...for holiday lights! And if you thought the Plaza was the only place to find lights you are mistaken. North of the river, down south, east, and west there is a lighting ceremony near you!

Here is a list of places to see the lights and all of them run through the end of the year (some a little bit later).

Take it easy this year, go see some lights, and let someone else pay the electric bill!

In case the low home values and the low interest rates haven't enticed you enough into looking for your first home here is another incentive to add to the mix.

The first-time home-buyers credit is part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and is available through mid 2009.

Any homebuyer that purchases their first primary residence between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009 is eligible for up to a $7,500 tax credit (both spouses, if married, have to be first time home buyers). Even if you've owned a home in the past (but not in the last three years) you are still eligible.

So, how does it work? This is a tax credit; it is taken on your federal income tax return, and directly reduces the amount of tax you owe in the year that you buy your first home. This credit is refundable so you may even receive a check!

The amount of credit you receive is based on the purchase price of your new home. It is 10% of the purchase price, up to $7,500. This credit can also be limited by your adjusted gross income (AGI). The credit is phased out after your AGI is above $75,000 ($150,000 if you are married filing joint). For a more specific breakdown of the amount of credit you will receive please consult your tax adviser.

Ok, free money - what's the downside? This tax credit is similar to an interest free loan from the government - there is a payback period. Two years after you claim the credit on your tax return you begin paying back this ‘loan' so that the full amount is paid back in 15 years ($500 per year). If you sell your home within those 15 years the remaining amount of the loan is immediately payable.

So why claim this credit if I just have to pay it back? Don't forget about the time value of money! One dollar today is not worth $1 a year from now. So, when you have to start paying back the loan in 2 years, that $500 is ‘worth less' than it is worth today.

Confused? So am I, here's an example:

In April of 2009 you buy a $200,000 home and get the full $7,500 tax credit. You live in the house for 6 years (2015) and then sell the house for a profit. Starting in 2011 you begin paying back your ‘loan'. Here's a chart to show that you actually receive a benefit for taking the tax credit (assuming a 6.5% discount rate)

House held for 6 years and credit is repaid in full
Repayment	Nominal Value	Value in 2009 Dollars
2011	$500	$441
2012	$500	$414
2013	$500	$389
2014	$500	$365
2015 (remaining amount)	$5,500	$3,769
Total	$7,500	$5,378
Tax Benefit	(7,500-5,378)	$2,122

This shows that you receive a benefit of just over $2,100 for taking the first-time home-buyers tax credit.

Here's another example:

In April of 2009 you buy a $200,000 home and get the full $7,500 tax credit. You live in the house for 17 years and then sell the house for a profit. Starting in 2011 you begin paying back your ‘loan'. Here's a chart to show that you actually receive a benefit for taking the tax credit (assuming the same 6.5% discount rate)

House held for 17 years and credit is repaid in full
Repayment	Nominal Value	Value in 2009 Dollars
2011	$500	$441
2012	$500	$414
2013	$500	$389
2014	$500	$365
2015	$500	$343
2016	$500	$322
2017	$500	$302
2018	$500	$284
2019	$500	$266
2020	$500	$250
2021	$500	$235
2022	$500	$221
2023	$500	$207
2024	$500	$194
2025	$500	$183
Total	$7,500	$4,414
Tax Benefit	(7,500-4,414)	$3,086

What if you sell your house for a loss? In most cases, you will not have to repay any amount of the loan. (Again, speak to your tax adviser for more specific information.)

I want to do some more research. Where can I go? Here are some websites that you can use to determine if buying your first home is for you:

http://www.realtor.org/home_buyers_and_sellers/preparing_for_homeownership

http://finance.realtor.com/homefinance/guides/buyers/

http://www.hud.gov/buying/

http://www.freddiemac.com/corporate/buying_and_owning.html

And, of course, Webster Team is here to help you through your entire home buying process! Please contact us with any questions or to set up an appointment to see homes.

Some people don't fully understand the importance of having a good credit score. A poor credit score can effect many areas of your life. It can determine the interest rate you can get on a house, car, and credit cards - it can even keep you from getting a good rate on your insurance. Your credit rating is a way for businesses to determine how likely you are to pay back the money you owe it. The lower the number the less likely you are to pay it back.

Credit scores range from 300 to 850; anything under 620 is considered 'subprime' and normally represents people with a blemished or insufficient credit history. A good credit score is anything above 750. Assuming you could get a loan in the current market; having a 'subprime' credit score can really cost you - about 1.5%!

Let's put that into perspective. Say you have a 'subprime' score and purchase a $200,000 home. Your mortgage payments will be about $200 higher a month than someone with a 750 credit score (pure interest). That's $2,400 a year!

