Did someone say “TAX CREDIT”?

Did someone say “TAX CREDIT”?

Folks, let me share there is a material difference between a “tax credit” & a “tax deduction” – so let me give the Kevin Martini break down because it is very simple.

A tax credit will lower your tax bill dollar for dollar whereas a tax deduction shaves money off your taxable income.

QUESTION: So how much does a tax deduction shave off?

ANSWER: it depends on what tax bracket you are in.

Now I am not an accountant or a tax attorney…now that that is out of the way…let us assume you are in a 25%tax bracket. A $2,000 tax deduction will lower your tax bill by $500 However if you have a tax credit of $2,000 – the credit WILL LOWER YOUR TAX BILL BY THE FULL $2,000, no matter what tax bracket you are in.

Did you there is a tax credit if you are buying a home in Raleigh & getting a mortgage for your new Raleigh home…or if you are buying a home in Cary & getting a mortgage for your new Cary home – well actually there is a tax credit if you are buying a home anywhere in North Carolina & getting a mortgage…now there are some restriction, like you have to be a first time home buyer (FTHB) & there are very realistic income limits that apply. And you thought the first time home buyer tax credit was gone - it is here & I can help you get it!

Toward that end, take a look @ my encore video that explains the Martini Mortgage Credit Certificate program in a little more detail & call my office @ 919.858.0023 so we can see how this may impact you.

The Weekly Martini - March 20, 2011

When you really think about it – the world is a small place! What happened in Japan & what happens in the Middle East effects Raleigh mortgage rates & Cary home loan rates.

When thing are uncertain or unclear, investor try to find a safe harbor & there is nothing safer than a bond, specifically a mortgage bond. Now remember Raleigh mortgage rates come from those mortgage bonds. The flight to safety is what happened last week – when this flight to safety occurs bond prices improves & when that happens Home loan rates in Raleigh & Cary improve – Folks, this is what happened last week!

Now this flight to safety is generally a very short flight – when events around the world, (which is like an event around the corner – because it is a very small world) become certain & clear…may I even use the “stable” – this safe harbor trade will unwind & unwind very fast causing bond prices & Raleigh mortgage rates to unwind & get worse very quickly.

Then pepper in the fact that the nemesis to a bond is inflation – last week we saw 2 HOT reports (i.e. consumer price index & the producer price index) indicating that inflation technically may already be here as both report beat the streets expectations.

The punchline: when if the situations in Japan and the Middle East stabilize or improve, we could see further unwinding of the “safe-harbor” buying of bonds… which WILL hinder improvement in Raleigh home loan rates.

If you have been thinking about purchasing a home, call or email me to learn more about how you can benefit. Or forward this newsletter on to someone you know who may benefit from today’s historically low rates.

KEVIN MARTINI

919.858.0023

also check out my video blog @ www.MartiniFactor.com

The Weekly Martini - 3.7.11

Last week investors continued to closely watch the events in the Middle East & there were few new developments there during the week. As a result, last week’s important economic data had the greatest influence on mortgage rates. Daily volatility was VERY high as investors reacted to the major economic reports, however Raleigh mortgage rates ended the week essentially unchanged.

We had much stronger than expected economic data during the last week which caused investors to prepare for the possibility that the economy is growing more rapidly than expected. The Chicago PMI manufacturing index rose to the highest level since July 1988, and the ISM Services index rose to the highest level since August 2005… & then the Weekly Jobless Claims dropped to the lowest level since May 2008.

Friday’s Employment report were strong, the economy added 192K jobs in February. The Unemployment Rate declined to 8.9% from 9.0% in January. The gains were strong nearly across the board, with the exception of the government sector – that is totally fine with me…the growth needs to be from the private sector anyways! Over the longer-term, the private sector must produce new jobs to sustain a recovery, so strength in the private sector was a good sign for the future.

After a this massive week last week, the Economic Calendar will be much lighter this week. The most significant report will be Retail Sales on Friday. A Here comes a Kevin Martini fact: Did you know that Retail Sales account for about 70% of economic activity? The Trade Balance will come out on Thursday, and Consumer Sentiment will be released on Friday. Also there will be a Treasury auction on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. These Treasury auctions recently have been market moving events and have caused Raleigh mortgage rates to move.

Folks, the good news is that if you have been thinking about purchasing or refinancing a home, Raleigh home loan rates are still very attractive. Call or email me if you have any questions at all – I’m always happy to talk to you! Or forward this post using the links below to “The Facebook” or “The Twitter” – perhaps one of your friends could benefit from today’s historically low rates.

