Good Will Hunting

I was in Arlington Heights recently and almost caused a car accident as I drove past a Good Will store.  I cannot drive past one without making a loop thru the aisles.

This mirror was propped in a corner and priced at $6.99.  It has very subtle gold-leaf and the original, beveled mirror is beginning to oxidize.  It must weigh 40 lbs.
Unbelievable.
I also got a wing chair for … $6.99.  When I find the perfect fabric I’ll bring it to my favorite upholsterer, Bruno.
I swear I have not misplaced the decimal point.  Someone must have made a mistake with the price tag gun. 

Needless to say, my staging warehouse is filling up!

$6.99 GoodWill mirror

Salvation Army Find

I found this over the summer at a Salvation Army store.  This English China cabinet was terribly dented and scratched.

It was priced at $150.  I tried to bargain and learned that if I waited, and it was still on the floor, the price would be reduced.  I was patient, visited the store weekly, and finally it was marked down to $75!  I grabbed it and talked them down to $65.

Please check below to see what a little paint, wall paper and chicken wire can do.

China Cabinet-Before

China Cabinet-Before

Salvation Army Find

Here’s the cabinet after it was sanded and primed.

Primed

Finished product:

Ivory paint, chicken wire replaced door fronts, hardware was put back on and Mom wallpapered the interior.  Thanks Col!

Voila!

 

Good News for EVERYONE! … who has a job

President Obama signs bill to extend and expand the homebuyer tax credit into 2010.

The measure is part of H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. Under the law, the deadline for the first-time buyer tax credit of up to $8,000 is extended through April 30, 2010. Buyers will need to have a contract to purchase in place by April 30 and will have until July 1, 2010 to close. The credit also is expanded to provide up to a $6,500 tax credit for qualifying prospective buyers who already own their home and who have lived in it as their principal residence for five years.

Here are some basics to know about the new tax credit.
First-time buyers who have not had interest in a principal residence for three years are still eligible, and the maximum amount remains the same – $8,000 (or $4,000 for married couples filing separately).
Current homeowners, who have consecutively maintained the home they want to sell as their primary residence for five of the last eight years, are also eligible. However, the maximum amount for those homeowners is lower: $6,500 (or $3,250 for married couples filing separately).
Qualifying buyers must sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010, and close before July 1.
The tax credit may not be used to purchase a home for more than $800,000. Vacation homes are ineligible.
The income limits to earn the maximum for both tax credits have been raised to $125,000 for single buyers and $225,000 for married couples.
All buyers who want to get the credit must include documentation of the purchase on their tax returns.
The credit is extended until May 1, 2011, for members of the military serving outside the United States for at least 90 days.