Check out this 🔥🔥 HOT Property!  

AVAILABLE THIS WEEKEND ONLY!    $675,000!

Don't miss your opportunity, the only time available to see this home is 

              Sunday 1-3 during the open house

or do a virtual walkthrough at 2920 New Rover 24/7 Open House

Make all your family memories here! This brick-front colonial is an easy fit for a big or growing family! Great open floorplan starts with a two-story foyer, column-flanked living and dining rooms, open kitchen with SS appliances and granite counters, center island which open to the cozy family room with gas fireplace. First floor library has closet and could be used as additional bedroom! Upstairs, double doors swing open to the primary sitting room that steps up to the large main bedroom with dual closets. The primary bath has a welcoming sunken tub , separate shower, double sinks and all the amenities you desire. There are also three other generously sized bedrooms on this level plus a separate laundry room for your convenience! The basement is also finished with rec room with wet bar, separate gaming room area, office space, another full bath and plenty of storage! The backyard has oversized patio, trampoline, playground, and garden. Also electric fence is installed! Some of the recent upgrades include New Architectural Shingled Roof in 2019, as well as two new HVAC systems and a new well pump! Interlock system is in place for the backup generator! Just the perfect place for the entire family!  Call us for any additional questions 443-386-1306.

Looks Are Deceiving!

This 4/5 bedroom brick front rancher is so much larger than it appears from the street!  Huge living room and formal dining room both with gorgeous hardwood floors, updated kitchen with SS appliances, marble countertops, ceramic floors, and oversized breakfast area too!  The kitchen walks out to the covered back porch.  Three large bedrooms on this level, primary bedroom with double closets and its own bath.  Downstairs has large rec room, garage, bedroom, and two additional rooms to use as you see fit!  All of this can be yours if you act this week!!

This property will be open on Saturday from 1-3, but you can take advantage of the 24/7 open house by visiting OPEN HOUSE

Take advantage and get Pre-Approved Today!  

Call us for any additional questions.  Home will be active on Thursday 3/18/21 and available for in-person viewing!

Thinking of selling your home?  Get your INSTANT HOME EVALUATION HERE!

Want to prepare your home first?  Read my E-BOOK for tips! -ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Don’t stress about the mess — just take one countertop or bookcase at a time

Christina Karras

1. Edit One Bookcase

If you have a large book collection spread throughout the house, sorting through all those books at once may not be practical. So start with something more doable instead — like one bookcase. Keep an empty box or shopping bag by your side, and fill it with books you no longer want or need. When you’re done, immediately carry the bag (or bags) to your car and make a plan to drop them off to donate or sell. Here are a few things to consider as you edit:

• Have you read the book? If not, be honest with yourself: Are you really likely to read it in the future, or are you keeping it out of guilt?
• Did you enjoy the book? If it wasn’t a real favorite, consider passing it on.
• Will you reread it, refer to it or lend it out? Even if you enjoyed a book, if you’re not likely to ever pick it up again, out it should go.

Made To Last Custom Homes Ltd.

2. Clear the Kitchen Counter

The kitchen counter is such a common dumping ground for all sorts of stuff: school notices, rubber bands, shopping bags, receipts, to-do lists and on (and on). Set your timer and get to work — recycle unneeded papers and put away items that belong elsewhere. If you need a drop-spot on the counter, make it a clearly defined zone to prevent clutter sprawl in the future: Try a bowl for pocket change and a tray or basket for mail.

How to Conquer Kitchen Counter Clutter, Maybe for Good

3. Make Space Under the Kitchen Sink

When was the last time you really looked under your kitchen sink? This area tends to become a storehouse for random cleaning products, plastic bags and jumbled tools. First, pull everything out and give the cupboard itself a cleaning. Next, replace only the items that you actually use, that are full and in good condition. Recycle empty containers, bring bags to a plastic bag recycling drop-off (available at many markets) and move less-often used tools elsewhere.