$ave o n Gas!!!

My name is Kevin Martini and I am a mortgage banker with SunTrust Mortgage here in Raleigh, NC. This morning, I just posted on my video blog which is located at www.MartiniFactor.com and thought to share the written word here too.

I feel like I’m giving an arm, a leg & my first born - when I have to fill up my car. So I did a little research and thought I would share. So I have three things to help you save on gas mileage today.

The first one, the big myth, that if you leave your car running when you go in somewhere it is cheaper to leave it running than it is to come back and start it back up is NOT true. They say that if you’re going to be in some place more than a minute, to shut your car off and turn it back on. It is more economical to do it that way.

Number two – if you have several errands to run, one here, one there, another somewhere else, it is better to run your car when it is warm so start with the errand that is the furthest away and then work your way back towards home.

Number three – make it a game. Have fun with it. It’s amazing how much money you can save when you actually concentrate on your gas mileage when you’re driving to work or traveling or whatever. If you go to budurl.com/gasmileage it will show you a super simple way to figure out your gas mileage. Just keep it on a note card in your car and every time you get gas see what it is. You’ll be amazed at how much money you can save by just focusing on it. And with gas prices going up, that’s a huge deal!!

I trust you found this helpful information on securing a mortgage in the Triangle of North Carolina (i.e. Raleigh area to include Cary, NC) – I invite you to call or visit my video blog @ www.MartiniFactor.com…because at the end of the day – it is not just a house, it is a home!

The Weekly Martini - 2.21.2011

What a week after rising for several weeks…Raleigh mortgage rates improved a little this past week. The news on inflation was not as negative as I & many investors feared– then pepper in that and the economic growth data was somewhat mixed.

Yes, food & energy prices have been rising globally; overall inflation levels have generally stayed low. The big monthly US inflation reports released this past week revealed that core inflation remained low in January (remember core is what the Fed follows), but that it has moved higher over recent months. January CPI was under control being only 1.6% higher than one year ago. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, was only 1.0% higher than one year ago.

That all being said, last week we also received an early sign that inflation may be higher down the road…the “Prices Paid“ component of the Philly Fed index jumped upward…this reflects that raw material costs rose. I think this is significant because sooner or later that will be passed to the consumer

No Perry Mason “smoking gun” with last weeks FOMC Minutes. The minutes revealed that disagreement was growing among Fed officials about the benefits of continuing the QE(2) which is scheduled to end in June. However, there was general agreement that the hurdle for altering the program remains very high, & investors continue to expect the Fed to complete the $600 billion in purchases of Treasury securities as originally planned. The Fed raised its forecast for 2011 GDP growth to 3.65% from their prior estimate of 3.30% in November. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that the Fed lowered its forecast for 2011 core PCE inflation levels. With all the recent evidence of rising prices, lower inflation predictions were not expected.

This week, Existing Home Sales will be released on Wednesday, and New Home Sales will come out on Thursday. Durable Orders, an important indicator of economic growth, will also be released on Thursday. Revised figures for fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will come out on Friday. Consumer Confidence and Consumer Sentiment will round out the Economic Calendar. AND THERE IS MORE — on Tuesday , Wednesday & Thursday there will be Treasury auction. These auctions might have a significant impact on Raleigh mortgage rates. Mortgage markets will be closed on Monday (2/21/2011) in observance of President’s Day.

So, why do I share what economic reports are coming up? The answer is simply, I want you to know that with weak economic news that normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds…when this happens it is helping Bonds and Raleigh home loan rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result (i.e. higher Raleigh mortgage rates).

Folks, that’s why if you have been thinking about purchasing or refinancing a home, this is a great time to get started! Call or email me if you have any questions at all – I’m always happy to talk to you! Or forward this post on to someone you know who may benefit from today’s historically low rates. You can use the nifty links below to forward via “The FaceBook” or “The Twitter”.

Do not forget that today there is an amazing online workshops this evening called : 20 Things You Must Know Before Buying a Home Monday 07:30 PM click here to join now

To see other online workshops this week – check out the Home Buyer University link on the right. Remember all workshops are Free & and you can register for as many as you want.

Hidden Wealth!!!

Hidden Wealth!!!

A very popular question from this week…”Do corporate earnings impact home loan rates?”

A very popular question from this week…”Do corporate earnings impact home loan rates?”