No Wonder They Sign Up For More Than One Tour Of Duty One out of five veterans (20.9 percent), under the age of 25, of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was unemployed in 2010. This is a difficult age for non-veterans, also, to find a job.  Their unemployment rate for the same period was 17.3 percent. The State of Maryland has created a job web site designed to match the military qualifications with the skills needed in non-military positions. On average, each one of the veterans' military occupational codes can be matched to seven federal occupations, and 80 percent of federal occupations can be matched to at least one military occupational code, according to state officials. Maryland Workforce Exchange "With the positions coming to our state through the Base Realignment and Closure pr... 04/29/2011

4120 Slater Avenue Nottingham, MD 21236 BALTIMORE COUNTY HOMES FOR SALE  MORE PICTURES OF 4120 SLATER AVENUE By Mike Klijanowicz - Your #1 Local Realtor CLICK HERE ANOTHER BRAND NEW SINGLE FAMILY HOME LISTING IN NOTTINGHAM, MARYLAND! THIS ONE IS UNBELIEVABLY UPDATED INSIDE & OUT! IT IS A TRUE 5 BEDROOM 3 FULL BATH HOME FEATURING: KITCHEN WITH GRANITE COUNTERS, BRAND NEW OAK CABINETS, 14X14 CERAMIC TILED FLOORS, & SS APPLIANCES, GLEAMING HARDWOOD FLOORS, 3 BRAND NEW FULL BATHROOMS WITH 14X14 CERAMIC TILED FLOORS & WALLS, DOUBLE VANITY WITH GRAINTE, 19 NEW WINDOWS, NEW A/C UNIT, NEW HOT WATER HEATER, NEW 4 CAR DRIVEWAY, NEW FULLY FINISHED BASEMENT, NEW ELECTRIC, NEW PLUMBING, FLAT REAR YARD NEWLY SEEDED, ALL PERRY HALL SCHOOLS & TOO MUCH MORE TO LIST HERE! FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRO... 04/24/2011

Home Available Again; The Buyer Just Walked Away . . . . Wait A Minute I have been seeing this phrase or something similar to it on several listings recently. "The Buyer Just Walked Away". I have had some of these buyers and they did not just walk away. Here are some examples: On a short sale, my buyer did not have forever to wait for the bank to say yes or no, so we gave them a time limit for giving their approval, a time limit of a very reasonable 60 days.  The approval did not come within 60 days, so the contract was considered null and void.  If anything, it looks like the sellers did not live up to their end of the deal.   On another short sale, my client's offer was within 10 percent of the list price and within 15 percent of what the seller owed on the house.  The offer was accep... 03/27/2011

Affordable Housing: Belmont Neighborhood of Baltimore County Belmont is a neighborhood of townhouses located in the Nottingham area of Baltimore County. Currently, there are about 20 homes on the market in this affordable neighborhood, most of which are in move in condition and several of which have been fully renovated. Nottingham, which is located in the Northeast region of Baltimore County is a highly desirable neighborhood, which boasts some of the best schools in the nation. In addtion to great schools, the neighborhood is very accessible to Interstates I-95 and I-695 as well as to Commuter Rail Lines making it convenient to Downtown Baltimore, Washington DC, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Meade, and other destinations. This is one of the safest and most pleasant regions in the Grea... 03/17/2011

Maryland: Buyers and Sellers: Real Estate Agents Must Provide This Notice -------------------------------- Understanding Whom Real Estate Agents Represent At the Time of the First Scheduled Face to Face Contact with You, the Real Estate Licensee Who is Assisting You is Required by Law to Provide this Notice to You. This Notice is Not a Contract or Agreement and Creates No Obligation on Your Part. Before you decide to sell or buy or rent a home you need to consider the following information. In this form "seller" includes "landlord"; "buyer" includes "tenant"; and "purchase" or "sale" includes "lease" Agents Who Represent the SellerSeller's Agent: A seller's agent works for the real estate company that lists and markets the property for the sellers and exclusively represents the sellers.... 03/11/2011

