Who Invited this Guy to the Easter Egg Hunt?

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Steve Norr
At about noon today we caught this Seagull
red handed with Duck egg in beak.
This is the hard part of living with so much wildlife.
 But I suppose it is just a natural part of the food chain.
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American Wigeon Duck

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Steve Norr
Shelly spotted this American Wigeon Duck
a couple of weeks ago.

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>Housing Experts Say Real Estate is Recovering

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Steve Norr

>Some of the nation’s top economists believe the housing market has turned and better days are on the way for the housing industry.

Increases in jobs, credit, and affordable homes will overcome impediments such as rising interest rates, and the expiration of the Federal stimulus program to push the housing market toward recovery, says Dean Maki, chief U.S. economist for Barclays Capital.

“I would bet even odds that we’re at a bottom and that we’re going to see improvement in the coming months,” says Karl Case, co-creator of the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index and a professor of economics at Wellesley College.

“The underlying trend is turning positive,” says Bruce Kasman, chief economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Source: Bloomberg, Kathleen M. Howley and Rich Miller (03/15/2010)

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Wildlife Photo’s from around the Pond

Posted on February 20, 2010 by Steve Norr
I have been watching the Ducks and Geese
and they are staking out their nesting spots.
It wont be long before we see this years new
ducklings and goslings!
Shelly and I have collected photos of several
birds and other wildlife that we share our
backyard with, this is just a small sampling
of the wildlife that lives on the Pond. If you have
photos of other wildlife on the pond e-mail
them to me and I will add them to this Blog.
We love to watch the Canadian Geese
fly in and out, they are so graceful.

This Muscovy Duck is new to our Pond,
I can’t believe how tame it is, he Wait’s for Shelly
at feeding time and paws at the gate until she
opens it to feed him and he comes right in.

We love it when the Mandarin Ducks drop in.

This Pelican stopped in last year.
Shelly got these shots of a Great Blue Heron
last summer, we see this guy or someone who
looks like him almost every year. I couldn’t
believe it the first time I saw a bird like this
in our backyard, we truly live in a special place.
We haven’t seen the domestic Geese for
several years, but they were here when we
moved in and we still remember their Honk.
Shelly spotted this Beaver
Thankfully this Water Snake was as scared of me
as I was of him, this photo was taken along the
bank by Georges house the first year we moved in.
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Boating on the Pond

Posted on February 20, 2010 by Steve Norr
Every 3rd of July is the annual Fireworks Party
and their are plenty of rafts on the water.
My Nieces & Nephews love to watch the Fireworks
from a raft because you see the Fireworks above
as well as the reflection on the water.
We think this is the best seat in town!
 It’s a common sight to see Lewis coming downstream in his canoe,
you see the Pond in a totally different way from a canoe or a raft,
I highly recommend it.
 I enjoy cruising in my kayak or fishing from my raft.
 Maybe one day we will even catch one of these huge carp.
I hear that there are also trout but I haven’t seen any, have you?
Posted in MCPAC | 1 Comment

>2010 May be the Year of the First-Time Home Buyer

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Steve Norr

>2010: The Year of the First-Time Buyer?
According to the Chinese calendar, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. But in real estate, 2010 may come to be known as the “Year of the First-Time Home Buyer.”

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, says there will be 1.84 million homes sold to first-time home buyers in 2010, compared with 1.73 million in 2009.

These buyers will invariably make some mistakes that they will come to regret a few years down the road, some experts say, including failing to use a real estate professional to help them manage the transaction.

Real estate professionals have the time and the knowledge to sift through thousands of listings, creating market analyses to judge pricing and other key features, points out Ray Boss Jr., a practitioner with RE/MAX Realty Group in Maryland.

“I would want someone who is going to look out for my interests first and foremost,” says Boss. “Someone who knows the contracts, who has experience negotiating, and who can walk me through the entire process smoothly — step by step — and make sure I get the house that’s right for me.”

Source: U.S. News & World Report, Kimberly Castro (02/18/2010)

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Why Does the Water Level Change So Often?

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Steve Norr


We asked our Reasearch Representative George Mierisch to look into this and this is what he found out.

“IT SHOULD NOT CHANGE”

Subject: RE: Mill Creek pond level
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:38:46 -0600
From: KCollins@slco.org
To: georgemierisch@hotmail.com

Hi George-

My understanding is that the County Flood Control Maintenance Crew is responsible for maintenance of the pond. Changes to the configuration of the flashboard or water control gate are related to their maintenance activities.

The gate is closed when maintenance is required on the flume between the gate and debris rack near 500 E. That will raise the pond water levels.

The flashboards currently in place above the water control gate is the default level according to the agreement between Salt Lake County and South Salt Lake City. The flashboards are removed only to dry out the pond when it needs dredging like it did 2-3 years ago. Otherwise, they are not removed.

