baltimore homes for sale: Get Ready For Wintry Showings
- 12/10/21 11:00 AM
Tips For Winter Showings It's already the second week of December. And you know what that means;
a chance of wintry weather.
Serious buyers may have a limited time and want to see properties no matter the weather.
If access to your home is NOT safe, then do not allow showings.
Make sure your insurance is up to date.
If there is snow, keep up with clearing the path from the car to the home's entrance.
Keep salt or sand nearby.
Have shoe coverings available for visitors.
Make sure buyers don't go in unaccompanied.
Curb … (10 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Is Housing Unaffordable?
- 12/02/21 07:35 PM
What a fantastic way to look at the market today!
Forget about the future 'what ifs' and think about today's affordability.
Prices are higher but please take a few minutes to read what our member John Meussner has to say.
Thinking about buying or selling a home
Call Margaret Rome
Home prices are at all time highs! There's a dip coming! This is a bubble! Wait to buy until prices come down! These are some of the things headlines have been touting for....well, years now, as appreciation in the housing market has marched higher. And yes, home prices are higher - much … (7 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Appreciation Makes My World Go Around
- 11/24/21 04:44 PM
There is so much to say about appreciation and how it makes my world go around.
How much can one be thankful for? The answer is unlimited.
Every day is a time to feel gratitude; look around to see who gets me through the days, weeks, months, and years, so I don't do it alone. Too many to count, but here is a partial list:
my photographer, webmaster, computer tech, marketing, bookkeeper, attorney, accountant, mechanic, hairstylist, and radio producer. And others, like appraisers, contractors, inspectors, medical professionals, and other personal services, keep my business running and my life better.
There are so many … (15 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Biting Off More Than You Can Chew
- 10/22/21 01:43 PM
To bite off more than one can chew means to take on more than one can deal with; to attempt to do something that one is not capable of accomplishing, or not to take too much work or responsibility.
(The idiom originated in America during the late nineteenth century when a man offered another man a bite of his plug of chewing tobacco and 'don't bite off more than you can chew' would remind the receiver not to be greedy.
Daily, it seems I hear someone saying they are too busy to follow up or return a call or answer a text. … (18 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Favorite Time To Sell Is Now-Here's How
- 09/13/21 07:51 PM
Today I noticed a few leaves that have started to change. Fall is in the air!
My favorite time to sell is right now, autumn/the last quarter of the year.
The time to list is when the seller and the house are ready.
And that can be any of our four seasons.
Our market is changing along with the early fall colors.
Now's the time to be out there taking advantage of this opportunity.
-Have buyers write up a wish list and find their dream home.
-Up your marketing to attract buyers and sellers.
-Have interesting topics to talk about on Sunday's live radio show
-Use your blog to involve … (10 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Safety First ! I'm Afraid Of You
- 09/03/21 03:59 PM
Safety First Always!
Chris Ann Cleland inspired this post. Her title ''Think You Are Safe Because You Work Strictly By Referral?''
This reminded me of a call received a few years ago. The potential buyer wanted to see one of my listings, and he wanted to see it at 8 PM.
Not a chance! I declined his request.
Note: I did not know this person. It was dark; the house was vacant and on a wooded lot—more than enough reasons to deny any last-minute showing.
And then came his mocking/sarcastic questions:
"Why won't you show me this house? Are you afraid of the dark?"
My … (29 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: More In An Ad Than Just Houses
- 08/24/21 02:27 PM
Notice the advertising below shows homes for sale, 'Too Late,' 'Sold,' and new listings. There is also a section for buyers looking for specific properties. The ad shows my tag line, my email, my website, my book, and my weekly radio show.
My number is always much more prominent, making my phone ring.
The ad leads readers to the internet, and not everyone uses technology, email, or texting.
Yes, another segment of the population reads print ads, especially real estate, and this group follows local advertising.
There is more in an ad than just houses.
Thinking of selling your home
Call Margaret Rome
410-530-2400
… (9 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Don't Assume
- 08/12/21 12:48 PM
Over the years, I have listened to so many buyers and sellers about their wants and needs. I have heard sellers say their homes will be hard to sell because of a perceived deficiency. It may not be so.
Always ask and don't assume.
A dozen assumptions in real estate:
-Everyone wants a Single-Family Home
-Everyone wants Central Air Conditioning
-Everyone wants Public Water
-Everyone wants A Finished Basement
-Everyone wants Gas Heat
-Everyone wants a Brick House
-Everyone wants a Side Loading Garage
-Everyone wants a Fireplace
-Everyone wants an EOG townhome
-Everyone wants an Inground Pool
-Everyone wants a Lawn
-Everyone wants a Quiet Street
For each of the dozen perceptions above, I have … (20 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Calls & Texts & Emails-Oh My!
- 07/26/21 08:41 PM
It was Sunday, and it was after 12 noon, and I was live on the radio.
Calls were coming in, along with texting of questions.
I have found from the calls I receive during the week; more folks are shy or just not comfortable talking live on the radio. But these listeners have no problem, thank goodness, calling and asking real estate questions all week long. Many of these calls would be ideal topics for the weekly live broadcasts.
Light bulb moment
So when I give out the call-in number, I also give my cell number and tell the audience they can … (33 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Sold & Settled 7906 Stevenson Rd 21208
- 05/31/21 08:39 PM
7906 Stevenson Road Baltimore, Md. 21208 is Sold and Settled
We found the perfect buyers for this Baltimore Home.
This home has two primary owner suites on the first floor, each with a private bath and plenty of storage. Never will you have to share your bath with anyone.
The first floor has a new powder room and separate den or office perfect for company and entertaining.
