Clarksville, MD Home Residential Resale Statistics -- July 2012   Clarksville   If you are planning to move to the Central Maryland area and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. (Personal tours of the area included in the service)If you are looking to successfully sell your Maryland home with a Realtor who will market your property with multiple resources, call me for an appointment. These are the areas that I serve Buyers or Sellers in the Metro Baltimore area : Howard County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Harford County, Anne Arundel County & Carroll County. If you would like more information please call me , Ellie McIntire at 443-418-7668or e-mail EllieMcIntire@MRIS.com Don't take my word for it, see what other happy familie... 08/21/2012

Clarksville, MD   Home Residential Resale Statistics -- May 2012   This month, sales volume more than doubled compared to the same time last year, going from $3.3 million to $7 million, though that also resulted in a 9% decrease from last month.  Ten homes were sold compared to five last May, and eight of them sold in less than 60 days.  Two of them took over 180, skewing the average to 67 days this May, though when compared to the 277 days it took on average last year, its quite a remarkable difference.     Clarksville, MD   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Maryland area and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. (Personal tours of the ar... 06/14/2012

Clarksville, MD   Home Residential Resale Statistics -- April 2012   In terms of sales volume, Clarksville remains fairly similar with an increase of only 1.27%, going from $7.8 million to $7.7 million.  However, the key here involved more homes being sold at a lower average sale price.  Clarksville, in general, has only a few sales each month, and, thus, is prone to large swings.  In this case, four more homes were sold, twelve this April vs. eight last year, but the average sold price dropped from $717,000 to $649,000.  On average, homes sold in 24 less days than last year, though there are also 27 less active homes currently than their were last year.  Clarksville is a wild card, but hopefully activity continues as it did this April.    21029   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... 05/23/2012

Clarksville, MD   Home Residential Resale Statistics -- March 2012   A low-volume area like Clarksville is always subject to radical swings in terms of monthly sales, and this March was no different. With two less units being sold this month compared to March of 2011, 4 homes vs. 6, total sales volume decreased by 30%:  $2.4 million vs. $3.4 million. However, those homes sold on average a little over 50 days quicker.  With only 46 active listings, and with an average selling price of almost $600 million, as long as sales don't stagnate, Clarksville should be in good shape looking on to the summer. 21029   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Maryland area and you want a BUYERS AGENTthat really kn... 04/21/2012

Clarksville, MD   Home Residential Resale Statistics -- February 2012   Clarksville generally doesn't have too much activity in terms of sales, and thus is subject to large disparities. Sales were down 30% compared to last year, $2.3 million vs. $3.5 million, but that's a direct result in the number of homes being sold: 4 this year when 6 were sold last year. The average sold price saw a slight increase of over 3%, and homes sold on average 52 days quicker than last year. With only 46 active listings in Clarksville, activity is generally fairly slow.   21029   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Maryland area and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I ... 03/18/2012

Clarksville, MD Home Residential Resale Statistics -- January 2012   Because Clarksville, MD generally sees only a few sales each month, it is used to volatile changes in terms of sales volume.  The month of January, for example, saw only one less home sold than last year (3 vs. 4), and that resulted in a decrease in total sales of almost 35%.  The average sold price, too, was lower, down by a little over 13%.  Slightly alarming, though, was the average days that the homes were on market.  Last year in Clarksville, the average was 39 days, and this year, it was up 166% to 104 days.  However, this is slightly skewed, because one home took between 181 and 360 days, while the other two were between 31 and 60 days.   21029 - Clarksville   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... 02/14/2012

Happy New Year!  Hope you had a great Holiday and were able to enjoy time with your family.  As the 2012 spring market is getting started off with pre-approvals and buyer inquiries, there were several changes (and re-changes) near the end of 2011 that may have led to some confusion and will likely impact your buyers.  Below is a current recap of loan limits, minimum down payments, and maximum seller contributions for all loan options available. Mortgage rates continue to stay at all time lows!  Let’s make 2012 the best year yet! Location           Loan Limit       Min. Down Payment     Max. Closing Concessions   Below 417,000 Conventional: Baltimore          $417,000           5%                               3% DC                   $417,000           5%                               3%... 01/20/2012

