Revenge of the Appraisers - 08/31/09 10:11 PM
I'm not an appraiser and I don't play on on TV but I feel fairly confident of my ability to value property pretty fairly.  Granted, sometimes the Seller wants a little more and over prices the listing.  If they don't I usually feel we'll make it past any appraisal.
It seems, though, that appraisers are really reveling in their new found independence.  I also hear that a lot of appraisers are getting the short shrift, money wise, from all these third party clearing houses that lenders have to go through to order an appraisal.  So, I can see where appraisers may … (14 comments)

Second Guessing the Price - 08/16/09 07:12 AM
Every now and then I'll encounter a home seller that when they say "I want to sell this house." they really mean it. They listen to my rationale for recommending a price. They look at the comparable sales. They make a decision to price the home so it will attract the largest number of potential buyers through the front door and provide an offer that will end with the sale of the house.
A lot of the time, I encounter home sellers who will say "I want to sell this house." and what they really mean (but don't say out loud) … (5 comments)

Is Social Media A Fad? - 08/14/09 03:50 PM
I saw the URL to this video on Twitter (where else, huh?). It's just boggles the mind how quickly social media has taken off and how far reaching it is. You should really toggle this to full screen to get the full effect...and it's only a tad over 4 minutes.If you've been thinking if all this Active Rain, Facebook, Twitter, etc. stuff is a waste of time (you know who you are!) you may change your thinking after the next 4 minutes.... … (9 comments)

13412 Parkland Drive, Rockville, MD 20853 - 08/12/09 06:23 AM
Here is a nice, single family home ideally located within minutes of parks, great shopping, schools and two METRO stops (Glenmont and Wheaton). It is nestled along a quiet, tree-lined street with an attached one-car garage and a spectacular back yard perfect for playing around or entertaining guests. … (0 comments)

Buying a house costs MONEY?? Really? - 08/05/09 05:20 AM
During the recent downturn in the real estate market it became commonplace - at least in my little part of the world - for Sellers to kick some money toward the Buyer's closing costs.  So, as it turns out, if the Buyer could scrape together the 3.5% for a down payment (assuming an FHA mortgage), the other costs like State and County transfer and recordation fees, lender fees, title company fees, hazard insurance premiums, prepaids like interest and the like would be paid for out of the Seller's proceeds at settlement.
This is wonderful news for the Buyers because it means … (5 comments)

Managing Expectations - 08/01/09 02:56 PM
In the last couple of days there have been rumblings about "the bottom" and even a cover story in Newsweek entitled The Recession is Over * (note: the asterisk).  If you watch CNBC at all and you happen to catch a little of it before you tuned in Oprah on Friday you would have heard all manner of people getting all giddy about the stock market rally, and, most notably, about the fact that the economy didn't shrink as much as expected.
That bears repeating -- the economy did not shrink as much as expected. It did not grow/expand. It just … (9 comments)