Texas Land Trusts About

About Texas Land Trusts: Introduction Maincontent Local Navigation print friendly search Regulations Publications Outdoor Learning Kids Game Warden Grants Get Involved Shop FAQ Calendar Español Experience Texas Fishing & Boating State Parks & Destinations Hunting & Wildlife Land & Water Doing Business Home Land & Water Land Private Tltc Dir Intro Texas Land Trusts About Texas Land Trusts Starting a Land Trust Texas Land Trust Directory Foreword Listing Regional Index About the Texas Land Trust Council ( TLTC ) TLTC Board of Directors and Honorary Council News 2004 TLTC Conference Speech Bulletin Board TLTC Publications Land Trust Resources Texas Land Trusts Top 1-Million Mark in Acres Conserved Introduction 2001 Texas Land Trust Directory A land trust is a local, state or regional nonprofit organization directly involved in protecting land for its natural, recreational, scenic, historical or productive value. Texas landowners have a variety of options available to them which can preserve and protect the special qualities of their property. The land trust organizations in this directory work with landowners to help them meet their long-term land use objectives. These organizations may be willing to purchase land or accept donated properties and easements for conservation purposes. These tools can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the property owner. Land trusts have varying conservation objectives. Some work in specific geographic areas, or concentrate on protecting different natural or cultural features; many provide technical assistance and educational programming about land conservation. Also listed in this directory are organizations in Texas that advise property owners on their land conservation options, but do not accept land donations or manage conservation easement agreements. Land trusts are a creative answer to today's land conservation challenges. They offer a flexible, cooperative and effective approach to land conservation. Land trusts are the fastest growing conservation movement today, with new land trusts forming at an average rate of more than one per week. America's 1,200 plus land trusts protect millions of acres of farms, ranches, wetlands, wildlife habitat, urban parks, forests, watersheds, coastlines and river corridors. Contact Us | Help | Accessibility | Media | Site Policies | Complaints | Intranet | State of Texas | TRAILS Search | TexasOnline | Compact with Texans Texas Parks and Wildlife Department , 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744 Toll Free: (800) 792-1112, Austin: (512) 389-4800 Content of this site © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department unless otherwise noted. Last modified: July 29, 2005, 4:38 pm

Home Mortgage

U.S. Bank - Personal banking including checking accounts, online banking and much more Skip Navigation: Internet Banking Login Skip Navigation: Products and Services About U.S. Bancorp Careers Locations Contact Us Customer Service Internet Banking Personal ID Password Forgot Password or ID? Enroll in Internet Banking. Connection Secured Login to Other Services Online Investing Mortgage Account Visa Buxx TrustNow Asset Management Online Institutional Retirement Plans Let Internet Bill Pay Save You Time! Online Account Access Internet Banking Internet Bill Pay Internet Banking Demo Online Investing Checking & Savings Checking Accounts Savings Accounts & CDs Check Cards With Rewards Order Checks Credit Cards & Prepaid Cards Credit Cards Your Credit Card Account Online Visa Gift Cards Credit Protection Mortgage Mortgage Programs Pre-Qualify for a Mortgage First Time Homebuyer Find a Loan Officer Loans & Credit Lines Home Equity Student Loans Auto Loans Personal Loans & Lines of Credit Financial Management Personal Trust & Private Banking Learn About Investing Find a Financial Consultant Insurance See more products and services. View Today's Rates Mortgage Checking Savings CDs Personal Line of Credit Apply for Accounts & Loans Get an instant decision on your application. - Select an Account - Auto Loan Boat Loan CDs Checking Credit Card Health Savings Account Home Equity Line of Credit Home Equity Loan Lines of credit Mortgage RV Loan Savings Student Loans Visa Buxx © 2005 U.S. Bancorp Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender Privacy Pledge Site Map

