It may be a little early to start putting the champagne on ice, but looking over last week’s releases of housing reports gives us a fairly good idea of how our Hagerstown housing picture for the year 2012 is likely to end up. “The housing recovery that started earlier in 2012 continues to gain momentum,” according to CoreLogic’s Chief Economist. The monthly data report covered final national numbers for October (a year-over-year rise of 6.3%) as well as a probable 7.1% increase for the month just ended. CoreLogic was also “seeing an ongoing strengthening of the residential housing market” as well as “improving buyer demand.” Washington County housing watchers might have assumed that the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy would have put a big dent in the national outlook, but apparently that ... 12/12/2012

  Although success is never personally handed to anyone, it is possible to invite it to your doorstep. With the proper training and motivation, anyone can become successful in life. So successful, that you will begin to wonder why you waited so long to get involved. If you are looking for your blueprint to success, Commercial Property Advisers can show you how it is done. We can guide you in the discovery of your life goals or enable you to realize those goals that you have already identified for yourself.   12/11/2012

Buyers’agent, sellers’agent. In every Hagerstown real estate transaction, the differences are easy to understand, right? Not quite. A potential linguistic trapdoor can lie right around the corner. For openers, that sellers' agent may also be called the ‘listing agent’ – both mean the same thing. The ‘trapdoor’ is a further complication that comes into play once a contract is in place -- after which the buyer’s agent may also properly be called the ‘selling’ agent! The potential confusion between seller’s agent and selling agent doesn’t usually have much practical significance: after all, by then, everyone should know the cast of characters and who represents whom. But it can come into play if buyer or seller are not actually present here in Hagerstown to keep the names and duties sorte... 12/10/2012

With the rancorous elections finally behind us and Hagerstown property prices on the rise, public sentiment is markedly improving. Last week, Neilson released its Consumer Confidence Survey, now showing the strongest level in more than four and a half years. My guess is that 2012 will likely mark the year that holiday tipping makes a comeback, too. “People are more generous this year because when the economy gets better, people do better.” is what international etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore had to say. The founder of the Protocol School of Palm Beach added, “They tend to be happier around the holiday time.” That’s true outside of Palm Beach, too: many Washington County homeowners who felt forced to become latter day Scrooges during the previous few years may be feeling slightly l... 12/06/2012

I have been wondering why I have been getting very high electric bills for a couple months now, I normally get home in the evenings and the first thing I notice is that all lights are on in the house!! If I see a light on in a room that is not being used, it actually bothers me and I have to go turn it off, but there is a very different story with my wife and two kids!!! They are very hard to train LOL, they need every single light on in the house, finally I'm giving up!!! The only time I have control is at bedtime!! Yes, they are sleeping so I’m the king of the house and everything is off except an exterior light in my driveway and a nightstand, anyway I'm used to the high bills but the past 2 months the bills are extremely high!!! Today I finally have find out the truth, let’s see, tw... 12/05/2012

Condominiums in Hagerstown continue to offer unique attractions for all kinds of homebuyers -- not least because of their often ultra-competitive price points. Nationally, condos continue to be real bargains -- statistics show them to continue to underperform the rest of the housing market, which translates into a tempting value proposition to home hunters with economy on their minds. That local condos for sale may still offer top-notch value is, historically speaking, not a surprise. Often, condos are the first part of the market to register price drops (and slower than other segments to recover). The NAR confirms the national trend, with existing single-family home prices rising 10.2% from a year earlier, while existing condos’ and co-ops’ rose a bit more than 3%. Does that mean that ... 12/04/2012

When you check into the latest realty listings in Hagerstown, you come away with an accurate snapshot our current market. But when you are thinking of the future, and where values might be headed, it’s also useful to think nationally. Useful, yes: but careful! There is a tendency to mentally equate the equities market averages – Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq – with the real estate market. They are certainly related: one of the causes of the 2008 Dow plunge was the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market, which led to the glut of foreclosed homes in realty listings. Yet, the two markets are far from identical. According to Yale University professor Robert Shiller, the number one driver of the value of realty listings is momentum. If the prices of homes are following an upward trend, they are ... 12/03/2012

A public information meeting was held on October 9, 2012 to present the latest news and progress on the new Multi-Use Sports and Events Center, where the community gathered to address their questions and concerns and to support the project. Here is a video with a summary that will answer must of the questions and a link to download all the material CLICK HERE FOR MATERIALS   Click here for Materials      11/30/2012

  Besides a Tax Break, Inflation Protection and the stream of Income a real estate investment is a tangible asset that you can see and touch. While the value of stocks can be artificially inflated and people can steal from a brokerage account, real estate is relatively safe from fraudulent schemes. Real estate is also a finite resource. While unlimited competitors can enter the market and compete against any given company and cause the value of its stock to decline, there is only so much real estate to compete against your investment. More     11/29/2012

Section 8 Rental Housing   The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides housing assistance to very low-income families and individuals throughout the United States. The Section 8 rental certificate program uses a voucher system in which the applicant is approved for a certain number of bedrooms. HUD provides the funding for the program but works with the local public housing authority or government agency in each state to coordinate and administer the program. The tenant finds his own rental property and the agency pays the landlord the difference between the tenant’s portion of the rent and the contract rent. The tenant is responsible for paying the landlord the balance. The vouchers are portable and can be used in any area; the house doesn’t have to be located n... 11/29/2012