Ashley Martin Home

4. Make Your Bedside Table an Oasis of Calm

Why make a cluttered nightstand the last thing you see before bed and the first thing you lay eyes on in the morning? Clear away the toppling piles of books, scribbled notes and old water glasses, and wipe away the coffee rings — it’s time for a fresh start. Replace only your current reading, a journal and pen, and perhaps a candle or a small vase with flowers.

Shop for bedside tables on Houzz

Aurélien Vivier

5. Winnow Your Wardrobe, One Drawer at a Time

Rather than attempting to tackle your entire closet in one go, set your timer for 30 minutes and start with a single drawer. Keep working your way through your clothes, one drawer at a time, until the timer goes off. Keep two empty bags or bins by your side as you sort, placing quality clothes in good repair in one bag to sell (or donate), and worn-out clothes in the other bag (drop these in a textile recycling bin).

NEAT Method St. Louis

6. Simplify the Linen Closet

Do you know how many sets of sheets and towels you own? If you’ve been accumulating linens for years without purging the old ones, chances are your linen closet is full — or overstuffed. Take this 30-minute session to sort out your household linens, pulling your least favorite (or most frayed) sets to bring to a textile recycling bin or a charitable donation center. If you hope to donate your old linens, be sure to check with the donation center first, because guidelines on acceptable donations can vary widely. For instance, some may accept tea towels but not bath towels.

Alden Miller Interiors

7. Organize Art Supplies

Whether you have kids at home or are an artist yourself, the art supply cupboard is bound to get messy. Toss out or recycle empty containers and dried-up markers. Neaten up what’s left, and if the cupboard still feels too packed, consider offloading a bag full of art supplies to donate to a local school or a family shelter.

Gast Architects

8. Sort Out the Toy Chest

Half an hour isn’t nearly enough time to go through a child’s entire room, but it should be adequate for clearing out one particularly messy toy chest or bin. First, remove all the toys to an area where you have some room to spread out. Put toys that obviously belong elsewhere back in the right spot (for example, return stray pieces to the puzzle box) and toss or set aside broken items for repair. Fill a bag with unloved toys and put this immediately in the car — otherwise, the toys are likely to migrate out of the give-away-or-sell bag and back into the toy chest!

zooi design

9. Remove Worn and Outgrown Children’s Clothes

Working through one drawer, shelf or hanging rack at a time, pull out any of your child’s clothes that are too small, or too damaged, to wear. If you plan to save items for a younger child, neatly fold them and place in a bin labeled with the size (for example, 2T) in a storage closet. Place any clothing that is too worn or damaged to keep or sell in a bag destined for your closest textile recycling bin.

A Note for Crafters and Quilters: If you’re planning to do a creative, crafty project with those old clothes (like a baby-clothes quilt or bunting), be mindful about the total quantity you are saving, and select only the most beloved and meaningful items to keep.

Purple Cherry Architects

10. Clear Your Desktop

The next time you find yourself procrastinating instead of getting your work done, step away from aimless social media scrolling, and set the timer for a desk-centered clutter-blasting session instead. Sort and file important papers, shred and recycle unneeded documents, test the pens in your pen cup, and clear out the drawers. There, doesn’t that feel better?

Tell us: What would you declutter in 30 minutes or less? Share your thoughts in the Comments!

Thank you for the article, copied from Laura Gaskill and HouzzFebruary 14, 2021.

