HB 2486 – Homeowners’ Rebate Affidavit – SUPPORT

As many will recall, last year the legislature passed HB 2001 in the Second Special Session. Buried within the 214-page bill was a policy change to remove second or vacation homes as Class 3 property and reclassify them as Class 4 property, thus removing their eligibility to receive the Homeowners’ Rebate. Despite the change in policy, the main problem with the bill was the creation of an affidavit that would have been sent out with the notice of full cash value by each county assessor to the over 1.8 million homeowners in Arizona. The homeowner would have had to complete and return the affidavit stating, under penalty of perjury, that the home was the owner’s primary residence, essentially guilty until proven innocent.

After many months of discussions with various county assessors, lawmakers and the governor’s staff, HB 2486 was brought forth by AAR to address HB 2001’s problematic affidavit process. The bill eliminates the current affidavit requirements and establishes that the county assessors are required to mail a notice every four years beginning in 2013 to each Class 3 property owner if the owner has a mailing address outside the county in which the property is located, has a mailing address that is different than the situs address or property (excludes post office boxes), has the same mailing address listed for more than one parcel of Class 3 property, or appears to be a business entity.
 
HB 2486 was signed by the governor and will become effective on the general effective date of August 2, 2012.

Click to see all decisions – 2012 Legislative Summary » June 2012.

I grew up in N.C. and for years I remember the celebration being for the Confederates who died (my ancestors) during the Civil War.  Confederate Memorial Day is observed in N.C. on May 10 (if the falls on Sunday, businesses are closed on the following Monday).   Read more about this…

The deaths of all those who died serving our great Country deserve a tribute not just Memorial Day but every day while we enjoy the freedoms that we have!

On the  news tonight was an interview of the owners of this home.  They said their motivation was the cost of $300 per month to live opposed to $1300 per month.  This will enable them to save money for the future.  The home is in Prescott.  It is complete with living area, kitchen, bathroom and a master bedroom.

Years ago I lived aboard a 24′ sail boat.  My husband was asking me, during the news, what was the livable space of my boat.  It was 7′ X 19′ or 133 sqft.  What I learned during the 7 years I lived on a boat it you don’t live indoors.  This couple will discover the same thing.  They can hook up their home to their truck and move around, just like i did with my sailboat.  It’s quite a nice lifestyle.

Prescott couple builds 204-square foot home to gain financial independence.

Did you know there is a huge number of senior citizens who go hungry?   Today as you think of your Mother (whether she is alive or not) please think of someone else’s Mother who is alone and hungry.  Please visit this wonderful website, whether you donate is up to you I’m just making you aware.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to ALL MOTHERS!

Basically the report for Maricopa County draws a pretty good picture for the real estate market.  Even though closed sales, of 20,033 for the first quarter, in volume are down 3.1% from last year the Median Sales price (meaning half are below and half are above average price) is up 12.6% from last year at $129,499 and the Average Sales price (all sold prices added together and divided by the number of homes sold) is up 8% from last year at $177.317.

I am told frequently by lenders, with whom I work, that there are still more bank owned properties to come but I believe that the numbers will be fewer than we have experienced and the prices will compete with these numbers.  We’ll see.

Any person selling or transferring ownership of a property served by an on-site wastewater treatment facility (including a conventional septic tank system or alternative on-site wastewater treatment facility) must retain a qualified Inspector to inspect the facility within six months prior to transferring ownership of the property (Arizona Administrative Code, A.A.C. R18-9-A316) — quoted directly from ADEQ’s website.  It really frustrates me that in every bank owned property (REO) transaction that I have done, where I am representing the Buyer, the Buyer is told to write that out of the contract and pay for septic certifications themselves.  It’s Arizona law for pete’s sake.

Every home I have sold this year with septic systems have had minor to major repairs required in order to complete the septic certifications.  Buyers should be very diligent when purchasing AS-IS homes with septics.  And, they need to be working with REALTORS who understand.

Reblogged from US GreenBrokers:

If you plan to remodel, do some homework. In addition to making your home great there are many companies who can re-use your old stuff.

The film follows what happens when one man decides to purge the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag from his life. He learns more than he ever expected to about the harm these plastic bags can cause — and you will too!

The screening begins at 8PM on your home computer, and the $3.99 ticket price includes an online Q&A after the film with “Life Without Plastic” blogger Beth Terry and Tracy Fernandez Rysavy, Editor-in-chief of the Green American.  Register for the film at www.constellation.tv/bagit.

Reblogged from US GreenBrokers:

Shredder Scissors (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As part of its ongoing commitment to combat identity theft, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is partnering with Shred-It to offer a free Shred-A-Thon on Thursday, March 29th, 2012 at Westbrook Village, 19281 N. Westbrook Parkway, Peoria, AZ 85382. Members of the public will be able to safely destroy up to five bags of unneeded tax returns, financial documents and other papers with personal information at no cost.
The event will take place from 7:00am – 11:00am, or until the shredding trucks reach full capacity.
“Identity theft is a serious crime with lasting consequences. One of the easiest and most effective ways citizens can protect themselves from becoming victims is to destroy unneeded records and documents containing personal information,” remarked Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “Along with our partners at Shred-It, my office is committed to helping people safely and securely get rid of these materials at no cost,” he added.
Among the documents citizens are encouraged to bring to the Shred-A-Thon are:
• Tax returns older than 5 years
• Statements from banks and financial institutions
• Cancelled checks
• Paycheck stubs
• Credit card applications
• Unneeded medical records and billing statements
Large document shredding trucks will be available at each location to shred up to five full bags of documents per person at no cost. Volunteers with the County Attorney’s Office will be available to assist with unloading bags from vehicles and to provide free brochures and information on preventing identity theft.
For more information on how to protect yourself against Identity Theft, please visit the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office web site at www.maricopacountyattorney.org.

News Release from Maricopa County Attorney’s Office March 20, 2012 – Shred-A-Thon

Visit my Calendar Page for more green events.