Valuable information to share with buyers and sellers. - 01/29/10 09:32 PM
 
  Many buyers find a fireplace a plus when seeking to purchase a home, especially in colder climates where it can serve both an aesthetic and functional purpose. If your fireplace is outdated, it can attract a buyer's attention, but not in the way you intend. If you are selling a home with a fireplace, it's important to look at it with a critical eye to be sure it remains appealing to buyers.
Consider these ways to give your fireplace a makeover:
While brick was traditionally used to surround a fireplace, many people are now using concrete, stone or marble.
… (0 comments)

Real Estate Water Cooler Talk - 01/27/10 10:35 PM

  It's going to be harder to get a government-backed mortgage from now on. Looking to shore up its weakening finances, the Federal Housing Administration has announced stricter standards. The agency, which insured nearly a third of new mortgages in 2009, will increase the premium it charges for its mortgage insurance and require those with weaker credit scores to come up with larger downpayments. The FHA will also reduce the amount of money a seller can provide a homebuyer for closing costs, as well as tighten its enforcement of lenders. "Striking the right balance between managing the FHA's risk, continuing … (2 comments)

Tax Credit and the Move-Down Buyer - 01/23/10 07:05 PM
  Some people refer to the $6,500 tax credit for current homeowners as a "move-up buyer" tax credit. However, while many repeat buyers are using the opportunity to get into a larger home, buyers may also be eligible to claim the tax credit if they purchase a smaller, less expensive house.
Current homeowners looking to downsize as they become empty nesters or prepare for retirement can claim the $6,500 tax credit as long as they meet the income requirements and have lived in their home for at least five consecutive of the last eight years. In addition, the home that they … (3 comments)

Latest Realty News Update - 01/21/10 10:01 PM
Sellers who get more than one offer should be aware that the highest offer isn't necessarily the best offer, say experienced practitioners. In this tough market, going with the buyer who has enough cash to pay a large down payment and who won't be scared away if the inspection uncovers some needed repairs is often the wise choice. Practitioners should encourage sellers to review all the terms and conditions of the sales contract. In some areas, the allocation of fees can take a big bite out of the net proceeds. While most contracts are written to reflect that, it isn't always … (1 comments)

Listings With Room To Roam! - 01/16/10 03:58 PM
 
Find Your Ideal Home With Our Free MLS Search Engine! Germantown Clarksburg Darnestown & More! This is the way to shop for properties! Narrow your search by entering exactly the features you're looking for! Click Here For Free MLS Access... HomesByRobandJeannie.comRob & Jeannie Steward ~ Weichert, Realtors ~ 20400 Observation Dr, Ste 200 ~ Germantown, Maryland 20876 ~ Direct: (301) 213-7351 ~ Office: (301) 540-1330 x267 ~ Fax: (301) 601-0250 ~ E-Mail: Rob.Jeannie@gmail.com ~ www.HomesByRobandJeannie.com ~ We Work Twice As Hard For You!

Find Your Ideal Home With Our Free MLS Search Engine! Germantown Clarksburg Darnestown & More! This … (0 comments)

OPEN SUNDAY! 1PM to 4PM ~ One Level Living! Spacious Rancher On .93 Acre Lot! - 01/15/10 09:33 AM

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See More Virtual Home Tours At... HomesByRobandJeannie.com

~ FREE MLS SEARCH ENGINE! ~
Buying Or Selling, We Work Twice As Hard For You!

We Can Put You On Our Automated MLS Search Which Will E-Mail You When Properties Matching Your Criteria Enter The System On Day Zero On The Market! No Cost Or Obligation!

Click Here For SLIDESHOW

See More Virtual Home Tours At... HomesByRobandJeannie.com

~ FREE MLS SEARCH ENGINE! ~
Buying Or Selling, We Work Twice As Hard For You!

