Moving, even when for joyful reasons, can be very difficult on kids- especially if they are of school age, with friends, favorite teachers, and class activities.

Making your Move to Loveland With Children Smooth

Though the move may be hard for them in general, the part most parents dread is the drive to your new home. Unless you are staying in the same city, or an area close by, you will probably end up with more than a few hours of driving to reach your new home and city. And the whole time you will have a grumpy child in the backseat. What are parents to do? Never fear, I have a few tricks I have learned over the years as an expert Loveland real estate agent:

• Brush up on your traditional car games. Even the alphabet game and licence plate game can be modified for younger children. Travel size board games, like battle ship, can be fantastic ways to pass the time.
• Have a basket of entertainment at easy reach. For younger children, keep the basket full of their favorite toys, books, and snacks. Hand out one item at a time, so younger children will get some good entertainment out of each one before they get bored. For older children, perhaps take them to a books store to buy a book they would enjoy reading, let them pick out an age appropriate magazine. Highlights, Zoo Books American Girl, are great for the tween years.
• Have snacks on hand. Even the grumpiest child will cheer up when given his favorite snacks. If the move is particularly hard on your child, perhaps splurge and get some items he or she has always wanted -like those double stuff oreos-but you never deemed as appropriate lunch food.
•  Get the addresses of all your children’s best friends, and let your children pick out their own stationary so they can write their friends about the trip to your new home. If your children are upset about losing friends, this can be a great opportunity to help them realize they can still keep their friends. There are lots of great car travel trays you can find at Walmart,Target and other such stores, that will provide a great flat surface for your children to write on. This also provides a great way for your children to realize they can still stay in touch with their friends, and provides a great way to work on their writing skills. Even if you children are older and in the texting/twitter/facebook way of communicating with all their friends, they may still enjoy the novelty of writing a letter to pass the time.
• If your drive will be more than 6-8 hours, it might be a good idea to invest in a portable DVD play for the car. As much as I myself dislike entertaining children with the tv for hours at a time, on a very long drive, a short movie or cartoon might be just the trick to help ease squirmy passangers, and give you parents some downtime from entertaining.

Contact Century21 Humpal Northern Colorado Relocation Specialists

Would you like to learn more tips for relocating to Fort Collins or find the Loveland CO relocation information you need? Feel free to contact Century21 Humpal, your Northern Colorado expert Realtors, because we specialize in relocation services. Be sure to get our Northern Colorado area relocation guide, personalized with all the local information you will need to get settled, and read up on our Loveland moving tips. You can also find all the local activities, Fort Collins and Loveland area schools and options that make the areas Loveland and Fort Collins in the top greatest places to raise a family.

Until next time,

Jason

Loveland and Fort Collins First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit Details

There is so much information floating around that it can become confusing to figure out whether you qualify, and what limits there might be on the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. To help, I have chosen some of the top questions I hear from Fort Collins Home Buyers , as well as, Loveland Home Buyers:

Northern Colorado Home Buyers Tax Credit Top Questions

It is important to note that you cannot purchase a home from your ancestors (parents, grandparents, etc.), your lineal descendants (children, grandchildren, etc.) or your spouse. Please consult with your tax advisor for more information. Also see IRS Form 5405.

I read that the tax credit is “refundable.” What does that mean?

The fact that the credit is refundable means that the home buyer credit can be claimed even if the taxpayer has little or no federal income tax liability to offset. Typically this involves the government sending the taxpayer a check for a portion or even all of the amount of the refundable tax credit.

For example, if a qualified home buyer expected, notwithstanding the tax credit, federal income tax liability of $5,000 and had tax withholding of $4,000 for the year, then without the tax credit the taxpayer would owe the IRS $1,000 on April 15th. Suppose now that the taxpayer qualified for the $8,000 home buyer tax credit. As a result, the taxpayer would receive a check for $7,000 ($8,000 minus the $1,000 owed).

What if I purchased a home in early 2009 and have already filed to receive the $7,500 tax credit on my 2008 tax returns. How can I claim the new $8,000 tax credit instead?
Home buyers in this situation may file an amended 2008 tax return with a 1040X form. You should consult with a tax advisor to ensure you file this return properly.

In contrast, for newly-constructed homes bought from a home builder, eligibility for the tax credit is determined by the settlement date.

Yes. The tax credit can be combined with the MRB home buyer program. Note that first-time home buyers who purchased a home in 2008 may not claim the tax credit if they are participating in an MRB program.