2021 Real Estate Market thoughts moving forward from my crystal ball (which has been known to have a crack or two).

 Obviously the U.S. economy is expected to grown 2021.  With last years dire circumstances affecting our economy it was obvious that things were going to contract.  The latest from forecast groups are predicting anywhere from full year GDP growth of 4.8% to a high of 6.7%  The upgrade of the full year 2021 estimated growth can be attributed to a lot of items however there is no denying the impact from the greater than expected increase in consumer spending during these harsh winter months.  Not too mention the impact from the Real Estate market.  Both the sheer volume of refinances as well as the vast herds of purchasers in the market place looking (rightly so) to take full advantage of these low interest rates.  More than likely we will see a slowing in the whole Wuhan virus throughout 2021 which will also help to move the recovery forward at a much faster pace.  The downsides to a strengthening U.S. economy will be absolutely felt.  Especially in areas like higher interest rates (the Government along with the banking industry love their money), stronger inflationary pressures as things were artificially suppressed due to the pandemic, also the new administrations policies will go into effect most likely moderating the 2021 pace of the Real Estate marketplace and the current tightening inventory will most likely be somewhat offset by the increase in those sellers looking to avail themselves of the current economic conditions before they disappear.  If 2020 will be remembered as the year of the virus then 2021 will most likely be remembered as the year of the recovery.  While there are a ton of unknowns facing us this year one thing is absolutely certain……these great housing times will not last forever.  Contact us today to see how we can assist you in achieving your Real Estate related dreams.  Team makes the dream work and we are ready to work with you as a team!

Published by Richard Rivero

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 2/28/21   $375,000!

The seller's have just installed brand new flooring on the entire first floor, repainted the entire house and added granite countertops and now listed it below market for a quick sale!  So don't miss your opportunity to see this house this weekend before it is gone!

CLICK HERE TO DO YOUR PERSONAL VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE NOW!

On the first level you will find formal living room, dining room, humongous family room and eat-in updated kitchen that walks out to fenced yard, deck, patio and detached garage.  Upstairs you have three large bedrooms, primary bedroom has its own bath, walk-in closet and even a semi-finished attic space!  The basement can also be usable space with a pellet stove!  So much room for the price and only one block from the water!  In the water privileged community of Riviera Beach!

SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE!

SCHEDULE A PRIVATE IN-PERSON TOUR TODAY HERE!

What is the biggest component to engage any individual into making life changing events? F-E-A-R  It is fear of the unknown that empowers individuals to make decisions, some not as wise as others.  With the political uproar that this country is currently facing along with COVID-19, many individuals are fearful and some will act in haste making bad decisions, some freeze in terror and miss opportunities.  Let's try to unravel all of this to see what the lies in the months/years ahead.

So we first have to know where we are before we know where we are going.  When COVID first hit our country and we shut down on 3/17/20.  The short term real estate market became extremely volatile.  Many homes that were under contract never saw the settlement table.  Why?  The banks were fearful.  They quickly changed requirements for obtaining a loan.  A purchaser who could purchase with a credit score of 580 could have purchased a home in February of 2020, but by mid-March, the score jumped to 640+, so if that wasn't enough to slow the market and crush hopes, aspirations, and dreams, they also dropped loan programs, so a business owner using specialty loans directed toward small businesses were also denied and they also lost out on dreams.  Fast forward only a few months, interest rates drop and the buyers who fit the new guidelines start to look for homes.  Sellers are still a little edgy about letting strangers in their house during these uncertain times, so inventory stayed low while demand grew.  Each passing month, we see more and more homes hitting the market, but at the same time, more and more demand is becoming apparent.  

Winter months are usually slower months of the year.  December or January would typically each have about 100-150 properties listed and about half that number under contract.  This past December, Howard County had 271 homes new to the market (much higher than a typical December) and 56 went under contract (average number for December in an average year).  Let's compare that to January 2021, Howard County had only 23 homes hit the market and 259 went under contract!  While the total homes coming on the market in January is less than normal, the number of under contract homes is off the charts!  Especially for January!  This market is NOT slowing down at this time!

So, what will cause the market to make a change? 

