Neighborhoods and Activities in Baton Rouge

USSSA QUALIFIER.    DOUBLE POINTS WEEKEND!

May 16th & 17th, 2009

Walker Parks & Recreation

13740 Ball Park Road

Walker, LA 70785

Register at www.USSSA.com   

225-485-8717   225-328-6334

www.louisianastixx.com

bclaverie@cox.net or info@louisianastixx.com

Are you pumped and ready to compete in baseball?  You can enter this Baseball Tournament next weekent!  Louisiana Stixx is hosting this USSSA Qualifier in Walker, Louisiana.  Each age division will be spearated by class, if enough teams enter in the same class.  All teams are welcome.  Don't miss this opportunity for a fun 2 days!

Today I was glad to see some positive national news about real estate.  Most headlines tout foreclosure rates and other negative spins of real estate.  Today ABC featured Donald Trump on "Good Morning America".  His Advice: This is a Great Time to Buy Real Estate.  Now that's something all of us as real estate professionals have known; but it's nice to see some positive national attention to the subject!  Maybe NAR should hire him as their PR representative for this year!  "Think like a Champion" he says.  If lenders are reluctant to give you a loan, go buy a home from a bank where they foreclosed on it.  They are more willing to work with you then.

For those moving to Prairieville, or Gonzales, or other areas of Ascension Parish, the school's website is a great source of information on public school district boundaries.  You can click on and view the attendance boundaries of various public elementary schools and feeder schools for the high schools.

There are numerous sources such as  Standard and Poor's or paid webistes  to get a comparison of school performance, but be aware many of these ratings are based on past statistics so be careful as you evaluate various choices.  Last August ACT Scores Properlled Ascension into the Top 5 ranking in the state of Louisiana. "When compared to the 70 public school districts across the state, Ascension scored exceptionally well ranking fifth. St. Tammany led the state with a score of 21.7, followed by Lafayette, Central Community, and Catahoula. Livingston and Ouachita parishes also ranked fifth with a score of 20.7." In Feb. 2009  Gonzales Middle School and Lowery Elementary School were both named as Top Implementation Schools for PBS (Positive Behavior Support) statewide.

  Ascension Parish is a growing area with much to offer its residents.

Come Saturday, April 11, 2009, from 11am to 1pm.  Located at the Istrouma campus which is near intersection of Airline Hwy & I-12 at 10500 Sam Rushing Blvd.  There will be several hunts divided into age groups.  Other activities include games and play areas. 

FREE food, games, and prizes.  Fun for the whole family. This event open to everyone.

Don't miss this opportunity for family fun sponsored by Istrouma church.

If you are buying a home in East Baton Rouge or West Baton Roug,  the Louisiana LHFA bond can provide from 4% to 9% of the mortgage loan amount to be paid at closing to cover part of the down payment, closing costs, and prepaid items.  There are income limits and home cost limits.  And the program interest rates vary depending on which type of loan for which you quality.  The HOME program gives a minimum of 4.5% and a lower interest rate.  The assisted program gives 4% and a slightly higher interest rate.  Both give assistance toward other monthly costs. This program allows slightly lower credit scores than the present FHA lowiest limit of 620.  The popular rural developmnet funding isn't available for homes inside the city limits of Baton Rouge.

Many are wondering:   can use these programs and still get the $8000 1st time homebuyer tax credit?  Yes, there is no exclusion for type of mortgage or if you pay cash.  The important thing is that you be sure you close on an home BEFORE November 2009, which is the desdline for obtaining the $8000 tax credit that is part of the Economic Stimulus plan.

What a great time to buy a home with interest rates ranging from 4.5% to 6.9% depending on which mortgage program you select and qualify for!

Related questions about the $8000 tax credit for 2009:

1.  What Is a First Time Homebuyer?

2,  Do I Have to Wail until next year when I file my 2009 return to get the $8000 credit?

One of the great things about the new 1st Time Homebuyer tax credit is that it can be claimed as soon as you close on your home. 

If you have already filed can file an amended 2008 tax return with a 1040X form.  This can be done even if a home was purchased early in 2009 and the original tax return claimed the $7,500 credit from last year.

Specifically home buyers use IRS Form 5405 to determine their tax credit amount, and then claim this amount on Line 69 of their 1040 income tax return.  You will want to be sure that you qualify under the limits of the 1st Time Homebuyer tests.

 Now that the news is out about the American Recovery and Reinvestment act of 2009 , many questions have surfaced about the $8000 first time homebuyer credit.  I will discuss these this week.  One of the first I get is "What Is a 1st Time Homebuyer and who is eligible to claim this tax credit?".    A first time homebuyer is a person who has not owned a home in the last 3-year period prior to the purchase.  For married taxpayers, the law tests the homeownership history of both the home buyer and his/her spouse. For example, if you have not owned a home in the past 3 years but your spouse has owned a principal residence, neither you nor your spouse qualifies for the credit.  However, unmarried joint purchasers may allocate the credit amount to any buyer who qualifies as a first-time buyer.  An example is where a parent jointly purchases a home with a son or daughter.  In this case the person qualifying as 1st time homebuyer may take the credit.  If 2 qualify it may ony be claimed by one or allocated beteen them.

Have you ever wanted to walk into the pages of The Jungle Book, or see lifesize Dora & Diego? Then you'll have a chance when you attend A STORYBOOK BALL that will be held in Baton Rouge March 14, 2009 from 6pm - 10m.  It's occuring at the Celtic Studios, the newest, fully functional Hollywood movie studio in Baton Rouge.  This gala event will be the first fundraising event for Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge, a non-profit organization that provides a variety of services for families. Vew the Press Releases and get all the deatils.  This excerpt from the Press Release gives a glimpse of the evening:

"The Storybook Ball is meant to create an enchanted and magical evening for the entire family. Plans are to have carriage rides from the parking lot to a magical entrance. Once inside, the "candy cane lane" setting will take you though life-sized Storybook modules. Every Storybook will have an activity or something for eachchild to take away with them. Music, dancing, food and beverage will make this a night to rememberfor all that attend. Dress for this event will be Cocktail attire and children are invited to dress as their favoritestorybook character"

The event will feature 12 storybooks that include a childrens activity at each book.  Sets are being created by LSU School of Art, and will be interactive and/or 3D. There are many activities including A scavenger hunt to find items at all the books. 

Don't miss this family event for a worthy cause.

This weekend the CMN Bass Classic will be held to help Baton Rouge's OLOL Childern's Hospital. I can attest to their skill and care for children in the greater Baton Rouge area.  I had to rush my 2 year old grandson there to get a peanut extracted from his nose!   There are several events to sponsor this regional hospital specializing in children's care, including rooms specially furnished for mom's and children of all ages!

The Advocate News featured a video interview of the upcoming event: Bass tournament

To sign up just register on OLOL website:  Sign Up Here