thought the Plaza was the only place to find lights you are mistaken. North of the river, down south, east, and west there is a lighting ceremony near you!

Here is a list of places to see the lights and all of them run through the end of the year (some a little bit later).

Take it easy this year, go see some lights, and let someone else pay the electric bill!

In case the low home values and the low interest rates haven't enticed you enough into looking for your first home here is another incentive to add to the mix.

The first-time home-buyers credit is part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and is available through mid 2009.

Any homebuyer that purchases their first primary residence between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009 is eligible for up to a $7,500 tax credit (both spouses, if married, have to be first time home buyers). Even if you've owned a home in the past (but not in the last three years) you are still eligible.

So, how does it work? This is a tax credit; it is taken on your federal income tax return, and directly reduces the amount of tax you owe in the year that you buy your first home. This credit is refundable so you may even receive a check!

The amount of credit you receive is based on the purchase price of your new home. It is 10% of the purchase price, up to $7,500. This credit can also be limited by your adjusted gross income (AGI). The credit is phased out after your AGI is above $75,000 ($150,000 if you are married filing joint). For a more specific breakdown of the amount of credit you will receive please consult your tax adviser.

Ok, free money - what's the downside? This tax credit is similar to an interest free loan from the government - there is a payback period. Two years after you claim the credit on your tax return you begin paying back this ‘loan' so that the full amount is paid back in 15 years ($500 per year). If you sell your home within those 15 years the remaining amount of the loan is immediately payable.

So why claim this credit if I just have to pay it back? Don't forget about the time value of money! One dollar today is not worth $1 a year from now. So, when you have to start paying back the loan in 2 years, that $500 is ‘worth less' than it is worth today.

Confused? So am I, here's an example:

In April of 2009 you buy a $200,000 home and get the full $7,500 tax credit. You live in the house for 6 years (2015) and then sell the house for a profit. Starting in 2011 you begin paying back your ‘loan'. Here's a chart to show that you actually receive a benefit for taking the tax credit (assuming a 6.5% discount rate)

This shows that you receive a benefit of just over $2,100 for taking the first-time home-buyers tax credit.

Here's another example:

In April of 2009 you buy a $200,000 home and get the full $7,500 tax credit. You live in the house for 17 years and then sell the house for a profit. Starting in 2011 you begin paying back your ‘loan'. Here's a chart to show that you actually receive a benefit for taking the tax credit (assuming the same 6.5% discount rate)

What if you sell your house for a loss? In most cases, you will not have to repay any amount of the loan. (Again, speak to your tax adviser for more specific information.)

I want to do some more research. Where can I go? Here are some websites that you can use to determine if buying your first home is for you:

http://www.realtor.org/home_buyers_and_sellers/preparing_for_homeownership

http://finance.realtor.com/homefinance/guides/buyers/

http://www.hud.gov/buying/

http://www.freddiemac.com/corporate/buying_and_owning.html

And, of course, The Heritage Home Team is here to help you through your entire home buying process! Please contact us with any questions or to set up an appointment to see homes.

Some people don't fully understand the importance of having a good credit score. A poor credit score can effect many areas of your life. It can determine the interest rate you can get on a house, car, and credit cards - it can even keep you from getting a good rate on your insurance. Your credit rating is a way for businesses to determine how likely you are to pay back the money you owe it. The lower the number the less likely you are to pay it back.

Credit scores range from 300 to 850; anything under 620 is considered 'subprime' and normally represents people with a blemished or insufficient credit history. A good credit score is anything above 750. Assuming you could get a loan in the current market; having a 'subprime' credit score can really cost you - about 1.5%!

Let's put that into perspective. Say you have a 'subprime' score and purchase a $200,000 home. Your mortgage payments will be about $200 higher a month than someone with a 750 credit score (pure interest). That's $2,400 a year!

So, how is your credit score calculated you ask? FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) determines your score based on 5 factors:

• Payment history - Having good 'credit behavior' will increase your score. Pay your full payment due, pay on time, don't have more then a couple of late payments on your report. Your payment history accounts for 35% of your overall score.
• Amount owed to total available credit - This is the amount of debt you have compared to the amount of credit you have been given. The best way to explain this is by looking at your credit card. Your credit card has a limit of $10,000 and you've spent $3,000 on the card. Thirty percent of your available credit is being used. That is better then spending $9,000 but not as good as only spending $1,000. This accounts for 30% of your total FICO score.
• Credit history length - The longer you've had credit the better your score will be. This is 15% of your score.
• New credit - The more credit you've apply for recently (like a credit card) shows that you need money and can lower your score. Shopping around for a good mortgage rate will not effect your credit as negatively as shopping around for new credit cards - just remember to do it in a short time frame. New credit is 10% of your score.
• Type of credit - You need a mix of 'good' and 'bad' credit; installment (mortgages and loans) and revolving credit (credit cards). This is 10% of your FICO score.

