When you think of good marketing, one might reminisce on the old “Got Milk?” commercials, or the shiny BMW ads you see in magazines. Rarely does one remember much about broader ads about other products or a store which sells many different products in general - like the ones which are introducing a whole new line, or one that purposely shows a large variety of products that are of seemingly equal importance.

With the current financial scene, criminals are crawling out of the woodwork at an alarming rate, claiming to be able to rescue your home from foreclosure. The Federal Trade Commission has established a website where homeowners can educate themselves, learn legitimate options, and avoid being taken advantage of, as well as what actions to take if you have been the victim of a foreclosure rescue ‘scam’.

St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater will host a day-long event devoted to empowering, educating and entertaining women on October 3, 2009.
 
The Women Taking Care of the World Conference is offering free admission to female police officers, firefighters, paramedics and women that come in wearing their military uniform.  

After the success of the Women Mean Business expo, Plan B Expo will be putting on their next expo, Diversity Means Business on November 3rd from 4 to 8 pm at The Conmy Center in Dunedin, Florida.

Diversity Means Business will be a “fun networking expo with something for everyone,” says event coordinator Lil Barcaski. The expected attendance is well over 500, since their last expo had nearly 700 people in attendance.

(*First is defined as not having owned a home in the last three years.)

The government is offering a one-time credit of $8,000, (or 10 % of the purchase price, whichever is the lesser amount ) of your first home. For example, if you buy a home for $76,000, then you would qualify for a credit of $7,600. But if you pay more than $80,000 for your new home, then you would qualify for an $8,000 credit.

How do you take advantage of this incredible offer? You must purchase a home that will be your main home before December 1, 2009. You will even qualify if you bought your first home after April 8, 2008. Then you have some options as to how you get your money from the government.

The fastest way that I know of is to do a Rapid Amended Return to your 2008 tax return. However, I heard a rumor that I’m tracking down that would allow you to get your money before you purchase a home. So far I haven’t confirmed that, but if I get that confirmation, I will write an update in my next column.

The other way to obtain the credit is to simply fill out a Form 5405 that you submit with your 2009 taxes.

Personally, I think amending your 2008 tax return might be the best way to go. You would get a check in the mail -- as long as you don’t owe the IRS any money, that is!

We’re running out of time to get your new home before December 1, 2009 and a tax credit from the government! So act fast and call me today!

Pam Ryan Anderson
Real Estate Broker, Ryan Realty
(727) 442-2822

“To do it yourself or not to do it yourself. That is the question.”

Many website owners have asked this same question and for good reason. With all of today’s user-friendly, easy-to use software and the wide array of cheap templates, I might ask too! Why pay someone out of your own pocket when you can do it yourself? While the basic idea of putting a site together is sound and feasible to those with the persistence to do it, there are a few pitfalls that only a pro web developer won’t run into:

It is just after Labor Day, but in Downtown Clearwater it might as well be spring. It seems as if every day a new establishment is “springing” up, and blossoming in the Cleveland Street District.

On August 27th, the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce helped welcome the newest addition to the Cleveland Street District, Anytime Fitness, with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Credit card debt is a problematic issue for many Americans. It has been estimated that the average American family has around $8,000 in credit card debt. While people do have control over their spending decisions, many people who use credit cards have found themselves entangled in a labyrinth of hidden traps and fees, sometimes seemingly designed to milk users of as much profit as possible. Unfortunately, many people end up making payments for most of their life without getting out of debt, so this can be a hard trap to escape.

These days, we are bombarded with bad news by the mainstream media. We can scarcely open a newspaper or turn on the TV without being faced with the latest “scare-story” about swine flu, or another bank failure, or another trillion-dollars added to the national budget’s deficit. Reports giving dire warning of bad times getting worse and no hope on the horizon tend to be prevalent. It seems as even the mundane stories get a negative spin on them. 

Do you, like me, get a headache or feel depressed or stressed after reading your city’s #1 paper? It’s because the constant bombardment of bad news by the mainstream media scares people, cultivating a pessimism that at best doesn’t make life any more livable. Those exposed to negativity on a daily basis tend to fall into agreement with the negativity. For instance, if someone was told every day for a decade that he couldn’t succeed in life, do you think in 10 years he would be successful? Most likely not. It is a constant invalidation and assault on people’s hopes and dreams for a better future. Why expose yourself to it? Shouldn’t it be possible to inform yourself honestly and accurately about the world and affairs around you, without being bombarded with pessimism and negativity?

St. Petersburg, Fla. (August 21, 2009) – Ovation, downtown St. Petersburg’s newest luxury waterfront community, was officially awarded its Certificate of Occupancy (CO) by the city’s building official today.

The CO declares the 27-story Ovation tower safe to occupy, following a rigorous six-week inspection of the building, according to project manager Steve Coppins.