Fayetteville Arkansas, University of Arkansas--Old Main Overview

Fayetteville Arkansas, University of Arkansas--Old Main Overview
Overview of Fayetteville, AR

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Bikes, Blues and Barbecue Announces Charitable Contributions

$45,000 – that’s the amount Bikes, Blues and Barbecue Motorcycle Rally was able to donate to local charities last week. It comes at a time when many worthwhile causes are in great need due to the economic downturn.

The recipients include such well-known names as Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Humane Society of the Ozarks, Muscular Dystrophy, and the Jones Center for Families. Several more non-profit groups perhaps not as widely known but equally worthwhile include Peace at Home Shelter, Fayetteville Public Education Foundation, Horses for Healing, and CASA of Northwest Arkansas.

Bikes, Blues & Barbecue was not able to make any donations in 2008 because of expenses incurred to enlarge venues and other one-time expenses so it’s wonderful to see the rally back in the black.

Since 2000, BBB has given more than $500,000 to local charities.

Kudos for all you do!

For more information:

http://www.bikesbluesandbbq.org/charities.htm

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended! Hurray!

Check out this video to get all of the details on the extension of the first time home buyers tax credit.

$8000 Home Buyer Tax Credit

Last Friday, President Obama signed the law to make the extension official, after the Senate gave its approval and the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass the legislation.

The $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit was supposed to expire Nov. 30, 2009, but now it will be extended for contracts signed before May 1, 2010 that close before July 1, 2010. First-time buyers, who are in the process of closing now, no longer have to worry about qualifying for the $8,000 tax credit if they do end up closing after the Nov. 30 deadline. The new legislation also increases the income limit for couples with income up to $225,000, a nearly $55,000 increase above the current level.

But not only a time-limit extension was part of the new bill. The tax credit was also extended to include home buyers who already own a home. They can apply for a $6,500 tax credit for the purchase of another home. To be eligible, the existing homeowners must have lived in their current residence for five of the prior eight years and the eligible homes must be worth $800,000 or less. Both credits are available only for primary residences, not second homes or investment properties. The legislation took effect November 7, 2009 and is not retroactive.

The original first-time homebuyer tax credit jump-started the housing market, driving home sales to the highest level in more than two years. The National Association REALTORS® reported sales jumped 9.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million units in September and are 9.2 percent higher than the 5.10 million-unit pace in September 2008.