In April, I talked about the fact that Buyers seemed to be very prevalent in the market place.  They were no longer sitting on the fence and the deals they were getting were exceptional.

Well 2 months later, I'm still the town crier as I run around Bel Air, enthusiastically yelling ",The Buyers are here, The Buyers are here!"

Now is truly an exceptional time in real estate history.  In my many years in the business, I've never seen so many incredible deals for Buyers.  Yep, in case you haven't heard the news, it's a Buyers Market.

If you are looking to buy in Bel Air, Abingdon, Forest Hill, Edgewood, Fallston, Belcamp/Riverside, or any of the many great areas in Maryland -- you need to align yourself with a good Realtor and make an offer on your dream home.  Then start packing, because  -- best case scenario, your offer to purchase will be accepted on the 1st pass by today's Seller.  More than likely, though -- the Seller will come back with a nice little counter to your offer.  Worst case -- your offer will be rejected outright (and, trust me, that ain't happening...)

Oh, and your pre-approval letter from your lender?  Don't leave home without it.

It's a beautiful day in the Neighborhood.

The Buyers are bountiful and the deals are beautiful.

What more can I say?

If you're looking to buy a house in beautiful Bel Air or surrounds, "Hello!" it's time. I'm a Real Estate Pro out there in the ranks negotiating fabulous deals for my Buyers each and every day and I'll tell you one thing (and I'll make it short and sweet)-

It's good to be a Buyer now.

About the Author - Lanette Branch is a [self-proclaimed] buxom, doe-eyed, beauty residing in Bel Air, Maryland where she has been negotiating-to-win for buyers and sellers of residential real estate in Central Maryland and its surrounding suburbs for over 14 years. She started as a mere babe. She loves Bel Air and she'll bet her last dollar that you'll love Bel Air, too. What's not to love?

Hi my name is Lanette and I'm a Nomophobic.

(all in unison) Hi Lanette!

I heard about this for the first time on April 1^st, so I immediately wrote it off as an April Fools joke. Now, I just saw it on the evening news. So, it must be legit, right?

Apparently some eggheads in Great Britain are studying this phenomenon in a real research lab somewhere and it's a valid condition. Around 13 million Britons admit to suffering from Nomophobia.

Nomophobia is the fear of being without your mobile phone.

I'm serious.

It's the fear of leaving it, losing it, running out of battery juice, being in the dreaded no-man's land of "out-of area", or otherwise being in a state of inaccessibility to family and friends.

Oh, yeah, I am a Nomophobic.

When I realize I left my BlackBerry on my desk (and I am nowhere near my desk when I come to that realization), I break out in a cold sweat.

I call it my BB for short. It's my little pet name for it - a variation of "Baby".  BB, get it? I crack myself up. Anyways, I know I suffer from this affliction because my BB has become an integral part of my life.

• I eat with it
• I sleep with it
• I work with it
• I play with it
• I work out with it
• I bathe with it
• I shop with it
• I buy cute little accessories for it.  My daughter calls it "ghetto fabulous" w/the stunning "bling" I've adorned it with...quite handsome if I say so myself.
• I carry it with me wherever I go
• I break out in a cold sweat when I realize I'm without it
• I immediately stop whatever I'm doing (even at the risk of being late for an appointment across town) and return to retrieve from wherever I may have left it. And I mean whatever I'm doing...
• I never turn it off

It's my BB.

Hey, cut me some slack here; I'm a REAL-I-TOR and communication is my business, people!

I'm psychic -- my husband might say I'm psycho, but that's a whole different post.

I'm like, um, Carnac the Magnificent (am I dating myself, or what?) because I see yet another Addendum being added to our already overwhelming Residential Contract of Sale.

Let's see, we already have upwards of 30 plus pages (contract and assorted addendae) that we need to explain in detail to our deer-in-the-headlights-looking clients and now it'll be 30 plus plus.