So, how is your credit score calculated you ask? FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) determines your score based on 5 factors:

• Payment history - Having good 'credit behavior' will increase your score. Pay your full payment due, pay on time, don't have more then a couple of late payments on your report. Your payment history accounts for 35% of your overall score.
• Amount owed to total available credit - This is the amount of debt you have compared to the amount of credit you have been given. The best way to explain this is by looking at your credit card. Your credit card has a limit of $10,000 and you've spent $3,000 on the card. Thirty percent of your available credit is being used. That is better then spending $9,000 but not as good as only spending $1,000. This accounts for 30% of your total FICO score.
• Credit history length - The longer you've had credit the better your score will be. This is 15% of your score.
• New credit - The more credit you've apply for recently (like a credit card) shows that you need money and can lower your score. Shopping around for a good mortgage rate will not effect your credit as negatively as shopping around for new credit cards - just remember to do it in a short time frame. New credit is 10% of your score.
• Type of credit - You need a mix of 'good' and 'bad' credit; installment (mortgages and loans) and revolving credit (credit cards). This is 10% of your FICO score.

So, to have a good credit score pay your bills on time and in full, don't max out your credit cards or lines of credit, and stay away from applying for a whole bunch of new credit cards because you get a free t-shirt.

Knowing your credit score when you decide to start looking for a house is very important (you can buy a lot more house for an extra $200 a month). But it's not important only when you're ready to make a big purchase. You should monitor your credit score annually. Annualcreditreport.com is a great resource to do just that. It is a free service mandated by the government. Every year you are allowed to get a copy of your credit report from the three reporters (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax). These reports will not give you your credit score (however you can pay a small fee to get your credit score) but it will get you what others see when you have your credit 'pulled'.

Spend some time looking over your credit report for accuracy. If you see something that is not correct, report it. All the information should be found on the report itself or on the website of the agency. Wrong credit information can hurt your credit score just as much as right credit information.

And when you've taken a look at your credit report and decided it was time to buy your new home remember to come to Webster Team!

With the economy the way that it is these days sometimes bad things happen to good people.

 

Short selling a house is an alternative way to sell a home. A short sale, also known as a pre-foreclosure sale, happens when a lender accepts a lower amount for the house than the mortgage the house has against it. These sales are not easy to complete and it does require a knowledgeable team on your side to help you, but is becoming more and more common.

 

There are qualifications that have to be met in order for your home to be sold through a short sale:

• You are in default or near default status with your mortgage
• The value of your home has dropped
• You have fallen on hard times.
• You have no other assets to pay the difference of the short sale

 

This is a good alternative to foreclosure. There are still credit ramifications because it does appear on your credit report – but it’s not a foreclosure. And, sometimes, when you are able to sell your house in a certain manner, you may be able to purchase another house within a couple of years – this is something you definitely can not do with a foreclosure.

 

Most people aren’t even aware that this opportunity exists. This option is not ideal – losing a home never is – but it can help preserve dignity through a stressful situation.

 

Webster Team Real Estate would like to work with you to help sell your home through a short sale. If you have reached a point where your mortgage payments are hard to make every month and you are moving towards default status on your loan contact Webster Team to discuss your options.

 

Also, make sure your friends and family are aware of this home selling alternative. They may not know that there is a way to get ‘out from underneath’ their home. This is a wonderful alternative to the bright orange and green stickers stuck to the front door and windows of a foreclosed home.

 

Webster Team continues to be here to work with our clients to find the best possible solution fortheir housing needs, in good times and in bad.

Halloween in just around the corner. Yes, that means you only have a couple days to finish up, or start in my case, the costumes...

You can never be to safe with the little ones; so I thought you would like a little reminder of some safety tips.

A special thanks goes to the Los Angeles Fire Department for putting such a great list together! Click here to see it.

Oh, and parents, remember to try at least one of every type of candy your kiddos bring home!

I LOOOOOVE Halloween. It probably stems back to when I was little. See, my birthday is in 5 days and then right around the corner is Halloween - which I always thought was a belated birthday present for me. PLUS, I got to dress up and just ask people for 'presents'.

 So every year I get excited about the crisp air, pumpkin patches, apple picking, Louisburg donuts, and all the other fun activities that come along with fall.

Click here for a list of all the wonderful things going on around town (these are not necessarily family friendly). If you make it the Terror at the Train Station let me know how it was, I've always wanted to go!

Looking for something fun to do this weekend?  Don't forget about the KC Pumpkin Patch in Gardner, Kansas! Just hop on I-35 until you get to the 191st street exit and turn right. They offer way more then just pumpkins, click on the hyper link to see all the festivities!

