April Real Estate Market Sales Statistics for Anne Arundel County Will Be Released in 10 Days and We Will Publish the Numbers Here. Until Then, Here's Our Almost Totally Unscientific Market Story and We're Stickin' To ItIf the local dining scene is a somewhat reliable barometer of consumer optimism, then our dinner at the Chart House in Annapolis this past Friday would lead one to believe that all the talk of a sagging economy and a housing/mortgage meltdown is falling upon deaf ears.Indeed, judging by the throngs of diners ordering up $35 steaks, succulent shrimp, good bottles of wine, and $9.00 chocolate lava cakes - our personal favorite - you'd have to say the mood was downright festive, that nobody's much worrying about their wallets, and things are looking decidedly up.Who knows? ... 04/30/2008

Confessions of an Un-Geeky Annapolis Real Estate BloggerApril 25th, 2008 Categories: Fun FridaysIf you're a regular reader of this blog - and finally, I think there are a couple of you - then you know that Fridays are for fun. I didn't invent the idea of fun blog Fridays; I stole it from fellow blogger Teresa Boardman. She hasn't sent her lawyers after me yet, so for now I guess I'm okay.People like confessions so I thought it would be fun today to tell you one of mine: I'm not a geek. That may come as a surprise to some of you, since I do have a blog, but my computer literacy is probably on par with that of your average Golden Retriever.What knowledge I do have of blogging can be attributed directly to a neat group of actual geeks called The Real Estate Tomato. See that tomato icon in ... 04/28/2008

April showers may bring May flowers but is the real estate market is ready to bloom? While negative news coverage of the real estate market dominates the headlines well positioned sellers and ready willing and able buyers are making deals. Although the inventory of active units is up, the average sold price in Anne Arundel County is off a mere 0.8% from this time last year while Annapolis is off 14.4% form March of 2007. Pending sales - the best predictor of future closed transactions - are up modestly. Sold units this past month across the county were up in March by 26.3% but down from March 2007 by 34.1%. Sales are likely to remain sluggish for the next three months and this buyer's market could continue twelve more months. In Anne Arundel County the total sold volume was down 19.6% f... 04/15/2008

The trend is clear. It remains a buyer's market and home sales continue to be sluggish. While current economic conditions continue to deteriorate throughout the country, the metro Washington-Baltimore area - which has been relatively recession proof in years past - is suffering from lagging home sales, declining prices, and increasing inventory levels. March, April and May are the months when many sellers bring their property to market and sales peak in June about 90 days after the inventory level peaks. While sellers can expect this trend to repeat itself again this year, the number of buyers remains fewer than the number of sellers sustaining the current buyer's market. In Anne Arundel County this March there were 3,963 active units on the market, 8.4% fewer homes on the market than M... 04/04/2008

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy   Daffodils are popping up inside the Naval Academy gates, buds are appearing on the dogwood and cherry trees, and azaleas will soon be in bloom.  If you've never toured the U.S. Naval Academy grounds in Annapolis, Maryland, there's no more beautiful time of year to do so.  While you're in Annapolis, you might want to visit some of the Historic Homes Outside the Naval Academy Gates and these magnificent public gardens in and near Annapolis:     Helen Avalynne Tawes Garden  580 Taylor Ave., Tawes State Office Building, Annapolis, MD www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/tawesgarden.html This award-winning five-acre garden represents... 03/22/2008

I'm a very proud grandmother and yes a very proud great grandmother too. They call me Granny by my choosing. Silly isn't it, after all I am only 42 (NOT)! I have 14 with one more on the way. Each one is so very special to me for reasons only a grandmother knows but the one I am going to share with you today is special because she has given me the greatest compliment of all, she has followed in Granny's foot steps.  Nichole has actually worked for me for the past 8 years doing behind the scenes type of work. This past year she looked me straight in the eye and said 'I'm going to go for my real estate license so I can work side by side with you Granny. I see how much you enjoy it and I feel the same way so what do you think?  Well needless to say my eyes got wide as saucers and my heart b... 03/16/2008