Upstairs are two large bedrooms and another full bath plus a huge storage room. This space could also be for future needs when one person needs home care or space for a separate office or boomerang kids.
It's also … (12 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Matchmaker For Perfect Baltimore Homes
- 05/31/21 08:29 PM
To find that perfect home, you may need the help of a matchmaker.
Many are talking about the inventory shortage, fast market, and multiple offers.
Many people in Baltimore are trying to decide whether to sell their home but are not ready to go to a 55 plus community, condo, or other adult living type.
Baltimore has a minimal supply of properties and very few choices! Unlike other big cities, we do not have a selection of patio homes, communities of ranchers with garages, or even homes that are accessible. The baby boomers do not want any assistance. They do not wish for the closeness of condo … (12 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Slow Down In This Fast Market
- 05/14/21 10:25 AM
The last few homes that have gone under contract this year have been not from local buyers but DC, Silver Spring, California, Pa, and New Jersey.
Our market is strong, and our prices are up but not as high as other places around the country. People see the value in our Baltimore homes, our proximity to DC, our International airport, our four seasons, our excellent choice of hospitals, health care, our Inner Harbour, excellent restaurants, and the fact that you can get a lot more house and land in Baltimore than in the other places mentioned above.
Maybe this is the time to … (13 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Consistency Is My Marketing Secret
- 05/04/21 09:11 AM
To continue year after year matching buyers and sellers and making dreams come true, I have to be consistent. Consistency is my marketing secret, including my weekly advertising, blogging, and radio show.
To say I love what I do; is an understatement. My Real Estate career over the past three decades has been amazing and unbelievably rewarding.
Each day is exciting depending on the emails, the texts, the phone calls, and the various appointments. It may be an inspection, a showing of one of my homes, meeting an appraiser, visiting a potential client that is just thinking about moving or going out … (18 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Find The Seller A Place To Move
- 04/20/21 06:49 PM
Instead of complaining about the frantic market with low or no inventory, instead of making excuses that there are no homes out there, be proactive and find the sellers who are ready to sell. Plenty of people want to move but are worried they cannot find their next home. Be the problem solver, not part of the problem.
Several years ago, I wrote about 'Who Moved My Cheese.'
My take then: I don't care who moved it-I need to find it!
As a listing agent, I am doing just that. Instead of complaining about the multiple offers, the speed of newly listed properties going … (14 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Thinking Of Selling I Have Buyers For Baltimore Homes
- 02/24/21 09:59 AM
As a solo broker and mainly a listing agent, I have buyers ready to purchase immediately. Frustrating to watch the disappointment of multiple offers and not even to have a chance to bid because of the short supply of homes in our Baltimore area. The stress level on buyers is exceptionally high, and in turn, the agents are also feeling this pressure. We need to be pro-active in finding properties for buyers that are ready now.
It is necessary to do a bit more than waiting for listings to hit the MLS.
Being proactive in finding homes by doing the following
-Writing blogs like, … (8 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: You Are Gonna Need Socks
- 02/10/21 07:43 PM
Find a House That Knocks Your Socks Off...But Be Sure You Can Afford To Replace Them.
Before you go looking at a house, please make sure it is one you can afford. Get yourself pre-qualified and know your limits.
Work with an agent and lender who understand your wish list. Get as much house as you need but make sure you are not falling in love with a property that is above your means.
We often get calls from potential buyers who want to see houses they found in an advertisement, a yard sign, or the internet. They want to tour homes but have not met … (34 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: The Snow Is Gorgeous But...
- 02/07/21 08:35 PM
The snow is gorgeous, no doubt! But it does play havoc with coordinating real estate activities. Just like all homes are not alike, the same holds for buyers, sellers, and inspections. When you get a ratified contract, there are still deadlines to meet, taking from a week or two, depending on the terms. And coordinating all the inspections depends on the scheduler's efficiency, the availability of the various contractors, the buyers, the seller's time, and the weather in a month like February. Even when carefully scheduled, a winter storm can cancel one or more of the inspections. It's tough to inspect a … (20 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Who's Watching Who's Listening
- 12/29/20 06:33 PM
Who’s Watching? Who’s Listening
There may be a camera or audio system set up to monitor activity inside when showing a house. When getting a listing signed in Maryland, the seller must disclose home security systems that record audio.
But whether there is or is not this type of system, it is a good idea to show a house as though you were on camera.
There should be nothing done or said inside a home that the seller should not see or hear.
Personally, I like my listings with this type of security for the home and me.
At the end of … (56 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Thanksgiving Week In Baltimore
- 11/17/20 07:37 AM
It is Thanksgiving week in Baltimore. Not as many people will be gathering for meals, friendship, and football games.
But there will be plenty of discussions on where to have next year's turkey dinner.
At this time of year, it's not unusual to have conversations about moving. It may be for different reasons. They may be looking for a home to accommodate more friends and family. They may be talking about a smaller place and the need to sell the big house to 'right-size.'
Due to working at home and online schooling, they may need and want more privacy. The open concept may no longer … (14 comments)
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baltimore homes for sale: Let Me Know If You Get An Offer
- 11/14/20 08:35 PM
It's not unusual to hear this statement, 'Let Me Know If You Get An Offer.'
Do I need to stay in touch with you to see if you are ready to write on one of my properties?
My suggestion, let me know you are prepared to write, and I will let you know if there are other offers. I refuse to take the blame when your buyer loses out on the perfect house because they did not move quickly or decided to wait, or their REALTOR® did not follow up with the listing agent.
Another statement, "Why did you accept another offer when you knew my buyer was interested?" … (18 comments)
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Tips For Winter Showings It's already the second week of December. And you know what that means;
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