Home Buyer Tax Credit - Extended and Expanded

Congress voted overwhelmingly Thursday, November 5, 2009, to pass a new law that will extend the $8,000 credit for first-time home buyers for sales contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30. Excitingly, it has been expanded to include a new $6,500 credit for owners of existing homes who are purchasing a new principal residence.

An existing home owner can claim the $6,500 tax credit if they have been residing in their principal residence for five consecutive years out of the last eight. Additionally, the income eligibility limits to claim the full credit amount for both groups of home buyers have been raised to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

The National Association of Home Builders' estimates that the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit will create 211,000 jobs and generate 180,000 additional home sales in the coming year. It is also expected to generate $9.6 billion in wage income and $6.9 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

As a member of the Home Builders' Association (HBA), Young Painting & Remodeling helped spread the importance of Congress passing this law through networking events, phone calls and emails. We know that in the current economy, every person deserves the opportunity to own a house and have a place to call "home."

2010 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas

Young Painting & Remodeling is gearing up for the 2010 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, NV.

This 5 day event includes more than 175 educational sessions, multiple speakers and an assortment of demonstrations in addition to showcasing the latest technology and design aspects for home building.

We look forward to the new knowledge and ideas we can gain by learning from other professionals from around the world and are excited to bring their best practices and design ideas back to Kansas City.

Paul Young receives Green Certified Professional designation

Congratulations to Paul on his recent designation of Green Certified Professional (GCP).

This is quite an honor as Paul is only one of a handful of people in Kansas City officially certified in "green" remodeling.

To earn this designation, Paul attended 16 hours of continuing education courses and passed an extensive exam on building science, indoor air quality, resource conservation, renewable energy, and 12 trade related areas of green program application.


Click here to view his photo in the monthly NARI newsletter on page 13.

Click here to find out more about the GCP designation.

Tax Credits from Obama's Stimulus Plan

The recent economic changes and tax credits created from President Obama's $787 billion stimulus bill means great opporunities for homeowners like you. Now is the best time to consider remodeling and updating your home.

What does the economic stimulus package offer for home remodeling?
The recovery package offers funds and credits that will enable you to better winterize your home and make it more energy-efficient. It also provides the ability to receive an energy audit which will give you an idea of how best to improve your home for the blistering hot summer days and the upcoming frigid winter nights.

How can Young Painting & Remodeling help?
We can provide energy audits, explain the benefits of each potential update and work with you to create a customized plan of attack that will provide the biggest impact on your monthly bills and take full advantage of the tax credits being offered by the federal government.




If you want to read more details on how the stimulus bill will affect remodeling, click here.

LED vs Incandescent Light Bulbs - What's the Difference?

As you look for ways to save money, your lights are often the last thing you consider. What you may not realize is that lighting fixtures constitute a large percentage (as much as 40%) of electric utility bills.

A new product that is on the market and YPR is looking to begin using is LED recessed lighting. The light quality is better than regular incandescent light bulbs (and CFL bulbs for that matter) and the potential savings LED lighting offers is well worth a look. At a glance, LED recessed lighting differs from your everyday incandescent light bulb in a few important ways:

• A LED light bulb consumes 75% less energy compared to 65W BR30 incandescent lamp
• LED bulbs have a projected 50,000 hour life (or 22.8 years at 6 hours of usage a day!)
• Uses less than 15 watts

If you'd like to learn more about LED recessed lighting, click here.

Future Proof Your Home Remodel

Remodeling your home is a big investment of both time and financial resources. You want to make sure that the remodel you do adds value to your home and holds up to what the future new housing market will offer.

Here are 5 future-proofing tips for home remodeling:

1. Beef up your home's insulation.
2. Use formaldehyde-free kitchen cabinets.
3. Consider a tankless water heater or going solar.
4. Build a media room that's ready for the future.
5. Use low- and no-VOC paint and finishes.

Remodeling your home requires a find balance between maintaining and meeting your style and needs but also ensuring that what you do is a sound financial investment.

To read the full article on future-proofing your remodel, click here.

Young Painting & Remodeling is becoming Green

At YPR, we want to not only treat our clients well, but the environment too. We feel that we should be able to offer as many eco-friendly options as we can that still have the quality our clients deserve.

As important as that is, it's just as imperative that we understand and have the knowledge to best advise our clients on their options. Because of that, we are currently becoming "Green" certified through the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).

This 12 week course addresses specific topics such as building science application, green remodeling guidelines and solar applications to appliance selection and marketing a green business.

At the end of 12 weeks, YPR will be certified and have a solid foundation in which we will be able to offer remodeling options that are more environmentally responsible.