The

Happy New Year!

NEWSLETTER FOR OUR RAVING FAN CUSTOMERS

You are AMAZING! Thank you for a great job. Our customer is absolutely thrilled and I am very grateful!

Received December 18 from a REALTOR:

Community Corner
Food Pantry Fridays
At our corporate office we dressed a bit more casual on Fridays in December for a food or monetary donation to the local food pantry. Were happy to report that we collected a total of $150 and 50 pounds worth of food for the Food Pantry, surpassing our donations from last December!

A Family Affair

ost of you are familiar with the term it takes a village. The support of family and friends is so important and can certainly lift you up when you need it most. A young couple who was engaged to be married came to us to buy their first home. What made this home purchase so special is both families jumped in to help them become homeowners. They all wanted them to start their new life as husband and wife in their own home. It was a group effort, and in the end we all rolled up our sleeves to get the job done. It has been a very busy couple of months for this couple; they closed on their first home in October and got married in January! As they begin their life together, we have no doubt they will be successful in whatever they do because of the support they have from their families. Congratulations to you both and thank you for letting us be a part of helping you purchase your very first home.

Top 5 Best and Top 5 Worst Things to Do to Lose Weight

INSIDE
2014 Tax Law Changes Mortgage Forgiveness Act

Lifelong memories to come...

WHO DO YOU KNOW...

True Story!

Tax Refund Check = New Home

who wants to buy a home? Call me. Id love to help!

God Bless the troops serving to preserve our freedom.

EQUITY
RESOURCES, INC.

n more tha a mortgage company

We proudly offer FHA, VA, Conventional & USDA Rural Development Home Loans.

Top 5 Best Things to Do to Lose Weight

5 Tax law changes...

you need to know about.

Set Realistic Goals - One-half a pound to 2 pounds a week is about right. Track It - Dieters who keep track of everything they eat lose twice as much weight as those who don't. Motivate Yourself - Get a pair of jeans or pants that are too tight and hang them in the kitchen instead of the closet to keep yourself inspired. Involve Family and Friends - Dieters who have support from a partner at home lose more weight than those who don't. Move It AND Lose It - Research shows that people who do physical activities such as walking or biking for two to four hours a week during weight-loss efforts lose extra pounds.

FICA (Federal Insurance Contribution Act) and Medicare Taxes Last year, many filers saw a tax increase, which was due in part to the projected cost of Social Security growing faster than its income. This year there is no tax increase related to FICA, but the wage base (maximum amount of income that can be taxed for Social Security) is slated to increase from $113,700 to $115,500. Exemptions and Deductions In 2014, inflation adjustments could save middle-income married couples as much as $200. Single filers will see savings as well. Personal exemptions will also be adjusted for inflation, and limits for IRA contributions, education credits and similar benefits will increase. The Affordable Care Act The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could well be the biggest change to taxes in 2014.

W YOU KNO WHO DO e looking to buy b that might e in the next m o h a 3 months?

Tax Penalties Employers with 50+ employees must provide affordable essential health coverage to their employees or will face a tax penalty. Individuals who fail to buy coverage may be fined $95 for adults and $47.50 for uninsured children. By 2016, the fine will increase to $695 for an adult or 2.5% of the total households taxable income! Tax Credits and Subsidies Employers with less than 50 employees could be eligible for tax credits if they meet the minimum coverage requirements. Individuals will not receive tax credits but may get subsidies to help them buy coverage. Student Loans Some students will be eligible to have their debts forgiven after a decade, including those who are in the military, and those who work as nurses or teachers. Other students could also be eligible for debt forgiveness after 20 years. Other Tax Law Changes w Repeal tax preferences for oil, gas and coal producers (estimated to reduce the deficit by $44 billion over the next decade). w Increase the federal tax on tobacco products and cigarettes.

The 5 Worst Things to Do to Lose Weight

Cutting Calories Way Too Low Not only will you lose precious muscle but it can cause health risks and slow down your metabolism. Instead: Eat at least 1,200 calories per day. Diet Pills Caffeine and diuretics put tremendous strain on the adrenal glands, kidneys, and heart and cause headaches and anxiety. Cleansing De-toxing the body does help your body get rid of toxins however, it needs to be supervised by a medical practitioner as it can cause severe dehydration. Living at the Gym Going to the gym every day is a good thing, but extreme exercising can put you at risk for injury, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance. Instead: 30 minutes of exercise five days per week and strength training three days a week. Skipping Meals This is one of the worst ways to lose weight as it will force your body to store fat. Instead: Eat mini-meals every three to four hours.
SOURCE: www.fitday.com

w Tax credits on the horizon: new jobs and wage increases could
offer a temporary 10% tax credit, investing in advanced energy manufacturing, small-employer tax credits, expand child and dependent care tax credit, and reform the low-income housing tax credit.