So, to have a good credit score pay your bills on time and in full, don't max out your credit cards or lines of credit, and stay away from applying for a whole bunch of new credit cards because you get a free t-shirt.

Knowing your credit score when you decide to start looking for a house is very important (you can buy a lot more house for an extra $200 a month). But it's not important only when you're ready to make a big purchase. You should monitor your credit score annually. Annualcreditreport.com is a great resource to do just that. It is a free service mandated by the government. Every year you are allowed to get a copy of your credit report from the three reporters (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax). These reports will not give you your credit score (however you can pay a small fee to get your credit score) but it will get you what others see when you have your credit 'pulled'.

Spend some time looking over your credit report for accuracy. If you see something that is not correct, report it. All the information should be found on the report itself or on the website of the agency. Wrong credit information can hurt your credit score just as much as right credit information.

And when you've taken a look at your credit report and decided it was time to buy your new home remember to come to The Heritage Home Team!

With the economy the way that it is these days sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Short selling a house is an alternative way to sell a home. A short sale, also known as a pre-foreclosure sale, happens when a lender accepts a lower amount for the house than the mortgage the house has against it. These sales are not easy to complete and it does require a knowledgeable team on your side to help you, but is becoming more and more common.

There are qualifications that have to be met in order for your home to be sold through a short sale:

• You are in default or near default status with your mortgage
• The value of your home has dropped
• You have fallen on hard times.
• You have no other assets to pay the difference of the short sale

This is a good alternative to foreclosure. There are still credit ramifications because it does appear on your credit report – but it’s not a foreclosure. And, sometimes, when you are able to sell your house in a certain manner, you may be able to purchase another house within a couple of years – this is something you definitely can not do with a foreclosure.

Most people aren’t even aware that this opportunity exists. This option is not ideal – losing a home never is – but it can help preserve dignity through a stressful situation.

The Heritage Home Team would like to work with you to help sell your home through a short sale. If you have reached a point where your mortgage payments are hard to make every month and you are moving towards default status on your loan contact The Heritage Home Team to discuss your options.

Also, make sure your friends and family are aware of this home selling alternative. They may not know that there is a way to get ‘out from underneath’ their home. This is a wonderful alternative to the bright orange and green stickers stuck to the front door and windows of a foreclosed home.

The Heritage Home Team continues to be here to work with our clients to find the best possible solution for their housing needs, in good times and in bad.

Halloween in just around the corner. Yes, that means you only have a couple days to finish up, or start in my case, the costumes...

You can never be to safe with the little ones; so I thought you would like a little reminder of some safety tips.

A special thanks goes to the Los Angeles Fire Department for putting such a great list together! Click here to see it.

Oh, and parents, remember to try at least one of every type of candy your kiddos bring home!

I LOOOOOVE Halloween. It probably stems back to when I was little. See, my birthday is in 5 days and then right around the corner is Halloween - which I always thought was a belated birthday present for me. PLUS, I got to dress up and just ask people for 'presents'.

 So every year I get excited about the crisp air, pumpkin patches, apple picking, Louisburg donuts, and all the other fun activities that come along with fall.

Click here for a list of all the wonderful things going on around town (these are not necessarily family friendly). If you make it the Terror at the Train Station let me know how it was, I've always wanted to go!

Looking for something fun to do this weekend?  Don't forget about the KC Pumpkin Patch in Gardner, Kansas! Just hop on I-35 until you get to the 191st street exit and turn right. They offer way more then just pumpkins, click on the hyper link to see all the festivities!

What a great way to spend some quality family time.

Looking for something to do this weekend? How about the Wild West Show and Bullwhacker Days at Mahaffie Farmstead?

Experience the 1860s with historical re-enactors - cowboys, indians, mountain ment, mounted cavalry, dance hall gals, and more. Enjoy Mexican and European music, dancers, crafts, food, children's activities, and stagecoach rides.

Here is a link to give you all the details and the hours of the festival.

Looking for something to do this weekend? How about the 77th Annual Plaza Art Fair.

Here is a link to give you all the details and the hours of the fair.

Here is an article I found on Bankrate.com. I thought it had some useful ideas and sometimes it's nice to hear the same ideas in a different way.

Especially in this time of rising prices it's nice to have a few ideas up your sleeve.