Roswell Homebuyers – Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended

Roswell home buyers, you may yet get that homebuyer tax credit after all. This week, the Senate passed a bill to extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit until September 30th. It now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign the bill. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the House on Tuesday. The deadline had been June 30th to close on the property.

After a close brush with the deadline, Congress passed an extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline, the Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623). The extension applies only to transactions that have ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010 that have not yet closed. The legislation is designed to create a seamless extension and the new closing deadline for eligible transactions is now September 30, 2010. There will be no gap between June 30th and the date the President signs the bill into law.

Before you get too excited, the bill doesn’t help anyone currently shopping for a home. Buyers must have signed a contract by April 30th to qualify for the tax break. At issue is when the deal must be finalized.

Repeat home buyers also have until September 30th to close on new homes and receive a tax credit of up to $6,500.

Congress has been trying to pass the extension for the last month, but it got caught up in the usual Washington politics. The extension is estimated to raise the deficit by $9 million.

An estimated 200,000 people have missed out on the tax credit because they wouldn’t have been able to close by the end of business Wednesday. Many are trying to take advantage of short sales, which are complicated deals to complete.

Contact us for all of your Roswell real estate needs. We are local market experts and continue to find great deals for our clients.

The Georgia Water Stewardship Act

Outdoor Water Use Information

The Georgia Water Stewardship Act went into effect statewide on June 2, 2010, and it affect everyone who lives in Roswell, Georgia. It allows daily outdoor watering for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants only between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 a.m.

The following outdoor water uses are also allowed daily at any time of the day by anyone:

• Commercial agricultural operations as defined in Code Section 1-3-3;
• Capture and reuse of cooling system condensate or storm water in compliance with applicable local ordinances and state guidelines;
• Reuse of gray water in compliance with Code Section 31-3-5.2 and applicable local board of health regulations adopted pursuant thereto;
• Use of reclaimed waste water by a designated user from a system permitted by the Environmental Protection Division of the department to provide reclaimed waste water;
• Irrigation of personal food gardens;
• Irrigation of new and replanted plant, seed, or turf in landscapes, golf courses, or sports turf fields during installation and for a period of 30 days immediately following the date of installation;
• Drip irrigation or irrigation using soaker hoses;
• Hand watering with a hose with automatic cutoff or handheld container;
• Use of water withdrawn from private water wells or surface water by an owner or operator of property if such well or surface water is on said property;
• Irrigation of horticultural crops held for sale, resale, or installation;
• Irrigation of athletic fields, golf courses, or public turf grass recreational areas;
• Installation, maintenance, or calibration of irrigation systems; or Hydro seeding.

Outdoor water use for any purposes other than watering of plants, such as power washing or washing cars, is still restricted to the current odd/even watering schedule.

• Odd-numbered addresses can water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
• Even-numbered and unnumbered addresses are allowed to water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

For tips regarding Water Conservation go to www.conservewatergeorgia.net.

We hope you will join us as we continue to strive toward greater water efficiency and conservation to help sustain our water resources. For information on outdoor watering or restrictions, call 770-641-3707 or email waterefficiency@roswellgov.com.

Big Creek Bridge Road Open House Planned

June 29, 2010
6:30 pm	to	8:30 pm

The City of Roswell Transportation Department will hold a public information open house on the proposed Big Creek Bridge Road on Tuesday, June 29 from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. The open house will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, 1075 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell.

The proposed project includes constructing a two-lane road with bicycle lanes and a multi-use trail which will connect east and west Roswell across SR 400. Big Creek Bridge Road would provide local accessibility, relief to Holcomb Bridge Road and interconnectivity within the City. It would also provide direct bicycle and pedestrian connections to the existing and proposed City trails and parks.

This is the final public meeting before the Mayor and City Council take action on the study’s preferred alternative.

Representatives from the City of Roswell and Gresham, Smith and Partners will be in attendance to answer any questions or concerns.

For additional information, please contact the Roswell Transportation Department at 770.594.6420.

Roswell Shredfest this Saturday

May 15, 2010
8:00 am	to	12:00 pm
August 14, 2010
8:00 am	to	12:00 pm
November 13, 2010
8:00 am	to	12:00 pm

On May 15, 2010, the City of Roswell will be holding another Shredfest event. The hours will be 8AM until 12 noon or until the truck is full, whichever comes first.

This is a perfect opportunity to safely dispose of sensitive documents like old tax returns, junk mail with personal information, dated documents with personal information, dated pay stubs with personal information, etc.

Shredded while you watch!

Limit: 5 boxes or 200 pounds of documents per vehicle. Roswell and non-Roswell residents are welcome to participate.

Shredfest takes place at the Roswell Recycling Center, 11570 Maxwell Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009 .

This is a great way to shred those confidential documents, unlike what the temp agency had done with all those confidential documents that they dropped off at the Smyrna Recycling Center back in February. Perhaps they didn’t know about this event.

Future Shredfest dates include August 14, 2010 and November 13, 2010.

For more information, contact Trevor Williams at 770-442-8822 or twilliams01@roswellgov.com.

