charles county: The first step to selling your home: Finding A Price ~Part 2 of the Savvy Seller Series~ - 04/24/08 06:12 AM
    The Real Estate Market in Charles County is tough right now, period.  Even experienced tried and true agents are seeing less sales, less showings, less of everything but listings!  It underscores how hard it is for people who are in the process of selling their home, or getting ready to put their home on the market.
    People often think that their home is the nicest one on the block(it's a natural bias), and it can be difficult to examine their home critically.  It's important to understand that this is a natural feeling, but selling a home is … (1 comments)

charles county: Charles County Maryland Home Sales Report, April 2008 - 04/21/08 12:31 PM
Team Benya's Monthly Market Report-  Charles County, Maryland
What's Happened:
    For the first time in 7 months, home sales in Charles County, MD have actually seen some growth!  Earlier this year we were looking at home sales in the range of 50-60 units per month, and now that number is closer to 100!
    Pending Settlements, the number of homes currently under contract, have gone up as well, so there is a bit of bright news in the market this month.  We've also seen the number of homes available on the market level off as well, so now … (3 comments)

charles county: Your Next Home Will Be Bought or Sold Online! ~Part 1 of the Savvy Seller Series~ - 04/16/08 03:57 PM
    It's true!  I'm not talking about a few clicks of the mouse to sign the settlement papers (not yet, anyways), but the home buying process has become less about flipping through the newspaper and driving around to open houses, and more about surfing the net to see what's available instead.
Even as a Realtor, it can seem overwhelming to post home information to all of the different home search sites available out there.  Which site do you use, Realtor.com?  Trulia?  Zillow? Hotpads?  Kajiji?  Craigslist??
In the land of property marketing, the Internet is King!
    Your choice of … (2 comments)

charles county: Here's a Shocker- People Can't Afford McMansions! - 04/04/08 05:04 AM
        Incredible- it's taken years for developers to see that the concept of "build it bigger!" simply doesn't cut it.  Here in Charles County there is a minimum home size for new construction- 1,650 square feet.  That number has been inconsequential during the past real estate boom because people were eagerly buying homes that were 3,000+ sf, and it seems that now people's tightening budgets are forcing them to look at more modest homes.
 Link: Smaller is better for homes, say builders
    When I look at who's buying homes right now, the vast majority seem to be … (10 comments)

charles county: Swan Point TIF Bond Approved - 04/04/08 03:31 AM
 Looks like Swan Point will be getting it's fancy new hotel after all!  The Charles County Commissioners voted to approve the Tax Incremental Finance (TIF) Bond recently, which will pave the way for the development infrastructure there.
Under the tax incremental financing, agreement, the county will issue $26 million in public bonds to fund the project’s infrastructure. The debt service for those bonds would be repaid using a portion of the new taxes generated by the increased property value that would result from the project’s improvements on the land.
Link- County approves special financing for Swan Point
I'm excited to see … (2 comments)

charles county: Another Great Reason to Love Southern Maryland! (Car Photos!) - 03/22/08 01:51 AM
    One of the great things about Southern Maryland is the great rural areas in the region.  There is a proud tradition of tobacco farming here, as well as several functioning Amish farms, and there's a lot of really beautiful scenic regions in the area.  I'm a car nut, and I'm always hoping to find that great barn find, of that fantastic car that's hidden away waiting to be hidden and restored.
      It seems like someone found one, and I managed to get a couple of photos of it as it was being towed down the road, … (3 comments)

charles county: Buyers Have The Upper Hand, But Are You Holding All The Aces? - 03/21/08 03:18 AM
     Trying to decipher the current real estate market can be monumental task!  It's not just about the market reports, it's about you as an individual.  Who's side are you on?  Are you a seller trying to beat the market, or a buyer looking to cash in on a golden opportunity? 
    Today I'm here to talk about buyers.  Markets have shifted in their favor, and what's important to consider is just how much power and flexibility a buyer can actually have.  There's 3 key factors to consider when considering a purchase that can affect your strength in the … (6 comments)

charles county: Charles County Maryland Market Statistics, March 2008 - 03/20/08 12:56 AM
  It's slow, but I'm happy to say that we are seeing movement in the real estate market here again!  Typically mid-March to the end of June is the busiest time of year for real estate sales, so it's great to see the shift towards an increase in sales.
     We've seen an increase in not only the number of sales in February, but also the number of pending settlements, as well as the number of listings.
     It's not all roses, however.  Homeowners are still finding it difficult to sell their home in this market, and the average … (0 comments)

charles county: KB Homes Pulls Out Of More Markets - 03/19/08 03:45 AM
     Actually, KB Homes has pulled out of Charles County and the entire Mid-Atlantic Region, it seems.  In addition to MD, DC, and Virginia, they have also shuttered operations in Chicago, IL, and Albuquerque as well.  This is in addition to a previous announcement that they have decided to cease operations in California.
     What does this mean for people with KB contracts?  They said they are finishing construction of lots that are being built, but they are not accepting new contracts, or fulfilling contingent contracts.  It underscores the risk involved in purchasing new construction.  You need to be … (6 comments)

charles county: Everything I Need to Know I Learned From Working Hard! - 03/14/08 02:58 AM
     I admit, I'm not a big fan of the cold weather (why I ever lived further north is beyond me!).  I like summer, I like warm sunny weather, and I'm ready to enjoy said climate again.  I realized this morning that we are already in the middle of March!  Now, you would think this would be obvious, but not to me.  The days all run together when you don't take time off, and I've been neglecting to give myself any personal time.
      With as many hours as I work each day, it's made me think about WHY … (34 comments)