If you observe that the flashboards have been removed or the gate has been closed this winter, please give me a call and I will check it out for you.

The low water levels in the winter may simply be due to less water in Mill Creek at that time of year and there is less water going over the flashboards. Check it out this winter and let me know what happens.

Kathlyn Collins

Water Resources Planning and Restoration Program

Division of Flood Control and Water Quality

Salt Lake County

801-468-3742

kcollins@slco.org

Posted in MCPAC | 1 Comment

2009 Fall Clean Up Project

Posted on February 6, 2010 by Steve Norr
Our Beautiful Pond collects a lot of debris. There’s a natural dam that form’s by Terrell’s backyard. The County would eventually clean it up, but we decided to take on the responsibilityfor cleaning up our backyard Pond and to keep it cleaned up with regular maintenance.
Lewis thought he saw Water Nymph’s in the Pond. No Lou it’s better than that, it’s Shelly and Terrell cleaning out the Pond!
WOW these ladies are Awesome!
When I returned from showing houses I was informed that I was going to carry the pile of debris to the street. Oooouch!
Thankfully they helped me get this stuff to the curb.
Shelly and Terrell have worked very hard on this clean up project!
Lewis is always there to help with the big stuff. George, Errol and Lela had impressive piles of debries on 500 East, and Derrell helped me with the Park Court Common Area.
I even saw Bob planting new sod in the common area!
Thanks to everyone who helped with the clean up project!

 

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>Salt Lake Board of Realtors in the News

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Steve Norr

>Real Estate Sales Up, Prices Not So Much

“Sales soar, prices skid,” was the headline in the Salt Lake Tribune’s Jan. 28 issue. The story featured the association’s quarterly Housing Market Report, which tracks home values and sales in nearly 100 ZIP codes across the Wasatch Front.

Sales of single-family homes were up 36 percent in the fourth quarter. “REALTORS point to lower prices, federal homebuying incentives worth as much as $8,000 and low mortgage rates as factors in the rising sales, a trend they expect to continue in 2010,” the story said.

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>First-Time Homebuyer Credit Extended to April 30, 2010; Some Current Homeowners Now Also Qualify

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Steve Norr

>

IR-2009-108, Nov. 24, 2009

WASHINGTON — A new law that went into effect Nov. 6 extends the first-time homebuyer credit five months and expands the eligibility requirements for purchasers.

The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 extends the deadline for qualifying home purchases from Nov. 30, 2009, to April 30, 2010. Additionally, if a buyer enters into a binding contract by April 30, 2010, the buyer has until June 30, 2010, to settle on the purchase.

The maximum credit amount remains at $8,000 for a first-time homebuyer –– that is, a buyer who has not owned a primary residence during the three years up to the date of purchase.

But the new law also provides a “long-time resident” credit of up to $6,500 to others who do not qualify as “first-time homebuyers.” To qualify this way, a buyer must have owned and used the same home as a principal or primary residence for at least five consecutive years of the eight-year period ending on the date of purchase of a new home as a primary residence.

For all qualifying purchases in 2010, taxpayers have the option of claiming the credit on either their 2009 or 2010 tax returns.

A new version of Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit, will be available in the next few weeks. A taxpayer who purchases a home after Nov. 6 must use this new version of the form to claim the credit. Likewise, taxpayers claiming the credit on their 2009 returns, no matter when the house was purchased, must also use the new version of Form 5405. Taxpayers who claim the credit on their 2009 tax return will not be able to file electronically but instead will need to file a paper return.

A taxpayer who purchased a home on or before Nov. 6 and chooses to claim the credit on an original or amended 2008 return may continue to use the current version of Form 5405.

Income Limits Rise

The new law raises the income limits for people who purchase homes after Nov. 6. The full credit will be available to taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes (MAGI) up to $125,000, or $225,000 for joint filers. Those with MAGI between $125,000 and $145,000, or $225,000 and $245,000 for joint filers, are eligible for a reduced credit. Those with higher incomes do not qualify.

For homes purchased prior to Nov. 7, 2009, existing MAGI limits remain in place. The full credit is available to taxpayers with MAGI up to $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers. Those with MAGI between $75,000 and $95,000, or $150,000 and $170,000 for joint filers, are eligible for a reduced credit. Those with higher incomes do not qualify.

New Requirements

Several new restrictions on purchases that occur after Nov. 6 go into effect with the new law:

  • Dependents are not eligible to claim the credit.
  • No credit is available if the purchase price of a home is more than $800,000.
  • A purchaser must be at least 18 years of age on the date of purchase.

For Members of the Military

Members of the Armed Forces and certain federal employees serving outside the U.S. have an extra year to buy a principal residence in the U.S. and still qualify for the credit. An eligible taxpayer must buy or enter into a binding contract to buy a home by April 30, 2011, and settle on the purchase by June 30, 2011.

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