"The finest compliment I can ever receive is a referral from my friends and clients!" Renata V. Lewis REALTY USA Licensed Real Estate Salesperson 518-439-2888 ext 243 518-312-2069 CELL (Voice Mail & TEXT) |
The finest compliment I can ever receive is a referral from my friends and clients!" |
| Renata V. Lewis Licensed Real Estate Salesperson |
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| If your house is already listed with a Realtor®, please disregard this offer. |
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Easy Organizing: Your Grill and Deck Your Grill - Set up for barbecue season with a smart outdoor cook station. Place your grill on a flat surface that’s well ventilated yet protected from winds that might cause flare-ups. Then, outfit the area like a mini kitchen: Create an insta-island for food prep with a folding table. Add a grill mat to protect your deck; and a trash bucket. Hooks and magnetic clips keep tools and towels handy. On Deck - Invest in storage that can double as seating. Deck boxes stow your supplies outdoors where you need them. What to stash outside: paper towels, aluminum foil, platters and cutting boards, skewers, grill utensils, a meat thermometer, a timer, mitts, a lighter or long matches, and bags of charcoal (if you don’t use a gas or electric grill). Movable Feast - Save yourself a few trips to and from the kitchen with a carry-all caddy that gets your fixings, napkins, plates, and utensils to the table in one shot. Imagine: You get to eat along with your guests. Keep vs. Toss - Toss plastic cooking utensils, oven mitts, and other indoor gear back in the kitchen drawer. Instead, opt for long-handled metal tools, which give you some distance from the open flame, and long-armed mitts to better protect you from splatters and burns. Keep an extra spatula and pair of tongs to prevent cross-contamination of raw food and cooked. Designate which you’ll use for uncooked meats with tape (red for raw, above) around the handles. Toss your grill- cleaning brush (or replace the head) once the pad or bristles get too worn to work. If you let residue burn off and clean while the grate’s still hot, de-gunking shouldn’t be tough. Source: Good Housekeeping Designing for Outdoor Living Umbrellas. A large sun umbrella is a must-have in gardens that lack shade trees. Tilt to deflect the sun's rays at any time of day, and fold up when not in use. Awnings. Long popular in Europe, deck and patio awnings are gaining favor here, too. When positioned over an east- or west-facing window, they also do a yeoman's job of keeping a house cooler. Shelters. A shelter can be anything from a small, solid- roof arbor for reading to a large gazebo for entertaining. There are also portable shelters, tent- like structures that give the protection of a covered gazebo at a fraction of the cost. Hammocks. Swinging gently in a hammock while suspended in midair, there's true comfort in being cradled! Its netting is a fine choice of material, allowing cool air to reach you on all sides. Tie one between two trees or use a self-supporting hammock that can be moved wherever desired. Source: Better Homes & Gardens Show Me the Money The Federal Housing Administration has added another component to the temporary $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit. Qualified FHA buyers now have the option of monetizing the funds. Through short-term bridge loans, buyers can access the money immediately instead of amending their 2008 tax return or waiting to file in 2009. These buyers then have the option of adding it to their FHA-required 3.5 percent down payment, covering closing costs or buying down their interest rate. Realtors® believe this will meaningfully impact home sales and values. Who Qualifies? First-time home buyers who purchase homes between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009. To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase. Which Properties Are Eligible? The 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences, including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops. How Much Will the Credit Be? The maximum allowable credit for home buyers is $8,000. Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by two factors: The price of the home—the credit is equal to 10% of the purchase price of the home, up to $8,000. The buyer's income—single buyers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000—may receive the maximum tax credit. If the Buyer(s)’ Income Exceeds These Limits, Can He/She Still Get a Credit? Yes, some buyers may still be eligible for the credit. The credit decreases for buyers who earn between $75,000 and $95,000 for single buyers and between $150,000 and $170,000 for home buyers filing jointly. The amount of the tax credit decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. Home buyers earning more than the maximum qualifying income—over $95,000 for singles and over $170,000 for couples are not eligible for the credit. Will the Tax Credit Need to Be Repaid? No. The buyer does not need to repay the tax credit, if he/she occupies the home for three years or more. However, if the property is sold during the three-year period, the credit will be recouped on the sale. Source: Realtor.com For more information click here - Tax Credit Can Be Used on Closing Costs . |
Suze Orman’s New Credit Card Strategy I want you to only pay the minimum due on your credit card balance, and instead, make it your top priority to build as much of an emergency cash fund as you can. If you do not have an emergency savings account that can cover up to at least eight months of living expenses, you need to get very serious about funding that account ASAP. To come up with the money for your savings fund, I want you to just pay the minimum on your credit cards, nothing more. For those of you with a fully-funded emergency account, please make it a priority to pay off any credit card balances as soon as possible. My new advice is solely for those of you who do not have an emergency savings account or have too small of an account. The single most important action to take in this economy is to build savings so you and your family will have money to cover your basic necessities if you no longer have an income coming in. As you have heard me say before: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. And right now we all need to be redoubling our preparation efforts. Source: Oprah.com Vanilla Raspberry Sundaes with Spoon Shaped Cookies Ingredients: FOR THE COOKIES 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract FOR THE SUNDAES 2 quarts Vanilla Ice Cream, softened 2 quarts Raspberry Sorbet, softened Blueberries, for garnish Directions: For the cookies: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until dough comes together. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of dough to just less than an inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a paring knife, cut out spoon shapes, each about 3 inches long. Transfer to baking sheets. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes. Roll out scraps, and repeat once. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Make the sundaes: In 8 small bowls, layer 1/4 cup ice cream, 1/2 cup sorbet, and another 1/4 cup ice cream. Garnish each sundae with blueberries, and serve with 2 or 3 cookie spoons. Source: Martha Stewart KIDS CORNER Fireworks Art Have a blast this Fourth of July with these explosive designs: bursts of paint that resemble fireworks in the sky. CRAFT MATERIALS: Acrylic paint Drinking straw Paintbrush Paper (or card stock) Water Time needed: 30 Minutes or Less 1. For each color, in a paper cup, dilute some acrylic paint with water to a runny consistency. 2. Using a paintbrush, drip a few drops of paint onto a piece of paper or card stock (be sure to rinse the brush between colors), then hold a drinking straw directly over each puddle of paint and blow gently to create a spectacular starburst effect. Source: Family Fun.com July Quote We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. ~ William Faulkner |
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| 518.312.2069 RLewis@RealtyUSA |
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