Homestead Exemption for Roswell Homeowners

Deadline quickly approaching for Roswell homeowners to file for their homestead exemption. You can apply for exemptions year-round by mail or in person; however, you must apply by April 1st to receive the exemption for that tax year.

If you purchased a Roswell home in 2009 or earlier, you have just a few days to file for the Georgia homestead exemption in Fulton County. If you purchased a home in Roswell this year, you can file at any time this year, but the homestead exemption won’t take effect until 2011.

Applications not filed by the deadline constitute a waiver of the exemption for that year. Your closing attorney does not apply for you.

Fulton County Homeowners will receive a $25,000 exemption for tax year 2010 and by 2011 the basic exemption will increase to $30,000. For those homeowners currently receiving a homestead exemption, no further action is required to get the increased exemption, unless there is an ownership change or if you become eligible for an additional exemption.

First time Fulton County homeowners or those applying for an additional exemption, have until April 1st to file. You can access the application at the Fulton County’s Tax Commissioner site.

To qualify you must own, occupy and claim the property as your legal residence on January 1st of the year for which you apply. The applicant’s name must appear on the deed to this property in order to qualify.

Exemptions are automatically renewed and you need not reapply if you refinance your home.

Roswell Georgia Census Information

The 2010 Census has begun for Roswell Georgia residents and it is important to ensure that every resident is counted.

By now, you should have received the census questionnaire forms in the mail. The questionnaire asks only a few simple questions of each person: name, relationship, gender, age, date of birth, race and whether you own or rent household.

By law, the Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s personal information with anyone, including other federal agencies.

Households should complete and mail back their questionnaires upon receipt. Residents that do not respond may receive a replacement questionnaire in early April and census workers will visit households that do not return the forms to take a count in person. For people who own more than one residence or who have been displaced from their homes due to natural disasters or other reasons, complete the form for where you reside most of the time.

The 2010 Census will also be used for redistricting at the local, state and federal levels. In addition, census data also has an impact on school budgets, specifically the distribution of Title I and special education funding.

By completing and returning your census form, you can ensure an accurate resident count for the City of Roswell, Georgia.

Roswell Participating in Earth Hour

March 27, 2010
8:30 pm	to	9:30 pm
8:30 pm	to	9:30 pm

The City of Roswell will be participating in Earth Hour. On March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m., World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour — Earth Hour — to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate their commitment to finding solutions.

The City of Roswell plans to participate in Earth Hour and has some ideas to pass the time with your friends and family:

• Play board games by candlelight
• Play flashlight tag
• Roast marshmallows on the fire
• Tell ghost stories
• Take a nap
• Go for an evening nature walk
• Read a book
• Play 20 Questions
• Play I Spy
• Put together a puzzle
• Camp in the back yard or even in the living room
• Write a story or do a Mad Lib
• Eat – stock up on snacks that don’t need cooking
• Sit on your lawn and name the stars

Roswell Household Hazardous Waste Collection

March 27, 2010
9:00 am	to	12:00 pm

The City of Roswell will hold the 3rd Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection on March 27 from 9 a.m. to noon at 1810 Hembree Road (Public Works/Transportation/Fire Building). Roswell residents can bring unwanted household hazardous waste items for safe collection and disposal.

Proof of residency will be required – a resident decal is the best form or a City of Roswell Sanitation bill. Window decals are available at the Roswell Recycling Center.

Materials accepted will be:

Latex paint
Paint thinner/turpentine
Pesticides including: fertilizers, herbicides, flea and tick products, fungicides, insecticides and rodentcides
Undiluted pool chemicals
Household cleaners
Fluorescent bulbs
Propane gas cylinders
Mercury thermometers/thermostats
Household batteries (non-rechargeable)
Aerosols
Automotive brake fluid/used motor oil filters (no other automotive fluids will be accepted)

This event is for homeowners only – no commercial entities please.  The Environmental Quality Company will be handling and disposing of the materials. Materials cannot be dropped off prior to the event. Gates will close at noon.

For more information please contact Janet Liberman at jliberman@roswellgov.com or 770.641.3715.

Shredfest 2010

February 13, 2010
8:00 am	to	12:00 pm

On February 13, 2010, the Shredfest event hours will be 8AM until 12 noon or until the truck is full, whichever comes first.

This is a perfect opportunity to safely dispose of sensitive documents like old tax returns, junk mail with personal information, dated documents with personal information, dated pay stubs with personal information, etc.

Shredded while you watch!

Limit: 5 boxes or 200 pounds of documents per vehicle. Roswell and non-Roswell residents are welcome to participate.

Shredfest takes place at the Roswell Recycling Center, 11570 Maxwell Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009 .

Term Limits Imposed for Roswell Mayor

Recently re-elected Mayor Jere Wood has finally gotten his way. The Roswell City Council, at the insistence of Wood, has voted to impose term limits on the mayor’s position.

Under the measure, the next mayor, whether it’s Wood or someone else, will be limited to three terms.

The irony of this is this is that Mayor Wood began his fourth four-year term last month. But in his defense, Wood has tried previously to convince the city council to approve limits, but was unsuccessful.

Wood argued for the limits, saying they force mayors to have to become leaders, rather than becoming complacent.

The Roswell City Council passed the term limits with only one dissenting vote.

Next Page »