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remax vision: Fort Meade Soldiers Inspire REALTOR Santas - 10/09/08 11:06 AM
With Fort George G. Meade just a few minutes and a few miles from our office, every agent at RE/MAX Vision counts relocating soldiers among our past clients. As we've introduced military personnel attached to Fort Meade to real estate in Crofton and other communities near the post, we've gotten to know them and their families on a personal level, as well as a professional one. We're so grateful to them for their service and very glad to have them as neighbors now.
Inspired by clients who are Fort Meade soldiers, several of the agents in my office got together after our sales meeting on Tuesday to become "Santa for … (13 comments)
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remax vision: Davidsonville Real Estate Market Update - October 2007 - 11/17/07 04:21 PM
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and it's certainly true when you look at Davidsonville real estate statistics in the form of a graph or chart.
This shows the sold properties each month, alongside the listing inventory. It's not a very pretty picture for home sellers, is it?
As ugly as this appears, there ARE homes selling.
Just this week, closing occurred for my listing on Blandford Way in Wynnewood Subdivision. The property listed, sold and settled in LESS THAN 60 DAYS.
And, I might add, the combined sale price and closing cost subsidy were higher than … (2 comments)
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remax vision: Crofton Real Estate Market Update - October 2007 - 11/16/07 09:43 AM
There is good news to report about the Crofton real estate market!
Statistics released by MRIS, the regional multiple listing system for this area, indicate that homes took less time to sell in October 2007 than they did in the same month last year. Days on Market were down 11.54% to 69.
Additionally, 42 homes sold in the 21114 zipcode last month - 7.69% more than October 2006. Take a look at these charts:
All the news wasn't good - the average sold price was down 14.48% to $327,400 from $382,846 in October of 2006. Unless you bought in the past year or two, it simply … (4 comments)
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remax vision: Crofton Schools Shuffle Boundaries - 11/02/07 02:43 PM
Crofton real estate and homes for sale
If you use the School Locator on my website, you’ll only get part of the story.
Today’s school assignments may or may not be an accurate reflection of which Crofton-area school your child will attend in 2008–2009. With the construction of a new elementary school on Nantucket Road (now referred to as Gambrills Elementary, although the school is located in Crofton), you can expect to see shuffling in some school boundaries next year.
Redistricting is a lengthy process that takes into account many factors including overcrowding in existing schools, neighborhood boundaries, and assignments for middle and … (8 comments)
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remax vision: Reminders for Halloween Safety - 10/30/07 08:49 AM
Keep the REAL spooks out of your children's Halloween night by taking these precautions when they go trick-or-treating in Crofton MD (or anywhere):
1. Accompany children when they go trick-or-treating - If they're a little older, stand back so you're not "lurking", but don't let a pedophile take advantage of this great opportunity to troll for vulnerable kids. Remember, adolescents are not too old to be at risk on Halloween or at any other time. (You might want to check the Maryland Sex Offender Registry, and avoid those residences when you take your children trick-or-treating.)
2. Encourage children to go trick-or-treating in small groups. If … (8 comments)
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remax vision: Consumer Tax on Real Estate Services? No Way! - 10/28/07 11:55 PM
How do you think it might impact your business if buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords are taxed on commissions or fees they pay to real estate professionals or property managers in the future?
A 6% sales or service tax, for example, would turn each $1000 paid by consumers for commissions or fees into $1060.
Why should you care if this is an issue in Maryland? Very simple. If it passes here, YOUR Governor and Legislature will be emboldened to propose and pass it in YOUR state.
On November 1, Maryland Realtors will rally at the state capitol in Annapolis to demonstrate opposition to a tax on real estate commissions and fees for … (27 comments)
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remax vision: Crownsville Maryland Real Estate Report - Sept. 2007 - 10/22/07 10:04 AM
Over the weekend, I had occasion to meet with clients who have a beautiful home listed for sale in Crownsville, Maryland. The purpose was to review any market changes since the property was listed, less than a month ago.
Digesting raw numbers can be boring, so I created the following charts that may interest other consumers in the Crownsville area:
Average Sold Prices, April-September, 2006 and 2007:
Real Estate Activity, April-September, 2007:
Days on Market, April-September, 2006 and 2007:
Units Sold, April-September, 2006 and 2007:
If you're interested in more information about the Crownsville real estate market, I would be happy to review these charts with you and provide you with … (2 comments)
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remax vision: Why Plant a Wye Oak? - 10/20/07 09:55 PM
Posted to Localism.com and FocusonCrofton.com.
