Directory — Real Estate — Blog Details for "Howard County Maryland Real Estate Talk"

Howard County Maryland Real Estate Talk

Howard County Maryland Real Estate Talk
Blog about the real estate market in and around Howard County Maryland. Written by a top Real Estate team in the sate and their network of induxtry professionals.

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3

Articles

Home prices rise?
2010-02-22 03:40:00
In Central Maryland, they actually are level. Although compared to how they were decreasing, perhaps the stats will show a slight increase. Bottom line, evidence is pouring in that this is a great time to buy and we probably are at the bottom. ***************************************** ***************************************** ***********************Home price increases spread to more cities Friday, February 12, 2010 REAL ESTATE Home price increases spread to more citiesHome prices rose in more than 40 percent of U.S. cities in the fourth quarter of last year, as massive federal spending helped boost the housing market. The National Association of Realtors said the median sales price for previously occupied homes rose in 67 out of 151 metropolitan areas in the October-to-December quarter vs. a year earlier. In the third quarter, prices rose in 20 percent of cities. The national median price was $172,900, or 4.1 percent less than a year earlier. That was the...

Info on interest rates
2010-02-22 03:37:00
Sounds like rates will eventually rise. I've been telling buyers this for several months now. It is a great time to buy. Plus BRAC is coming in late 2010. So get in before the competition comes.*********************************** ***************************************** ***********************The Fed's surprise move of raising the rate it charges banks for emergency loans by a quarter-percentage point to 0.75% has bond investors rattled. While this move does not directly impact 30 year fixed rates, many economists believe that this is another signal that the central bank's extremely low rates are on the way out. Couple this with the Fed's plan of scaling back the expanded mortgage-backed securities purchase program that they have pursued for the last 15 months, and it becomes quite clear that 30 year fixed rates will be rising from the 5.000%ish range that home buyers have become used to. Now is the time to act! Rates are still low, invent...
More About: Interest Rates , Info , Interest

When should you buy to get most out of the new tax credit?
2009-11-06 22:52:00
There was a huge rush in Sept/October 2008 for 1st time home buyers to get the $8,000 2008 tax credit. I predict it will be the same this time around, which means March and April should see an increase in sales. This time around however, move-up buyers may get a tax credit as well. With rates at super low levels and prices at the bottom, I would recommend trying to buy from Nov-Feb to avoid the rush. We experienced multiple offers in the Fall of 2008 on premium properties. The same can happen, but possibly even with greater consistency since this will happen in the fast moving "spring" market.
More About: Credit

TAX CREDIT EXTENDED 2009-2010
2009-11-06 22:38:00
Thanks to Mike Fagan with PHH mortgage for all this great info:Homebuyer Tax Credit Update! On November 6, 2009, President Obama signed a bill to extend the tax credit for first-time homebuyers (FTHBs) through June 30, 2010. The bill also opens up opportunities for others who are not buying a home for the first time. To learn what the new tax credit means to you and your clients, take a look at the concise overview below. In addition, we?ve put together a script featuring wording you can cut and paste as needed to beat out your competition by connecting with clients who may be able to benefit from the new plan details! TAX CREDIT OVERVIEW Who Gets What? First-Time Homebuyers (FTHBs): First-time homebuyers (that is, people who have not owned a home within the last three years) may be eligible for the tax credit. The credit for FTHBs is 10% of the purchase price of the home, with a maximum available credit of $8,000 Single taxpayers and married couples filing a joint return m...

The Real Estate Market has hit Bottom
2009-08-03 02:43:00
The Associated Press released an article today stating the national averages show the Real Estate market has hit bottom and is slowly climbing from the bottom. According to the article, the market has rebounded from a low in January to the most recent statistics of June.January vs June:Home Sales up 28%Price up 10%Sales up 3%New Home Construction up 113%They do warn that an increasing unemployment rate and quickly approaching deadline on the $8,000 first time home buyer credit could significantly slow the rebound. All in all, these are good signs.Article: http://www.cnbc.com/id/32249022
More About: Real Estate , Real Estate Market , Market

More encouraging news....consumer confidence improves!!!
2009-04-28 22:49:00
Do I sound like a broken record or what? The market appears to be bottoming out. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/ap_on _bi_ge/us_economy
More About: News , Consumer , Confidence