 What a great way to spend some quality family time.

Congrats Bob; another quick sale! A great house in Olathe sold in just over a week for almost 2% over asking price!!

You didn't even give me enough time to put the specifics up on the website!

Looking for something to do this weekend? How about the Wild West Show and Bullwhacker Days at Mahaffie Farmstead?

Experience the 1860s with historical re-enactors—cowboys, Indians, mountain men, mounted cavalry, dance hall gals and more. Enjoy Mexican and European music, dancers, crafts, food, children’s activities, and stagecoach rides.

Here is a link to give you all the details and the hours of the festival.

Looking for something to do this weekend? How about the 77th Annual Plaza Art Fair.

Here is a link to give you all the details and the hours of the fair.

Here is an article I found on Bankrate.com. I thought it had some useful ideas and sometimes it's nice to hear the same ideas in a different way.

Especially in this time of rising prices it's nice to have a few ideas up your sleeve.

Congratulations Bob on your 'Five Star: Best in Client Satisfaction' award! This is the SECOND year that Bob has received this award; it is really special to those people within the industry as it is based off of the clients we serve. Only the top 7% of all agents in Kansas City are eligible.

Here is some more information on the award itself.

Here is Bob's award profile.

Just another reason why Webster Team is proud to be Kansas City's Home Repair Realtors!

As most of you know, Webster Team is a big supporter of the Special Olympics. We try to provide volunteer time whenever they ask for it and even give them a few bucks now and then...

I just received an email from the Special Olympics of Kansas and was appalled at the message that Hollywood is presenting. Here is what the email said:

 "Dear Friend of Special Olympics Kansas:

Special Olympics Kansas invites you and your friends to be a fan of dignity and join us in a campaign to stop the use of the 'R-word.' This week, the film 'Tropic Thunder' opens in movie theaters across the nation. While intended to be a satire on Hollywood actors and producers, the film has a scene which is offensive and demeans people with intellectual disabilities.

Special Olympics Kansas is asking you to help us in this campaign by boycotting the film 'Tropic Thunder.' We need to make a statement to Hollywood that we will not stand for this type of content that is hurtful to people with intellectual disabilities.

In addition, I would ask that you share this email with your family and friends.

Be a fan of Dignity, don't say the R-word. Visit www.r-word.com."

I'm really disappointed that Hollywood thinks that this is appropriate to include in a movie and will not be seeing it in the theater or renting it.

I hope that you will join me in this fight for equality.

Everyone's favorite part of back to school time is shopping...right? Yeah, mine either.

But, I've found some great coupons that should make everyone's day a little better. I love the Legends Shopping Center. It's a little bit out of the way but once I get there I'm always glad I did. Plus, when I find a great deal on shoes or a new blouse I'm happy for the rest of the week!

Click here to get a list of all the special deals going on for back to school in Legends Coupon Card.

When you go out there make sure to make a day of it! Shop in the afternoon, have dinner at one of the many resturants (the kiddies love T-Rex and Dave and Buster's) and then catch the T-Bones before heading home. It's a full day of fun on the cheap!

The new Webster Team page on Facebook will help us to better serve the members of the Facebook community. Of course, we will still have our website but will add our blog and other features to our Facebook page for added convenience. This Facebook page will also give you the opportunity to add your thoughts about Webster Team and invite your friends to become fans.

If you are already a member of Facebook become a fan of ‘Webster Team Real Estate’ to enjoy the benefits of getting updates from us right on Facebook through your mini-feed and inbox. Or, creating a Facebook profile is easy and available to everyone. But, you don’t have to be on Facebook to view our page. Simply click here !

Hello everyone! Most of you don’t know me since my picture isn’t on the website (yet!) so I wanted to introduce myself a little bit. My name is Crystal and I’m Bob’s daughter-in-law. I’ve been involved with Webster Team since the very beginning – in fact I was one of Bob’s first buyers and best referer. Then I married his son…

I have a degree in accounting from Emporia State University. That’s right, I’m a nerd. (But I like working with money and that sure comes in handy when buying and selling.) After college I worked in a big four accounting firm for about four years in the tax department where I prepared corporate and individual income tax returns. Although the job was great, it was very stressful and time consuming.

I’ve always considered Kansas City home; first in Olathe and then in Downtown KC and take great pride in our wonderful city. I hope to be able to share my pride with you!

I’ll be helping Bob blog about the happenings around Kansas City and other things I find interesting – oh, and of course the housing market…

 

I am so proud of our Keller Williams office in Overland Park!  For the last five years I have seen our office grow some of the finest agents around.  Our particular office has trained and developed numerous agent leaders who are now providing expertise in other area Keller Williams' offices.  We have just learned of two more agents spreading their wings!