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.   Relocating to Anne Arundel County?  If you're interested in a waterfront lifestyle, here is an overview of properties on the market at this time.   ANNAPOLIS - 79 detached waterfront homes for sale. They range from a bungalow on Black Walnut Creek on the market for $450,000 to Stonewater Estate, a mansion overlooking 8' of deep water on Crab Creek.    RIVA  - 10  waterfront detached homes for sale Homes range from $765,000 for a small 56-year old home on the South River to $2,795,000 for a 4 bedroom 4 bath home on an acre, on the South River     ARNOLD - 24 detached waterfront homes for sale. Homes range from a 78-year old... 02/28/2008

While sellers wait for the housing market to thaw, buyers remain in hibernation. Will the spring market ever arrive? The housing slump isn't over yet and prices are likely to continue to tumble for the foreseeable future. However, market indicators are promising. Inquiries are up. Showings are up. Units Sold are down. Pending Sales are down. While these are only anecdotal observations, they are excellent predictors of next month's sales. While the Average Sold Price is up across Anne Arundel County and Annapolis by nearly five percent, Units Sold is off thirty-five and forty-two percent respectively from last month! Supply and demand economics continues to prevail; inventory levels remain elevated and are up nearly three percent from last month and are up nearly twenty percent from this... 02/16/2008

TIRED OF PROSPECTING?? Join Our Lending team and let our “Unique Marketing System” prospect for you!! Annapolis, MD location is seeking candidates for the position of LOAN OFFICER. If you have at least 2 years experience and are looking for a generous commission, benefits packages and possible SIGNING BONUSES UP TO 10K!!, as well as having the opportunity to profit from one of the finest lead generation systems, it is awaiting you. As an employee you may be eligible for the following benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, 401K, Discounts on employee home mortgages and much more!! We build long-term,productive relationships with our customers and employees. Our in-house processing, underwriting, and closing, helps you stay in control of your pipeline. Please contact: L. Ledesma Phone: ... 02/15/2008

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy. When you relocate to Maryland, you could find yourself in the middle of a movie set.  You may see Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Bruce Willis, Will Smith, Nicole Kidman, Clint Eastwood, Meg Ryan, George Clooney or another film star browsing the historic streets of Annapolis when they're in town again to shoot their next movie.That's because the film industry generates about $70 million annually in Maryland. As Maryland's Film Office points out, Maryland is "America in Miniature", offering varied settings that range from the gritty inner city of HBO's The Wire (2002-06) to the idyllic period towns of Disney's Tuck ... 02/13/2008

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.   The Annapolis Visitor's Bureau describes Annapolis as "a place where history lives in a museum without walls."  While this is true, history also lives within the walls of many homes outside Gate 1 of the U.S. Naval Academy.  If you're relocating to Annapolis, these homes are just some of the historical treasures that will become your neighbors:  THE WILLIAM PACA HOUSE at 186 Prince George Street, one of the most elegant landmarks in Annapolis, is the restored home of William Paca, signer of the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary-era Governor of Maryland. In 1965, the Historic Annapolis Foundation purchased this ... 01/27/2008

As you know, it's January, and most people in Maryland are planning to be curled up by the fire next Saturday, January 26th, playing video games or watching some college basketball.  But heck, why not bundle up and head out to Sandy Point State Park in Anne Arundel County for the Boardwalk-themed Winter Festival.  Where else can you enjoy live pig-racing action, a 20-ton sand sculpture being crafted as you watch, and even an "Early Bear Plunge for those who love to Plunge but don't love to wait."   Yep, I'm talking about the 12th annual Polar Bear Plunge (Brrrrrrrrr) in the icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay, to benefit Special Olympics Maryland. All it takes to be a part of the 2008 MSP Plunge experience is more guts than brains and $50 in pledges.  Sponsors say this is "the coolest even... 01/17/2008

Are we already in a recession? The news commentators, politicians, and economic pundits won't say so until after the fact. News about the upcoming 2008 election continues to eclipse most news including economic news. A recession, no matter how weak or strong, is not likely to be openly discussed until the Democratic and Republican candidates are chosen. Home prices may trend downward. Homes will still sell but prices will be softer. Sellers that can price competitively and below direct and indirect competition should get their homes sold first and the quickest. January, February and March are often slow months and sales can be slow. Recent warm weather may encourage buyers to continue looking rather than hibernate. In commodity driven real estate markets, pricing is everything. Supply a... 01/16/2008

