Margaret Rome's Blog

As of March 1, 2026, a new rule introduced by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), part of the U.S. Treasury has gone into effect concerning certain all-cash residential real estate transactions. This rule is designed to improve. transparency in the real estate market, particularly ...

Did They Pull a Permit? A Quick Check Every Buyer Should KnowWhen buying a home in Baltimore or Baltimore County, one simple question can save a lot of surprises later:“Was a permit pulled for that work?”Over the years, I’ve shown homes with beautiful new kitchens, finished basements, decks, and ...

If You Don’t Want the Monkey on Your Back… Stop Buying BananasEvery once in a while, I meet someone who seems to carry the same problems around with them for years. The deal that fell apart. The client who disappeared. The market that changed. The opportunity they missed.They talk about it.They c...

Sometimes a showing takes two hours. And that is not a problem; that is the goal. At one of my special listings, which I think of as a magical cottage, a buyer recently arrived at 1:00 and didn’t leave until after 3:00.    That wasn’t hesitation. That was education. Every room was explored, every...

 I was less than eight years old, traveling with family through the Shenandoah Valley. I remember stepping underground and feeling like I had entered another world.The caverns were vast, with impossibly high ceilings. All around, there were strange rock formations, with stalactites hanging from a...

Don’t Forget… Spring Forward!Tonight is the night we move our clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time. It happens late Saturday night—technically at 2:00 a.m., when the clock jumps ahead to 3:00 a.m.Most of us won’t be awake to witness this magical little time jump, which is exactly why it’s smar...

Thinking About Moving to Baltimore? Start by Exploring the Northwest Area When people begin considering a move to Baltimore, one of the most helpful things they can do is simply start by looking at the map and exploring the northwest part of the city and nearby county communities.This area inclu...

Remembering Carole Provenzale – A Beautiful Energy Still Felt Every once in a while, I think about someone from our ActiveRain family who truly made an impression, and today my thoughts are about Carole Provenzale. Many of you remember Carole as one of the early voices on ActiveRain, sharing insi...

I’ve always said, “I answer my phone.” And for the most part, I do. Buyers don’t wait, sellers don’t wait, and real estate rarely rewards voicemail ping-pong. But when my caller ID flashes “Spam Risk,” even I pause for a split second. Is it really spam… or is it the perfect buyer calling about th...

 Today, I checked out a house and was asked about the basement floor tiles. They were square, about 9 inches, and most likely asbestos.  The question: Should we be concerned?Years ago, asbestos was widely used in flooring tiles, pipe insulation, siding, and roofing because it was strong and fire-...