If you are new to Maryland, and not familiar with the Wye Oak, perhaps I should start by telling you what this is all about.
About the species - In 1941, Maryland designated the White Oak (Quercus Alba) as the State Tree.
The white oak is a handsome and sturdy tree, named for its whitish bark and grey twigs. The trees are large, long-lived, and slow-growing - reaching heights of 60 to 150 feet, with diameters between three to four feet. They have glossy bright green leaves with five to seven rounded lobes on each leaf.
A white oak … (5 comments)
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remax vision: Maryland Homestead Tax Credit Is No Longer Automatic - 10/18/07 06:27 AM
EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2007 FOR PROPERTY TRANSFERS AFTER DECEMBER 31, 2007
Let's start by answering your question, "What is the Maryland Homestead Tax Credit?"
The Homestead Credit helps homeowners deal with large assessment increases by limiting the increase in taxable assessments. You can check this Listing of Homestead Caps for Each Local Government, to find out the fixed amount where the property is located.
The Homestead Credit is calculated on any property tax assessment increase exceeding 10% (or the lower cap enacted by local governments - 2% in Anne Arundel County, for example) from one year to the next. The credit is calculated based on the … (13 comments)
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remax vision: Sellers Want Testimonials, NOT Feedback - 10/14/07 08:37 AM
Yes, listing agents desperately want feedback and, in my market, more agents do provide feedback than don't. It's a professional courtesy. However, I see this practice evolving as quality feedback becomes another technology-driven sacrificial lamb in our profession.
Services such as www.showings.com make it so easy to provide prompt feedback after showings, there's almost no excuse for failing to do it!
Well, that's true, but many agents are giving sellers direct access to feedback - and I did it myself, when the option first became available. However, it appears this may be sabotaging the process because Sellers want testimonials, not candid feedback!
The home is beautiful! My buyers and I love … (30 comments)
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remax vision: Crofton Maryland Real Estate Report - January-September 2007 - 10/13/07 07:48 PM
There was good news and bad news for Crofton in September, according to statistics released by Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc., combined with my own quick review of homes listed, sold, and under contract during that time.
Let's start with the GOOD news:
Average sold prices were up for the third month in a row, and higher than September 2006, as well.
The average sold price in Crofton was up 11.25% from last year to $398,371. The median price was the same as it was in September 2006, $330,000.
Now for the BAD news:
The number of Crofton homes sold in September 2007 went down 40.38% … (4 comments)
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remax vision: Halloween Fun or Fear - Which Would You Choose? - 10/08/07 10:01 PM
That may sound like a silly question, but the annual Fright Fest during October at Six Flags in nearby Mitchellville is all about fear - fear of diabolical roller coasters, haunted mazes, costumed ghouls, live cockroaches, the Coffin of Fear and more.
It's fun, too - the ecstasy of "surviving" all of the above, the energy of the season, and amazement at the fabulous sights, sounds and costumes.
I'm betting that most kids (of the PG-13 variety) would choose the Fun and Fear of Six Flags from now through October 28 over trick-or-treating with the little kids in their local neighborhoods.
Six Flags suggests that you … (12 comments)
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remax vision: Recipe for a Custom Graphic on Your Blog - 10/07/07 04:43 PM
Have you been wondering how other ActiveRainers come up with all these custom graphics for their blogs?
Take, for example, the Calendar posted on my "outside" blog, the Business Plan graphic on one of my ActiveRain blogs this weekend, or the book and sign-carrying dog on my 12 Key Questions for All Home Sellers blog a few weeks ago. Be sure to click on these three links before you continue, so you can see examples of what this blog is about.
Well, the book and sign-carrying dog were created using a free and easy website I learned about on ActiveRain, called ImageChef. But here is my easy 10-step … (47 comments)
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remax vision: Combine Your Initials to Create a Logo - 09/30/07 01:34 PM
Have you ever wanted to create a personal logo? The first option you considered may have been to create some artsy version of your initials, unless you have a name that just begs for something else (like Block, or House or Valentine).
