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 $449.900

 4 Bedrooms / 3.5 Bathrooms – 4,412 total sq. ft.

 WOW! Gorgeous Inside! – Hardwood floors, 2-storey family room with stone front gas fireplace.  Kitchen has corian counters, Jenn Air stainless appliances, cherry cabinets.  Main level laundry room with side loading washer/dryer. Full, fully finished lower level with built-ins, den/full bath walk-in closet and gas line hook-up for fireplace. Master Suite has walk-in closet with built-ins, super bath with soaking tub, shower, double sinks, ceramic floors.  Three generous sized bedrooms with ceiling fans – upper hallway overlooks foyer and family room.  Composite deck, play set and fenced rear yard.  Quiet neighborhood, sought after schools.  Walk to shopping, restaurants, parks and Bel Air town center.

NAR, National Association of Realtors, has a phenomenal website for homeowners loaded with great information on home maintenance, upgrades and more.  This site will help you plan and organize home projects, give you ideas for home improvement as well as timely information on taxes, insurance and finance.

If you register on the site you can save the information you find, create to-do lists and set project reminders.  You can also customize the site based on where you live, how much money you want to spend (or save) or how handy you are with power tools!

There is even a section that helps you help your community with how-to’s on starting a Neighborhood Watch program, building a local playground and participating in city/county planning projects.

Click here to check it out for yourself –  HouseLogic .

Recently, I reported that the IRS did not have a form for applying for your tax credit.  Well, the wait is over.  Welcome Form 5405!

Click Here for Form 5405 and Instructions 

Thinking of buying a home?  You need an agent of your own!

Why?

As your buyer’s agent, I:

• come free of charge!  That’s right. . .the seller pays all selling commissions!
   
• will know the very day your dream home comes on the market and can get you in to see any home quickly – this is very important if you are looking at short sale or foreclosure “deals.”
   
• work for YOU not the seller – I can’t stress enough how important this is – many times buyers go directly to the listing agent thinking they will get a better deal that way.  Rarely is this the case, because the listing agent works only for the seller not the buyer.
   
• am best equipped to negotiate with the listing agent a good deal wtih terms that benefit you.
   
• will make sure that your interests are protected when writing a purchase contract.
   
• can guide you to lenders who are honest and have good rates and loan programs.
   
• will remain your trusted real estate advisor long after your transaction is complete.
   
• am an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR) which means I have completed extra criteria and coursework that focuses on providing the best results for home buyers. 

This is just a short list of the many things I will do for you as your buyer’s agent.  

Call me at 410-715-3261  to set up a customized buyer consultation!

It is becoming commonplace for Realtors^® and home buyers to require a good C.L.U.E.^® report as a contingency to a purchase offer.  The C.L.U.E.^® Home Seller’s Disclosure Report is an independent source of information about insurance losses at your home address within the past five years.

If you have not made any homeowner’s insurance claims for your home in the past 5 years, the report can provide comfort to potential buyers and you may want to order one up front when you list your home for sale.  Also, the fewer claims made against a particular property, the lower the buyer’s homeowner’s insurance will be.

Information that a home seller may wish to keep private (e.g. Name, Social Security Number and Date of Birth) are not displayed on the report.

You can order your C.L.U.E.^® report online for your primary address or by mail for other properties you own.  Cost is $19.50 – NOTE: buyers and real estate agents are not allowed to order a report for any property that they do not own.

Click Here  to learn more and order a report.

Tons of white stuff fell on Maryland yesterday and most of us are snowbound in our homes. Here’s a link to the Howard County map of plowed/salted roads to see if you can get out of your neighborhood (they update this every 15 minutes).

http://snow2.co.ho.md.us/Index.asp

Meanwhile have fun shoveling your walks and driveways. . .or maybe you’re sitting  in front of a roaring fire with some seasonal eggnog and enjoying the snow-enforced break!

Having Trouble Making Your Mortgage Payment?

Don’t wait until it’s too late – you can avoid foreclosure! The sooner you get help the easier it will be. . .if you have missed a mortgage payment (or few) or think you might not be able to continue making your payment call me now!  You have options!

• Has your ARM adjusted (or will it do so soon)?  Can you make the new payment?
• Have you lost your job or taken a lower paying position?
• Are you forced to relocate and your home is now worth less than when you bought?
• Are you facing divorce and must sell your home for less than you paid?
• Do you have a change in your financial situation that has created hardship to the point you cannot make your mortgage payment?

Once you miss a single payment you are in default and the foreclosure process will begin.  

I am a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) and help homeowners in distress (job loss, relocation, adjusting ARMs, divorce, financial hardship, etc.).

You are not alone – millions of homeowners are underwater or upside down on their mortgage.  If you can make your payment and stay in your home that is the best option – but when this isn’t  the case, you need help.

 Call now for a free, confidential consultation.

Not only did Congress pass the extension of the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit, they raised the income limits and added in a sweet $6,500 credit for homeowners who buy a home and have lived in their current home 5 consecutive years out of the previous 8 years. WOW! Keep in mind. . .this deal is over April 30th (you have to be under contract for a home purchase by that date).

Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Home -
5. You are only making your landlord rich by paying rent.
4. In most areas it’s still a “buyer’s market” and sellers are eager to sell.
3. Home prices have come way down.
2. Interest rates on mortgages are at historic lows.
1. The Government will give you $6,500 or $8,000 to buy a home!

With the Senate ready to pass their version of the Home Buyer Tax Credit and the House ready to accept it and send the bill along to the President – it’s looking more and more like this will really happen.  The best part is this won’t be limited to first time homeowners only.  Not only will they extend the credit to April 30, 2010, they will include a $6,500 credit for anyone who has owned their home at least 5 years.  In addition, the income limits will be raised to $125,000/year for individuals and $225,000/year for couples (current limits are $75,000 and $150,000) – even more people will be able to take advantage of a great market with low rates, lower home prices!

The New York Times

Homebuyer Credit Gets New Life

Key lawmakers in the Senate have tentatively agreed to extend the existing $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and also offer a new $6,500 credit for existing homeowners who have lived in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period in the past eight years.

Home buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010, and close before July 1. House Democrats have expressed concern about the cost of the tax credit for the government, and allegations of abuse have resulted in an IRS probe of the program.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Corey Boles and John D. McKinnon (10/29/09)