Well, one factor is of course the interest rates.  We are currently in the unbelievable epic lows around the mid 2%.  The affordability for any buyer right now is incredible!  Their dollar goes so much further, which is a blessing since the housing prices are soaring.  Yet, I believe the rates will rise this year.  It is typical that rates raise in the spring.  I believe our administration will use this typical situation to force the higher interest rates in the spring and continue to rise until we are back to 4%+ by end of the year.  So what does that do to the real estate market?  Well, the buyer that could afford a home at $350,000 today will only be able to afford a home at $300,000 by years end.  Therefore, buyers should do everything they can to purchase now, pay a little more if necessary to lock in the low prices and purchase a larger home.  So start your new search here

Another factor is the fear factor.  What will the new administration do to affect real estate?  What laws might they enact that could affect us?  What about the stock market?  How will that affect anything?  I can foresee increased taxes when it comes to the purchasing of real estate.  Lawmakers have been trying to increase them here locally for years and I can foresee that happening either locally or nationally, so Maryland is already an expensive state to purchase real estate and I believe we will see increases there with this new administration.  I also foresee quite a bit of relocation on a more massive level.  I feel we will see an increase of movement from states like New York and Illinois to our state, while I also see mass movement of Maryland to Florida, Texas or the Carolinas.  That will keep our market strong and stable this year, but I do feel the market will stabilize by the end of the year, and turn more to an even market.

Another factor to consider has to do with the foreclosure market.  The new administration controls the financial markets that handle the mounds of foreclosures sitting out there not allowed to be sold.  Once those foreclosures enter the marketplace, it will start to drive prices down again, increase supply and start to move away from a seller's market.  If you are considering selling, it is better to be ahead of that curve.  I believe the seller's market will peak in the next few months.  If you want to know what your home is worth today, click here!   Once the foreclosure doors open, we will see a big dip in home prices.  It will rebound, but maybe not for another year or so.  Again, if you are thinking of upsizing, I would do that now while you can still get great rates.  If you are willing to gamble, or not looking to make a move for several years, be the first to know what homes have gone under contract or sold and the sales price and how they compare to yours by clicking here to stay on top of the market in Your Neighborhood.  

We don't want to you to be fearful in your decision making process.  We are here to provide you all the available information so that you can make your best decision.

You Just HIT THE JACKPOT!! 

    THREE Properties for 

                     $485,000!

Start and end your search here! Pull up on the circular driveway to the front of this

home with fantastic curb appeal! (tons of additional parking in rear accessed by

alleyway) You'll find yourself smiling as you approach this grand, well-maintained,

true 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home! Enter inside and find a traditional center-hall

colonial with beautiful orignal hardwoods flooring on both the main and upper levels.

Some features to note are the remodeled kitchen with granite counters, gorgeous

white cabinets and newer appliances and the supersized family room which is in

addition to the formal living and dining rooms. In the lower level, there are also

two awesome recreation room areas and another full bath and outside entrance to

rear yard. (No allergy concerns here as this house doesn't contain carpet!) The

detached garage houses two cars, has additional bonus work room with electric

and heat. The garage also has brand new windows and additional attic area! Yet,

the MAJOR bonus to this home is the not one but TWO additional separately

DEEDED lots.  Buy as a package and SAVE!  Each lot is separately available for 

$65,000.  Live in this home and build homes for your loved ones to be close or

sell if you choose! So many options! Located across from Mc Daniels College and

close by to all the amenities Westminster has offer! Prime location, prime lots!!

This is an ESTATE Sale and Sold AS-IS.

Come and see this house- it is OPEN now!  Click here to take a tour!

It is that time of year again when I pull out my crystal ball and make predictions of the coming year as it relates to real estate.  Although I wasn't able to predict the pandemic last year, I was still spot-on with the flow of the real estate market.  We did experience a great strong market which is continuing right now.  I believe that people will look back at this winter and see that this has and will be one of the strongest Winters in the past 15+ years.  That being said, I believe it doesn't matter if you are thinking about buying or selling, you should take advantage of the market this first quarter.  Let's dig a little deeper into this reasoning.  For a buyer, right now inventory is very slim pickings.  If you find a home, you might be competing with other buyers which drive the price up a bit, however, interest rates are down near 2%!  Let's take an example of a mortgage at $400,000, your P&I payment would be $1478. (not including taxes and insurance)  I believe like most normal years, this year will have rising interest rates in the spring.  If the rates go back pre-covid rates, we could be looking at 4.5% which results in a P&I payment of $2027 at $400,000.00.  What that means, is if you qualify for a loan at $400,000 now, when rates rise, you will only qualify for a loan of $292,000!!!  That is a difference between purchasing a single family home, to now affording only a townhouse in the same area.  This is a drastic difference that shouldn't be overlooked!

