Over 79% increase in closed sales? Kidding? No Really!  Yep, that is what is being reported by MRIS (Metropolitan Regional Information System) for Baltimore County Maryland!  Closed sales for November 09 compared to November 08 a  whopping 79.5% increase!  AND with only a 3.5% loss in the median value!

For the same time period, Carroll County Maryland showed over a 64% increase while only losing 0.4% in their median price, and Harford County Maryland showed an increase in sales of 78.8% while showing a loss in median value of only 2.6%!

These numbers are fantastic compared to others around the country!

Obviously, sales and prices vary by neighborhood. If you need information on a particular neighborhood, contact me at leah@ltrealty.com and I’ll be happy to assit you!

If you like statistics and/or details and want more information follow this link!

http://www.ltrealty.com/statspage1.htm

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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