30A Songwriters Festival

Hooray! It’s the 30A Songwriters Festival and this year, as always, it boasts an incredible line-up of performers and venues. If you’re lucky enough to be here in the Panama City Beach/30A/Destin area from January 11-15th you absolutely have to make plans to attend. This year there are 23 stages along Scenic Highway 30A offering every musical genre.

The 30A Songwriters Festival headquarters is located just West of Seaside at the Watercolor Inn. An updated performance schedule was posted on 1/11/12 but it’s a good idea to check the website for updates as changes may occur. You can pick up a printed schedule at Watercolor Inn or download the schedule here.

The festivities kick off on Wednesday, January 11th with a special pre-festival performance at Fish Out of Water for members of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County.

Friday, January 13th is the 30A Songwriters Festival kick-off party hosted at Pandora’s. (open to all weekend pass holders) Most of the venues will be open with performances from 6:00-12:00AM.

Saturday starts at 10:00AM and ends at 12:00AM with performances by Matthew Sweet & The Bangles at the Seaside Lyceum.

Start Sunday out right with a gospel brunch at Caliza in Alys Beach…heavenly music and incredible atmosphere! Again, most venues will be open with performances until 12:00AM

This is an awesome festival, no matter where you end up on 30A you won’t be disappointed. See you there! And if you’re interested in looking at real estate, give us a call at Beachy Beach and make sure you watch our two weekly real estate shows. The Beach Show 30A and The Beach Show.

Short Sales and Federal Taxes

If you’re upside down on your home loan, this year you really need to think about whether it’s time to do a short sale. In 2013 the amount of your mortgage that you are short will be taxable. For example, if you are $100,000 short in paying off your mortgage with the proceeds of the sale of your home and the bank forgives the shortage…in 2012 you will owe $0 in federal taxes on the short amount. In 2013, if you are in the 25% tax bracket, you will owe $25,000 in Federal taxes. That’s a huge difference. Call me for more details at 850-866-3720 or email me at chris@beachybeach.com.

If You’ve Got $100, I’ve Got A House For You!

HUD homes: $100 downpayment in Fla.

WASHINGTON – Jan. 5, 2012 – In Florida and a handful of other states, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will sell homes it owns for only a $100 downpayment, providing buyers meet certain conditions.

Buyers must plan to live in the home and pay full list price. They must also take out an FHA loan, and standard underwriting rules apply. FHA loans typically require a 3.5 percent downpayment.

The deal also helps buyers who want to buy a home that needs repairs. The $100 downpayment offer can also be applied to FHA’s 203k loans, which allow a buyer to borrow more than the list price and use the extra money to fix it up. By rolling the loan money plus fix-up costs into a single loan, buyers can pay it off over time with one monthly payment.

In most cases, HUD will also cover up to 3 percent of closing costs.

For more information, visit HUD’s website.

© 2012 Florida Realtors®