Archive for June, 2009

Sales Stats are in for May 2009!

June 20, 2009 at 1:33 pm · Filed under Real Estate Topics ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Things are looking a little better! Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford Counties Maryland are all reporting lower inventory numbers for May 2009 compared to May 2008. All three counties are also showing an increase of over 20% in homes that were listed as “Pending”, meaning they were sold and waiting to go to settlement for the same time span. This is good news for sellers, telling them buyers are out the purchasing homes. It’s also good news for buyers because while the inventory numbers are declining,  there are still numerous, quality homes out there to pick from.

Want to know what’s happening in your neighborhood? Just ask me? 

Want more details on the three counties mentioned above, follow this link. http://www.ltrealty.com/statspage.htm

Leave a Comment

Are you recevng unwanted text messages?

June 15, 2009 at 11:49 am · Filed under General

Are you receiving unwanted text messages from a number you don’t know? If you fill out quizes on FaceBook where you have to add your cell number to get a code text to you to get your answers, be sure you send them a text that says STOP immediately afterwards! Otherwise you could get more and you could be charged a monthly fee of $9.99 for them sendng you these! There are a lot of complants on this.

Leave a Comment

Sales statistics for Bel Air Harford County are in!

June 12, 2009 at 1:41 pm · Filed under Real Estate Topics ·Tagged , , , ,

Statistics for May 2009 for the Bel Air, Harford County  (zips 21014 and 21015) are in! 

The average days on the market in 21014 is actually down almost 4%  which is a good thing, but the the total units sold was down from May of 2008 by 27%!  The median sold price was $259,900 which is only down 1.92% from May of 08.

The average days on the market in 21015  is  down 6.85%, again a good thing,  but the the total units sold was down from May of 2008 by  14.29%!  The median sold price was $385,000 which is up 53.42% from May of 08.

Compared to other parts of the country, all of these stats are pretty good!  Remember, these are stats just for the month of May 2009 compared to May of 2008! We are seeing other areas of the country still showing dramatric decreases in the number of units sold, the median price still dropping a lot more than what we are seeing in our area, and the days on the market much longer that ours.

Remember, every neighborhood is different. This is to give you a general idea of what is happening in the area.

What are the stats on your neighborhood?  Watch for more updates or request your zip code!

 

Statistics are obtained by MRIS and not guaranteed to be exact and are given for general information purposes only.

Comments (1)

Perry Hall / Whitemarsh May sales report is in!

June 11, 2009 at 2:32 am · Filed under Real Estate Topics ·Tagged , , ,

Statistics for May 2009 for the Perry Hall / Whitemarsh Area  (zips 21236 and 21128) are in!  The average days on the market is 99 and the total units sold was up from May of 2008 by over 53%! The median sold price was $222,450 which is only down 1.98% from May of 08. Not bad compared to other parts of the country! FHA financing is taking the lead over conventional, which is pretty much happening everywhere. 

Remember, every neighborhood is different. This is to give you a general idea of what is happening in the area.

What are the stats on your neighborhood?  Watch for more updates!

Leave a Comment

Leah receives Workforce Housing Certification!

June 11, 2009 at 12:58 am · Filed under Real Estate Topics

Leah Knoerlein has received the Workforce Housing Certification from the Maryland Association of Realtors.

Workforce Housing Certified (WHC) REALTORS® are specially trained to receive customer inquiries on workforce and affordable housing finance programs for selected jurisdictions.

REALTORS who become certified receive a comprehensive curriculum taught by Freddie Mac certified trainers that will prepare them to educate consumers about getting and maintaining good credit, credit scoring and money management towards achieving their financial goals. They receive practical information about financial products and eligibility standards that may help challenged or first-time homebuyers. This information includes state and local programs that involve closing cost grants, low and no downpayment mortgages, tax credits, and local government resources for homeownership education and counseling.  The Federal Programs and National Initiatives  covered in this traing covers information on programs and new regulations for HUD/FHA, Veteran’s Administration, Rural Housing, as well as national private sector loan/guaranty programs, taught by secondary market reps and lenders.

Leave a Comment

Real eatate inventory is decreasing!

June 8, 2009 at 3:23 pm · Filed under Real Estate Topics

In Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford Counties in Maryland, MRIS is reporting with their figures from the end of April a decrease in inventory, indivudal, townhome and condos! Also in all three counties,  days on market (DOM) which is the number of days a property is on the market for sale until in goes under contract, is still still longer than what is was a year ago when you look at the numbers for the year to date,  but the average time in April was less than the average for the year. Hopefully what this is showing is properties are starting to sell a little quicker than they were January through March.  For more information on the number of homes listed, under contract, sold and days on the market by the individual county, follow this link! http://www.ltrealty.com/statspage.htm

Leave a Comment

US! Let me back in! I want to go home!

June 6, 2009 at 11:38 am · Filed under General

Are you planning to travel outside the US over the summer? Are you aware  what documents ,as of June 1, 2009 you need to re-enter the US?  This is part of Homeland Security’s phase in of changes. Up until June 1, 2009 you only needed a Passport if you were traveling by air in most cases. If you were going to Canada for example, you could provide your birth certificate and Driver’s License to come back into the US.  Now land and sea, you will need a Passport to get back into the United States! Here’s the link to the US Govenement site for required travel documents. You can also go to the Passport page from this link.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

Leave a Comment

Index Suggests Home Sales Are Set to Increase – WSJ.com

June 5, 2009 at 2:39 pm · Filed under Real Estate Topics

The Wall Street Journal report suggest

“the housing market is about ready to recover.  (Link below)  The number of people who have signed contracts to purchase is up 3 months in a row. Over 32% of this increase is in the Northeast. “

While financing is more difficult to obtain than it was a year ago, it IS there! I think many folks are under the impression that “you can’t get a mortgage” and this is just not accurate. Financing for primary residences is widely available. You do need to be employed, have a decent credit score, and on FHA loans a minimum of 3 and one half percent of the sales price in your own money to invest. I believe more people who would like to become homeowners area discovering this along with the $8,000 tax credit. This has lead to more homes going under contract. I know we are seeing an increase in activity in our market area. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124395144013576881.html

Leave a Comment

IRS Tax Credit Form

June 4, 2009 at 2:57 pm · Filed under Real Estate Topics

Here’s the link the the IRS Form 5405 to file for your first time buyer Tax Credit with instructions!

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f5405.pdf

Leave a Comment

Do you qualify for the $8,000 Tax Credit?

June 2, 2009 at 12:48 pm · Filed under Real Estate Topics

Who Qualifies?

First-time home buyers who purchase homes between January 1

and December 1, 2009.

The purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the

three years prior to the purchase.

Which Properties?

Primary residences, including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes,

and co-ops.

Do all first time buyers receive the entire $8,000 credit?

The maximum is $8,000. Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by the price of

the home and the buyer’s income.  The price of the home:  the credit is equal to 10%

of the purchase price of the home, up to $8,000.

The buyer’s income:  single buyers with incomes up to $75,000 and married

couples with incomes up to $150,000 may receive the maximum tax credit.

My income is over the limits, can I still receive the credit?

Some buyers may still be eligible for the credit.

The credit decreases for  single buyers who earn between $75,000 and

$95,000 and between $150,000 and $170,000 for home buyers filing jointly.

The amount of the tax credit decreases as the buyer’s income approaches

the limit. Home buyers earning more than the maximum qualifying

income are not eligible.

Will the Tax Credit Need to Be Repaid?

No, providing your occupy the home for three years or more. 

If the property is sold during the three-year period the credit will be

recouped on the sale.

Consult your tax advisor!

Leave a Comment