We Can Put You On Our Automated MLS Search Which Will E-Mail … (1 comments)

Not So Fast.... - 01/14/10 10:14 AM

   Despite warnings from everywhere that the recovery would be full of "stops and starts," the employment report from November and preliminary positive Holiday sales reports had the markets getting ahead of themselves before the December jobs report was released late last week. We are not only talking about the stock market. Bonds had fallen significantly in December, the dollar was rallying and oil prices were marching upward. These are all indicative of a strong recovery and many were expecting a positive employment report for December. Well, 85,000 jobs lost in December shows that we are not out of the … (1 comments)

Real Estate Update - 01/12/10 08:29 PM
Selling a home in the dead of winter might seem ill-advised, particularly considering the state of the economy, but some experts think that making the decision to wait until spring to list the property could be a mistake. Government incentives will likely have a big impact in 2010, with many buyers determined to sign a contract before the April 30 tax credit deadline. "This year, we're anticipating sales will peak earlier," says Nicole Hall, editor in chief of Lendingtree.com, an online home loan comparison service. "The best time to get your house on the market will be February or early March, … (1 comments)

Home Maintenance Task List: January - 01/11/10 08:26 AM


Find Your Ideal Home With Our Free MLS Search Engine! Germantown Clarksburg Darnestown & More! This is the way to shop for properties! Narrow your search by entering exactly the features you're looking for! Click Here For Free MLS Access... HomesByRobandJeannie.com Rob & Jeannie Steward ~ Weichert, Realtors ~ 20400 Observation Dr, Ste 200 ~ Germantown, Maryland 20876 ~ Direct: (301) 213-7351 ~ Office: (301) 540-1330 x267 ~ Fax: (301) 601-0250 ~ E-Mail: Rob.Jeannie@gmail.com ~ www.HomesByRobandJeannie.com ~ We Work Twice As Hard For You!
… (2 comments)

Tax Credit for New Homes - 01/11/10 08:21 AM
  
The $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers and the $6,500 credit for current
homeowners may be claimed for the purchase of both new and existing homes. However, there are slight
differences between a newly constructed home purchased from a homebuilder and one built by a contractor
for a property owner.
 
For new homes purchased from a builder, tax credit eligibility is determined by settlement date. To qualify,
the transaction to purchase the property must close on or before April 30, 2010 (or June 30, 2010, as long
as a binding contract is in place by April 30, 2010).
… (0 comments)

Nowhere To Go But Up - 01/08/10 12:16 PM
The last two weeks of the year, rates had a pretty significant move upward. We have been warning about the potential regarding volatility with regard to the bond market. Many will say that there was very light volume in the markets during these two weeks. And certainly light volume can exacerbate volatility. However, even if rates move back down at the beginning of the year, we believe there is a lesson to be learned here. Rates have been at historic lows from late 2008 all through 2009. We know why this phenomenon occurred. The Federal Reserve Board lowered short term rates … (1 comments)

What a weird NFL season! - 01/03/10 10:37 PM
For those that actually kind of, sort of follow football, things are surely all shook up in the NFL. My beloved Redskins sure stank to high Heaven this year. Lots of money for players, bad coaching. West coast offense? Please!! What BS. Anyhow, people don't realize that Joe Gibbs back in the hay day wouldn't settle for anything less than 3 points from within the red zone. Some of those games were all Mark Mosley!
Anyway, all bitterness aside, I'll wait for next year like a true Skins fan. I'm glad the season isn't as long as Baseball. I'd have hypertension for sure.
… (1 comments)

Find Your Ideal Home With Our Free MLS Search Engine! MD/DC/VA/PA/WVA - 01/01/10 06:04 PM
Find Your Ideal Home With Our Free MLS Search Engine! Germantown Clarksburg Darnestown & More! This is the way to shop for properties! Narrow your search by entering exactly the features you're looking for! Click Here For Free MLS Access... HomesByRobandJeannie.com Rob & Jeannie Steward ~ Weichert, Realtors ~ 20400 Observation Dr, Ste 200 ~ Germantown, Maryland 20876 ~ Direct: (301) 213-7351 ~ Office: (301) 540-1330 x267 ~ Fax: (301) 601-0250 ~ E-Mail: Rob.Jeannie@gmail.com ~ www.HomesByRobandJeannie.com ~ We Work Twice As Hard For You!
… (0 comments)