Real Estate Loan

Deductibility of Real-Estate Loan Refinancing Charges Deductibility of Real-Estate Loan Refinancing Charges By Steven V. Melnik E-mail Story Print Story With interest rates at all-time lows, many Americans are refinancing home loans. Because refinancing transactions usually cost thousands of dollars, it is important to know when refinancing expenditures are deductible. Loans Secured by a Principal Residence The IRC defines a principal residence as where the taxpayer spends the most time during any given taxable year. Consequently, principal residence status can change from year to year. As a general rule, taxpayers can deduct points paid for refinancing principal residence loans. IRC section 461(g) defines many fees as points, but only qualifying points are allowed as a deduction. Qualifying points are usually fees paid to the lender for a loan (see the Sidebar for a list of requirements). Loan application, processing, underwriting, and other fees are not deductible. Revenue Procedure 94-27 allows itemized deductions for qualifying points resulting from the purchase of a principal residence. Points paid for refinancing an existing mortgage, however, cannot be immediately deducted. According to IRC section 461(g), those points are deducted over the life of the new loan. To calculate the portion of those points deductible in any particular year, determine the deductible points for each loan payment and multiply by the number of payments made during that year (per payment amortization). For example, consider an individual who paid $1,800 refinancing qualifying points on a principal residence for a 30-year loan requiring 12 payments per year (a total of 360 payments). The $5 allowable deduction for every loan payment is calculated by dividing $1,800 by 360. Six loan payments during the year would result in a $30 itemized deduction, with unamortized points amounting to $1,770. Multiple Refinancing Activities Remaining refinancing points are generally deductible in the year when a second refinancing occurs with a different lender. In the example above, the remaining $1,770 first-loan points would be deductible that year. If the second refinancing is with the same lender, however, the remaining points and any new qualifying points paid would be deductible over the life of the new loan. Points paid during a refinancing transaction are immediately deductible to the extent the new loan is used to substantially improve a principal residence, assuming the requirements listed in the Sidebar are met. Substantial improvements, such as building an addition to a house, qualify. For example, a $60,000 loan from bank B to refinance bank A’s $40,000 loan and a $20,000 house addition would result in one-third of the newly paid qualifying points being deducted that year. Refinancing of Second or Vacation Homes Some Americans are investing in real estate as an alternative to stocks and bonds. Tax rules applicable to vacation and second homes differ from those for primary residences. Points paid for a purchase, substantial improvement, or refinancing of second and vacation homes are generally deductible over the life of the loan. The per-payment amortization method is applicable. Other refinancing-related expenditures increase the tax basis of the home. Rental Properties and Properties Used in a Trade or Business. When refinancing rental properties and properties used in a trade or business, all ordinary and necessary refinancing expenditures are deductible over the life of the loan. Refinance-related expenditures for rental properties are deductible on line 18, Form 1040, Schedule E; for properties used in a trade or business, expenditures are deducted on Form 1040, Schedule C. Other Deductibility Issues When sellers of real estate pay for points on the buyer’s behalf, they are not allowed to deduct those points, but can reduce sales proceeds. Buyers can deduct those points if the property basis is reduced by the same amount. All other refinancing-related expenditures, such as attorney, appraisal, bank, title, and other fees, are not deductible. They do, however, increase the tax basis of the home to the extent they are not deductible. Points are deductible when a cash-basis taxpayer itemizes deductions. Deductibility can be affected, however, when a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income reaches a certain threshold. (The 2003 threshold is $69,750 for married filing separately returns and $139,500 for all others.) The deductibility of refinancing-related expenditures depends upon the type of property securing the refinanced loan, as well as how the loan proceeds are used. The use of the property must be understood, because properties can be used for more than one tax purpose in any given year. It is important to be familiar with the tax consequences of refinancing transactions in order to derive the maximum benefit. Steven V. Melnik, LLM, JD, CPA , is Professor of Tax Law and Director of Graduate Tax Programs at Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York. May 2004 Issue Enlarge Cover Features Regulation of Professions by Interstate Compact 20 Questions onTrust, Medicaid, Insurance, and Asset Transfers Accounting for Stock Option Government Procurement Basics More This Issue | Past Issues Home | Contact | Subscribe | Advertise | Archives | NYSSCPA The CPA Journal is broadly recognized as an outstanding, technical-refereed publication aimed at public practitioners, management, educators, and other accounting professionals. It is edited by CPAs for CPAs. Our goal is to provide CPAs and other accounting professionals with the information and news to enable them to be successful accountants, managers, and executives in today's practice environments. ©2005 The CPA Journal. Legal Notices

