If It's A Free Trial, Why Do You Need A Credit Card? - 06/30/09 07:06 AM
 
Richard Iarossi asks a question that many others have, but didn't ask out loud, and I hope you'll click through to his post and add your comment.  Maybe someone among us has a good answer to why a credit card is needed for a "free trial".  This is something we all want to know.
 
Via Richard Iarossi, Crofton MD Real Estate, Annapolis MD Real Estate (Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.):
Maybe you saw the blog post today offering a “free trial” of the Vision product. Not bad really. 90 days free for a website, IDX feed and contact … (11 comments)

Ugly Photos are Better than No Photos - 06/28/09 04:32 PM
You can count on me to play "Devil's Advocate" whenever someone posts on Activerain about how irresponsible it is to provide only one photo with a listing.  I'm always quick to comment that sometimes no photos could be the right choice if the listed home shows poorly.  But...

No, make that "BUT..."
 
Two weeks ago, I was working with a buyer whose priorities were the following:
A relatively private setting, given the limitations of a townhome As new as possible within their price range A location convenient for both parties' commute As we dug through the huge inventory of … (71 comments)

Tenants Faced with Foreclosure - An Update - 06/27/09 11:23 AM
FORECLOSURE TURNS LIVES UPSIDE DOWN FOR TENANTS
Hopefully we won't be reading or writing any more posts like the one I wrote in March 2008 titled Tenants Faced with Foreclosure - Lives Turned Upside Down - at least not for Maryland properties.  This is an update inspired by that post.
In addition to new federal legislation protecting tenants at foreclosure, new state legislation went into effect last month in Maryland requiring a series of notices to all occupants of residential properties at various stages of the foreclosure process.

Don't get me wrong... it will still be very disturbing to … (16 comments)

Cut and Paste Options on ActiveRain - 06/25/09 07:50 AM

 
You'll find more than one way to "cut and paste" or "copy and paste" on ActiveRain - and one will save you time.  Of course, this may depend on your browser, but here is my experience in Firefox:
 
 
In a Word document and many online editors, you have these two options (and maybe others)...

CUT or COPY
1.  Highlight and right click or2.  Highlight and Ctrl C
On Activerain, you can cut or copy using either #1 or #2.
PASTE
1.  Right click or2.  Ctrl V
On Activerain, use #1 if you want to paste your … (50 comments)

How to Get Your Free Crofton Area Map - 06/23/09 02:45 PM
This post is included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
 

With GPS and Mapquest, who needs a map to get around in the Greater Crofton area? 
If your answer is “I do!”, you’re in luck because I just happen to have a box of Crofton area maps in my office.  Simply ask, and you shall receive.  I also have a limited number of full-color maps for the area between Baltimore and Washington, which are ideal for anyone relocating to work … (13 comments)

Maryland Condominium Buyers Beware of This Change - 06/21/09 07:39 AM
The rules changed on June 1 for condominium unit owners and associations in the Greater Crofton area and throughout Maryland.
Until then, condo associations were responsible for upkeep and structural repairs to both the common elements and units, while unit owners were responsible only for personal property within their units.
A copy of the master insurance policy was provided to unit owners at the time of purchase, along with other condo documents, so unit owners would know the extent of the association's insurance coverage and they could purchase supplemental insurance accordingly.  That's no longer the case.

 
The new law … (25 comments)

Ten Tips for Agent Safety When Showing Property - 06/20/09 12:57 PM
Earlier this week, I had a conversation with someone about the safety of real estate agents.  He asked whether this is a concern for agents, and what agents do to protect ourselves.  (Hopefully he was simply interested, and not a bad guy trying to figure out how to get around our safety precautions.)
Ahhhh.... inspiration for a blog post! 

Agent safety is not just about protecting ourselves from bad guys posing as clients... We could walk into a "crime in progress" while showing homes, run our car off the road into a ditch, etc.  And yet we've all heard … (39 comments)

College Park Md - Owner Financing for Home Near University of Maryland - 06/20/09 07:13 AM
Whether you're a "Terps Parent" or a savvy real estate investor, this home will catch your eye for many reasons.
 