Mark Willis is moving over to the Lee's Summit Keller Williams office to be a Team Leader.  He has been a great asset to our office and will be a great Team Leader in Lee's Summit!

Shannon Steere is moving over to our Shawnee office to become an Operating Principal.  She has been our team leader for the last two years and has done a tremendous job of teaching and helping the rest of us grow!

I am so excited to see who will come into our office next and be blessed by all the training and support that is shared here at Keller Williams.

I am generally known as the Webster Team guy, but in this case I want to shout at the top of my lungs.... "I am a PROUD MEMBER OF KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY PARTNERS, INC.!!!"

Bob Webster

 

Cool Tool!

For years I have been replacing washers on faucets.  No big deal.  I have always had a love/hate relationship with bathtub faucet handles.  Either they come right off and I am a happy person or they are so corroded that I end up practically pulling he whole faucet out of the wall! (not so happy)

I cannot believe I did not know about this tool that has been around for as long as I have. ( A very long time.)  It is a handle puller.  Very simple, there is a pin that sticks in where the screw comes out of the center of the handle and then two clamps hook on the sides of the handle, twist the knob and the handle pops off!  Who knew simple things could bring so much pleasure!

 

The other day I was heading across town to meet a client. Do I take 119^th? Do I take old 56 and cut back? How about the wonderful new 127^th street bridge?  No, not me, I decided to risk it and cut through town on Santa Fe.  You probably already know what happened.  I got stuck by the train...   While sitting there admiring the beautiful bridge construction, I wondered when it would be completed.  GOOD NEWS!  The trains should be on the bridge by late February ‘08! It will be completed by the end of 2008!

 

Here is the plan according to Olathe News - Dec. 17 '07

 

Railroad Elevation Project Approaching Milestone
The project to elevate the east railroad tracks at Ridgeview, Santa Fe, Park and Loula streets is approaching a significant milestone.  The first set of railroad tracks on the elevated structure are expected to be functioning and open for trains in mid January, weather permitting.  At that point, trains will be traveling on both the at-grade and elevated tracks.  Vehicles will still need to stop when the arms are down for trains traveling on the old tracks.

The second, and final, set of tracks are expected to be operational in mid to late February, weather permitting.  At that time all train traffic will be routed to the elevated tracks.

After the elevated tracks are functioning, train delays will be eliminated on Santa Fe and Ridgeview, but additional roadwork will continue for several months.  Additional work will also be conducted at Loula and Park Streets to significantly lower the roads, allowing for safe travel under the new bridges.  Those crossings are expected to open in the fall of 2008 with the entire railroad elevation project complete in late 2008

The City of Olathe is growing like crazy and part of that expansion is down College Boulevard West past Ridgeview road. If you had past that way a year ago you might have hit any one of the following:

1. Train
2. Pedestrian
3. Covered Wagon

BUT THE FUTURE IS NOW!!!

As of December 20th a beautiful Four-Lane road has been opened and contains the longest bridge in Olathe (662 feet!). [The 127th Street bridge is 520 feet doubting Thomas]. The bridge crosses over the creek, train tracks, pedestrian walkway, and any overzealous players of the Oregan Trail computer game.

So take a drive, enjoy the view, and celebrate progress... Olathe's on the move... and it's Westardly-ish... if that's actually a word.

 

I was at a gathering this weekend and there was some serious concern about how terrible the housing market is.

I tried to explain it this way...

In my opinion, there seems to be two markets out there.  One is torn up foreclosures and overprice unprepared personal homes for sale.  The other is correctly priced cleaned up ready to move into houses with home owners who understand what it takes to sell a house.

There have been many times that I have shown buyers the houses in the second category and the house is sold before we can make an offer on it.

The mentality of start high then drop your price just does not work.  These days, start high and you don't get showings.  Most buyers use a Realtor because we can analyze the area around a house to determine a fair price.  If it is not priced right, the buyers just go down the street to the next house.  Please understand I am not saying you need to price a house unrealistically low, I am saying price at the right price for the area and people will look.

The next issue is how the house looks.  If you have looked at houses to purchase before, you probably ran across one with the funky paint or smell.  We usually spend at least a month or more ahead of listing a property advising our sellers on what needs to be done to their house before it goes on the market.  Often it involves painting, cleaning and a storage unit somewhere.  The good news is the people willing to work with us usually don't have to put up with showing for long because their house sells.

Okay, off my soapbox....  The point is... do not panic about what the media is saying about the market.  If you want to sell your house and are willing to do what it takes, it will sell.  It is really not that bad out there for what I call the "normal" market.