Sell House

Yahoo! Real Estate - Find Homes for Sale, Apartments for Rent, Loans and Mortgage Rates Yahoo! Real Estate Choose Location Home Find a Home Find a Rental Mortgage and Insurance Moving Tools My Real Estate Real Estate > Resources & Tools > Seller's Library House Facts Seller's Library • Appraisals & Mkt Value • Selling Your Home Q&A • Disclosure • Escrow & Closing Costs • Lease Options • Negotiating • Price the House to Sell • Property Taxes • Seller Financing • Selling at a Loss • Tax Considerations • Whom to Contact • Working with an Agent How do you prepare a house to sell? by HomeGain Doing whatever you can to put your house's best face forward is very important if you want to get close to your asking price or sell as quickly as possible. Short of spending a lot of money, here are several ideas for making your home show better: * Sweep the sidewalk, mow the lawn, prune the bushes, weed the garden and clean debris from the yard. * Clean the windows (both inside and out) and make sure the paint is not chipped or flaking. And speaking of paint, if your home was built before 1978, new federal law gives a buyer the right to request a lead inspection. If you think you might have some problems, do the inspection yourself beforehand and make any fixes you can. * Be sure that the doorbell works. * Clean and spruce up all rooms, furnishings, floors, walls and ceilings. It's especially important that the bathroom and kitchen are spotless. * Organize closets. * Make sure the basic appliances and fixtures work. Get rid of leaky faucets and frayed cords. * Make sure the house smells good: from an apple pie, cookies baking or spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. Hide the kitty litter. * Put vases of fresh flowers throughout the house. * Having pleasant background music playing in the background also will help set your stage. Yahoo! Real Estate: Post an Ad - Rentals - Neighborhoods - Credit Reports - Schools - Moving - My Real Estate Also on Yahoo!: Classifieds - HotJobs - Maps - Yellow Pages - City Guides - Tickets - Autos - Shopping - Travel - Pets

Home Loan

Sallie Mae, the nation's number one paying for college company. About us | Investors | News | Working@SallieMae | Contact us -- Manage Your Loans SM log in User ID Password Your account is secure . Enroll now! Log in today and you could win $25,000! Forgot user ID? Forgot your password? ¿Tiene alguna pregunta acerca de ManageYourLoans.com? © 1995-2005 Sallie Mae. All rights reserved . | Privacy . | Terms of use . | Avoid online fraud . SLM Corporation. and its subsidiaries (other than the Student Loan Marketing Association) are not government-sponsored enterprises or instrumentalities of the United States of America. -- SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. Plan for college Apply for a loan Manage your loans Additional financial services Preparing Selecting Applying Applying for financial aid Finding free money Glossary FAQs Borrowing for school Tracking your loan Financing your child's education Student specials FAQs Getting started Finances after school Being on time pays! Make a payment Change payment plan Difficulty paying? Postpone payments Insurance Home mortgages Investments Personal loans Communications Undergraduate students • Federal Stafford Loan • Signature Student Loan • Federal Perkins Loan • Community College Loan Graduate students • Graduate Loans • MBA Loans • Law Loans • Medical School Loans Parents of students • Federal PLUS Loan • Tuition Answer Loan • K-12 Family Education Other loans • Federal Consolidation Loan • Tuition Answer Loan • Career Training Loan • Continuing Education Loan Solutions for institutions • For Schools : Discover how we can help you with the business of education. • For Lenders : Log in to access loan data. • For Guarantors : Online account access and support tools.