Wednesdays With Wendy - August Newsletter # 2
August 20, 2008
Hi everyone!
I hope you are having a great week so far and are ready for another Wednesdays With Wendy NEWSLETTER!
As my friend/client, I value your opinion! So, please let me know what you think! All comments and constructive criticisms are welcome!
If you recall, in the last couple newsletters I have been writing about the "Home Organizing" series and have shared some helpful tips and ideas on how to de-clutter/organize your home and e-mail inbox!
August 20, 2008
Hi everyone!
I hope you are having a great week so far and are ready for another Wednesdays With Wendy NEWSLETTER!
As my friend/client, I value your opinion! So, please let me know what you think! All comments and constructive criticisms are welcome!
If you recall, in the last couple newsletters I have been writing about the "Home Organizing" series and have shared some helpful tips and ideas on how to de-clutter/organize your home and e-mail inbox!
The topic I will be sharing with you today is "20 Mudroom, Laundry Room & Garage Organizing Tricks! "
Please feel free to email me with your own home organizing tips and I will share them in the next post!
20 Tricks for Organizing your Mudroom, Laundry Room or Garage-
I hope that you will find this information helpful for your own E-mail Organizing!
1. Waterproof Recycling Bags make it a cinch to divvy up recyclables. The handles let them be carted to the curb easily.
To Buy: $22 for a set of four, www.dwr.com.
2. Tuck a cardboard six-pack container in a tote bag and you’ve got an organizer for garden tools.
3. Install Three by Three’s Triple Hook-Up Strip mail holder by the front door. Keys hang from it, and outgoing mail goes on top.
To Buy: $19, www.fridgedoor.com.
4. In each room, tuck a permanent marker and blue painter’s tape in a zippered plastic sandwich bag and have the kit handy for labeling anything and everything.
5. Clasp a pair of garden gloves together with a binder clip and hang them from pushpins on a corkboard in the mudroom.
6. Install a wire cooling rack on the garage wall, attach hooks to it, and hang tools.
7. Forget buying cardboard storage boxes. Snag empty copier-paper boxes from the office and use them to hold goods at home.
8. Vessla rolling storage crates stack neatly and have casters, so they’re easy to move around.
To Buy: $7.50 each, including lid; www.ikea.com for stores.
9. Use the adjustable bright orange Bayco K_175 Cord Storage Strap to corral garden hoses, extension cords, and holiday lights.
To Buy: $1.60, www.amazon.com.
10. Install a drapery rod in the laundry room as an extra-long drying rack for sheets and tablecloths. Add finials for a decorative touch.
11. Snap rake and broom handles of varying widths into the OXO Expandable Wall-Mounted unit.*
To Buy: $25, www.oxo.com.
12. In the mudroom or the entryway, assign a colored box or basket to each family member for holding items they want to grab as they leave the house.*
13. Place the lids of large plastic storage tubs on the floor underneath pet-food bowls to contain spills, or use them in the garage or the mudroom to hold wet boots.
14. Store shoes, ornaments, wrapping paper, and other objects in empty wine boxes.*
15. The seven-peg Accordia Multi Hook is wall-mountable and expands to accommodate bulky items, like winter jackets.
To Buy: $31.50, www.umbra.com.
16. Sturdy red vinyl-coated Bicycle hooks by National Manufacturing Co. are easy to install and keep garden hoses, electrical cords, and more off the floor.*
To Buy: 80 cents each, www.citylivingstores.com.
17. Use the Cell Phone Holder for Car Cups to transform your car’s cup holder into a receptacle for change, pens, and gadgets.
To Buy: $9, www.organizeit.com.
18. String up a hammock in the corner of the garage, where it can hold roly-poly sports equipment, like basketballs.
19. If you have an unused chest of drawers, use it to store hats and gloves in the mudroom.*
20. Wash socks in a mesh bag and never lose a pair again.*
* These tips, products, and ideas were taken from the Real Simple organizational Hall of Fame. Tried, true, and worth repeating.
To Buy: $22 for a set of four, www.dwr.com.
2. Tuck a cardboard six-pack container in a tote bag and you’ve got an organizer for garden tools.
3. Install Three by Three’s Triple Hook-Up Strip mail holder by the front door. Keys hang from it, and outgoing mail goes on top.
To Buy: $19, www.fridgedoor.com.
