Asha Anujeeva

I think that the new Real Estate Tax Benefit should certainly light a fire underneath my friend Todd. Todd has been putting off buying a new house for the past several years; he has been thinking that the values of real estate are still going to fall for a while now.  I can understand his concern; the real estate market has become a pretty scary place lately!  But I think that if someone is absolutely certain that they are going to stay put in one location for several years, then buying a house is a good idea.  Especially with the tax benefits involved!  Many people need the tax benefit of owning a home; the interest on the mortgage payments is tax deductible.  (As far as I’m concerned ALL interest should be tax deductible, even credit card interest, but that is not the case.)

Because this new tax credit has been extended, more people can take advantage of it and buy a new house this spring and still get the tax credit. From what I understand the income limits have been increased as well, so more home buyers can take advantage of it. And this tax credit is not only for first-time home buyers! It can benefit other home buyers who are moving up from homes that they’ve lived in for at least the last five years. This benefit can truly help a lot of people, and not just a select few.

My mother and I decided to go to the newest local women’s consignment shop in town yesterday.  What a great time we had!  We bought several nice dresses that still had the original tags on them for less than 1/2 the original price!  And my mother was thrilled because she also bought a couple of nice suits for my father.  After our shopping spree (which was really a cheap shopping spree) we went to lunch at a nice little tea house that is decorated with lots of lacy and flowers – a very girly girl restaurant.  We had a great time, and I hope we do it again soon!  Consignment stores are great!