Four Financial Reasons To Purchase Reason 1: Interest Rate Incentive Interest rates have fallen substantially such that they are at a 50 year low. This has been fueled by investors placing their money in the secure bond market, which supports the mortgage industry instead of in the more risky stock market. On a mortgage for $250,000, the principal and interest portion of the payment is about $112.50 less than what it would have been a year ago. Over a five year period this equates to $6,750. Reason 2: Appreciation Incentive Over the historical long run, the value of real estate has appreciated in value by about 4 percent per year. This increase accounts for slow and negative periods of appreciation such as that which occurred during the recent recession.  If you have lived through other... 03/09/2011

Smart Growth and Home Values With the concept of Smart Growth, which has been a major priority in Maryland, certain areas are designated as higher density areas. Basically, by allowing higher densities in certain areas and lower densities in other areas for the construction of properties, it forces more homes to be built in the designated areas. By doing this, it can allow for more efficient infrastructure systems such as water supplies and sewerage and for the necessary transportation. Regarding transportation, the more clustered that people are, the more cost effective it can be to allow for mass transit, which helps to keep down on emissions. Also, the closer that people live together, then the more cost effective it becomes for stores and other business establishments to locate near... 02/24/2011

$7500 Available For First Time Buyers --------------------------------------------------------- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLB) 1st Time Buyer Grant funds are now available to 1st time buyers. ---------------------------------------------------------- Key Features: • 5:1 Match on Borrower's funds up to $7500 • Minimum borrower contribution of $500 • Must meet the first-time buyer requirement as defined by the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act • Household income must not exceed 80% Area Median Income • Home-buying education required • Funds are first-come, first-served ------------------------------------------------------------ A first-time homebuyer is an individual who meets any one of the following criteria:     An individual who has had no ownership in a... 02/19/2011

Northrop Grumman is now accepting applications for the engineering scholarship competition. Every year for the past nine years, Northrop Grumman has awarded one scholarship to a student in each of Maryland's 24 school systems. These scholarships are presented in support of promising high school seniors who will be pursuing careers in engineering related fields. The student must plan to attend an engineering program at a four-year accredited university. The application deadline is March 31, 2011.  If you would like additional information, please contact Marie Osborne from Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Community Outreach at (410) 765-9983 or via email atmarie.osborne@ngc.com . You may also go to the following website: http://www.es.northropgrumman.com/community/engscholars Question... 02/19/2011

FHLB 1st Time Buyer Grant The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLB) 1st Time Buyer Grant funds are now available to 1st time buyers. A first-time homebuyer is an individual who meets any one of the following criteria:   An individual who has had no ownership in a principal residence during the 3-year period ending on the date of purchase of the property. This includes a spouse (if either meets the above test, they are considered first-time homebuyers.   A single parent who has only owned with a former spouse while married.   An individual who is a displaced homemaker and has only owned with a spouse.   An individual who has only owned a principal residence not permanently affixed to a permanent foundation in accordance with applicable regulations.   An individual who has only owned a... 01/24/2011

Homes For Sale in Nottingham, Maryland Nottingham, located in the Northeast region of Baltimore County, is one of the most highly sought after neighborhoods in the entire Greater Baltimore area. The schools are among the best in the State of Maryland, which has the highest ranked public academic system in the country. There is an eclectic selection of homes, which includes spacious and stately individual homes, many different styles, such as colonials, cape cods, ranchers, split levels and so on, townhouses, some with ornate brick fronts and two car garages, modern condominiums and more. From almost any home within the area, it is only about a five to ten minute trip to any major super market or retail store, with the very popular White Marsh Mall as a central location for much of these... 01/17/2011

Maryland Public Schools: Number One Again The State of Maryland has consistently been creating jobs and maintaining a much higher rate of employment than most states in the country. Along with these many high technology jobs comes the highest per capita income in the entire country. This has not happened by luck, but rather by recognizing the importance of education. Maryland has several colleges ranked among those which provide the best value to their students. Additionally, for the third consecutive year, the public education system of Maryland has been ranked number one in the nation by an independent analysis conducted by Education Week. So come and join us in Maryland where you will experience the highest quality of life imaginable. THREE IN A ROW FOR MARYLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS 01/15/2011