As people around the world celebrate New Year's Eve, Annapolis, Maryland, is also celebrating her 300-year anniversary.  Most Americans have never experienced the 300th anniversary of anything, but Marylanders will be doing exactly that on New Year's Eve and throughout 2008, as Annapolis Alive festivities celebrate the 1708 signing of the Annapolis City Charter by Queen Anne of Great Britain.According to the Annapolis Alive Website, This had significance far beyond the borders of our then small city. It resulted in the first lasting democratic representative processes in Maryland and the southern colonies of Great Britain and established a record of "firsts." Northern colonies had democratic processes earlier, but in the south officials were all appointed by the governors or other colon... 12/31/2007

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy. WELCOME TO MARYLAND, and congratulations on your new job in the beautiful Annapolis area!   You have probably already checked out the official websites for Annapolis, the U.S. Naval Academy and Annapolis Naval Station, so I won't go there.  Instead, I will give you this:A checklist for my Annapolis house-hunting trip:1.  Request a FREE Maryland Travel Kit from the Maryland Office of Tourism.  This is first on the list because it will take a while to receive this information by mail and you may find the Maryland map and other material helpful in getting to know the area. 2.  Plan your house-hunting trip, starting with arrange... 12/29/2007

Real Estate Market AssessmentThe seasonal slump in the real estate market may already be upon us. As it does each year, home sales slow in late November and don't pick back up until January or February. And, it is likely to be slower this winter than in years past. Why? Well, there is still a lot of negative press about the real estate market and mortgages and it's the year before the election. Why just this morning there was a segment on the morning news "Foreclosure Corner". The anchor was discussing how to avoid foreclosure with a Prince Georges County judge - the steps to take and what not - and I thought to myself "has it gotten that bad?" Well, it might be.But, there is a silver lining. There will be a gold rush. The real estate market will go through another boom cycle. The Base ... 12/05/2007

This information is included in the Online Anne Arundel County Relocation Package for Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, the the U.S. Naval Academy   Looking for a Maryland waterfront home?  Look no further than Anne Arundel County, with over 500 miles of shoreline along the many inlets, coves, bays and creeks that are tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay and several rivers.   Many waterfront properties have Riparian Rights, and others are located in communities with a marina or community pier. According to the Metropolitan Regional Information System, Inc. (MRIS), there are about 400 waterfront properties for sale in Anne Arundel County at this time (10/21/07) ranging from $195,000 for a two-bedroom rancher on Marley Creek in Glen Burnie to $16 million estate in Annapolis t... 10/21/2007

Open any newspaper or listen to any newscast and you're sure to hear frantic reports about the falling  real estate market.  In fact our local real estate market is doing just fine and prospects are good for a busy and productive 2008.The local Anne Arundel County real estate market has had a good 2007 so far.  According to the Metropolitan Regional Information System (MRIS), average prices rose in the second quarter to $421,500, up from $412,400 - and the outlook for the third quarter is for another price increase.  Additionally we saw a decline in the average monthly unemployment rate.  And interest rates are still historically low, making mortgages very affordable for new buyers.  While we have seen a decline in the actual number of homes sold, the forecast is for a 13% decrease in s... 10/10/2007

I am going to answer the question I posed in the title above, but that comes toward the bottom of the article.  If you can't wait, jump on down, but please come back to read the rest.  There was even more discussion than usual in the office today about what’s happening in the housing market with agents bemoaning the lack of showings and complaining that a lot of Buyers are holding off making Buying decisions because they are afraid that we haven’t hit the “bottom” of the current downturn.  There are some similarities between what happens to the stock market and the housing market and I’d like to point out some of them and then apply some “value investing” logic made famous by Graham & Dodd and perfected by the most famous investor of all, Warren Buffet. One of the primary rules for inv... 09/07/2007

Click Here to see a REALLY COOL eye catching, flashing icon which will take you to our REALLY COOL HOME SEARCH TOOL we set up for our Annapolis Real Estate oriented website.   I confess to knowing next to nothing about HTML prior to learning how to do this over the weekend.  I learned  based on a tip from Crystal Pina who directed me to a great HTML Tutorial (Dave's Tutorial) which I highly recommend now as well. I spent maybe an hour reading through the tutorial; about 10 minutes of that time was necessary to learn to create this eye catching icon. I had just learned last week how to use www.PHIXR.com which enabled me to prepare the language on the icon itself.  You may need this or something like it to prepare your text.  Email me if you would like help with  www.phixr.com 09/03/2007