One Level Living! Spacious Rancher On .93 Acre Lot! - 01/01/10 05:06 PM
Click Here For SLIDESHOWSee More Virtual Home Tours At... HomesByRobandJeannie.com~ FREE MLS SEARCH ENGINE! ~ Buying Or Selling, We Work Twice As Hard For You!We Can Put You On Our Automated MLS Search Which Will E-Mail You When Properties Matching Your Criteria Enter The System On Day Zero On The Market! No Cost Or Obligation!
Click Here For SLIDESHOWSee More Virtual Home Tours At... HomesByRobandJeannie.com~ FREE MLS SEARCH ENGINE! ~ Buying Or Selling, We Work Twice As Hard For You!We Can Put You On Our Automated MLS Search Which Will E-Mail You When Properties Matching Your Criteria Enter The System On … (2 comments)

Fabulous Mountainside Oasis! Custom Built Home ~ See Photos!!! - 01/01/10 04:58 PM
Click Here For SLIDESHOW... SLIDESHOWSee More Virtual Home Tours At... HomesByRobandJeannie.com~ FREE MLS SEARCH ENGINE! ~ Buying Or Selling, We Work Twice As Hard For You!We Can Put You On Our Automated MLS Search Which Will E-Mail You When Properties Matching Your Criteria Enter The System On Day Zero On The Market! No Cost Or Obligation!

More Virtual Home Tours At... HomesByRobandJeannie.com~ FREE MLS SEARCH ENGINE! ~ Buying Or Selling, We Work Twice As Hard For You! We Can Put You On Our Automated MLS Search Which Will E-Mail You When Properties Matching Your Criteria Enter The System On Day … (4 comments)

$474900 / 4br - Fabulous All Brick Rancher/Farmette ~ 7.68 Acres! Barn+Fenced Pasture! - 01/01/10 04:50 PM
Click Here For SLIDESHOW... SLIDESHOWSee More Virtual Home Tours At... HomesByRobandJeannie.com~ FREE MLS SEARCH ENGINE! ~ Buying Or Selling, We Work Twice As Hard For You!We Can Put You On Our Automated MLS Search Which Will E-Mail You When Properties Matching Your Criteria Enter The System On Day Zero On The Market! No Cost Or Obligation!

More Virtual Home Tours At... HomesByRobandJeannie.com~ FREE MLS SEARCH ENGINE! ~ Buying Or Selling, We Work Twice As Hard For You! We Can Put You On Our Automated MLS Search Which Will E-Mail You When Properties Matching Your Criteria Enter The System On Day … (0 comments)

Misuse of Home Buyer Tax Credit Reported - 01/01/10 04:42 PM
Misuse of Home Buyer Tax Credit Reported A report earlier this month from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration estimates that 73,799 taxpayers have incorrectly claimed the first-time home buyer tax credit. The report concludes: “The IRS is unable to verify eligibility for the majority of Recovery Act benefits at the time a tax return is processed.” The IRS didn’t dispute the claim, but said it was studying the matter further. Some have suggested that this report and others will encourage Congress to put some safeguards in place before more claims result from the extension and expansion of the tax … (2 comments)

Interest Rate Update - 01/01/10 03:53 PM

 
The Markets. Rates continued rising in the past week. Freddie Mac announced that for the week ending December 24, 30-year fixed rates averaged 5.05%, up from 4.94% the week before. The average for 15-year fixed rose to 4.45%. Adjustables rose but only slightly with the average for one-year adjustables rising to 4.38% and five-year adjustables increasing to 4.40%. A year ago 30-year fixed rates were at 5.14%. "Although rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans are above 5 percent this week for the first time since the end of October, they are still around 0.5 percentage points below this year's peak … (0 comments)

Good News is Bad, Bad News is Good - 01/01/10 03:44 PM

    We are ending the year with some strange statistics to chew on. In a quiet week, we received some disparate news. First, the GDP economic growth figures for the third quarter were revised downward again. The growth rate is now at 2.8% down from the 3.5% initially reported. While this seems to be bad news, apparently much of the total revision was because businesses pared inventories. Lower inventories are actually good for the recovery in the long run. This means as sales pick up, manufacturers must gear up to meet demand.
On the other side of the coin, existing … (1 comments)

 
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Rob & Jeannie Steward

Clarksburg, MD

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RE/MAX Realty Centre

Address: 23315 Frederick Road, Clarksburg, MD, 20871

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