December 5, 2009 at 9:52 pm
· Filed under General, Maryland Happenings! ·Tagged Christmas, Harford County, Holidays, Perry Hall, Pictures, Whitemarsh
Christmas and Christmas pictures…Oh No! Do you hear this from you kids and family every year when you try to take pictures of everyone in front of the tree? Go ahead and plan your traditional picture, after all, if you’ve been taking the same shot for 20 years, it can be fun to see them side by side. Try putting them in a frame, or some way to display them so everyone can see why you want that same picture every year. They may complain, but hey, just like every other year, they’ll do it. But then, do something different.
Let somebody else take some pictures. Let the kids (young or old) pose everybody! One of the best pictures I have of my daughters with my grandson, the girls stood in line for their “yearly picture” and then they held my grandson across the front of them length wise, so he’s lying down! They were all laughing so hard, it’s a great shot! Get some great close ups and be sure you don’t have the tree in the background sticking out from someone’s head or out of their ear!
Before everyone arrives, make sure you picked a place with proper light to take your shots!
Next year you will probably still hear the same “Oh No…” but they will probably have some new ideas of their own!
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November 11, 2009 at 2:28 am
· Filed under Maryland Real Estate, Real Estate Topics ·Tagged Baltimore County, Bel Air, Harford County, home buyers, homes sold, Joppa, Maryland, Perry Hall, Real Estate, tax credit, Whitemarsh
Sales Stats for October in Maryland are in and they look pretty decent.
If you don’t think the first time home buyer’s tax credit along with excellent interest rates has had an impact on the number of homes available for sale, we may have to think again! While not every first time buyer buys a townhome, it’s a good judge of the impact. Take a look at the numbers and judge for yourself.
In all three counties, Baltimore, Carroll and Harford, the inventory of townhomes available has dropped over 15% compared to October of last year.
Single family home inventory has dropped between 13-23% over the three counties as well.
The medium sales price in all three counties did drop from about 7.5 – 10% compared to last year’s data, but considering there are parts of the country where there is anywhere from 20-50%+ drop in prices, we’re doing pretty well! Also, keep in mind we went through over 4 years of double digit increases per month as high as 24% per month in prices prior to this.
This is important to all homeowners and their property values. As inventory begins to dwindle, prices will steady.
If you’d like to look at the details by county, follow this link! http://www.ltrealty.com/statspage.htm
Every neighborhood is different. These figures are just to give you a feel for the market by county.
Please remember, if you need a Pin Point Price Analysis of your current home, or you know of a friend or family member that does, please call me directly on my cell at 410-262-3674, so I can be of assistance.
What do you think?
Have a great day, and hope to speak with you soon!
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November 6, 2009 at 2:01 am
· Filed under Maryland Real Estate, Real Estate Topics ·Tagged Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, home buyers, homes sold, Joppa, Maryland, Perry Hall, Real Estate, tax credit, Whitemarsh
The $8,000 tax credit for first time buyers extended and explanded to include those that sold or are selling a home that has been their primary residence for 5 of the past 8 years, could qualifiy for a $6,500 home buyer tax credit on the home they purchase!
Click on the link below for all the details, as well as some questions and answers!
Hopefully, it will be signed and put into law on Friday.
http://tinyurl.com/yhu5wdz
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November 5, 2009 at 12:37 pm
· Filed under General ·Tagged home buyers, Maryland, Real Estate, tax credit
The tax credit for first time homebuyers looks like it’s going to happen! It finally got approved in the Senate extending the credit untill April 2010 with additional provisions raising the income limit and to include some current homeowners. Details to follow!
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October 29, 2009 at 4:39 pm
· Filed under General ·Tagged home buyers, Maryland, Real Estate, tax credit
From the NAR Political Action Committee:
HUD reports Administration Calls on Congress to Approve Key Housing Measures click here for details:
http://bit.ly/1HOrqZ
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October 28, 2009 at 3:50 pm
· Filed under General ·Tagged home buyers, Maryland, Real Estate, tax credit
Per NAR’s REALTOR Action Committee: The vote is expected today on the $8,000 tax credit. The Sentate is still negotiating the terms and how to proceed
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September 19, 2009 at 2:58 pm
· Filed under Maryland Happenings!, Maryland Real Estate ·Tagged Aberdeen, Baltimore County, Bel Air, Harford County, Joppa, Maryland, Whitemarsh
BRAC brings money to Joppatowne High School, not just the general area! Joppatowne High School just received a $143,000 grant for the expansion of the homeland security and emergency preparedness program at the school. The school’s magnet program prepares students in science and technology fields and should help the county meet job demands related to BRAC, the nationwide military base expansion that will bring as many as 10,000 jobs to Aberdeen Proving Ground.
