Sticks in the Ground

Unintended Consequences – Protect Your Credit Score

The goal is to keep your credit history as clean as possible. With increasingly stringent requirements for mortgage loans, car loans, home improvement loans, you name it, a good CREDIT SCORE is more important than ever before.

You would think that if you have credit cards which you use infrequently that you would be better off if you close them out, simplifying your credit card holdings. Turns out that doing so may actually cause your CREDIT SCORE to drop.

One of the key factors in determining your CREDIT SCORE is the ratio between the amount you owe and the total amount of credit you command. This simple math ratio deteriorates if you eliminate a good size credit line (your credit card limit) and do nothing to proportionally reduce your debt balance at the same time.

Think twice before you cancel that card, it may not be in your best interest to do so. You should also note that certain banks will unilaterally cancel your card if there is little or no activity for an extended period of time.

Now, more than ever, its important to be pro-active in managing your good credit standing. 

.....blogging from Kingwood, TX

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Technorati Tags: Housing,Credit Score

Questions About the Energy Efficiency Tax Credit?

Are you thinking about adding insulation, a radiant barrier or new “energy efficient” windows to your home? Is your A/C or heating unit about at the end of it’s useful life. Do you need a new water heater?  Well, completing any of those projects before the end of 2010 may be more economical than you thought. There is a new Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency. The credit can be as much as 30% of the cost of the improvement. But, like everything else related to the tax code, the bottom line impact is different for different types of “energy efficiency projects”. For some installations the cost of both materials and labor are considered, for others only the cost of materials. And the materials used must comply with the guidelines established by Congress. For specific answers to the most common questions on this subject please go to Energy Credit Frequently Asked Questions.

.....blogging from Kingwood, TX

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Technorati Tags: Housing,Tax Credits

TERMITES - trickier than you think

 Termites pose a constant threat to your home if you live in Texas. Many believe that they are easy to spot, should they begin to attack your structure. People generally look for the telltale sign of mud tunnels crawling up the side of the foundation. If found, chances are the little devils are on the attack. By nature termites are subterranean and must return to the earth each evening to gather moisture. That’s why they build the mud tunnels. HOWEVER, if you allow foliage such as VINES to grow on your house, you have just managed to make home invasion by termites that much easier. You have eliminated the need for these destructive creatures to “return to the earth”. You have provided them with a very acceptable alternative source of moisture. Give yourself a fighting chance, don’t make it easy for these pests to attack your home undetected.

.....blogging from Kingwood, TX

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Technorati Tags: Housing,Termites