10 Homeowner Deductions to Write-off on your Taxes April 15 is just around the corner so hopefully you have already done your taxes or are just waiting for them to be completed and mailed in. Tax laws are constantly changing and it is hard to keep up with all the revisions so I always take mine to a Tax Attorney to be sure they are done correctly. Here are the top ten 10 deductions for Homeowners.   1. Mortgage Interest Deduction   2. Home Improvement Loan Interest Deduction   3. Mortgage Points/Origination Deduction   4. Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) Deduction   5. Energy Efficiency Upgrades/Repairs Deduction   6. Profit on Sale of Real Estate Deduction   7. Real Estate Selling Cost Deduction   8. Property Tax Deduction   9. Loan Forgiveness Deduction   10. Home Office Deduction ... 04/04/2013

  Does Your Listed Home Look Like This When Prospective Buyers Drive By?   I recently sold a home in a nice but older neighborhood. Down the street this home was for sale looking like this. I did try to call the agent and let him know but he told me he was too busy to talk to me. This home looked like this for weeks. I was amazed.   I am always glad when other Realtors or neighbors call and tell me something important and I would never hang up on anyone. How about you? And where is the sign? I want to advertise my listing so maybe someone living in the area knows an interested buyer or a renter is looking for a permanent home. The more offers the better to get a great price for the seller. I recently did an article Great Curb Appeal Includes the Front Doors all about making the front ya... 04/02/2013

  I Saw a Rainbow in the Inland Empire     We had a quick rainstorm several days ago and when the rain was clearing up, I went outside to find a rainbow across the sky.       St. Patrick’s Day was coming and it made me think that maybe my pot of gold was there. Maybe……. And I hope that everyone finds their pot of gold too.           Kristin Hamilton  DRE #014092138 Keller Williams Realty -I sell real estate in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties commonly called the Inland Empire. I am a trained and experienced Short Sale agent. If you are looking for a professional and experienced agent, I am just a click away. Google me at Kristin Hamilton-Real Estate Agent. Homeowners and Buyers both will find my services top notch and successful. Call me to sell your home; both traditional and shor... 03/17/2013

Spring Forward....Move Your Clock Up 1 Hour Sunday Sunday March 10, 2013…...Yes, it is that time of the year again so ‘Move Your Clocks Forward 1 Hour’ officially at 2:00 am. Then we will have one more hour of daylight but of course we lose one hour of sleep Saturday night. It is always a good time to change batteries in your clocks, thermostats and smoke/carbon detectors.   California is a dream come true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities. If you are looking for a home in southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and aware of the local market. I am here to help you find a home or to sell the home you currently own. C... 03/08/2013

Is Your San Bernardino Home Underwater? Short Sale that San Bernardino House!San Bernardino Short Sales are nothing new. In fact, most of the San Bernardino housing market consists of short sales these days.If you’re struggling to make your mortgage payments on a property that is worth half the value of what you purchased it for? This is NOT the American dream. No one wants to lose their home to foreclosure. And no one wants to sell them home if they don’t want to move. But doing nothing and letting the bank foreclose, or staying with a home that is financially crushing is not the way to support your family.A San Bernardino short sale may be the best option for you. But how can you know without talking to a San Bernardino Short Sale Expert (That’s us!)? Have you considered a loan modifi... 03/06/2013

  10 Crime Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Home   So you have been looking for that perfect home and your Realtor has taken you all over the area. Your offer has been accepted and you still have a few questions like is this a good area to live in? You have mentioned these concerns to your Realtor and she/he said you need to do your investigations and you think WHAT! Well the truth is that your Realtor is not allowed to ‘Steer’ you from one neighborhood as it is a big ‘no no’ for real estate agents as there are federal laws prohibiting this.      1.    So how should you start to find out if your neighborhood is safe? The internet is a great place to look. Google the city or tract where the home is and crime and articles may show up here.   2.    What type of home should I be looking fo... 03/04/2013

