Want to rent during WEG?

Surely you know what WEG is...Altech FEI World Equestrian Games...drive around New Circle or downtown and see the countdown numbers. While we've been talking about it forever, the games are actually in sight at less than a year away!

If you live in Lexington, you have undoubtedly had the thought enter your head that you should leave town and rent out your house. I have! I won't be doing it though because more than likely my children will need to go to school for those two-plus weeks. However, if you are serious about vacating and renting out your house and/or land, I can help do that now. Bluegrass Sotheby's now has a great system in place to rent your home. I can provide a market analysis of your home's rental value for the games, help you find your guests and help you rent your home as safely as possible for the extent of the games.

Emerald Ash Borer

If you live in Lexington, you probably know why all those trees around town have green, plastic ties around their trunks. If you don't live in Lexington but are thinking about moving here, look at for those green tags and learn to identify an Ash tree. Sadly, our native Ash Trees will soon be the victim of the exotic and evil Emerald Ash Borer.

For the homeowner, this means that you may soon have the expense of treating any Ash trees on your property (estimates I've heard are $10 per inch of the trunks diameter) or losing your trees and paying for their removal. None of it's good. Most of the street and front yard trees around Lexington have now been marked by volunteers armed with green ties, but backyard trees would not be marked. If you aren't familiar with which tree is an ash, click on the title above and it'll take you to an Ash tree link which can help you identify them.

As a Buyer's agent, I'm schooling myself to readily recognize an ash trees for my buyers. While an ash tree wouldn't put me off buying a home I loved, I'd want to know what I'm in for and if I need to factor a tree removal and replacement or treatment into my cost of home ownership.

Tax Stimulus extension

It appears that the home buyer tax stimulus credit extension is a done deal, as well as the passing of the $6500 credit to resale buyers who have lived in their current home for 5 out of the last 8 years. The new deadline is that a home must be under contract by May 1 and closed by July 1.

Call me or email me if you want more details. I have a great little fact sheet on the extension from a lender I work with that I'm happy to share!

Good news...

I'm flying to New York in 3 hours to hang out with my sister in the Big Apple, which is good news for me -- direct flight from Lexington's beautiful Bluegrass Field...truly one of the prettiest airports in America! Not that I'm biased or anything.

But before I leave, I want to share the really good news for homebuyers and sellers! The Senate passed the extension of the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and has added a provision granting a $6,500 tax credit for resale homeowners buying a new home if they have lived in their present home for 5 or more years and have a combined family income of under $240,000. Now, the measure just awaits the President's signature. Let's hope he signs that soon!

See you Monday!