Low-Cost Landscaping Tips

A beautifully-landscaped property can work wonders when it comes to selling your home. The Free Landscaping Ideas Blog offers these suggestions on how to save money without sacrificing quality or beauty.
• Make a plan that includes a schedule of tasks and rough sketches of your design to help you determine what items you need. For assistance, consult with an expert at a local gardening store or home improvement retailer.
• Plan the project in phases and purchase products as money is available. The phased-in plan also helps you avoid the interest and fees associated with home-improvement loans or credit card purchases.
• Don’t sacrifice quality. Ask the staff at local specialty shops for recommendations about the best products available. If you are inexperienced with landscaping, consider spending a little extra for professional assistance.
• Carefully inspect plants for diseases and insect problems, especially if you didn’t purchase them from a nursery. Diseases and pests can spread to other plants. Also ask the gardening retailer if they offer warranties on their plants.
• If you plan ahead, you can take advantage of off-season prices. For example, buy lumber in the winter when it is cheaper and store it until you are ready to use it. Shop for trees, shrubs, perennials, mulch and soil late in the season when prices go down.
• Purchase products online or from catalogs, or join a gardening club, which may offer discount prices as well as helpful advice.
• Your municipality may have mulch and compost available. Also, try asking people in charge of construction or demolition sites if they have used stones or bricks they might give away.
• Ask neighbors if they’ll share some of the costs. By pooling all your resources, you may get some good deals on items bought in bulk, and you can split the cost of renting machinery for landscaping work.

This months joke:

Question:What's the best day for monkey business?

Catch a [Tax] Break

There’s good news for first-time homebuyers who plan to purchase a home in 2009. Thanks to some of the provisions in the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, qualifying first-time homebuyers can earn a tax credit of up to $8,000 if they purchase a home before April 30,2010. They can claim the credit on either their 2008 or 2009 tax returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The best news is that the credit does not need to be repaid provided the home remains their main residence for 36 months after the purchase date. Buyers can claim 10 percent of the purchase price up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately. The amount of the credit begins to phase out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is more than $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers.

For purposes of this credit, you are considered to be a first-time homebuyer if you (and your spouse if you are married) did not own any other primary residence during the three-year period ending on the date of the purchase.

The new law does not affect individuals who purchased a home between April 8, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2008. For these homeowners, the maximum credit remains 10 percent of the purchase price up to $7,500 for individuals, or $3,750 for married individuals filing separately. In addition, the credit for these purchases must be repaid in 15 equal installments over 15 years, beginning in 2010.

For more information about the tax credit or to find out how the new legislation affects homeowners, visit www.irs.gov or consult your tax accountant.

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Fast Facts >> >> >> >> >>

There are no letters assigned to the numbers 1 and 0 on the telephone keypad. These “flag” numbers are reserved for emergency and operator services.
Source:www.Didyouknow.org

The best time of day to water a lawn or plants is early morning, so it has the entire day to dry.
Source:www.HGTV.com

The sun’s rays cause window streaking, so save that part of spring cleaning for a cloudy day.
www.realsimple.com

69 million American households own pets, and about three-fourths of these households view their pet as a child or family member.
American Pet Products Manufacturers Association

81 percent of households 65 and older owned their homes in 2006 compared with 43 percent of households younger than 35.
U.S. Census Bureau

In 1969, approximately half of all schoolchildren, age 5 to 18, walked or bicycled to or from school, and 87 percent of those living within 1 mile of school walked or bicycled. Today, fewer than 15 percent of children and adolescents use active modes of transportation.
Centers for Disease Control

Have questions? email Risa at questions@risa.net or call her at 407-699-4901

April favorite links:

List of April Special Days and Holidays

Use This Moving Truck for FREE      

RE/MAX Town & Country Realty has a moving truck (pictured above) that our clients can use FREE for their local (inside the Metro-Orlando area) moves. When Risa helps you buy or sell a home, just let her know that you would like to use the RE/MAX Moving Truck. Then Ray, the Moving Truck Coordinator, will coordinate your reservation to use the truck for a 24 hour period and outline all of the details for the truck’s use. Tell Risa early on in your transaction that you’d like to use the truck to make sure that you can reserve the best time for your move! We’re glad to be able to offer this additional service to our clients. Risa Saltman wants to help make your moving process as smooth, enjoyable and efficient as possible.

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