Clarksville, MD   Home Residential Resale Statistics -- December 2011 Similar to cities like Marriottsville with few sales and generally lavish homes, Clarksville is used to seeing tumultuous changes in its market activity.  In this case, the key difference between December of last year comes in the way of seven homes being sold instead of nine at a MUCH larger price.  Average sold price increased over 45%, leading to an increase in sales volume of about 14% even with two few homers being sold. Average days on the market was down almost 9%.  21029   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Marylandarea and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. (P... 01/11/2012

Clarksville Residential Home Resale Statistics - October 2011 With one more sale than in October 2010, sales in 2011 increased by over $1 million, an almost 21% increase. Average selling price was up over 8%, though these homes were on the market for a long time, averaging 179 days. Skewing this is the fact that one home was on the market for over 720 days before being sold. Two homes, for example, sold within 20 days.    Clarksville 11/26/2011

First Place Bank’s 80/10/10 loan program was recently mentioned in the Wall Street Journal Online as an example of a creative way to assist buyers (and sellers) above the lowering Fannie Mae county loan limits!    September 16, 2011, Will Expiring Loan Limits Kill My Sale?  By June Fletcher. Link: http://on.wsj.com/rd289k Q. My house is for sale for $878,000. I have already dropped the price three times, and can't afford to drop it any lower. I am very worried about the upcoming expiration of conforming loan limits, and what that will do to the pool of buyers that can get a mortgage to buy my house. Your thoughts?  --Arlington, Va. A. “… buyers could find a lender who will provide a piggyback loan that allows a lower down payment. Such lenders generally are community or niche banks that... 09/29/2011

Sometimes You HAVE To Take A Little Time For Yourself... This is a crazy business these days.  It feels like there is always a fight...in contract negotiations, in underwriting, in rent-back discussions.  It's always something. It is easy to get caught up in obsessively checking email, texts, voicemail.  Everyone wants an update yesterday, and all the folks that need to give us the updates are overwhelmed. Today I needed a break.  As you may know, I am a big fan of sites like Living Social, Groupons and Certifikid. These are sites that offer discounts on local products, services and events.  I wrote about my Accupuncture experience with Cara Michele Nether, in the spring.  One of the purchases I made a few weeks ago was for a 1 hour massage at Still Point in Clarksville, MD. I was just ... 09/09/2011

 There are a few main types of institutions that provide mortgages, all have their pros and cons.  For the average consumer purchasing a home it is my opinion that a small Community Bank is the best place to obtain a mortgage (and that is why I'm with First Place Bank).  Below is an explanation of each of the types of mortgage lenders and my opinion on each. Mortgage Bank (Large) This is the Wells Fargo, Bank of America large banking institution type.  These banks originate loans and hold them on their books or sell them in large pools to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, private investors, etc.  All parts of the loan process stay within the company - origination, processing, underwriting, closing, and funding.  These banks often follow the centralized approach, ie: where all underwriters are h... 07/10/2011

Clarksville - 21029     Active Home Status for Townhomes and Detaches Homes as of June 20th, 2011 In Clarksville, as of June 20, 2011, there are 93 active listings in the city. 74 of them are detached homes, 2 are townhomes, and the rest vary from ranchers to farm houses. The most impressive part of Clarksville, MD, is that not a single one is a shortsale or foreclosure. Some of the most expensive homes in Maryland are in Clarksville, which is definitely a contributing factor. --- If you are planning to move to the Central Maryland area and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. If you are looking to successfully sell your Maryland home with a Realtor who will market your property with multiple resources, call me for an appointment. ... 06/22/2011

Residential Home Resale Statistics for May 2011 - Clarksville, MD 21029   Clarksville, MD is a city where few home sales generally occur per month. As such, its swings can vary much more than your average city. With that in mind, though, Clarksville's sales remained very comparable to last year, declining by only 6.65%, partially due to a fall in total closed sales from 7 to 5. What is somewhat alarming, though, is the average days on the market, growing from 66 to 277 days in just a year. When compared to last month, it still increased by over 150%, and sales were down over 50%. 21029 --- If you are planning to move to the Central Maryland area and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. If you are looking to successfully sell your M... 06/20/2011

