Alachua County » Building the Places You Call Home

What We Love About Gainesville – April 2013

Ride With Us

It’s spring in Gainesville, which means beautiful sunny days with a cool breeze blowing through town. It’s the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy this wonderful weather on your bicycle! Don’t have one? Then get one from Gator Cycle! Gator Cycle is located on the corner of Archer Rd and 34^th Street. They’re the largest bike shop in town and even offer bike rentals if you’re not ready to commit and purchase. Gator Cycle doesn’t just sell and rent bikes, they also service them. Their service pricing is very straightforward and can be found on their website. They’re also having a huge sale April 11-15^th! Their TrekFest Spring Sale will allow you to get an awesome bike and accessories at a discount!
We love them because their passionate about cycling and want to get you the bike that’s perfect for your body and needs! Still not sure why you should choose Gator Cycle? Check out these 9 reasons why they’re the best place for you!

Mmm Me Gusta

La Nopalera is a delicious and affordable Mexican restaurant on SW 34^th St. Their queso is heaven, which seems redundant because obviously queso is heaven! All of us here at Emmer frequent La Nop and are never disappointed! Pretty much everything on the menu is delicious; I haven’t had something I didn’t like! Some personal favorites are the Taco Salad, burrito lunch meal, and of course the queso. The friendly staff serve large portions of food quickly, plus you can’t beat the price! Check out their menu on their Facebook Page and be sure to stop in for dinner!

A Place for Girls

Girl’s Place empowers girls to grow courageous, strong and self-sufficient by providing them with a place they can go after school to complete their homework, participate in sports and craft activities, hear from special guests, participate in field trips, and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. The girls are picked up from school and transported to Girl’s Place where they enjoy the afternoon and get picked up by their parents by 6:00pm. Girl’s place provides a free snack as well as concessions where food can be purchased. Girl’s Place also has a summer camp from June 10^th-August 16^th, Monday through Friday from 7:30am-6:00pm. Girl’s Place offers financial assistance to families who cannot afford the membership and weekly fees. Emmer Group supports Girl’s Place in their efforts to empower girls in the community to become strong women. Emmer is participating in the Hats, Hearts, and Handbags Luncheon fundraiser on April 12, 2013. We’re selling $1 raffle tickets and 1 lucky winner will win a night on the town to Vellos Brickstreet Grille. Be sure to get your raffle ticket before Thursday!

Homeowners, Save Money on Your Taxes!

It’s tax season which means you’re probably looking for ways to save money on your taxes! As a homeowner there are several deductions that can help ease the pain of what you owe the government, so let’s go over some of them.

Mortgage Interest Deduction:

If you bought a home or refinanced your home, you’ve spent a lot paying off the mortgage interest. Deduct it! You need to file form 1040 and itemize the deductions, only if they’re greater than the standard deduction. How much you can deduct will depend on the date of the mortgage, the amount of the mortgage, and how you use the mortgage proceeds. Form 1098 that you got from your lender will explain exactly how much you can deduct and it will serve as proof in case you get audited by the IRS. Another important thing to know about this deduction is that you can get it for your mortgage, second mortgage, line of credit on your home, or home equity loan. To learn the details, click here.

Real Estate Tax Deduction:

It seems odd and is sometimes forgotten but you can actually deduct the local and state property taxes you’ve paid from you federal income tax. You can claim them on form 1040 as an itemized deduction. If you pay these taxes directly, you’ll need to locate the bills and record the amount. If you pay these taxes out of an escrow account, the information you need can be found on form 1090.

Points:

Points are essentially prepaid interest on your mortgage, line of credit, or home equity loan. They can also be called loan origination fees, maximum loan discount, loan discount, or discount points. One point is equal to one percent of the loan. Points can actually save you money on your loan over time and you can deduct them from your taxes. How much can you deduct and when? This chart will help you determine whether you can fully deduct your points this year or if you need to deduct it over the life of the loan. For the full run down on how much you can deduct and when click here.

Mortgage Insurance Premium

If you have qualified mortgage insurance, which means it was provided by Veterans Affairs, Federal Housing Administration, Rural Housing Services, or private mortgage insuranceyou can deduct your premium on your taxes. There are of course limits on your deductions based on your income level, this information can be found here and instructions on how to calculate the deduction amount are on form 1040.

We hope these tax tips help you save this year! If you have any other tips for saving on your taxes this season, let us know in the comments!