Comments on Spring 2009 market
2009-04-18 03:15:00
Just want to give a quick note to our readers....my opinion on the current market is that we probably are at bottom. Active inventory is starting to decrease and pending sales are increasing. I think this is in large part due to low interest rates and low home prices. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll see sizable appreciation at least for several years. While this lack of appreciation isn't a selling point for buyers, the low interest rate potential for 30 years makes it an outstanding time to buy!
More About: Market , Spring , Comments

Some positive news on the housing market!
2009-01-29 04:36:00
I came across this article and wanted to let you know of some of the possible advantages to buying a home at this time. Prices are significantly low, interest rates are low and sales have to started to pick up. There is no way to know for sure, but perhaps we could be at a bottom here or close to it. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/storyIf you have any questions, let me know.
More About: News , Market , Housing

A great time to buy or refi your current home!
2008-11-28 20:16:00
Recently we've seen a tremendous drop in rates. Today, we are seeing 30 year fixed rates in the low 5.0-5.5% range. If you have an existing loan, it is a great time to consider refinancing. However, with the recent price drop in home values it would be smart to make sure you have enough equity in your home before paying any appraisal or loan fees. If you need a free market analysis of your home, contact us anytime.If you have been thinking about buying, these rates should been enough to encourage you to jump in. Couple that with homes price back at 2004/2005 price levels, it certainly has become a much more attractive time to buy.
More About: Time , Home , Current , Great

Interesting comments from Warren Buffett on the stock market
2008-10-10 23:34:00
I came across this from a colleague and found it interesting. Just as in Real Estate, generally the smart investors do the opposite of the market. They buy when the market is low and sell when it is high. With the stock market showing you its typical volatility we need to revisit our Real Estate investments. Although Real Estate has been tough the last few years, it is still tangible and a necessity. A piece of stock is not necessary. You have to live somewhere. In addition, Real Estate is very slow moving. This historical week shows you how crazy the stock market is. Real estate may drop 10% in 1 year, but the market can drop almost 10% in 1 day!!!!!Do know, I don't have an exact source of this quote. So please don't take this as 100% factual, but it came from a reliable source. The bio info can be found on en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren _Buffett face="Arial" size="3">Buffett: Well, the stock market in the short [run]...
More About: Interesting , Stock Market , Market , Warren Buffett

Interesting comments from Warren Buffett on the stock market
2008-10-10 19:41:00
I came across this from a colleague and found it interesting. Just as in Real Estate, generally the smart investors do the opposite of the market. They buy when the market is low and sell when it is high. With the stock market showing you its typical volatility we need to revisit our Real Estate investments. Although Real Estate has been tough the last few years, it is still tangible and a necessity. A piece of stock is not necessary. You have to live somewhere. In addition, Real Estate is very slow moving. This historical week shows you how crazy the stock market is. Real estate may drop 10% in 1 year, but the market can drop almost 10% in 1 day!!!!!Do know, I don't have an exact source of this quote. So please don't take this as 100% factual, but it came from a reliable source. The bio info can be found on en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren _Buffett face="Arial" size="3">Buffett: Well, the stock market in the short [run]...
More About: Interesting , Stock Market , Market , Warren Buffett

MONEY Magazine ranks Columbia/Ellicott City as 8th BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN TH
2008-07-18 23:29:00
And the praise keeps coming. Add all the great publicity and with BRAC jobs coming thru 2012, this maybe a great time to consider increasing your real estate portfolio in Central Maryland!Click here to read the MONEY Magazine article
More About: Money , Columbia , Live , City

Update on the financial markets.
2008-07-18 23:27:00
It has been a tumultuous week for Wall Street but it seems that calmer heads have prevailed for the last couple of days - let's all hope that trend continues. There has been a lot of negative speculation regarding the financial health of any company associated with the mortgage industry including most banks and industry giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The failure of IndyMac seems to have been the catalyst for the latest round of fears. The fear that Fannie and Freddie are going to fail is, in my opinion, greatly exaggerated. Unfortunately, once the rumors start, they can start to become a self-fulfilling prophecy when panicked investors start dumping their shares. That is why we have seen such a public effort by the Fed and the Treasury to put in place measures to assist both Fannie and Freddie should they start to see problems raising the capital that they need for their day to day functions. The odds that Fannie or Freddie actually need to resort to any of these measures appea...
More About: Markets , Financial , Update