Today I had the pleasure of meeting the owners of The Still Point in Clarksville.  Tori Paide and Marla Peoples are very warm and welcoming women who found a common passion for helping clients improve their health and well being. Marla has lived in Howard County for some time and has practiced acupunture for many years here as well.  Tori is new to Clarksville--she had a home built just within the past year-- and has found our community to be health conscious and welcoming.  Tori is also the owner of The Still Point in Takoma Park, Maryland.  She felt the timing was right to expand her business model and a perfect opportunity presented itself in Clarksville.  Visit their website for more information:  www.stillpointmindandbody.com. Located in the heart of Howard County, 12451 Clarksvill... 06/14/2011

Here is a fantastic snapshot view of how the housing market has been performing detailing historic home value appreciation over the past 10 years. While the recent recession has caused some short term problems, home ownership is still a great return on your investment according the the numbers. Clearly the Maryland, DC, and Virginia areas have had some of the highest appreciation in the Country. While the housing market still faces many challenges, high unemployment, foreclosures and other distress sales are keeping negative pressure on prices. This of course is good news if you are looking to buy as low rates and lower prices have brought affordability to record levels.How Affordable? -Since 1963, it has cost an average of approximately 43% of 'per capita' or individual income to finan... 04/01/2011

  Every Thursday night is "Kids Night" at the River Hill Sports Grille in Clarksville, Maryland.  The kids get half-price meals and are entertained by Wes, "The Balloon Man".  What could be better than saving money while feeding the family PLUS keeping them engaged and happy while you get to enjoy an evening out? The River Hill Sports Grille is located in the River Hill Shopping Center at 6040 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, MD 21029 and their telephone number is 410-531-7900 (you can even call for curb-side pick-up!).  Check out their website at www.RiverHillSportsGrille for their menu and live music schedule. Our favorite selections are the BBQ Brisket sandwich and the River Hill Cobb salad.  The sliders and wings are also really good!  Our kid's favorites are macaroni and cheese and th... 02/20/2011

Pudgie’s Pizza, Pasta & Subs opens for business on Thursday, February 17th.  Pudgie’s comes to us from Elmira, New York, home of the first Pudgie’s, and provides delicious homemade sauces passed down from generations of Italians. Pizza dough and rolls are made fresh daily, along with fresh salads.  Calzones and Stromboli are unique in that they are made to order—no frozen stuff here.   Franchise owners, Dan and Lori Miller, have been working hard to put this concept in place. Dan and Lori are residents of Clarksville.  The Millers have known the owners of Pudgie’s for many years. “Pudgie’s was always a favorite stop when traveling to visit relatives,” says Lori. When talk of expanding locations to Maryland, Dan and Lori thought this would be a great concept to bring home to Clarksville... 02/15/2011

Today I attended a seminar sponsored by my office at Keller Williams.  We had an opportunity to hear how Pat Hiban (a Keller Williams broker and top producer) is taking his career to new levels in these challenging times.  He went from 0 REO's in 2008 to 325 in 2010.  His is a story of determination, affirmation and believing in endless possibilities if you have the proper roadmap and action goals in place.  Pat has written a book called:  6 Steps to 7 Figures.  The first publication is due out in September 2011 and most likely will be a must read for all real estate agents--whether you specialize in REO's or not.  You can check out Pat at http://www.hiban.com.   Today's seminar really made me take a hard look at what I am doing now and how I can improve and grow.  For instance, I have ... 01/31/2011

How to get a jumbo mortgage with a 10% low down payment in Maryland, DC, or Virginia Likely if you're reading this you are frustrated that there seems to be no way to obtain a mortgage above the Fannie loan limits, normally requiring a jumbo loan.  Alternative (non-conventional) loan products are loans required for loans above $729,750 for the DC metro area (including Northern Virginia, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas, Montgomery County, Frederick County, Prince Georges County, and the District of Columbia).  Similarly, in the Baltimore metro area the limit is $560,000 (including Howard County, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City).   This has major impact for buyers in areas like Clarksville MD, Ellioctt City MD, and Annapolis MD where h... 01/31/2011