UPDATED NEWS HERE!!! First Time Homebuyers now have a new tax credit that makes buying your first home a little bit easier. The passage of President Obama's stimulus plan, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provides first time homebuyers with a real tax credit that packs a larger punch than last year's Housing and Economic Recovery Act Tax Credit. Confused? Let's see if we can help... The best (and simplest) explanation that I have come across was written by … [Read more...]
Get a Free Market Snapshot
February 10, 2009
I want to remind everyone that we offer you access to a FREE Market Snapshot. A Market Snapshot is a comprehensive report of real estate activity in your neighborhood and surrounding areas. Included in this report are: Homes for Sale in your neighborhood Recent Sold homes with actual selling price Asking and Sold Price Comparisions Asking vs Selling Price comparisons Time on Market Number of Homes for Sale Community Statistics and School Reports View a sample report. (opens in a new … [Read more...]
Market Update: Montgomery Co: January 2009
February 6, 2009
Residential (not Condos or Co-ops) According to the GCAAR Residential Market Report: during the month of January 2009 there were : 837 NEW LISTINGS this month for Residential (-32.4% drop compared to Jan 08) 3232 TOTAL ACTIVE Residential Listings ( down - 12.7% compared to Jan 08) 518 UNDER CONTRACT (up 7.2% compared to Jan 08) 287 SETTLEMENTS (down -6.2% compared to Jan 08 - year-to-date down -6.2%) View the January 09 Montgomery County Residential Home Report (PDF file - … [Read more...]
Market Update: Frederick Co: January 2009
February 6, 2009
Residential (not Condos or Co-ops) According to the FCAR Residential Market Report: during the month of January 2009 there were : 309 NEW LISTINGS this month for Residential (-28% drop compared to Jan 08) 1517 TOTAL ACTIVE Residential Listings ( down - 13.6% compared to Jan 08) 169 UNDER CONTRACT (down -4.5% compared to Jan 08) 105 SETTLEMENTS (down -0.9% compared to Jan 08 - year-to-date down -0.9%) View the January 09 Frederick County Residential Home Report (PDF file - … [Read more...]
Termites or Ants?
February 4, 2009
In my teens and early twenties I had a variety of jobs - usually in the printing industry. However, one spring I worked as a commercial salesperson for a pest control company. As part of their training I spent a couple of weeks with the guys who did the inspections and also with the guy who did the chemical treatments. It was a miserable job, but I learned a few useful things: - I know how big of an opening a mouse needs in order to gain entrance to your home (dime sized) or a rat (about … [Read more...]
Staging your Home to Sell
February 2, 2009
As the local housing market becomes a buyer's market, the way you present your home for sale becomes more important. This is often referred to as 'staging' your home. Here are some tips and suggestions, starting with the cheapest and least labor intensive and working up to what might be prohibitive on either or both counts. But then, if you are clever, you might find a way to do even the most spectacular staging on the cheap. *Tips on how to fix your house up to sell... … [Read more...]