MONEY Magazine ranks Columbia/Ellicott City as 8th BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN TH
2008-07-18 19:32:00
And the praise keeps coming. Add all the great publicity and with BRAC jobs coming thru 2012, this maybe a great time to consider increasing your real estate portfolio in Central Maryland!Click here to read the MONEY Magazine article
More About: Money , Columbia , Live , City

Update on the financial markets.
2008-07-18 19:28:00
It has been a tumultuous week for Wall Street but it seems that calmer heads have prevailed for the last couple of days - let's all hope that trend continues. There has been a lot of negative speculation regarding the financial health of any company associated with the mortgage industry including most banks and industry giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The failure of IndyMac seems to have been the catalyst for the latest round of fears. The fear that Fannie and Freddie are going to fail is, in my opinion, greatly exaggerated. Unfortunately, once the rumors start, they can start to become a self-fulfilling prophecy when panicked investors start dumping their shares. That is why we have seen such a public effort by the Fed and the Treasury to put in place measures to assist both Fannie and Freddie should they start to see problems raising the capital that they need for their day to day functions. The odds that Fannie or Freddie actually need to resort to any of these measures appea...
More About: Markets , Financial , Update

Forbes ranks Howard County as the 17th best place to raise a family in the
2008-07-07 03:19:00
Just another good reason to buy in Howard County . Howard County has been recognized by both Money Magazine and now Forbes as one of the best places to live. And when there is a good place to live, there is a good place to buy and invest in. http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/27/schools- places-family-forbeslife-cx_zg_0630reales tate_slide_5.html?thisSpeed=15000
More About: Family , Place , Ranks

Forbes ranks Howard County as the 17th best place to raise a family in the
2008-07-06 23:21:00
Just another good reason to buy in Howard County . Howard County has been recognized by both Money Magazine and now Forbes as one of the best places to live. And when there is a good place to live, there is a good place to buy and invest in. http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/27/schools- places-family-forbeslife-cx_zg_0630reales tate_slide_5.html?thisSpeed=15000
More About: Family , Place , Ranks

Central Maryland Homes for Sale
2008-06-25 21:55:00
Photo Address Details Price 4829 Attenborough Way Ellicott City, MD 21043 TourID: 0 Amazing Builder's Model Home backs to WOODS!Bedroom: 4Full Bath: 4Half Bath: 15050 Sq. Ft. $899,000 4816 Attenborough Way Ellicott City, MD 21043 TourID: 0 NEW BRICK FRONT COLONIAL W/ENDLESS FEATURES!Bedroom: 4Full Bath: 4Half Bath: 15899 Sq. Ft. $825,000 9706 Gretchen Lane Ellicott City, MD 21042 TourID: 319274 Amazing Value in Howard CountyBedroom: 5Full Bath: 3Half Bath: 14687 Sq. Ft. $775,000 9922 Wintry Day Place Laurel, MD 20723 TourID: 333337 The largest in Emerson! Over 5,500 finished square feet!Bedroom: 5Full Bath: 3Half Bath: 10 Sq. Ft. $775,000 4570 Doncaster Drive Ellicott City, MD 21043 TourID: 412139 GORGEOUS COLONIAL W/POOL!Bedroom: 5Full Bath: 3Half Bath: 14464 Sq. Ft. $750,000 4808 Attenborough Way Ellicott City, MD 21043 TourID: 0 BRAND NEW LUXURY HOME IN PRIVATE COMMUNITY! Bedroom: 4Full Bath...
More About: For Sale , Sale , Maryland , Homes , Central