You are a newlywed couple in your late 20’s with decent jobs, respectable income, and reasonable credit. You’ve started your search to buy a home in Hagerstown, but when you walk into the bank to pre-qualify for a loan, to your surprise, you find out… NOT! You’re not alone. The Federal Reserve studied the problem, and found that in the three years between 2009-2011, just 9% of youngsters between the ages of 29-34 were able to qualify for a first-time mortgage. It had been 17% only 10 years earlier. It’s no wonder that many have sought alternative financing routes to buy a home, which is why mortgage co-signing is becoming more and more common. Yet before buying a home in Hagerstown via this route, it’s important to have the consequences – good and bad – squarely before you. Advantages T... 11/29/2012

According to a recent survey, nine out of ten REALTORS® believe that clients who make improvements before selling a house are more likely to secure a successful sale. Why, you may wonder, would anyone take the trouble to run a survey to discover anything that obvious? Possibly because of a follow-up question Realty Times came up with: 65.9% of real estate agents – virtually two out of three – agree that a common mistake among homeowners is not making "the right" home improvements for the local market. Uh-oh! Remodeling in the wrong direction can cost you twice! If it’s such a common mistake, it’s safe to say it might be best to consult an agent before rolling up your sleeves (or opening your checkbook). Active Hagerstown agents are constantly noting what features are popular with prospe... 11/27/2012

According to the non-profit Demand Institute, this year nearly 35% of housing in the United States is now categorized as rental property. In Washington County as elsewhere, some of these properties belong to “accidental” landlords -- folks who had to relocate for professional or other reasons, but didn’t (or couldn’t) sell. Many others decided to buy investment properties when the prices of homes dropped so dramatically. One way or another, this fall a good many of our Hagerstown neighbors find themselves in the position of owning rental property for the first time. What all new and long-time Hagerstownlandlords have in common is the simple need to secure a trouble-free tenancy – which in many cases means securing professional property management. If you have a rental property yet are o... 11/27/2012

Hey Capital – Wake Up! It is better to own real estate than to not own real estate. If you disagree with this, then stop reading now. In fact, if you disagree with this statement, there are a number of brokers and buyers who would love to help you get out of the real estate game. For those of you who are still reading, here is the question: Why have you not bought more real estate in today’s market? Waking up your capital by buying more property today makes a great deal of sense. Let’s look into why. Not owning property costs you money! Money market accounts at most local banks pay almost no interest, and one year CD’s pay about 1 percent. On the other hand, money invested in an apartment building purchased today should provide about a 9% cash-on-cash return. In other words, if you put ... 11/26/2012

Hagerstown Business Center Cost effective working Solution Office Suites HagerstownBusiness Center has many options to suit any budget and any working style. Working in a dynamic network of professionals, Flexible to grow, downsize or relocate for business large or small we provide professional, cost effective office space Short or long term lease Furnished and fully equipped private offices A private, shared or open-plan workspace Professional receptionist High Speed Internet Access Phone equipment and with voicemail 24/7 Office Access via keycard during non-business hours Conference Room Immediate occupancy maintenance, and utilities Business Address Community Kitchen / Lounge with coffee, tea and water. Furnished Lobby offers your clients a relaxing waiting area furnished with a fla... 11/25/2012

Back in the day when home foreclosures in Hagerstown were truly rare, people who had just gone through one had little knowledge of what the ultimate repercussions would be. Although home foreclosures are still to be avoided if at all possible, the circumstances that created many recent ones are often understandable. Just about everyone in and out of the banking and real estate industries has seen otherwise responsible individuals fall victim to outside economic conditions. Understandable though individual home foreclosures may be, future lenders will still follow hard and fast guidelines. If home foreclosures -- in Hagerstown or elsewhere -- are in your recent past, putting yourself back on the right track to home ownership will take close attention to the credit-building basics you may... 11/25/2012

Virtual Tour Inventory Widget Last month, 181 million people watched more than 39 billion online videos, according to industry scorekeeper comScore. The skyrocketing popularity of YouTube, Vimeo and their competitors has been increasing ever since our home computers started becoming agile enough to turn those original jerky, often-freezing “pretend” movies into today’s TV-quality (or better!) online videos. No wonder, then, that for homeowners in Hagerstown, virtual tours have become such a powerful marketing tool. Videos take time to watch, and search engines reward web destinations when they hold prospects’ attention. That’s why presenting a virtual tour can markedly increase a property’s online visibility. There’s more: Virtual tours convince a wider audience. Out-of-towners give mo... 11/23/2012

RG REALTY is pleased to announce that as of January 1st, 2013, we will be moving to our new office location. Our office will now be located at the Hagerstown Business Center 113 South Potomac Street in Hagerstown right across from the new Public Library located in the revitalized Arts & Entertainment District where we will be offering a One-stop shop for all your real estate needs with a vast menu of services including: Acquisition, Sales & Commercial and Residential Property Marketing and Leasing to Property Management. Please stop by and visit us 11/23/2012

Staging Works!  Here is an example work that a staging expert will do for your home increasing the value transforming your home into a property that will sell faster and for more money. Staging is the first step when getting ready to sell your home, Find out about how staging your home is crucial when selling real estate, for more information and before and after pictures visit Staged Above FREE home staging consultation with every new listing 11/21/2012

Lately, as national home values have continued to rise, area homeowners have had reason to feel a lot more comfortable with the part of their portfolio that Hagerstown me values represent. You didn’t have to be thinking of buying or selling to welcome the turnaround. Of course, homeowners don’t need to feel like helpless prisoners of overall trends when it comes to their own home values. Home improvement projects can significantly raise those values. Yet the opposite is possible -- although it rarely happens, in the worst cases, projects gone wrong can actually damage underlying home values! Here are some important areas to bear in mind when you are evaluating potential contractors. If you make them a part of your interviewing process, the candidates will know you have your eye on the b... 11/20/2012