4. In each room, tuck a permanent marker and blue painter’s tape in a zippered plastic sandwich bag and have the kit handy for labeling anything and everything.
5. Clasp a pair of garden gloves together with a binder clip and hang them from pushpins on a corkboard in the mudroom.
6. Install a wire cooling rack on the garage wall, attach hooks to it, and hang tools.
7. Forget buying cardboard storage boxes. Snag empty copier-paper boxes from the office and use them to hold goods at home.
8. Vessla rolling storage crates stack neatly and have casters, so they’re easy to move around.
To Buy: $7.50 each, including lid; www.ikea.com for stores.
9. Use the adjustable bright orange Bayco K_175 Cord Storage Strap to corral garden hoses, extension cords, and holiday lights.
To Buy: $1.60, www.amazon.com.
10. Install a drapery rod in the laundry room as an extra-long drying rack for sheets and tablecloths. Add finials for a decorative touch.
11. Snap rake and broom handles of varying widths into the OXO Expandable Wall-Mounted unit.*
To Buy: $25, www.oxo.com.
12. In the mudroom or the entryway, assign a colored box or basket to each family member for holding items they want to grab as they leave the house.*
13. Place the lids of large plastic storage tubs on the floor underneath pet-food bowls to contain spills, or use them in the garage or the mudroom to hold wet boots.
14. Store shoes, ornaments, wrapping paper, and other objects in empty wine boxes.*
15. The seven-peg Accordia Multi Hook is wall-mountable and expands to accommodate bulky items, like winter jackets.
To Buy: $31.50, www.umbra.com.
16. Sturdy red vinyl-coated Bicycle hooks by National Manufacturing Co. are easy to install and keep garden hoses, electrical cords, and more off the floor.*
To Buy: 80 cents each, www.citylivingstores.com.
17. Use the Cell Phone Holder for Car Cups to transform your car’s cup holder into a receptacle for change, pens, and gadgets.
To Buy: $9, www.organizeit.com.
18. String up a hammock in the corner of the garage, where it can hold roly-poly sports equipment, like basketballs.
19. If you have an unused chest of drawers, use it to store hats and gloves in the mudroom.*
20. Wash socks in a mesh bag and never lose a pair again.*
* These tips, products, and ideas were taken from the Real Simple organizational Hall of Fame. Tried, true, and worth repeating.
I hope that you will find this information helpful for your own E-mail Organizing!
Please e-mail me at Wendy@SeaCoastRealty.com if you would like to share your tips, ideas, or success stories!
First Time Home Buyer Federal Tax Credit Info-
As part of the “Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008” that was recently signed into law, Congress has created a new, temporary federal income tax credit to provide an incentive for first-time homebuyers. The highlights of this federal tax credit are as follows:
• The amount of the federal tax credit is for 10% of the cost of the home, up to a maximum credit of $7,500. In essence, this is an interest-free loan that enables consumers to receive a tax credit on a dollar-for-dollar basis on their personal income tax return in the calendar year following the year of closing on their home. They begin paying the tax credit back the year after that and make equal installments during the next 15 years. If the homeowner sells the home at any point during the 15-year payback period, then the remaining amount is recaptured, unless they sell the home at a loss, at which point the balance is forgiven.
o e.g., If a home costs $65,000, the allowable credit would be $6,500. If a home costs $120,000, then the allowable credit would be $7,500.
• Eligibility is for first-time homebuyers only. In this case, a first-time homebuyer is defined as an individual who has not owned a primary home at any time during the past three years, but who may have done so previously. Although certain income limits do apply, the amount of the credit is the same for all taxpayers, married or single.
• Individuals whose Form 1040 filing status is single (or head of household) are eligible for the tax credit if their income is no more than $75,000. Individuals who file a joint return may have no more than $150,000 in income.
• Individuals with incomes between $75,001 and 94,999 (single) or $150,001 and $169,999 (joint returns) are eligible for a partial tax credit.
• Individuals with incomes greater than $95,000 (single) or $170,000 (joint return) are not eligible for this tax credit.
• The federal income credit can be claimed on one’s individual or joint tax return for the purchase of any single-family home between April 9, 2008 through July 1, 2009. Individuals should consult a professional tax advisor for exact tax calculations.
o e.g., If an individual’s actual tax liability was $5,000, then after the tax credit is applied the purchaser would receive a total refund of $2,500. The refundable amount is the difference between the $7,500 tax credit and the amount of one’s tax liability.
o e.g., If an individual’s actual tax refund was $2,000, then after the tax credit is applied the purchaser would receive a total refund of $9,500.
