Possible Tax Hikes on the way for Peachtree City?

 

Hey Peachtree City…..facing a projected shortfall of $757,128 for fiscal year 2010-2011 and a projected $621,674 shortfall in the current year’s budget…..Peachtree City Council is looking at making some tough decisions.  Officials are not only contemplating using reserve funds but also projecting tax increases.  City staffers are projecting a .269 mill property tax hike for fiscal year 2010-2011 which begins on October 1st.  This increase would be equivalent to a $26.90 property tax increase for homes with a fair market value of $250,000.

Next Biggest Breakthrough for Clean Energy….Bloom Box?

Hey Peachtree City…..did you watch 60 Minutes?  Well maybe you aren’t an Andy Rooney loyalist but just in case you missed it, there was an interesting interview by Leslie Stahl on a fuel cell start up company called “Bloom Energy.”  In fact the San Jose-based company is having a launch party on Wednesday.  There has been quite a bit of stealth around this company but for some reason they decided to unveil and reveal its secret on 60 Minutes.

NCR Corporation Officially Opens New Facility in Peachtree City!

Greetings Peachtree City!  Well it is official….NCR Corp has opened its global service and parts headquarters in Peachtree City, Ga. on November 30th. The new $15 million dollar Services Center which will also house the Customer Care and Training Center is expected boost the Georgia job market by employing more than 900 people.

NCR’s manufacturing plant officially opened in Duluth, Georgia in October. NCR officials have stated that the plan is to complete all headquarters relocations by the end of 2010. NCR’s Executive Vice President John Bruno states, “…..co-locating strategic elements of our Global Services Parts headquarters, Americas Customer Care Center and NCR University, will enable NCR to deliver superior service to our customers, supporting about 20,000 service requests in the Americas region every day.” 

First-Time Home Buyers Tax Credit Extended!!

Hello again Peachtree City!!  As the dust finally settles….the Senate finally decided not only to extend the tax credit but to expand it as well!  

Yes, you can exhale now, especially all you folks that waited until the last minute to take advantage of the credit.  Legislation passed on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 which will  extend the much debated $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit.  Also included in the Bill was the establishment of a new $6,500 tax credit for “move-up” buyers!  

Note from Sen. Johnny Isakson: Support of Extension of 1st Time Home-Buyers Tax Program!

Hello again Peachtree City!  You probably didn’t know this but I have been a proponent for gaining the support from our elected officials related to getting an extension of the 1st Time Home-Buyers program.  My efforts went so far as to send personal letters to both Senators Saxby Chamblis and Johnny Isakson asking for their positions on pending issues and continued support on others. 

Folks, I would be remiss if I first didn’t state that I received responses from both Senators.  I thought I’d share the response I receive from Sen. Johnny Isakson which acknowledged his efforts as co-sponsor of the Bill to extend the tax credit to 2010.  What you may not have known is that he also fully supports a Bill that would also create a $15,000 tax credit for all home buyers. 

Market Begins Stabilizing As Unit Sales Levels With 2008!

Hey Peachtree City….Following a month that saw the first year-over-year improvement in four years, August results in the REAL Trends Housing Market Report were level with August 2008.  While these results were not as good as the July results-where unit sales had been up marginally-it does show that the floor of housing unit sales may have been reached.  Nationally, unit sales were down 0.2% in August 2009 over August 2008. The Western region again showed the greatest strength with unit sales up 7% while the South region lagged other regions with unit sales down 3.3%.  On the pricing front, the South showed the best results with average prices for all homes sold down 9.5% while the Western region continued to suffer the largest price declines with a decrease of 18.2%.
 
Unit and price declines were mixed across the regions.  The Northeast region was down 1.5% in units a significant improvement over the prior months while the Midwest and South were down 2% and 3.3% respectively. The Midwest region saw average prices decline 10.4% while the Northeast was down 10.7%.
 
“The August 2009 results were not as good as July’s but were not off by much.  What we are seeing is evidence of a bottoming out in unit sales on a year over year comparison with prices continuing to decline from the year ago period.  The good news is that price declines do not appear to be accelerating but are staying similar on a month to month basis,” said Steve Murray, editor of REAL Trends.  
 
“With the economy continuing to shed jobs and incomes shrinking, this is likely the best result we can expect-that housing sales on a unit basis are flattening out and that price declines are at least not getting any worse for the moment.  While we know that there are substantial challenges ahead, with a predicted rise in foreclosures and continued downward pressure on prices as a result, it would appear that we are closer to the floor of this recession in housing than we have been at any time in the last four years.” 
 
 
Housing Market Report 
 
August 2009                        July 2009                      
(Versus same month a year ago)
 
Closed Sales   AVG Price      Closed Sales   AVG Price
 
National                     
-0.2%                 -12.1%              +2.8%             -10.4%
 
Regional Report
 
Northeast
-1.6%                 -10.7%              -1.2%              -13.9%
 
South   
-3.3%                   -9.5%              -1.7%               -8.7%
 
Midwest
-2.0%                  -10.4%             +3.7%             -10.9%
 
West
+7.0%                 -18.2%            +12.3%            -11.3%

New normal for home sales: Buyers have the power!!

Hey Peachtree City…Believe it or not, the American dream of homeownership is still attainable. Buyers just have to deal with a new set of realities.

A year after the collapse of the housing market triggered the financial meltdown, lenders are demanding more money up front, high credit scores and proof of income. Paperwork must be in perfect order. Patience and persistence are required. And don’t even bother asking about a subprime mortgage.

It’s a vastly different set of rules from earlier this decade, when home prices soared and mortgages were easy to come by.

The New American Dream…..Renting?

      Okay Peachtree City before things become as hostile as a town hall meeting on health care, let me explain the topic.  Recently, I read this article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “(Marxism) The New American Dream: Renting.”  The article stated that Americans might as well get used to the fact that home ownership is no longer a realistic goal for folks and further suggested that we curtail the enormous government subsidies that are fueling this endeavor. The Marxism connotation as identified in the article’s caption views Capitalism as a society in which a small minority of the population dominates and exploits the vast majority considered the working class.

Bank of Georgia Receives “Cease & Desist” from FDIC!

The Bank of Georgia is under some major scrutiny as the FDIC served a “cease and desist” to the Peachtree City-based bank.    The order basically states that the Bank of Georgia has been cited for a number of banking practices that could represent unsound and unsafe banking practices. 

Specifically, the bank was cited for operating with inadequate capitalization for its risk profile.  Additionally, the bank was operating with inadequate management citing that those practices are detrimental to the bank and further jeopardize its deposits. 

$134 Billion Dollar Bond Scam or Conterfeiting Scheme?

Okay Peachtree City, with all the financial fiasco going on here in our own backyard I’ve made every effort to only promulgate some of the more positive things related to our economy in efforts to minimize your stress levels and keep your attitudes as positive as possible.  But, this one is so crazy you won’t believe it to be true!  I just had to write about what could turn out to be the biggest scam and/or counterfeit operation in history! 

Next Page »