Did you hear about the buyer that is suing the seller of an Arizona home the buyer bought nearly three years ago because the buyer felt the seller should have disclosed to him that the property was located next to a psycho?  No, not a psychic -- like me (because that might be kinda nice, if you really think about it) but a psycho.  Allegedly, the crazy neighbor likes to steal things from her fellow neighbors' yards and smash them in the street.  She also is (allegedly) fond of standing in front of her own home and screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs.  Additionally, she pelted the seller with potatoes (huh?) just 5 days before settlement!  Somehow you knew it was a woman, huh? (Yep, you got it -- another post).  Anyways, the nasty neighbor is making life unbearable for the buyer and the rest of the neighborhood and the buyer feels like he was taken advantage of.

It gets even better.

The buyer is a real estate agent. The buyer is suing the seller.  The seller says he was confused at the time and specifically asked his agent if he should disclose the situation w/the neighbor.  The seller says his agent told him not to disclose. The seller is suing the listing agent.

So...Carnac the Magnificent sees...hmmm (looking into crystal ball)...an additional numbered paragraph in the 11-page Contract followed by a detailed addendum that reduntantly spells out...(yes, that's it!) the required disclosure.  The title of that addendum is coming through now; I think the addendum will be titled Notice to Buyer -- You May be Purchasing Next to a Psycho.

Bye for now; I'm off to disclose (disclose, disclose) to my clients that I am indeed a psychic.

So, how's the market?

I hear this question at least once a day and I'm happy to answer it each and every time. 

Moreover, although it seems to be the obligatory question asked as soon as anyone knows I'm a REALTOR (and I have no idea how they find out since I tell everybody I meet w/in seconds of meeting them-HaHaHa!), it just never gets old (O.K., I'm stretching a little here).

So, how's the market?  These days, I'm answering the question thusly--

The market's insane!  If you're a buyer and you're still sitting on the fence, you'd better get the hell off; I'd hate to see you miss out on the opportunity to grab your dream home and have so much help (READ:$$$$!) to do it. Granted, I've been doing this for a while and we all know this is cyclical, but I don't have a crystal ball and I don't know when the "buyer's cycle" while be over. And, if you're a seller, you'd better align yourself with a seasoned pro who'll show you how to market your home and get it sold in this tough market (READ:FSBO? Hell NO!)

Soooo...how's the market?

I guess I could devote an entire blog just to scams; it seems there's a new one (or ten...) popping up every day.  This latest one is a new one for me, though.

I got a call on my cell phone from an 876 area code last night (Sunday) at around 10:30 PM. I received 2 more calls from the same number about 17 minutes later. Interestingly enough, the caller left a voicemail message from "Mr. Shaw" at "eService" from what I could make out.

After completing the call I was already on and checking the vmail message, I returned the call to "Mr. Shaw".  Now he says he's with "Lieners International" and I tell him that I'm returning his call and ask him how I could help him.  He hung up on me after repeated requests from me to spell his name and his company; his accent was so thick you could cut it with a knife and most of my part of the conversation sounded something like, "huh?", "what?", "could you repeat that, please?", and "could you spell that, please?"

Anyways, I called back (giving him the benefit of doubt). Who knows, maybe it was a dropped call? It just rang...

Fast forward to this morning at 8:26 AM. Why look, it's a call from "Mr. Shaw"!  And, he informs me that I am the winner of 2.5 million dollars from Publisher's Clearing House. "The Publisher's Clearing House?", I giddily reply. "Yes, the Publisher's Clearing House," he says.  Then he goes on to congratulate me, detail how the money will be dispersed, and explain that since this is soooo much money, it'll need to be insured....yada....yada....yada....you know the rest.

He wanted me to wire the "insurance money" in the amount of $100 to Jamaica.

I laughed hysterically in his ear and told him that wasn't going to happen today.  He said something oh, so clever like "F#@$ you!" and I uttered something not too nice about his mama.

I get emails all the time warning me about calling 876 numbers but this caught me off guard since it was to my cell phone. All total, I made about 2 minutes in calls to this number.

Just waiting on the phone bill to see how much I'm out...

