Reasons Charlotte NC is a great place to live. Reason 5

This week we have been sharing with you reasons why Charlotte, NC is a great place to live.

Today Reasons #5. We will give you a brief summary of reasons why others think Charlotte is a great city.

For a second year in a row Charlotte North Carolina has been voted the number one place to live by RelocateAmerica.com. RelocateAmerica.com is an online relocation information resource owned and operated by a real state broker firm called HomeRoute. RelocateAmerica.com has been ranking cities annually for 11 years. They accept city nominations that are considered by the nominees a great place to live. The nominations then are reviewed by their editorial team along with other city key data like education, employment, crime, housing, parks etc and then ranked.

Reasons to live in Charlotte North Carolina:
1. Destination could not be any better. The Appalachian Mountains are only a two hour drive to the west and the sun filled beaches are only three hours to the east.
Charlotte N.C. was selected as one of the “10 Best Places to Live” by Money Magazine.

2. Second largest center of financial transaction in the United States.
Some of the best known fortune 500 companies are located in Charlotte.

3.There are very good schools in and around Charlotte.

4. The cost of living in Charlotte is relatively low compared to the national average.

5. The weather is relatively mild in the winter and warm in the summer.

6. Pro Sport Organizations: (NFL Football: Carolina Pathers), (NBA Basketball: Charlotte Bobcats), (Minor League Baseball: Charlotte Knights), (WNBA Basketball: Charlotte Sting), (Hockey: Charlotte Checkers), Home of NASCAR’s Lowes Motor Speedway.

7. Jobs: Last year, the city created 12,000 new jobs.

8. You’ll find miles of walking trails.

9. There are several quality golfing communities.

10. There are many city parks and sports complexes including baseball, soccer, tennis, fields, YMCA facilities and Leon Springs facilities.

12. Located near or on a recreation Lake Wylie with fishing, boating, swimming, etc.

13. Friendly people.

14. A bonus last year – Property taxes were lowered for most home owners in 2007.

At HOPE we will help you achieve the credit score you desire so you can qualify for the lowest interest rates available to you. If you would like to know how please call us at 704-503-3669. We are waiting on your call.

Reasons Charlotte NC is a great place to live. Reason 2

This week we are listing 5 reasons why Charlotte NC is a great place to live. Many of our clients are considering a move to Charlotte and want to know why Charlotte is such a great place.

Today, Reason #2 If you love theater and the arts you will love Charlotte N.C.

We have :

The Actors Theater
http://www.actorstheatrecharlotte.org/

Theater Charlotte
http://www.theatrecharlotte.org/

North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Home http://www.blumenthalcenter.org/

Belk Theater
http://www.tickettango.com/ResultsGeneral.aspx?stype=0&kwds=Belk%20Theatre&gclid=CNSshr7NtZoCFRJxxwodXSezcw

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
http://www.ctcharlotte.org/

Charlotte Comedy Theater
http://www.charlottecomedy.com/

Neighborhood Theater
http://www.neighborhoodtheatre.com/

North Carolina Dance Theater
http://www.ncdance.org/

The Charlotte Symphony
http://www.charlottesymphony.org/

The Mint Museum
http://www.mintmuseum.org/

Ovens Auditorium
http://www.ovensauditorium.com/

Tremont Music Hall
http://www.tremontmusichall.com/home.aspx

The Comedy Zone
http://heffrontalent.com/v2/

There is a whole lot more. This is in no way an exhaustive list.

If you have credit issues we can help you at HOPE. Whether it is a small issue or many larger ones we can guide you to the credit score you desire. If you would like to know more please call us at 704-503-3669. Our staff is waiting for your call.

I have often been asked: “Are department store credit cards best?”

Not really. Many times they will offer you a discount on todays purchase if you apply for their cards. There are several reasons I would stay away from these cards.