charles county: Charles County Perc Testing 2008 is open! - 03/04/08 01:50 AM
As of 9am this morning, the county health department has announced that perc season is officially open.  They don't anticipate that it will be open for long, however, so if you're scheduled to get a perc done this year, make sure you find out when you can get your testing done!  If you've got any questions, give me a call!
(0 comments)

charles county: Charles County Maryland Foreclosure Report: March, 2008 - 03/01/08 03:40 PM
    I'm seeing more and more foreclosures, and none of the government assistance programs seem to be helping stem the tide of foreclosures that we're currently seeing.
Do Foreclosures Affect My Home's Value?
    In Charles County in the last 60 days, there have been 12 foreclosures that have been sold, and a total of 135 (resale AND REO) homes listed and sold.  This means that foreclosures make up almost 9% of the total market in terms of sales.
    A lot of homeowners have been wondering how much of a bearing foreclosures have on their own homes … (0 comments)

charles county: I can actually FEEL My Brain Growing!! Craig Barrett & More Hidden Gems in ActiveRain! - 02/26/08 02:01 AM
    I admit, I've been dragging my feet a bit recently when it comes to hidden gems here on activerain.  I was tagged back in early February by Jeff and Grace Safrin, who highlighted a post I made: "A Theory About Dogs and Real Estate". 
    I hadn't even heard about the hidden gems concept prior to this, so needless to say I was shocked when I found that others were finding my posts to be entertaining!  I feel like my brain expands every time I open activerain thanks to the flood of ideas and information I find posted by other … (5 comments)

charles county: An Innovative way to punish kids.... - 02/24/08 01:02 PM
    I was at St. Charles Towne Center Mall yesterday, and I typically make it a point to avoid shopping anywhere on weekends because of the crowds.  I figure that if my hours are flexible enough, I can get my errands done during the week and there's no reason to wait in long lines and contribute to the weekend throngs.
    At any rate, I had no choice but to be at the mall on Saturday.  I ran into a woman there at the food court who was disciplining her son.  Now, before you get all worked up, she wasn't … (9 comments)

charles county: Determining Land Value - 02/18/08 02:22 PM
    We do a fair amount of land sales here in Southern Maryland, and trying to determine land values is a complicated process, much more so than determining the value of someone's home.  Everybody wants to make top dollar for their land when they go to sell it, but how do you know what top dollar really is?
    With home sales, this is a straight-forward process.  With land, the financial factors of the analysis becomes far more difficult.  It's because of this reason that so many Realtors do not work in land sales (It's a ton of work, … (1 comments)

charles county: Rails-to-Trails Creates More Charles County Recreation - 02/06/08 01:46 AM
I'm excited about Charles County's newest recreational development!  In October, 2006 the Navy donated a 13 mile stretch of train track running from White Plains to Indian Head, and now that stretch of dormant track is slated to be turned into a recreational trail for Charles County!
They're planning to tear out the tracks and install a 100' wide asphalt and gravel trail so that residents can use the former rail line as a hiking trail, bike path, and possibly even for horseback riding!
There are about 14,000 miles of trails in the United States, said Jeff Ciabotti, vice president of … (1 comments)

charles county: Charles County Maryland Foreclosure Report February 2008 - 02/03/08 04:02 AM
Charles County has seen an upswing in Bank Owned (REO) properties for sale in the past month.  In my last report, I indicated that there were 55 current foreclosures on the market in Charles County.  That number has now crept up to 69.
Increasing Foreclosures
 REO properties are rising because of the fallout from the credit crunch, obviously.  Foreclosures negatively affect the value  of homes and force the overall value of homes in a region to decrease.  As the number of foreclosures goes up, the cost of buying falls, plain and simple.
Some (not all) of the foreclosures that are on … (0 comments)

charles county: A Theory About Dogs and Real Estate... - 02/02/08 07:46 AM
As some of you may know, I'm a very big supporter of rescuing dogs from shelters, and I have 3 rescues myself.  January has been a very busy month for me (and I hope it has for you, too!), and the biggest downside to the increased business is  the decreased time I have to spend with my puppies.
I'm always amazed by how unconditional their love really is!  For the past week I've been getting home close to midnight, and my feet are ready to fall off when I walk through the door.  Without fail, all of my dogs wake up … (22 comments)

charles county: La Plata Town Hall Meeting Recap (1/22/2008) - 01/27/08 08:38 AM
    Thomas and I just got back from the La Plata town hall meeting, and the council voted to send a letter to the State Highway Administration (SHA) recommending AGAINST a traffic light at 301 and Oriole Lane in La Plata, MD.
    There was a very large crowd of people in attendance, mostly residents of the subdivisions that would be affected by the Kohl's development plan.  Quite a few people spoke out regarding both Kohl's and the traffic light proposal, and they were in large part opposed to the potential development.
    There's a few thoughts that … (2 comments)

charles county: Hilton Comes To Waldorf, Maryland! - 01/21/08 02:00 AM
      Hilton is coming to Waldorf!  No, not the whining airheaded blond bimbo with more money than sense, but the Hilton Hotel Chain has plans to build their first hotel in Charles County.  Specifically, they're planning on settling in Waldorf, Maryland, near the St. Charles Town Center Mall.
    The land was purchased for 1.95 Million Dollars, and Hilton plans on building a 130 room Hilton on the location.  Apparently they like the fact that the location has close proximity to the mall and "O'Donnell Lake"(When I was a kid "O'Donnell Lake" was known as "that drainage pond behind … (0 comments)

 
Jonathan Benya, The Benya Group (The Benya Group)

Jonathan Benya

The Benya Group

Waldorf, MD

More about me…

The Benya Group

Address: 1997 Annapolis Exchange Pkwy, Suite 500, Annapolis, MD, 21401

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