century 21: Protect Your Client: Home Inspections for New Construction
- 05/08/09 04:20 AM
This morning I attended a walk-through in Southern Maryland (Waldorf, to be exact) on new construction for a first time home-buyer of mine that is due to settle this week. Typically, people do not feel a need to pay for an inspection when they're buying a new home. The thought is that if the home is "new", then there shouldn't be a need for the extra expense. My buyer wanted the assurance that comes with having a professional home inspector go through the property, and it turned into a very wise investment. So what made it worth hiring a home inspector? … (27 comments)
century 21: Finding a Real Estate Agent in Charles County: Don't Pick Your Agent by CMA
- 10/27/08 04:04 PM
Choosing a Realtor is a big decision. Every Realtor (myself included) is trying to tell you why they're the greatest thing since sliced bread and why it would be a mistake to even consider working with someone else. It makes Realtors gigantic windbags, but that's a real estate agent's job: to market/promote themselves and their properties. What's really surprising is that many people aren't looking for what really matters when it comes to hiring an agent. People look at the bottom line. Money. Cash. How much are you going to put in my pocket? Quite often, the agent with the highest … (0 comments)
century 21: Is Good News Afoot? Charles County, MD Real Estate Market Report July, 2008
- 07/24/08 03:36 AM
Could it be? Is the real estate market in Charles County Maryland actually looking up? It's to early to tell right now, and the pressure caused by recent interest rate increases has pushed loan applications down 6% over the last week, and pending sales are down right now as well. I know what you're thinking: if rates are rising and pending sales have fallen, what the heck is the good news, right? well, there's a few early indicators here that might just be good news for struggling sellers! Sales Volume First off, Sales are up. Not by much, but we are … (2 comments)
century 21: Buyers Have The Upper Hand, But Are You Holding All The Aces?
- 03/21/08 03:18 AM
Trying to decipher the current real estate market can be monumental task! It's not just about the market reports, it's about you as an individual. Who's side are you on? Are you a seller trying to beat the market, or a buyer looking to cash in on a golden opportunity? Today I'm here to talk about buyers. Markets have shifted in their favor, and what's important to consider is just how much power and flexibility a buyer can actually have. There's 3 key factors to consider when considering a purchase that can affect your strength in the … (6 comments)
century 21: Restoring Neglected Marketing Plans; Old School Methods, New School Technology
- 02/10/08 12:48 PM
I have to thank my parents for teaching me to understand and appreciate the value of time worn items. With my mom, it was dusty old antique furniture that she found, buried in the back of musty junk shops. She would take these battered and often broken pieces of a bygone era and restore them to their former glory. With my father, it was forgotten, neglected old cars that nobody seemed to care about or want anymore. "They don't make them like they used to." He would say. "A little time, attention, and elbow grease, and you can recreate … (8 comments)
century 21: Fixing That Credit Score CAN Be Done, But Be Smart About It!
- 01/04/08 08:32 AM
Lenders have decided to shape up their credit criteria, how healthy is your credit score? A lot of people are feeling the pinch with lenders tightening their belts and restricting their loan approvals more and more each day. Mortgage lenders are forced to be more restrictive these days, and some people are facing the need to help boost their credit score in order to make getting that loan approval possible! I'm working with several clients that are in this boat, and rather than simply telling them to "see me when they qualify", I have helped … (2 comments)
century 21: Understanding the Housing Slump
- 12/14/07 06:23 AM
There was an interesting news piece this morning on NBC 4, talking about how the Maryland housing market is going to continue like this for the next year. The report was based off of anticipated loss of tax revenues due to the housing slump, and stated that the market is not about to improve in the near future. This got me to thinking about what exactly it's going to take in order to see any sort of market improvement. In order to see a turn-around, we need to understand what is causing this mess in the first place. Overpriced Mark-Ups … (0 comments)
century 21: Charles County Market Report- November 2007
- 11/17/07 02:12 AM
Wow, this has been an incredibly difficult year to try selling a home! As I've mentioned in previous blogs, Countrywide Home Loans was the first to take action to help ease consumer strain and keep people from being foreclosed on. It may be to early to tell, but it looks like we're starting to see signs of stabilization in the local market, hopefully other lenders will contribute further and help ensure market stability. What Looks Good: The average number of days on market (DOM) in Charles County, MD has actually declined! DOM actually fell from 118 days … (1 comments)
century 21: Secret Room Leads to Mold Problems
- 11/04/07 02:29 AM
Imagine finding a "secret room" in your house.Jason and Kerri Brown of Greenville found a secret room in their home behind a bookcase, and what was inside was a massive mold infestation. It seems that the bought the home from foreclosure and decided not to get a mold test done. It seems that the previous owner left a note detailing the mold problem inside the secret room. The note read something like this: "Hello. If you're reading this, then you found the secret room. I owned this house for a short while and it was discovered to have a serious mold problem. One … (7 comments)
century 21: Charles County Market Report
- 10/30/07 01:13 PM
I've had a couple of people ask me recently what the current market out look is in the region, so I'm putting up a quick portion of my market report to let everybody see exactly what we're facing here in Charles County. If anybody has any questions about the charts, I'd be more than happy to answer them!
… (2 comments)
century 21: 5 BIG Ways to Help Your Clients!
- 10/24/07 06:36 PM
As agents, the scope of services and work that we do on behalf of our clients can be very far reaching. I think that it's really in the details though that the best agents separate themselves from the average ones. What I've put together is a list of the little details that can often be overlooked that can make all the difference in the world to your client, especially when a problem comes up prior to settlement. By thinking about these things in advance you just might be able to save a deal at the last minute, or (just as … (1 comments)
century 21: Where are we going, and why are we in this Handbasket?
- 10/18/07 07:17 PM
I really wish there was some sort of easy solution to the deteriorating market that we're seeing, but I seriously doubt we've hit the bottom just yet. I have a couple of points to make in this post, and they are very closely related, so I'd like to apologize in advance if this gets too long: The first thing I'd like to discuss is the declining market. Yes, there are pockets nationally that are seeing value growth. I'm talking about as a national trend though. Regardless of what any single region is doing, the general market is one … (7 comments)
century 21: How to make each day better!
- 10/17/07 09:20 AM
Well, we all know rentals can be difficult to make a profit on, and I know more than a few Realtors who have no interest in them (I'm sure we all know a few). It brings up an interesting question though.... How many renters become buyers for you guys after a year or two, and would you work with a renter if you knew there was no way they would decide to buy down the road? For us, the answer is simple: YES! For new agents, it's a great way to subsidize your time as a rookie agent. For … (9 comments)
This morning I attended a walk-through in Southern Maryland (Waldorf, to be exact) on new construction for a first time home-buyer of mine that is due to settle this week. Typically, people do not feel a need to pay for an inspection when they're buying a new home. The thought is that if the home is "new", then there shouldn't be a need for the extra expense.
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