Going once Going Twice and its SOLD! Congratulation to Chris on selling his charming home in Chesterfield at 8100 Foxberry Dr.

Looking to buy or sell your home in Richmond? Choose The 20/20 Team and Tyler Rackley. Please visit   free property search tool and for a free pricing evaluation of your home.

Schools Back in session, well here in Henrico County we have another 2 weeks before school starts. But for a lot of counties it has already started back up.Here is what you can do to ensure our children stay safe on and off the school bus!

1. Remember to leave for work a few minutes earlier to avoid bus stop traffic. 
2. Always abide by bus traffic rules. ( See link below for Traffic Rules)
3. Always watch for children at intersections and school zones.
4. Drive the speed limit in school zones, policemen will catch you speeding through a school zone!
5. Pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk, and that can be a big ticket as well

Please Click Here for various situations when yeilding to a bus. Failure to follow these rules can result in a huge penalty!

Anytime you see susprious activity – please report it to your local

5621 Walmsley Blvd

Incredible investment Opportunity! This Estate is sold “AS IS, WHERE IS”  3.83 acres of land in a great location on Walmsley Blvd.  Property includes a craftsmen style home that needs a lot of TLC, but has potential to be a be a beautifully renovated 3 bedroom 1 bath home. Tear down the home and use the land or renovate the property, either way this one makes sense to the right buyer.  There is a detached garage in the rear. Invest in this great property today.

Are you Preapproved for this property? Please visit our site to get preapproved quickly by a local licensed Mortgage Consultant: Get Preapproved Today!

All parents need have an easy accessible school-year calendar to hang on their refrigerators! We have prepared a calendar of the surrounding counties student holidays and half days. Good Luck to those who have there first year of school and congratulations to those who will be graduating!

Please click on the picture for a full view.

Saving on Homeowners Insurance

With the state of economic affairs, everyone is looking at how to cut costs without cutting the quality of their services. One of the areas that many people overlook is their homeowners insurance. Each state has its own premiums, but most areas like Richmond offer great discounts and savings for different features. Contact your insurance agent about some of these money saving tips.

Raise Your Deductible

Most people have too much insurance for their property. Although it would be nice if every home was insured for $500,000, most homes are not worth half that amount. Decreasing the amount of your coverage and raising your deductible from $250 or $500 to $1000 will significantly decrease your monthly premium. A word of caution though, these savings also are a gamble. You are betting that nothing is going to happen to your home, and you will not need that deductible. A safer bet is to place the amount for the deductible in a savings account and not touch it. Then when you need it, you have it.

Change your Home’s Features

The next easy way to decrease the amount of your homeowner’s insurance is to change out some of your outdated features for newer, longer lasting energy star rated ones. Some of the easy changes are:

• Installing longer lasting roofing like 50 yr. shingles instead of 20 yr. shingles. You’ll save several hundred dollars a year off your premium.
• Installing a tankless water heater on the outside of your home. It’s more energy efficient and less of a fire hazard.
• Installing a heating/cooling system outside of your home. It’s better for efficiency and fire safety.
• Installing energy star rated windows, fixtures, and appliances. These also have some government refunds.
• Spraying insulation into your attic and blowing it into your walls. These types fill the gaps better, and they reduce your utility costs.

Environmentally safe building materials

Depending on your insurance company, some offer discounts or savings for adopting and using environmentally safe building supplies. There are ecofriendly alternatives for every product from plywood, studs, and drywall to paint and sealants. They expose your family to fewer toxins and are better for your health. They cost a little more, but as more alternatives are developed, the prices get lower and lower.

Security

Who is looking after your home when you aren’t there? Most insurance companies want homeowners that are home all the time. It means the property is being taken care of and protected from vandals. If you can’t be home all the time, adding a home security system provides peace of mind for you and your insurance company. Installing one can save you enough to compensate for the services.

Combine policies

On almost every car insurance commercial, you hear the benefits of combining your insurance policies. Many insurance companies offer huge discounts for multiple policy holders. In order to save more, you may try to put your car, home, boat, motorcycle, camper, and life insurance all with one company. Most places give you bigger discounts on each different policy you have.

Shop Around

Even though most agents tell you not to, shop around. Open the phone book and look for insurance agents in Richmond. Then call them and ask questions. Get on the internet and look for quotes. Once you find one you like, call and talk to them. Being better informed about the available possibilities of insurance coverage will help you to make a better, quality decision.

For more money saving tips as well as information on how to buy and sell your home fast look us up at http://www.richmondwebuyuglyhouses.com.

While searching for a recipe today I discovered something Google has come out with, or maybe I have just never noticed it. Either way it is a great tool! On the left side it has a section for leaving out certain ingredients, searching by prep time etc. I hope everyone can find this useful for cooking their next meal!

What Will Google Come Out With Next?

First off before I get to the Carytown Watermelon Festival, I would like to remind everyone in Virginia that it is:

Tax Free Weekend for those back to school supplies and clothes, so if you don’t mind long lines and a lot of people in the store then this is the weekend to shop and take advantage of Tax Free Weekend! * Most stores with back to schools supplies participate, and it is only for school products and clothes.

28th annual Carytown Watermelon Festival: Sunday August 7, 2011.

Starting at 10am vendors will line the all up and down Cary Street, with food and drinks and a lot of people, the watermelon festival is always a good time to spend with friends and family! There will be over 100 Vendors and over 80 Musicians for entertainment. For more information regarding the Watermelon Festival please click here: Watermelon Festival. Hope to see everyone out there!

Absolutely not! My grandparents email me about once a week about starting a retirement plan saving for my future. It is never to early to start. Think about it; the earlier you start the more you’ll save!

I received an informational letter in the mail that explained the benefits of a Roth IRA. This information I am sharing with you is straight from the advertisement they mailed to me.

1. Starting a Roth IRA will give flexibility and is designed for those with lower incomes.
2. It’s tax free
3. It benefits those in lower tax brackets
4. You can contribute money into the Roth IRA until 70 1/2
5. you have more control of your investments.
6. If you have a non-working spouse, you can open a Roth IRA on their behalf.

Fun statistics this advertisment also provided

More than 25% of baby booms have no retirement savings.

24% of Americans have postponed the age at which they plan to retire because they haven’t saved enough money!

The limitations:

Given the flexibility of the Roth IRA:

1. You can not deposit more than you make in a year.
2. You can only deposit earned income.
3. Once you reach income ceiling you can no longer contribute to a Roth IRA.
4. Only withdrawals of contributions are tax free.

For information please contact Marty Hosking www.dcmarty.com