Gainesville Makes Another Top 20 List!

Black Enterprise Magazine has selected Gainesville as one of the 20 Best Places to Retire. The October, 2008 issue is the Annual Retirement Guide and will feature the 20 Best Places to Retire and Gainesville is in there as #13. The issue will hit newsstands on Tuesday September 23, 2008.

Preview the Article Here:

http://alachuacounty.us/assets/uploads/images/Communications/pr_images/20-BEST-PLACES-TO-RETIRE.PDF

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit at a Glance:

• The tax credit is available for first-time home buyers only.
• The maximum credit amount is $7,500.
• The credit is available for homes purchased on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009.
• Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.
• The tax credit works like an interest-free loan and must be repaid over a 15-year period.

Do you qualify? More information http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/index.html

Can You Help the Inverness Humane Society?

We adopted Max from the Inverness Humane Society earlier this year. He was on his way to being euthanized but was rescued by the wonderful people at the Inverness Humane Society who had driven all the way to Arkansas to rescue as many dogs as they could from a puppy mill auction.

So now they need help. Following is a message from Margret Nolan, President of Inverness Humane Society:

"We are now celebrating our 4 year anniversary! We would like to thank everyone for their help and we would like to keep you all better informed on our weekly business. Going forward, we would like to send you our yearly adoption stats (590 so far this year alone!), how many animals we have rescued this year (we currently have 50 adoptable dogs and 5 cats), a happy ending rescue story, and helpful hints from our clinic vet, Dr. Fox. If you do not want us to email you, please respond to this email asking us to take you off our contact list.

Our organization has found homes for 2144 dogs and cats that otherwise would have been euthanized since we opened 4 years ago. We run a low cost spay/ neuter clinic in Inverness and very often will help people who cannot afford to spay/ neuter their pets with further discounts or free services. We have always done what we could to help other rescues, we have always stepped up to help raise funds for rescues in dire need, we have given free heartworm treatments and spay/ neuters for people adopting dogs at the local animal control, not even our organization, who otherwise would not have been able to afford to save that dog, and we further discount our clinic services for rescue organizations. Now we need a bit of help for our dogs. We are in an area that floods and our adult dogs have runs that are totally outside, with tarps and dog houses. We have an opportunity to greatly improve conditions for our animals and we need your help!

As I said, our animals are in urgent need of help right now. We are trying to raise $9,500 in 4 weeks to buy that 12*40 shed to convert. We will make indoor/ outdoor runs for our adult rescue dogs, we will convert the old outdoor runs into a big play yard for them, and be able to create a quarantine area for the new puppy litters we rescue. Please visit our fund raising web site http://www.firstgiving.com/humanesocietyofinverness to track our progress and donate yourself! There is also a link on that site for people interested in doing their own fundraising efforts on our behalf. Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thank You and Dog Bless. "

Margret Nolan
President and FounderHumane Society of Inverness
501 3 c
Bouvierrescue of Florida
Non Kill Organization

It's Our Turn to Cheer on Our Leading Cheerleader

From: Michelle Florence at Keller Williams:

George Edmunson, THE Mr. Two Bits, will be hanging up his whistle and retiring the yellow oxford this season.

Since coming to his first game in 1949 Mr. Two Bits has lead Gator fans in spirit, and he wasn’t even here to cheer on the Gators (he was here to watch them play the Citadel – his alma mater). No one has ever captured the true Gator pride like this guy!

Now it is our turn to cheer on our leading cheerleader.We are starting an ‘unofficial’ campaign to get as many Mr. Two Bits fans – I mean Gator fans – to wear that signature oxford yellow shirt and orange and blue tie to this seasons’ Homecoming game, 25 October against Kentucky so that we can cheer on our biggest cheerleader!!!

Until we make it official, pass this message along to as many people as possible! We will continue to provide updates and details as we approach Homecoming. For now, he and his wife will be in the Homecoming Parade with the players – pulled by a Florence Recycling truck of course ;) .

Over the Long Term, Owning is Better than Renting

In today’s market, an increasing number of savvy consumers are asking themselves whether they should rent or own a home. While there are many factors to consider in deciding whether to buy or rent, the most important questions to ask are:

"Can I afford to buy?"
"Is homeownership a good investment?" and
"How long do I plan to stay in my home?"

The answer to the first question may well be that you can’t afford NOT to buy, None of the money you spend on rent is returned to you, either through savings or as an investment.
Homeownership, on the other hand, has tax advantages over renting. And homeownership allows you to leverage your money.

When considering the investment value of a home, think about this: Dollar for dollar, the rate of return on an individual’s cash downpayment on a house is substantial. Buyers typically use their own money to cover only a small portion of the purchase price, but the home appreciation they realize is based on the total value of the property.

Homeowners benefit from the power of leverage. Over 10 years, a $10,000 investment in the stock market at a normal 10 percent market rate of return would yield $23,600. The same investment as a down payment on a $200,000 home at a normal appreciation rate of 5 percent would return nearly five times the average stock market return, at $110,300.

Homeownership is how many American families begin to accumulate wealth. According to data from the Federal Reserve Board, a homeowner’s net worth is 46 times that of a renter’s.

Housing is not a quick-in, quick-out investment. When purchased for the long term, housing is one of the safest investments consumers can make. In addition to the savings accumulated through a buildup of equity and tax advantages, a home provides shelter. No paper investment provides this benefit.

Of course, homeownership is not just about money. Homeownership provides shelter and security to families, and fosters involvement in community life as well as participation in democratic institutions. Homeownership also provides important social and economic benefits. It is the cornerstone of a healthy community and the basis for positive community involvement.