Now let's look at the same scenario for a seller.  Right now the market is still hot.  It is a seller's market.  Selling now will yield the best possible price!  If you price your home correctly and have us market it correctly, you will have competing offers and get your best possible deal for your house.   What if you decide to wait until Spring?  Well, that is what most sellers do.  They wait until spring because that is the "best time to sell"  Well, I don't believe that is the case in 2021.  As any other typical year, more and more homes will come on the market in the spring.  Inventory will be up.  We have already discussed the buyer situation, so now less buyers can afford your home.  These buyers will be upset that they cannot afford their dream home that they could afford mere months ago, and they will decide to rent for another year or so to "save" more money.  The market will stall in spring.  It's entirely plausible 2021 will be known as the worst spring market in decades.

Okay, so what about the rest of the year?  Well it isn't all doom and gloom, especially for investors!  Come summer, the US should have a majority of the people vacinated against COVID-19, (or at least those who want to be)  Once COVID begins to diminsh from the threat it absolutely is today, hopefully things will start to approach something akin to "normal".  All the banks/mortgage companies will eventually start the foreclosure proceedings again.  Now remember, they have been unable to do anything for a year.  Many individuals haven't been paying on their mortgages and may be able to add the 2020 deficiency to the end of their loan payoff extending by one year, but others won't be so lucky.  Foreclosures will become another part of our marketplace again.  Of course, that will drag down the prices again, so sellers will have to sell for less, but the buyers that were unhappy in the spring market, might be able to recoup a bit in fall/winter.  

To summarize, buy or sell in the first three months, or Investors get ready in the fall!

Cheers & Happy 2021!

Buyers want three things when they’re making a purchase:

1.  Selection: Have the largest number of options from which to choose

2.   Price: Get a smoking hot deal on what I want to buy

3.  Ease of doing business: Don’t make it hard for me to buy it

It doesn’t matter if you’re buying shoes, a toaster or a house, all three of them matter and they usually matter in that order.  If this is your first experience purchasing a home, find out more about the process here.

And when it comes to buying a home, you can be sure that a well-priced home in just about any price range is going to get snapped up if you don’t get it in time.

The key to making all three of those things happen, though, is to make sure that you’re the first one to hear about the hot deals when they come available.

 The current average days on market in December 2020 is still only a couple weeks.

There’s a real strategy behind beating out other buyers to hot, new listings. (Hint: it’s neither searching the Internet endlessly for hours or hitting up your family member who’s a real estate agent to send you listings of homes for sale).

If you’re going to get the best and hottest listings in the market and beat other buyers to them, there are a few things you need to do.

1.     Get with the right real estate agent          

A real estate agent telling you to get with the right real estate agent. Shocker, right?

     It’s the truth.

Notice, however, I said the right real estate agent. Not all agents are the same and not all of them provide the same level of service or access to listings.

There are plenty of agents out there who are happy to get some basic information on the home you desire, enter it into their automated MLS search, press the start button and then hope that the home you’re going to love will hit your inbox in time for you to see it.

Or, conversely, they’ll pick only a few listings that they like and try to sell you one of those.

Neither of these options gets you the hottest listings in the area because the process is not geared towards serving you at the highest level. Rather, the process is geared towards getting listings into your hand and hoping you buy one.

The right agent is going to take time to meet with you, find out exactly what you’re looking for and set you up on an ongoing, automated search for homes that specifically meet your criteria.

To add value to the process so you don’t miss out on anything, they’ll then monitor what you receive on a regular basis so they can point out the hottest deals as they come up and set up time for you to see the home as soon as you can possibly get there.

