chipparmelly's Blog: All Categories

First time home buyers, or prospective buyers who have not owned a home in the last three years, are encouraged to take advantage of the Federal Housing Tax Credit.  This tax credit is $3750 for individuals earning up to $90k a year and $7500 for married couples having a combined income of no more than $150k.  The tax credit should be claimed when you file your tax return.

The tax credit does have to be repaid, but payments are interest free.  Payments begin two years after the tax credit is taken.  For individuals, the payments are $250 per year, for couples, the payment is $500 per year.  You are allowed 15 years to repay the credit, unless you sell your home.  If you sell your home at a profit within the 15 year period, then the balance of the credit…

The Concerts on the Lake series in Rockwall ended last week. This is usually a bittersweet time since we miss the concerts until they begin again in the spring. However, this year, as the Concert on the Lake series ends, the Jazz at Sunset Concerts are beginning!  

These concerts are held every Thursday from September 4th through September 25th at 7:00 p.m. at the beautiful Rockwall Harbor.

Here's the schedule:

September 4th - Inner City All Stars
September 11th - Texas Gypsies
September 18th - Corner Pocket
September 25th - Fingerprints
 
These great concerts are FREE! Bring the family, a blanket and a picnic and enjoy some fantastic music while watching the sun dip into Lake Ray Hubbard. 

Rockwall is a great place to live!

Read Full Post

The old Rockwall County library on Highway 66 closed July 19th, but the new one will be opening soon! The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new library at 1215 East Yellowjacket will be held on Sunday, September 7th at 2:00 p.m.  The public is invited.  The library will be open for their first day of business on September 8th.  Bring the kids out and introduce them to the wonderful world of reading!

Allen, Carrollton, Garland, McKinney and Richardson made Money's 2008 list of America's best small cities to live in.  In fact, McKinney is 14th on the list, Carrollton is 15th, Richardson is 18th and Allen is 20th.  What an honor!  This just confirms what those of us living in the Dallas suburbs have always known; this is a great place to be.   For information on the criteria used and how the selection was made, click here.

Life is great here in Texas!

Chip Parmelly

The Band Cold Blue Steel is playing at the Rockwall Concerts on the Lake Thursday, July 24th. The performance begins at 7:00 p.m. If you've never been to one of the concerts you should come on out to the Harbor to enjoy great live music in a beautiful surrounding. Many of the restaurants at the Harbor offer specials on Thursdays, or bring a blanket and your own picnic! The kids can stay cool playing in the water park and you and that special someone can relax, listen to some great music and watch the sun dip into the horizon over the lake.  Did I mention the concert is FREE? 

Enjoy the summer before it's gone!


Read Full Post

Here's another great reason to live in Rockwall.  There will be a Farmer's Market on the square in Rockwalll beginning July 19th!  The market will be held each Saturday from July 19th through August 23rd. The hours are from 8:00 a.m. until noon. The market is on a trial basis for six weeks, so initially there will probably only be a few vendors. If the market is successful, the number of vendors should increase and the farmer's market could be continued until the end of October! The market will be in the parking lot of the County courthouse at the corner of Rusk and Goliad.

Please bring the family out for a day on the square and support these vendors. Having a market in Rockwall is a great idea!

 Life is great in our beautiful city!

Read Full Post

I'm happy to report that the Texas Real Estate market continues to do well.

The newspapers report that in North Texas, the average time it takes to sell a preowned house is 79 days.  That's good compared to more than 100 days on the market to sell in most large U.S. cities.

"The job growth and general economic health of the state, and D-FW specifically, is one of the primary reasons why our housing market has stayed up," said Dr. James Gaines of Texas A&M University's Real Estate Center.  "The primary driver is the energy sector, of course, but others like finance and business services, government and retail trade have also done very well." 

Another factor in our favor here in Texas is affordable housing.  Dr. Gaines says "Texas is the most…

I love living in Rockwall, Texas!  Being located on the shores of Lake Ray Hubbard is one of the great advantages of living here.  We are now enjoying the new Habor development and all it has to offer. . .great restaurants, diverse shopping venues, and a 12 screen movie theater.  Courtesy boat slips make it easy to take a break from the lake and stop by and have a cool drink, or, drop by and enjoy dinner accompanied by a gorgeous sunset!  Many restaurants offer to-go menus if you would rather eat while cruising on the water.

On Thursdays, the Harbor is host to the Concert on the Lake music series.  It's a great time to bring the family out and let the kids cool off in the water park while Mom and Dad enjoy the music from a blanket on the lawn.  Picnic…