Taxing Texas home owners...VOTE NO to Prop. 2 and 3

On November 3rd, there will be Propositions 1, 2, and 3 allowing the State of Texas to start taxing Residential Homeowners. For homeowners if these laws are passed, you will be taxed by the State. We are already taxed by the County, the City, the Hospitals, and the school districts, we don’t need to be taxed by the state as well. Make sure your voice is heard!
I received a flyer from the Secretary of State, Hope Andrade, listing the Propositions that are up for election in November. I called to question them before sending this message out to my homeowner friends... PLEASE VOTE "NO" to Prop. 2 and 3 (HJR 36), unless you want to pay taxes to the State also.
Proposition 2: The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows: "The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the ad valor em taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property's value as a residence homestead."
Proposition 3: The proposed amendment would appear on the ballot as follows: The constitutional amendment providing the uniform standards and procedures for the appraisal of property for ad valor em tax purposes."

What are you doing for Christmas?

What happens when you think about Christmas and being in your lovely home on a tree lined street that you just purchased? Celebrating your first wonderful Christmas in your very own home with the décor you put up and the memories you are making in your first home. How does it feel to think about the fact that you will be able to save $8000 on your 2009 tax bill? I know I would love to save $8000 on any bill this year, how about you? You could use the extra money to pay off some bills, take a trip or add some hardwood floors to your new home.
Now what happens when you think about Christmas in that apartment you have been in for the last year always thinking about buying your first home but never making pulling the trigger. None of your own décor, not much room for the big tree you saw on the tree lot. Well my friend time is running out and the $8000 tax credit is set to end on December 1st of this year. You will need to be closed on your new home before that date, if you are not you will not be able to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit. Email me now to find out how you can spend Christmas in your very own home and take advantage of the $8000 tax credit.

As a Buyer: How do you deal with competing offers?

This post refers to standard 'homeowner to homeowner deals, not (REO) bank owned properties--they will more often than not say there are multiple offers when there are none.
You have found the perfect home, crunched the numbers and decided make an offer. But---when your agent submits the offer, you find out that there are multiple offers. At this point, you are told by your agent that the listing agent has told you to submit your highest a best offer.
First things first, you need to take all things into consideration and decide how much you are willing to pay for that home, regardless of how many offers are on the table. It is important not to get caught up in the competition aspect of producing the 'best offer'. Once you have made a decision about how much you are willing to pay for the home, submit that offer and be ready to deal with what happens. Do you’re very best to remove all emotion from your offer. This is a business deal. Treat it as such. You may not get the home because someone else might be willing to pay more for it, but if you get into the bidding war then you will pay more that you normally would have--and it may be more than you can really afford.
On top of increasing the home price, you might also want to consider other options in your offer, including a shorter or longer period before the closing date, paying more in closing costs or taking some issues such as dirty carpets as is. A motivated and agreeable buyer may have better luck than a picky buyer with a higher offer. Many times, getting rid of the hassle is as valuable as the higher price.
Good luck with your home search and remember the next time you hear someone talking about how they would like to sell their home I would really appreciate an introduction. My email is mike@teamtobin.com