• This tax credit is required to be repaid without interest in equal installments of 6.67% of the total credit each year for 15 years beginning the year after the tax credit is claimed.
o e.g., If a homebuyer claims the $7,500 credit in 2009 on their federal income tax return for a closing that occurred in 2008, then the credit is received in 2009, so repayment begins in 2010 with an annual repayment amount of approximately $500 a year.
For more information on Mortgage Rates and to see if you qualify, Please contact Kendee Blake with Alpha Mortgage at kendee.blake@alphamortgage.com or Office-(910) 686-0886, Mobile-(910) 612-0531
• The amount of the federal tax credit is for 10% of the cost of the home, up to a maximum credit of $7,500. In essence, this is an interest-free loan that enables consumers to receive a tax credit on a dollar-for-dollar basis on their personal income tax return in the calendar year following the year of closing on their home. They begin paying the tax credit back the year after that and make equal installments during the next 15 years. If the homeowner sells the home at any point during the 15-year payback period, then the remaining amount is recaptured, unless they sell the home at a loss, at which point the balance is forgiven.
o e.g., If a home costs $65,000, the allowable credit would be $6,500. If a home costs $120,000, then the allowable credit would be $7,500.
• Eligibility is for first-time homebuyers only. In this case, a first-time homebuyer is defined as an individual who has not owned a primary home at any time during the past three years, but who may have done so previously. Although certain income limits do apply, the amount of the credit is the same for all taxpayers, married or single.
• Individuals whose Form 1040 filing status is single (or head of household) are eligible for the tax credit if their income is no more than $75,000. Individuals who file a joint return may have no more than $150,000 in income.
• Individuals with incomes between $75,001 and 94,999 (single) or $150,001 and $169,999 (joint returns) are eligible for a partial tax credit.
• Individuals with incomes greater than $95,000 (single) or $170,000 (joint return) are not eligible for this tax credit.
• The federal income credit can be claimed on one’s individual or joint tax return for the purchase of any single-family home between April 9, 2008 through July 1, 2009. Individuals should consult a professional tax advisor for exact tax calculations.
o e.g., If an individual’s actual tax liability was $5,000, then after the tax credit is applied the purchaser would receive a total refund of $2,500. The refundable amount is the difference between the $7,500 tax credit and the amount of one’s tax liability.
o e.g., If an individual’s actual tax refund was $2,000, then after the tax credit is applied the purchaser would receive a total refund of $9,500.
• This tax credit is required to be repaid without interest in equal installments of 6.67% of the total credit each year for 15 years beginning the year after the tax credit is claimed.
o e.g., If a homebuyer claims the $7,500 credit in 2009 on their federal income tax return for a closing that occurred in 2008, then the credit is received in 2009, so repayment begins in 2010 with an annual repayment amount of approximately $500 a year.
For more information on Mortgage Rates and to see if you qualify, Please contact Kendee Blake with Alpha Mortgage at kendee.blake@alphamortgage.com or Office-(910) 686-0886, Mobile-(910) 612-0531
CARTUS RELOCATION - Referral Network
Did you know that I can help your family and friends buy or sell real estate anywhere in the United States!
Since Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty is affiliated with CARTUS- the world's largest relocation network -
I can connect your loved ones with a relocation expert ANYWHERE in the country!
So, the next time you know someone thinking of buying or selling, CALL ME!
I'll make sure they receive the same courteous and professional service I provide for my clients!
Did you know that I can help your family and friends buy or sell real estate anywhere in the United States!
Since Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty is affiliated with CARTUS- the world's largest relocation network -
I can connect your loved ones with a relocation expert ANYWHERE in the country!
So, the next time you know someone thinking of buying or selling, CALL ME!
I'll make sure they receive the same courteous and professional service I provide for my clients!
I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter! Have a FUN and SAFE weekend!
As always, if I can help with any of your real estate needs, please don't hesitate to call or email!
Cell - (910) 279-3983
Office - (910) 202-3627
Fax - (910) 795-4268
Wendy@SeaCoastRealty.com
WendyInWilmington.com
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