Central Maryland Homes for Sale
2008-06-25 18:02:00
Photo Address Details Price 4829 Attenborough Way Ellicott City, MD 21043 TourID: 0 Amazing Builder's Model Home backs to WOODS!Bedroom: 4Full Bath: 4Half Bath: 15050 Sq. Ft. $899,000 4816 Attenborough Way Ellicott City, MD 21043 TourID: 0 NEW BRICK FRONT COLONIAL W/ENDLESS FEATURES!Bedroom: 4Full Bath: 4Half Bath: 15899 Sq. Ft. $825,000 9706 Gretchen Lane Ellicott City, MD 21042 TourID: 319274 Amazing Value in Howard CountyBedroom: 5Full Bath: 3Half Bath: 14687 Sq. Ft. $775,000 9922 Wintry Day Place Laurel, MD 20723 TourID: 333337 The largest in Emerson! Over 5,500 finished square feet!Bedroom: 5Full Bath: 3Half Bath: 10 Sq. Ft. $775,000 4570 Doncaster Drive Ellicott City, MD 21043 TourID: 412139 GORGEOUS COLONIAL W/POOL!Bedroom: 5Full Bath: 3Half Bath: 14464 Sq. Ft. $750,000 4808 Attenborough Way Ellicott City, MD 21043 TourID: 0 BRAND NEW LUXURY HOME IN PRIVATE COMMUNITY! Bedroom: 4Full Bath...
More About: For Sale , Sale , Maryland , Homes , Central

Loans in Maryland will NOW require income documentation
2008-06-07 18:28:00
The big news this week is that as of June 1, Maryland Senate Bill 363 went into effect, basically eliminating all lenders from closing any Alt Doc loans (NINA, NO RATIO, STATED Loans ) where income has not been documented to show the borrowers can afford the monthly payments. I believe Maryland is the 4th State (West Virginia, Minnesota, Ohio) to pass this type of law. Other States currently have the same bills out for legislative review and vote. What this means is that any loan closing in Maryland must have income documentation in the loan file - pay stubs, W-2s, 1099s, and/or income tax returns, even in cases where the loan program does not require these documents (as many Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac programs with excellent credit do not). If you have clients that are unable to document income, they will not be able to get financing in Maryland, even if the lender has programs available for them. While the intent of this law is to make sure that buyers are able to afford their ho...
More About: Documentation , Income

5 new rules for home buyers from Money Magazine
2008-06-04 11:39:00
This was an interesting article written in money magazine. There is a lot of good, sound advice. However, keep in mind there are some homes in this market priced well. This is why it is important to use a good Realtor to identify the well priced homes and good deals.-Brian Pakulla5 new rules for home buyers By Amanda Gengler, Money Magazine May 27th, 2008 ARTICLE TOOLS: · &nbs p; &nb sp; &n bsp; Email article · &nbs p; &nb sp; &n bsp; Printable view · &nbs p; &nb sp; &n bsp; IM article · &nbs p; &nb sp; &n bsp; Save to del.icio...
More About: Home Buyers , Home , Rules

End of the down market according to the Wall Street Journal......
2008-05-11 15:45:00
It sounds like some in the press may start writing some positive stories. In order for the market to swing around we'll need the press to start "looking at the glass half full vs half empty". It is amazing how much the press and psychology has to do with buying a home. The Housing Crisis Is Over By Cyril Moulle-Berteaux 6 May 2008 The Wall Street Journal (Copyright (c) 2008, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.) The dire headlines coming fast and furious in the financial and popular press suggest that the housing crisis is intensifying. Yet it is very likely that April 2008 will mark the bottom of the U.S. housing market. Yes, the housing market is bottoming right now. How can this be? For starters, a bottom does not mean that prices are about to return to the heady days of 2005. That probably won't happen for another 15 years. It just means that the trend is no longer getting worse, which is the critical factor. Most ...
More About: Market

Are we at the bottom of the market?
2008-03-24 22:16:00
I have been telling many of my clients that it feels like we maybe at or close to the bottom of the market. Buyers are starting to act again, although buyers are still price sensitive. This means sellers still need to create value and price correctly. This is from the "Dow Jones Tomorrow's News Today" Article dated 3/24/08. This is strong data from the nation. Our local market typically does better than the national market, so time will tell if in fact we are the bottom.Demand rose for used homes during February, the first increase in seven months andan indication sales have hit bottom in the housing slump.Existing-home sales climbed 2.9% to a 5.03 million annual rate, the NationalAssociation of Realtors said Monday. The last time sales increased was July.Buyers took advantage of falling prices. The median home price was $195,900 inFebruary, down 8.2% from $213,500 in February 2007.?We seem to be finding a bottom in home sales even as prices keep falli...
More About: Market , Bottom

More articles from this author:
1, 2, 3