Be sure to discuss your unique situation with a tax professional.

SOURCE: www.gobankingrates.com

Id Love to Help Your Family & Friends Buy a Home!

True Story!

New Homeowners! About mid-January, Cindy called and said they would be getting $700 back from the state plus $2,536 back from the IRS. We put her in touch with a REALTOR in their area. A few weeks later they were in contract to buy a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch home not far from where they had previously rented! The home not only solved Als problem with stairs, but allowed them a couple extra bedrooms so they could have the grandchildren stay as often as they liked! Plus, they were now building equity for themselves instead of for their landlord.

Thinking Outside the Box We looked at some numbers and found that if their tax refund was around $3,100 and we structured their offer with the seller paying 6% of the purchase price, they could buy a home between $80,000 and $90,000. Cindy said she would touch base with us once they had their taxes done.

Cindy and Als Options Neither Cindy or Al were veterans, so the VA 100% financing option was out. They really wanted to be in the city close to the doctors and therapists Al had to visit regularly, so a 100% USDA Rural Housing loan was not a good fit for them either. We reviewed the next lowest Down Payment option program, which was an FHA loan with a required 3.5% down payment. Cindy said that due to Als reduced income and constant medical and prescription bills, they were not able to save anything. We Things to Buy With knew Cindy was still working and asked if they ever got a Your Tax Refund Check: tax refund. She told us that iPod between the State and IRS, TV they normally got between Laptop A New Home! $2,500 and $3,500 back.

indy and Al called us in December of 2012 and wanted to know if there were any 100% financing options available to buy a home. For nine years, they had rented a small twostory home. Recently, Al had been forced to take a disability retirement because of severe back problems. He was finding it more and more difficult to navigate the stairs in their rental and wanted to get into a ranch-style home. Over the years, they had spent over $64,000 in rent! They realized they were just helping their landlord build equity instead of themselves.

Cindy and Al Used Their Tax Refund to Buy a Home

! Year w e N Happy nk you Tha our for y ls! rra refe

Phone 1-724-799-3465 Email KSieg@CallEquity.net FREE Savings Analysis! www.CallEquity.com

ADDRESS: 8500 Brooktree Rd, Suite 220 * Wexford, PA 15090 Kirk Sieg, II NMLS#862184

Your Mortgage Specialist

Kirk Sieg

For more information, visit www.irs.gov or talk to your tax advisor.

Highlights of Mortgage Debt Relief Exclude up to $2 million of debt forgiven or canceled by a mortgage lender on a main home. Both mortgage restructuring and foreclosures qualify. Available for the years 2007 through 2013. Claim the tax relief using IRS Form 982 (PDF).

eople who have lost their homes through foreclosure or who have restructured their mortgage loans may qualify for tax relief under the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act.

Mortgage Forgiveness Act

WHO DO YOU KNOW...

who wants to buy a home?

ID LOVE TO HELP!

You can have a personal trainer for FREE! Popular free apps like RunKeeper employ your smartphones GPS and other sensors to track your activity, provide valuable feedback and even help to coach you. Set your goals and measure your progress with ease; all it costs is effort.

Did You Know?

FREE Pre-Qualification at www.callequity.com

EQUITY
RESOURCES, INC.
PO Box 5177 * Newark, OH 43058-5177

n a mortgage company more tha

Happy New Year!

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to cont inue that counts.

From the Mailbag

Winston Churchill

I just wanted to thank you for all of your help and expertise in buying our new home. We could not have asked for a more experienced and knowledgable mortgage consultant. We will gladly recommend you to anyone we know that is purchasing a home.

Received December 29, 2013 from a Raving Fan Homebuyer:

You are the best!

Received January 7, 2014 from a REALTOR:

You were fantastic! You made the whole process easy and stress free!

Received January 6, 2014 from a Raving Fan Customer

Thank you for your updates. This is the way lending should work. Great job of keeping in touch.

Received January 4, 2014 from a REALTOR:

NMLS ID #1579. AL MC20405.003, DC MLB1579, DE 9521, FLMLD417 & MLDB392, GA Residential Mortgage Licensee 21919, IN 9940 & 11055, KY 824, MD 14944, 15822, 19299, 19381 & 19044, MI FL0017007, NC L-134393, OH MB800302, Licensed by the PA Department of Banking, SC MLS-1579 and VA (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). DBAs: Equity Resources of Ohio, Inc., PA Equity Resources, Inc., ERIMortgage, Inc., Equity Resources, Inc. of Ohio, Equity Resources of Ohio. By refinancing an existing loan, total finance charges may be higher over life of loan. Certain limitations apply, call for details. Corporate: 25.5 S Park Pl, Newark, OH 43055

rating with the Better Business Bureau

A+

We lend in AL, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, MI, NC, OH, PA, SC and VA.

EQUAL HOUSING

LENDER

JANUARY 2014