Participating in the tax credit program is easy. You claim the tax credit on your federal income tax return. Specifically, home buyers should complete IRS Form 5405 to determine their tax credit amount, and then claim this amount on line 67 of the 1040 income tax form for 2009 returns (line 69 of the 1040 income tax form for 2008 returns). No other applications or forms are required, and no pre-approval is necessary. However, you will want to be sure that you qualify for the credit under the income limits and first-time home buyer tests. Note that you cannot claim the credit on Form 5405 for an intended purchase for some future date; it must be a completed purchase.

Buying a Home in Fort Collins

All the previous information is just icing on the cake; as you can see there are many items Fort Collins home buyers need to understand about the $8,000 tax credit. You can get the best information form a knowledgeable Loveland Realtor or Fort Collins Real Estate Agent; however make sure you consult your tax professional for the full run down on how the tax credit may affect your taxes or effect savings for you!

And as always, if you have any questions about Loveland Real Estate, Fort Collins Homes for sale, or would just like to browse the Northern Colorado Real Estate MLS Listings, feel free to contact me, Jason Humpal, your Northern Colorado Realtor, anytime.

Until next time,

Jason

I receive calls about the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit from people ready to buy a Fort Collins or Loveland property. The questions, of course, are pretty similar: How do you qualify? What are the details? What do you have to do to apply?

Since the entire tax credit document is very long , I thought I would do a brief overview, with future posts on more specific aspects to the tax credit. I always welcome any and all questions about the Fort Collins area or Loveland real estate (and vice versa!), so never hesitate to ask.

Please note  the short overview below pertains to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:

• The tax credit is for first-time home buyers only. For the tax credit program, the IRS defines a first-time home buyer as someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.
• The tax credit does not have to be repaid.
• The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.
• The credit is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 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.

Fort Collins and Loveland Area Home Buyers

If you are ready to start the search for Lovelaned real estate, you can begin by using my free Fort Collins and Loveland MLS Search or by contacting me, Jason Humpal, your Loveland and Fort Collins Realtor.

 Questions about whether investing in a Loveland property or buying Fort Collins real estate will qualify for the tax credit? I can help guide you through the process and together we will get you the best deal possible on your Fort Collins area home.

Until next time,

Jason

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Today the United Way of Larimer County’s Volunteer Center announced that Fort Collins-Loveland ranked seventh in the nation’s mid-sized cities for outstanding volunteerism. Adding to the honor? This is the second year the Fort Collins-Loveland area has ranked seventh.

Adam Molzer, director of United Way of Larimer County’s Volunteer Center has this to say: “This national recognition is a reflection of the thousands of people in northern Colorado who dedicate themselves to enrichign our community”. I couldn’t agree more.

Strolling the sidewalks, enjoying our surrounding natural beauty, and visiting neighbors makes it clear on a daily basis that our community is special. Not only do we offer much of the fun, entertainment and amenities of larger cities, but we also have a small, close knit attitude of caring about each other.

If you are relocating to Fort Collins or Loveland, be sure to take advantage of my Fort Collins home buying tips, and my Loveland real estate buying guide. You can also search the Fort Collins area MLS real estate listings and learn more about the Loveland area by contacting me, Jason Humpal your northern Colorado Realtor.

See you around town,
Jason

When starting the process of selling your Northern Colorado home, it can be a huge task to account for all the factors that can affect the Loveland real estate market value, so it is always a great idea to have an expert local Fort Collins real estate agent give you a Comparative Market Analysis so the fair market value can be determined.

But What is a Fort Collins Fair Market Value?

The definition of Fair Market Value is “the most probable price which a property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale; the buyer and seller each acting prudently and knowledgeably; assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus; normal marketing time period, informed buyer and seller”.

Yes, that is a mouthful, and simply it means, the best and highest price you could list your home for in your market and expect a reasonably quick sale.

Get a Loveland real estate CMA Done

Determining the Fair Market Value of your Loveland home can be affected by how quickly or how motivated you are to sell, too. If you NEED and MUST sell now, then the fair market value you can expect for a very fast sale would be different than the value if you had the time to tidy up, de-clutter, plant flowers, freshen the paint, and fix up a few things before putting it on the market.

So, you can see just what an involved and somewhat scientific process it is to preform a Fort Collins Home Evaluation. Honestly, determining the price you can sell for based off what your home is worth with all local factors that play into a home’s value, and taking into account when you need to sell, can be a huge job that shouldn’t be guessed at; use a Loveland REALTOR to skillfully assess the price you can sell your home for.

To get one started, give the team at Century21Humpal a call anytime.

Until next time,
Jason