Insurance Companies Not Issuing Policies based on Dog Breed you Own!   Insurance companies are getting pickier about what breed of dog you have before issuing a homeowners policy based on the carriers new restrictive rules. Now when a potential homeowner contacts a company, one of the first questions they ask is do you have a dog, what breed, and has it ever bit anyone?   When you fill out your application, you might think it is alright to not mention any priors but the insurance companies are able to get copies of incidents, police reports, medical notifications to law enforcement and  lawsuits filed. You might think by saying no and no one will find out but if there is an incident and they find out you lied, the insurance company and their carriers will typically deny your claim.     ... 03/03/2013

SAN BERNARDINO REAL ESTATE REALTORS / HOW TO SHORT SALE SAN BERNARDINO HOME If you need a San Bernardino Real Estate Agent / San Bernardino REALTOR to handle selling or buying your home remember these considerations when choosing us as your San Bernardino Real Estate professional: We have extensive experience handling listings in this difficult market We handle all aspects of San Bernardino listings and San Bernardino real estate sales We handle San Bernardino Short Sales, San Bernardino Foreclosures and San Bernardino Land Sales We have an unfair advantage in our marketing and advertising experience, enabling us to effective advertise your San Bernardino home for sale to as many buyers as possible, maximizing the total sales price. ---------------------- So contact us and let's get st... 02/27/2013

THREE IMPORTANT CRITERIA FOR FINDING THE RIGHT SAN BERNARDINO CA REAL ESTATE AGENTS / SAN BERNARDINO CA REALTORS® Finding the Right San Bernardino real estate agent can mean the difference in how much you sell your San Bernardino house or property for, how long it takes to sell it and whether or not it sells at all. Below are some important criteria to consider when selecting a real estate agent:   [SAN BERNARDINO REAL ESTATE SHORT SALE AGENTS/REALTORS®]   1. Make sure the real estate agent you select is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®, and has full access to their local MLS (Multiple Listing Service). The REALTOR® designation means they take their profession seriously, and without access to the MLS they cannot market your San Bernardino CA home for sale to other real ... 02/14/2013

  My Mom Brought Me This Hat from Mexico                                              I was in Cabo recently and brought this little hat home for Tootie. I thought it was so cute. What do you think?                                   Kristin Hamilton  DRE #014092138 Keller Williams Realty -I sell real estate in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties commonly called the Inland Empire. I am a trained and experienced Short Sale agent. If you are looking for a professional and experienced agent, I am just a click away. Google me at Kristin Hamilton-Real Estate Agent. Homeowners and Buyers both will find my services top notch and successful. Call me to sell your home; both traditional and short sales. California is a dream come true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year ro... 02/11/2013

♪♪ Looking for Birds ♪♪     He has his head inside the tree looking for birds. Where are those pesky birds?                 Do you see the bird hiding in the back of the tree? There are hundreds of birds in this tree daily.                   Going Home without a bird!                             California is a dream come true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities. If you are looking for a home in southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and aware of the local market. I am here to help you find a home or to sell the home you currently own. California has great opportunities to view Nature and Bird Watching. Whatever your ... 02/01/2013

Joint powers authority meeting to consider options for underwater homeowners in San Bernardino County, Ontario, Fontana. Could this be the help homeowners have been waiting for or is it a Wolf in Sheep’s clothing? MercuryNews.com is reporting the JPA is requesting that the county of San Bernardino use eminent domain to acquire underwater mortgages in San Bernardino, Ontario and Fontana.     http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_22437062/joint-powers-authority-meeting-consider-options-underwater-homeowners   01/29/2013

  Landlords & Tenants-Tenants Must Now Be Notified of Notice of Defaults     A new California law that went into effect January 1, 2013, requires landlords to provide disclosure to prospective tenants of a Notice of Default recorded on the property they are trying to rent/lease. The landlord must notify the prospective renters before the lease is signed. This law applies to single family homes and apartment building up to 4 units.   This new law, Civil Code Section 2924.85 is effective January 1, 2013 through January 1, 2018.   The new law states that this notice must be in writing to the prospective tenant as follows: "The foreclosure process has begun on this property, and this property may be sold at foreclosure. If you rent this property, and a foreclosure sale occurs, the sale may ... 01/25/2013

Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Act Extended Thru 2013 Congress reached a settlement in the “fiscal cliff” negotiations. As a result, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act has been extended through Jan.1, 2014. The fiscal cliff deal extends it for another year; meaning homeowners who experience a debt reduction through mortgage principal forgiveness or a short sale are exempt from being taxed on the forgiven amount.  The amount extends up to $2 million of debt forgiven on the homeowner's principal residence. For homeowner's to qualify, their debt must have been used to 'buy, build, or substantially improve' their principal residence and be secured by that residence. The law, which was passed in 2007 with a 5-year sunset provision, will now be in effect until Jan. 1, 2014. The settlement al... 01/08/2013

Little Green Hummer California is a dream come true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities. If you are looking for a home in southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and aware of the local market. I am here to help you find a home or to sell the home you currently own. California has great opportunities to view Nature and Bird Watching. Whatever your needs are, you will find it here in California! From the Inland Empire you are 45 minutes to the beaches, mountains or desert. Housing is affordable in the Inland Empire area. Call me! I sell real estate in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. I am a trained and experienced ... 01/06/2013

Happy New Year 2013 from Southern California   I hope everyone has had a safe and wonderful holiday. May 2013 bring you happiness and good health.       Today, I was visiting the beach at sunset and thought how this was the last sunset of the year, 2012.             How lovely the beach was and very peaceful. The weather is nice here and driving to the beach or mountains only takes about 45 minutes from anywhere nearby.         Happy New Year! The holiday is over so call me to list your home in Southern California! California is a dream come true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities. If you are looking for a home in southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor,... 12/31/2012

WHIMSICAL PHOTOS whim·si·cal /ˈ(h)wimzikəl/ 1.     Playfully quaint or fanciful, esp. in an appealing and amusing way. 2.     Acting or behaving in a capricious manner.       Sometimes you just feel silly and laugh at everything.                                       I am not sure exactly what this is supposed to be but I laugh when I drive by.                                     My dogs make me laugh as they play and are so silly.                                                       A Hostess Cupcake; will I ever see one again as this one is gone. Yes, it was eatten.....gone but not forgotten. I kept the box...now that is silly.                       A pink scooter is silly. My favorite color is pink but really......                                                           I like thi... 12/29/2012

  Homes are Selling like Hotcakes   California is a dream come true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities. If you are looking for a home in southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and aware of the local market. I am here to help you find a home or to sell the home you currently own. California has great opportunities to view Nature and Bird Watching. Whatever your needs are, you will find it here in California! From the Inland Empire you are 45 minutes to the beaches, mountains or desert. Housing is affordable in the Inland Empire area. Call me!   I sell real estate in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. I am a traine... 12/04/2012

....Holiday Greeting Card Contest-APPRECIATION! Here's my holiday card that I created for my clients to let them know I appreciate them.   Front of my card:     Inside of the card:   Client Appreciation- This is a “Holiday” card I created for my clients and future clients. I think it is important to reach out during the holidays and let them know how important they were to me and that I still think of them.   Colors- I picked the red plaid with green holly berries and perhaps this screams of Christmas but it also just looks festive and I did not use the word ‘Christmas’but instead ‘Happy Holidays’ which I think is alright. I live in a multi cultural area of residents who have come here to live from all over the world. Therefore we are dealing with different religions and beliefs.   Them... 11/27/2012

Nature in the World I am Grateful for: Beaches Clouds Moonlight Sunlight Mother Nature All 4 Seasons Clean Water Oceans and Lakes Flowers & Vegatables Trees & Shrubs Dogs & Cats God's Animals & Insects Photography & my  Camera and Birds......one of my favorites!     *Not sure if this is a big bird's nest or a squirrel's nest?   11/15/2012