Being the first to see a hot new listing is often the difference between getting your offer accepted and missing out on the deal altogether.

It’s not just enough to get listings, you need someone who knows what a good deal looks like and is then willing to notify you (and help you see it) as soon as the opportunity arises.

2.      Look at everything

Here’s a little secret: you don’t actually know if you’ll love something until you walk into the home.

As an agent, I often hear people say they don’t want this type of home or that type of home, even though they’ve never lived in one before.

If you want to get access to the hottest listings and beat other buyers to them, you need to be open to looking at everything that’s remotely close to what you think you want in a home.

            Styles, tastes, layouts, upgrades, amenities, etc. vary from home to home and the only way to truly appreciate how much you’ll like or dislike the home has to do with how you feel and what you see when you walk into the home.

Paint, wallpaper, flooring, fixtures, cabinets, etc. can all be changed out over time. If you like the location, it feels like home and the price is right...then it may just be the home for you.

Start with a wide variety of what you’ll look at and then narrow it as time goes on based upon what you see along the way.

Who knows, you might just be surprised at what you see if you’re open to the possibilities.

             3.  Virtually every home gets listed with an agent   

Here’s the deal, almost any home you’re going to have a crack at has been or will be listed by an agent.

No joke.

Here’s what you need to know:

·        On average, only 8% of listings sell For Sale By Owner and that number has been steadily declining Since 2013

·        Banks are not real estate agents and don’t want to be: they hire real estate agents to sell their homes.

·        Mortgage companies would have a conflict of interest if they sold homes they foreclosed on: they hire real estate agents to sell their homes.

·        Federal, state and local governments are not real estate agents and they, too, don’t want to be: they hire real estate agents to sell their homes.

·        Real estate investors are sometimes agents, and sometimes they’re not. Either way, most of them list their homes for sale on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) themselves or with an agent because they know that agents work with the majority of the buyers who are looking for homes.

·        Corporations do not want to get into the business of being a real estate agent when the buy the home of a person they are relocating. They, too, hire real estate agents to sell their homes.

·        Attorneys can get their real estate licenses simply because they are attorneys, but even the ones who get access to hot deals - divorce, estate and bankruptcy attorneys - refer their clients to real estate agents.

·        Listings that have expired in the past are a great source of off-market properties and a great agent will contact these sellers to see if they’ll sell their home to you.

·        A great agent will also market to a neighborhood to find sellers - before, during and after they meet with you - to see if they’ll make their home available to you.

           In short, if you’re going to get a great deal - resale, foreclosure, corporate-owned home, short sale, government-owned home, distressed sales, etc. - finding and working with the right real estate agent who has an awesome, proprietary home-hunters service is the best choice.

As well, you can be certain that if you look online to try to find homes, the data your getting is not updated in real time and you likely have missed all the hot deals because other buyers have gotten access to them.

Take the time to find the right agent.

You can click here to get access to an amazing agent and to a free program that will deliver the hottest deals to you, in real time, long before other buyers see them.

Welcome Home! 

Once are able to gather again, this home is Perfect for Entertaining! This gorgeous large colonial welcomes you with an inviting, wrap-around front porch. Inside, you'll love the huge updated eat-in kitchen, separate dining room, large gathering room, and even separate office or sitting room on the main level (perfect for working from home). Upstairs you'll be impressed with the three gracious-sized bedrooms including the Primary bedroom with a walk-in closet, personal bath and steps to additional private semi-finished attic space for any use! The unfinished basement is very usuable and can easily be finished for additional space. The basement also has a pellet stove that can really cut down on monthly utility bills! This home is situated on an oversized corner lot with fenced yard and detached garage! The yard has not only a large deck off the kitchen, but also a separate patio. The detached garage has all the car buffs needs, including, electric, work area, storage area, and even comes with a frig, so you can keep your refreshments close! Located in Riviera Beach with water privledges, you cannot go wrong with this home!  Click for more info!