I bring you good news on the Baltimore Restaurant Week front!

Because of the tremendous success of the first ever WINTER Restaurant Week, many of the over 80 participating restaurants are EXTENDNG their Week's menus thru February 10th. That means you have an additional week to take advantage of the crazy $30.08 price-fixed amount for a 3-course meal in a fabulous Baltimore restaurant.  Additionally, some restaurants are offering a lunch menu for just $20.08.

Schedule your reservation today (or RE-schedule?)...you wouldn't want to miss out!

As I draft my appeal response to the ridiculously overinflated "Market Value" the state of Maryland just assessed for my house, I felt compelled to let you know that the HOMESTEAD TAX CREDIT process has changed.

This tax credit used to be automatic. 

Now, the onus is upon the homeowner to fill out the Homestead Tax Credit Application (included with your recent assessment notice) and mail it back to the state department of assessment and taxation in order to continue receiving this valuable credit.  If you don't fill it in and send it back you will no longer receive the credit.

This tax credit is given to homeowners on the one property used as their primary residence. It caps the amount of a home's increased value that can be taxed each year at 10 percent.

In lieu of snail mail, you can visit here to complete the application on-line. Click on Homestead Eligibility Application.

Please don't just toss this form to the side with all of your other mail; the minute or two it takes to fill out this form could save you money.

Lanette Branch, REALTOR, RE/MAX 1st Advantage

Baltimore Restaurant Week Makes its Winter Debut January 28 through February 3, 2008

Baltimore Restaurant Week is almost here!

It's one delicious week of fabulous food at an even more fabulous price.

From January 28 through February 3^rd you can feast at more than 75 participating restaurants in the Baltimore area. These restaurants are offering delicious 3-course dinner menus for only thirty dollars and 8 cents ($30.08). Many are also offering lunch menus for twenty dollars and eight cents ($20.08).

This is the first time Restaurant Week has been served up during the winter (previous restaurant weeks were during the warmer months!), so take advantage of the tremendous price-fix and fill up on some fabu food prepared by some fantastic Baltimore-area chefs.

You can even make reservations to guarantee your spot! Click here for the list of participating restaurants and special $3 parking garages (be still my heart!). This site also provides a link to make reservations on-line.

While you're in the city, you can also paint the town red. Visit here for some great hotel packages starting at $99/night. Take advantage of the discounts on spa services and other fun stuff offered on this site, too.

Hurry up, it's almost here...and seats are filling up quickly!

Lanette Branch, REALTOR, RE/MAX 1st Advantage

...And A Few Other Reasons It's a Good Tme To Buy Your Next Home

• Choices.  There are a lot of great properties to choose from. In Bel Air, there's a record 9 months worth of inventory alone. The possibilities for a good deal seem endless right now.
• Prices.  Because of the tremendous inventory of homes for sale, home sellers are looking for an edge over the competition and the possibility of a home buyer snagging a great deal is very high right now.
• Cost.  Mortgage interest rates are at a great low.  That's right, they are low and that is exactly where we want them to be!
• Formula.  Your formula for success is now written and right now is the time for you, the Savvy Buyer, to plug your variables into the formula for home buying success-- 

Great Choices + Competitive Prices + Low Cost = Tremendous Home Buying Experience

This is all happening right now and there's no guarantee that all the moons will be aligned in the same juxtaposition next week or even tomorrow.  I've been successfully listing and selling real estate for over 14 years and I couldn't tell you if we've hit the bottom yet (for rates/home prices, etc.)  I don't have a crystal ball and neither do the pundits who continuously forecast real estate doom and gloom.  What I do know is that real estate is a basic necessity and it's all cyclical.  I also know that the buyer side of the real estate cycle is right now. 

Now is the time to get out there with your ace REALTOR and find the home of your dreams.  In other words, get off the fence, pick those splinters out of your hindparts, and go for it!  Now is the time.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lanette Branch, REALTOR RE/MAX 1st Advatage,  Bel Air, Maryland