As many are asking what benefits the area will see to justify the expenses of major road improvements and such are costing the State of Maryland and Harford County, this is just an example. I believe as many others that the housing and job markets are also seeing and will continue to see improvement in the area.
See the details as reported by the Baltimore Sun at : http://tinyurl.com/m4s5wk
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September 18, 2009 at 3:41 pm
· Filed under Maryland Happenings! ·Tagged Baltimore County, Bel Air, Carroll County, Event, Harford County, Perry Hall, Senior, Whitemarsh
Fiddler on the Roof Farewell Tour – Don’t Miss it! If you have seen the play, the movie, or read the book, you haven’t enjoyed it to its fullest if you haven’t seen the play live with Topal as Tevye! Topal played Tevye in the movie version. I have watched the movie, but still was overwhelmed when I saw the play live staring Topal several years ago. While I am not a theatre ”buff”, and took others with me that didn’t necessarily like going to the theatre, everyone enjoyed it immensely! The tour will be at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore starting October 20th. Treat yourself while you can still see Topal in the staring role. What a classic! You won’t regret it!
Link to Fiddler on the Roof site: http://www.fiddlerontour.com/index.html
Direct link to theatre: http://www.france-merrickpac.com/events/index.html
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September 15, 2009 at 3:51 pm
· Filed under Maryland Real Estate, Real Estate Topics ·Tagged Baltimore County, Bel Air, Carroll County, Harford County, Perry Hall, Real Estate, Whitemarsh
August sales stats for Maryland are in and the number of homes “pending”, which means they are under contract waiting to go to settlement or closing is impressive! Compared to August of 2008, Harford County is up over 55%, Baltimore County is showing a 45.9% increase, and Carroll County is at a 29.1% increase.
Many of us are watching to see how much of this increase is the result of the $8,000 tax credit for first time buyers. Allowing for what is usually considered a “normal” slowdown during December and through the holidays, it will be interesting to see what happens to the market after the first of the year. Many of the first time buyers have been out and will be hitting the market hard through September and October, needing to settle by November 30th to qualify for the tax credit.
There is also a massive grass roots effort trying to get the tax credit, or at least something similar, established for when this credit expires. However, nobody knows for sure if this will happen. So again, if you are a first time buyer sitting on the fence, you may want to jump now!
Want more information on current sales stats? http://www.ltrealty.com/statspage.htm
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September 1, 2009 at 6:54 pm
· Filed under General
Time is running out for the $8,000 first time home buyer credit. You must have purchased and closed on your home by November 31, 2009.
You should actually try to purchase and close on your home by the middle of November. Why?
Should there be a problem at the closing and you have to postpone a day or two, and you were scheduled to settle November 31st, you have a problem. You will not receive the $8,000 tax credit if you settle (close) on December 1st or after!
Things happen that are outside the control of the buyer, seller and their agents. The lenders are expecting they will be extremely busy in November and I doubt they will be hiring additional help just for 30 days, so it’s quite possible they could get backed up. The title companies and attorneys that actually conduct the closings can only conduct so many per day. I don’t want to go into a list of horror stories of what “could” happen, so why not be on the safe side.
While it’s not uncommon to close a house in 30 days, why not allow 60 days from your date of contract (where you actually purchase the house) and your closing (when the house becomes yours) plus two weeks. That means you should do your best to purchase a home in the beginning of September!
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Of course I am not advising anyone to purchase a home if you do not feel financially you are able. However consider the following:
- If you have not owned a home in the past 3 years
- If you are comfortable with your job security
- Have the minimal funds needed (3.5% of the price of the home)
- Have a credit score of 600 or over
- Interest rates are pretty low (I received a quote of 5.5% on FHA today with no points)
- The inventory is still affording you a choice of quality homes at reasonable prices
- And you are still “sitting on the fence deciding”
I suggest you jump on the buy side of the fence quickly!
If you need assitance or more information, please feel free to contact me at your convenience!
leah@ltrealty.com
410-529-2500 Ext. 55
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