www.TeamShanahan.com

ShelterBox is the premier international aid organization that provides shelter and life-saving equipment. They instantly respond to earthquake, volcano, flood, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami or conflict and have helped over 140 disasters in more than 70 countries.  Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and lifesaving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.

The contents are tailored depending on the nature and location of the disaster, with great care taken sourcing every item to ensure it is robust enough to be of lasting value.  The value of a box is $1,000 including delivery direct to those who need it. Each box bears its own unique number so as a donor you can track your box all the way to its recipient country via the website. Highly trained ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organizations, international aid agencies and Rotary clubs worldwide.  Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter for the people who need it most

Along with the fun of Facebook comes the reality of staying safe. Here’s some interesting info about photos that you might not know about: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7621105

The IRS is sending a letter to taxpayers who claimed the credit that explains if, when, and how the buyer has to repay the credit. There are different IRS letters for different situations, including a purchase of a home in 2008, 2009, or 2010; a sale of a main home; or a change in the use of the main home.

The IRS website at www.irs.gov contains detailed information about repayment requirements for the federal home buyer tax credit. This is a great resource to help sort out any confusion.

Holiday time brings fun, excitement, cold weather, and usually a few overnight house guests!  Household appliances take on more wear and tear than usual. If your water heater is more than a few years old, it’s a good idea to wrap it w/ a blanket to help save energy and money wasted in re-heating freezing cold water coming from those undergrown outside pipes. House guests or not, this tip just makes good sense!  How to do:  http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/139/1/Hot-water-heater-blankets.html

We just spent our 3rd night at the Folsom Thurs Night Market and it was a blast! Stop by the next  Market on July 8th and visit our booth. Team Shanahan and Platinum Mortgage Network President, Dave Trillo  http://www.platinummortgagenetwork.com/ will be there then and every week till it ends on July 29th  to help with your real estate and mortgage questions.

Vendors of all kinds, dancers, muscians, games, kareoke,  food stations & more are present  from 6-9pm.  There are 4 more fun-filled nights coming up, so check it out! http://www.folsomtnm.com/

Good news for home buyers! Governor Schwarzenegger signs $10,000 homebuyer tax credit legislation making a move to encourage Californian first time homebuyers and new construction purchasers to buy homes. I urge anyone looking at property ownership to call their tax accountant to understand how this bill will affect them. Read more http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/14712/

“Howdy” goes out to all the nice people and business owners we met at the Folsom Chamber of Commerce “Folsom Connection 2010″ event yesterday. Plus BIG THANKS goes to the organizers for such a superb job! It was a pleasure seeing such great turnout in support of keeping business strong in Folsom. Reatly World Team Shanahan raffled off a Flip Mino HD Video Camera. The WINNER was Phillip Kwong! Congratulations Phillip… have fun shooting, recording, & connecting w/ the FlipShare software experience. 

As of March 31^st the Federal Reserve will stop buying mortgages from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Why should you care? It means that banks will have to raise interest rates on the mortgages they originate in order to attract private investors, rather than a guaranteed buyer. Get all the info here: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/personal_finance/20100317_Program_s_end_to_affect_interest_rates.html

Extended until Dec 31, 2010, first time home buyers who lose their jobs due to layoffs may be eligible to receive up to $1500 a month for up to 6 mos to help pay their mortgage.  A qualified co-buyer can also participate in C.A.R.’s (Calif Assoc of Realtors) Housing Affordability Fund Mortgage Protection Program & receive $750 a month for up to 6mos. This free protection program received $1 million from C.A.R.’s & an additional $420,000 from N.A.R.’s (National Assoc) housing affordability funds & are available until the funds run out. Contact your Realtor for an application.

I’m always up for passing on great tips for new business I hear about. So I checked out SKIN 360 http://www.skin360medicalaesthetics.com/index.html, a new medical aesthetics clinic at 2575 East Bidwell Street, suite 210 in Folsom. The state of the art office featured everything I could possibly want for improving my skin from head to toe. From the clean, crisp new office to the warm, professional staff–I felt completely at ease & in good hands w/Nurse Practioner Jessica Finsley. She performed a precision laser treatment for me. I couldn’t be more happy with the results thus far. Go check them out for yourself & don’t forget to mention my recommendation for a 10% discount. Be sure to let me know how it goes!