1. Department store credit cards are many times harder to qualify for.

2. Everytime someone pulls your credit, it lowers your scores.

3. Many times the interest rate is higher.

4. You limit your self to buying in that store alone, where with a Visa, Master Card or Discover Card , you can use the card almost anywhere.

In my opion you should never charge more than you can pay off within one week. Keeping your balance at zero to $10 insures you keep your scores as high as possible.

We have taken the time to help you find cards that will benefit you on our web site at http://hope4usa.com/credit-cards/.

Everyday at HOPE we help our clients make wise decisions about their credit. If you would like to know more please call us at 704-503-3669. we are waiting on your call.

Good Reasons to Buy a Home Part 5

Every day this week we are sharing with you good reasons why you should buy a home. Here are our final tips for now.

1. Interest rates are at an incredible low point.  Typically speaking, bad news in the economy results in good news for home loan rates.  Interest rates continue to hover at historic lows.  Seizing the opportunity to lock in a long-term fixed rate right now will save you thousands over the life of the loan.  Maybe even tens of thousands.  Interest rates could go up again anytime, so waiting could be financially dangerous.  Furthermore, if you qualify for an FHA loan, you can lock in your rate, then refinance for free in the future if rates go even lower.  Talk about a win-win situation!

2. Home choices are plentiful and it is a strong buyer’s market right now.  There are lots of homes on the market so there is plenty to choose from.  Don’t wait for the seller’s market to return.

At HOPE we help our client everyday in making wise decisions regarding their credit. If you would like to know more about how the HOPE program works please give us a call at 704-503-3669. Our friendly staff is standing by.

Good Reasons to Buy a Home Part 4

Every day this week we are sharing with you good reasons why you should buy a home.

Today we are continuing to discuss the tax breaks associated with buying a home

6. Credit for first-time home buyers. If you purchased a primary residence after April 8, 2008, and before July 1, 2009, and are a “first-time” home buyer, you can qualify for a new tax credit for 10% of up to $75,000 of the purchase price. To be eligible, you must not have owned a residence in the U.S. in the previous three years. Nor can the credit be taken if your mortgage is funded with tax-free bonds that states and localities issue to give below-market mortgages.

The credit phases out between $150,000 and $170,000 of AGI for married couples and $75,000 to $95,000 for single filers. It is refundable to the extent it exceeds your regular tax liability — which means that if the credit more than offsets your tax liability for the year, you’ll get a refund check for the balance — but does not offset the AMT. If you buy your home in the first five months of 2009, you can elect to take the credit on your 2008 income tax return.

Beware: This credit is more like an interest-free loan from Uncle Sam rather than a gift, because it will be recaptured ratably over 15 years. The recapture period starts two years after the year the credit is claimed. Thus, if you claim a $7,500 tax credit for a purchase in 2008, you will have to pay an extra $500 of income tax in 2010 and in subsequent years until you have repaid the full $7,500. If you sell the residence before the credit is fully repaid, the balance is due in the year of the sale. (If your profit on the sale is less than the unrecaptured credit, though, the amount due is limited to the amount of your profit.)

7. First-time home buyer tax credit of $8,000.  If you have not owned a home in the last 3 years, you can get paid $8,000 to purchase a home.  Unbelievable.  I am still astounded by this.

President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law .  This stimulus package is enormous and has many facets.  I’d like to focus on just one aspect of this law: the first-time home buyer tax credit.

First-time home buyers who purchase a home between January 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009 will be eligible to receive up to an $8,000 tax credit.  This money does not have to be repaid.  The home must then be used as the buyer’s primary residence for the next 3 years (otherwise the tax credit does need to be repaid).

This is a great opportunity for first-time home buyers to buy a home.  Combine this with the current buyer’s market and low interest rate and this truly is one of the best times to buy.

At HOPE we help our client’s everyday in making wise decisions regarding their credit. If you would like to know more about how the HOPE program works please give us a call at 704-503-3669. We are waiting on your call.