Business digest
STAR deadline is March 1 The deadline to apply for the (Basic and Enhanced) STAR property tax exemption is March 1. Basic STAR provides savings to most homeowners by exempting from school taxes the first $30,000 of the full assessed value of their primary residence. This benefit will reduce the tax bills of more than 2.8 million homeowners in 2011-12. Assuming you do not move, you only need to apply for this exemption once. Enhanced STAR provides a larger benefit to homeowners age 65 years and older with incomes below $79,050 (in 2009) by exempting the first $60,100 of the full assessed value of their primary residence from school taxes. Homeowners who turn 65 at any time during 2011, even after school taxes are due, may still be eligible for Enhanced STAR. Nearly 630,000 senior homeowners will be eligible to receive this enhanced property tax exemption in 2011-12. Seminars to give advice on how to organize, ready home for sale Goshen - Glen Arden, a continuing care retirement community in Goshen, is hosting two free seminars to teach seniors how to organize and ready their homes for a quick sale. Lisa Montanaro, owner of LM Organizing Solutions LLC in Warwick, will provide tips for spring cleaning and clearing out the clutter at Downsize Your Home and Your Life from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today, Feb. 18 at Glen Arden. Montanaro is a certified professional organizer, business and life coach and motivational speaker. Hank Sudol, associate broker at Better Homes & Gardens Rand Realty, will show seniors how to start preparing their homes for a fast springtime sale at Get Set to Sell! from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. this Thursday, Feb. 24. Sudol will explain why spring is typically the best time to put a house on the market, what is happening currently in the real estate market, what buyers look for in a home and how to list your house. A complementary lunch will be served. To RSVP, call Glen Arden at 1-800-914-4051. Warwick 'WinterDining’ program begins Feb. 22 WARWICK Restaurants in the Warwick Valley are participating in “WinterDining,” a promotion offering special menus at discounted rates from Feb. 22 to March 8. Organized by the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Warwick Restaurant Coalition, WinterDining includes restaurants in Warwick, Florida, Westtown, Greenwood Lake, Bellvale and nearby Vernon, N.J. Local bed and breakfast establishments are working with the restaurants by featuring mid-week WinterDining rates. For more information, call 986-2720.