President Bush unveiled his plan to remedy the Mortgage Crisis currently plaguing the country.

It's pretty simple actually:

1. Keep the rates from adjusting for a while
2. Give homeowners time to switch to a Fixed Rate mortgage
   
3. Allow the economy time to recover

SO... If you have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage... Now's probably the time to be calling your banker to get it switched to a 30 Year Fixed.

Not sure if you qualify for the rate freeze? Give us a call...

If you've followed the News lately or the Real Estate News Feed on the right side of this page you've probably seen:

1. The explosion of foreclosures

2. The seeming demise of the mortgage industry

3. And now... Several plans being presented to resolve the situation...

But what does this all mean to you? 

First, there are many opportunities in the market today!  You just have to know where to find them!  

In the past people have had any number of reasons to sell a home, now they have another BIG one.  

Second, there's going to be a lot more to think about when preparing to buy or sell a home than there used to be.  Banks are very interested in making sure they continue to stay profitable as some of their mortgages go into foreclosure.  If you buy a home be prepared for some additional hoops, having an expert - like me :-) - can help with this.  It you are selling remember to get your bank involved early so there are no surprises at closing.  Again, having a professional always helps and that's why I'm here.

Please, give me a call, and let's talk about your situation and how to make the most of current market conditions

WOW! That is the best way to describe the feeling I had after leaving the Special Olympics Fall Classic Games. Webster Team Real Estate volunteered assistance with the bowling competition held at AMF College Lanes in Overland Park, Kansas.

The Olympic bowling athletes worked very hard to get to this point. After competing in many rounds of games throughout the year, they earned theirplacein the final phase of the Olympics. Each athlete deserved to be treated with respect and honor.

What a blast we all had! I have never seen so many people in one large area having so much fun and supporting each other. It did not matter which team or person was bowling, all of the contestants cheered and gave high fives to that bowler as they came off the lane.

In these games the athletes are all winners! After spending the day with them, I felt like a winner, too! What an amazing organization and wonderful group of volunteers!!

I would like to thank Crystal Webster for getting Webster Team Real Estate involved in this special event!

Contact Me if you would like the full quality images!

My niece is a student teacher in Lawrence and was staying with us since we live so close on the west side of Olathe.

She had just bought a new car. A beautiful pearl white car. Within a few weeks of owning it, the car was plastered with bird poop. These birds must have been eating a whole lot of red berries (if you get my drift).  She took it to the car dealer and they said they had never seen paint stain so deeply and had the front of the car repainted.

Not three days after getting the car back she was once again hit by the (very full) birds.  (I need to mention she was not parked under any trees) She was very upset and called me to help out. I found out online that Meguiar's Scratch X is supposed to remove bird poop stains. We ran out and picked some up and to our surprise it worked! It took a lot of hand rubbing, but the stains came out! I thought I would pass this along as I was amazed that it worked! I also had no idea that bird poop could stain paint so deeply.

 

The weekend's here and it's time to have fun... but where? Check out our Local Events Guide . We've spent a lot of time gathering a collection of local event calendars so you can find just what you're looking for.

Have something we should add to the list? Please Contact Us or add a comment to this Blog Posting.

You've seen the commercials... you remember your freinds talking about it last year... now's your chance to get in on the action, the 2007 Kansas City Parade of Homes.

Grab your husband, wife, sister, brother, mailman or milkman and head out on September 16th - 30th to browse through some of Kansas City's most amazing homes.

Here's why we go:

1. You'll see how professional Interior Designers are decorating homes for Kansas City. Forget TLC, this is our style.

2. Looking for intersting landscaping ideas? You've got it.

3. Did someone say free snacks? Where are my keys...

I was on the Plaza for lunch the other day when I heard honking. It was so unusual that everyone was looking around. Turns out someone was honking to let a pedestrian know they could cross the street (odd form I know... hand signals usually work... but to eachtheirown).

This got me thinking... what a great town we live in where typically rude behavior like horn honking is such a rare occurence. Just another reason I love to live here.

Until next time... best wishes...

(Photo provided courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org)

Hi Everyone!  If you were at the recent Mid America Nazarene University Football game and were listening to KMNU you might have heard us on the radio.  In each segment Bob goes through a different home repair tip from "How to Repair a Leaking Outdoor Faucet" to "Is that smell really my Furnace?"  We have a lot of fun with it!

It's a neat arrangement with the University Radio Station where we're able to help provide funding for their student program and also get some air time.  Can't beat that!

We'd love to hear any ideas you have for future segments.  Any home repair quandries you have that you'd like Bob to answer?  Please call us or send us an email!