 
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION -
2 blocks from campus, near "The View", where students can catch the campus shuttle or take the walking path directly to campus. Just blocks from Greek Row and Rt. 1 night spots and restaurants. Just blocks from Metro to D.C. Easy access to the Beltway (Route 495) and I-95. FINANCIAL INFO -
Owner financing with 10% down (investor financing is usually 20-25% down). The price is $349,900. Potential rental income $3000+ month. Currently licensed … (6 comments)

What? Multiple Contracts? - 06/18/09 10:52 PM
This is a lousy real estate market, right?  That's what the statistics say... what the media says... what many consumers and agents say.
If that's the case, how come there were four contracts on one home that my clients wanted to buy on Tuesday?  It was a beautiful townhome located in Piney Orchard, a planned community in Odenton, MD.
No, I don't think the market has turned around.  I DO think the same qualities which always made some homes sell more quickly than others are still doing just that, even today:
PRICE & CONDITION
The home was in awesome condition and … (27 comments)

Odenton Maryland Real Estate Update - May 2009 - 06/16/09 06:52 AM
Real Estate statistics for Odenton, in May, were "not too bad" - which is another way of saying they were "almost good" by comparison with almost everywhere else in the area last month!  I'm fairly sure this is a reflection of the community's proximity to Fort Meade, BWI, and major defense contractors such as Northrup Grumman because they contribute a steady turnover and boost to the local economy and real estate market.
The best news of all was the fact that days on market have declined to 102 this year from 134 last year.  The bad news was that 70 new … (2 comments)

Seeing is Believing - Reflections from our Road Trip - 06/09/09 09:54 AM
Many of you live what I saw in the days since I last visited ActiveRain, so this won't be news to you.
It was quite a moving experience for me and my husband, however, to see for ourselves the signs of our economy as we drove across several states to a family wedding.  Apparently we're more isolated from the real world than we realized, living so near our Nation's Capitol where our Federal Government is the primary employer.
No wonder our country's so-called leaders don't "get it" if their exposure to the real world is limited to D.C. and the … (63 comments)

Have You Binged Yourself Yet? - 06/02/09 09:55 PM
Bing is the new and improved search engine by Microsoft, released today.  According to their website, you will find information faster (than what?) and receive relevant results with related links.  
The only thing I care about, frankly, is "What are my standings?" That's why I decided to check it out, using a few keywords and longtail keyword phrases to compare results for the same terms on the Google and Yahoo search engines.   
All results quoted below are for FocusOnCrofton.com because I wanted to compare "apples with apples."  In a few cases my ActiveRain/Localism posts or personal website rank higher.
… (25 comments)

Crofton Events and Celebrations - June 2009 - 06/02/09 02:02 PM
Did you know that June is National Tennis Month?  It’s also…
Dairy Month Great Outdoors Month National Adopt-a-Cat Month National Drive Safe Month National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month National Rose Month National Safety Month Potty Training Awareness Month Turkey Lovers Month Zoo and Aquarium Month Week-long observations include:
National Fishing Week (1st week) National Clay Week (2nd week) National Camping Week (4th week) Crofton Area Events during June:
 3 – Crofton Kiwanis Meeting (Every Wednesday at Waugh Chapel Village Community Center), 7:30 p.m.  3 – Mount Vernon Bus Trip, Crofton Village Garden Club, 8:15 a.m. – 2 p.m. 5 – Little Italy Film Festival, Baltimore  Fridays through August … (11 comments)

REBar Camp Philly - My favorite photo - 06/01/09 12:56 PM
So many people were taking photos at rebarcamp (search #rebcphl at Flickr.com) that I took advantage of it and kept my camera in its bag most of the time.  There was one place, however, that I had to take out my own camera to snap a photo... my hotel room on the 15th floor at the Penn Hyatt. 
With a view like this, you can see why I was tempted to skip rebarcamp and just watch ships move about the channel 'til check-out time.
 

… (16 comments)

 
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Margaret Woda, Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation Services

Margaret Woda

Crofton, MD

More about me…

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., Crofton, MD 21114

Address: 2191 Defense Hwy., #120, Crofton, Bowie, and Davidsonville, MD, 21114

Office Phone: (410) 721-1500

Cell Phone: (301) 346-2923

Email Me

Real Estate and community information for home buyers and sellers, military transferees, and rookie agents in the greater Crofton area, including Bowie, Davidsonville, Fort Meade, Gambrills, Odenton, and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.

EHO



Margaret Woda




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