A google image search of my initials provided many examples of using MW to create a logo, including these:
Model Works logo
Monster Warrior logo
Meghan Weir logo
Well, I came across an article today about this very subject in Before & After Magazine, Design a Logo of Letters. The link should take you to the PDF file but, if it doesn't, just go to … (63 comments)
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remax vision: Beware of the Buyer's Agent! - 09/25/07 05:28 PM
ATTENTION HOME SELLERS
A buyer's agent is NEVER your friend. Anything you say to the buyer or the buyer's agent can and will be used against you in negotiations.
Representing your best interests in negotiations is one of the many services your listing agent provides. In many cases, you will never know the problems your agent anticipates and avoids or the objections she answers, as she puts her training, knowledge, and experience to work for you.
Do you know how to get buyers to choose your home?
Do you know what it takes to sell a home during periods of inflation or recession, war or peace, … (27 comments)
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remax vision: Anne Arundel County Maryland Hosts Annual Power Boat Show, Oct. 11-14 - 09/24/07 04:49 PM
If you prefer high-speed on the water, you probably prefer power boats over sail. Then again, maybe you just don't want to have to depend on a breeze to even move on the water, to get from one place to another.
The Annual Fall Power Boat Show in Annapolis, Oct. 11-14, will offer you plenty of options - all power, and all new.
Thursday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Press/VIP Day($30)Friday-Saturday, Oct. 12-13, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.Sunday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
General admission tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for children under 12. You can order your tickets online or purchase them on-site.
Spend the day boarding … (10 comments)
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remax vision: Anne Arundel County Maryland - Five Secret Ingredients for Selling Your Home in a Buyer's Market - 09/23/07 11:43 AM
My, what a difference a year or two can make, when it comes to selling your home!
If you bought your Anne Arundel County home in the past five years, it's likely that you paid full price - perhaps OVER full price. You might have waived a home inspection, and even an appraisal. Your offer was probably in competition with many others so you resorted to little "tricks" like personal letters to the seller to convince them you were the most worthy buyer for their beloved home.
That was a seller's market, when conditions were highly favorable to home sellers: Fewer houses available than buyers, … (10 comments)
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remax vision: How To Be Perceived As A Real Estate Expert - or NOT - 09/20/07 06:40 PM
You know what they say... "Perception is Reality."
THINK DR. PHIL. There's nothing magical about his advice that makes it any better than the same advice from another therapist with comparable training. He doesn't have an exclusive lock on knowledge or experience in his field. Yet, without ever saying "I'm an expert", Dr. Phil is perceived as more than an expert - he's often considered THE expert when it comes to family therapy. He does this through a marketing model known as one-to-many marketing.
Long before Dr. Phil became Oprah's consultant and attained celebrity status, he offered information about family therapy to multiple consumers at one time through seminars … (35 comments)
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remax vision: Is It Just Me Or Does New Business Always Happen When You Go Away? - 09/19/07 08:20 PM
IT'S RAINING CLIENTS!
You've heard it before: There are two things you can count on in life - death and taxes. Well, we all know there are other certainties in life. Here are just a few:
Wash your car, and it will rain.Carry an umbrella, and it will NOT rain.Go away, and business appear from nowhere. I'm reminded of this because I'm in Texas now - an unplanned trip to stay with my daughter who had emergency surgery Friday. Of course, this occurred on the heels of my taking a new listing which needed processing that day - after a week's lull in business. In the five … (49 comments)
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remax vision: Maryland Fishing Challenge Finale - 09/18/07 02:09 PM
It sounds simple enough... Between June 14 and September 3, catch one of the 63 specially tagged stripped bass known as "Diamond Jim" to win a cash prize or any of the 60 specified species in waterways statewide to win other prizes.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resource's 2007 Maryland Fishing Challenge is the third annual event intended to promote recreational fishing and promote Maryland as a great destination for sport fishing. 224 anglers across the state did catch citation-worthy fish in Maryland's mountain streams, the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays and the Atlantic Ocean.
Now they are eligible for a drawing at the finale on September 22 at Sandy … (8 comments)
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Margaret Woda, Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation Services
Crofton,
MD
More about me…
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., Crofton, MD
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 homebuyers, sellers, and rookie agents in Bowie, Crofton, Crownsville, Davidsonville, Fort Meade, Gambrills, Odenton, Millersville, and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Proven systems - combining local expertise, professional experience, and technology - to give you a competitive edge when you buy or sell a home.
Margaret Woda
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