Shop local Saturday happens once a  year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Of course it's always good to shop local as it keeps tax dollars, good and services in your community and helps local vendors stay in business.   But why not making it "Shop Local Every Day?"  After all, we could all get into the habit that way and the benefits would explode!  My Thanksgiving holiday is spent in Ames, Iowa, visiting my daughter and her family.  It's a treat and an annual tradition to shop local on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  One of our stops included Dog Eared Books, which was founded by 2 moms  who opened up the book store in downtown Ames, Iowa.  They are a former journalist and a teacher who both love books and dogs.  One of the owners handed me a sack for my leftovers from lunch, smil... 11/27/2021

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding how mobile homes play into the first-time buyer tax credit. For the first several months after the tax credit was announced, I heard conflicting information from a variety of national real estate and tax experts. Several said that a mobile home owner could buy a house and get the credit. They touted the line of reasoning that many of us in the industry first expected would hold the answer; since a mobile home is not real property, the owners would be considered first-time buyers and could claim the credit. However, when I had a personal contact in this exact situation ask me if they would qualify, I wasn't willing to take the word of an unknown author or even a single CPA. I decided to do some checking on my own and get it straight from the ... 09/25/2009

I think the current NAR TV commercial with the family sitting on the fence - asking "What are we waiting for?" is the message we should keep sending. I realize ALL REAL ESTATE IS LOCAL, but it would be nice if the national media talked a bit more about how the historially low interest rates, the fact that banks CAN still loan money, and the great selection of homes, make it a perfect time to buy! I'm very thankful to be in Ames, Iowa where our job and real estate market is stable. That's one great thing about living in the midwest! 01/28/2009