Homes in the White Marsh Region Of Baltimore County In Northeast Baltimore County you will find one of the most desirable areas in the entire Greater Baltimore Region. There is a wide range of homes from old to new with varying lot sizes such that you are sure to find a home which suits your tastes. Here are just a few of the homes available in the region.  ----------------------------------------------------- Enjoy Olden Times and Modern Times Together in This Classic Colonial This is an enjoyable house both inside and outside. Sit on the covered front porch and listen to the many wild birds which inhabit the region, while you are shielded from the quiet road by a line of privacy trees.  Or relax on the spacious rear deck and enjoy acres of unobstructed views. In the warmer months you ... 01/15/2011

Mortgage Interest Rate Versus Mortgage Interest Deduction There has been much discussion lately about the possible elimination of the mortgage interest deduction (MID). This home purchasing incentive has been around for nearly a hundred years and it does provide a very strong incentive for some people to purchase a home. Of course, if it does disappear, people will still need places to live, so they will still want to purchase homes. This leads to a discussion of other factors which impact the home purchase. Naturally, price is one of those factors.  It was a factor with the MID and it will be a factor with the elimination of the MID.  Possibly the price of homes will drop slightly if the MID is eliminated. However, the point to be made here regards the mortgage interest rate factor. Ov... 12/21/2010

Coming Soon to Nottingham Maryland: Rancher in Linhigh All brick rancher sits on a third of an acre in the beautiful neighborhood of Linhigh. Spacious covered front porch, fully fenced rear yard, garage, driveway, and plenty of parking in lightly traveled court location. Main level includes three bedrooms, formal living room, separate dining room, and eat-in kitchen. Lower level has second kitchen giving it potential for a separate living quarters. Call Ron Trzcinski at 410-935-5844 today to get in line for this very well maintained gem of a home. Mortgage interest rates are going up so it would be prudent to get your financing lined up now while the rates are still extremely low.   12/21/2010

Paint The Foyer Much discussion is given to the topic of what to do in order to prepare a house for the market. Some advice which usually comes from this discussion is that painting the house is one of the least expensive preparations which can be done for one of the highest returns on investment. However, even though this is one of the least costly of home improvements, it is still not always affordable.  The home owner may simply not have the money available. There may be equity in the house, but that does little good until it is converted into cash which can be used to pay the painting contractor. A compromise, which is frequently used in this situation is for the buyer to state that a "paint allowance" will be given.  With this technique, the seller is agreeing to give a portion of ... 12/16/2010

The Wait Is Over There you are standing with thousands of other people waiting and hoping that things will change for the better.  Eventually, you become discouraged.  All of your hoping and praying seems to not be helping.  You decide to move onto other pursuits. . . . . and then you hear on the radio "Touchdown, and the gap has been cut to 21 points.  It's still a long way to go." . . . . "He pulls it in at the corner of the end zone, touchdown!  Now the game is becoming more respectable." . . . . "He gets a block on the outside, and has a clear field, he scores!  It's a one score game!" . . . . "He catches the punt, moves to his left, breaks a tackle, nobody is going to catch him, the game is all tied up." . . . . "The field goal is good and they win in overtime!" Oh my!  Was that ex... 12/14/2010

Will You Pay Higher Rent To Be in A Better School District? A recent study was performed in New York City, which shows that there is a strong correlation between higher performing schools and higher rental areas. The study, conducted by Eastern Consolidated, compared the test scores for elementary grades 3 and 5 to the average multifamily rental prices in the schools' areas. In almost every case, there was a strong correlation showing higher rental values in the neighborhoods with higher performing schools. One might ask, which came first, the better schools or the higher rents. One might, also, ask, whether it had more to do with the families who chose to move to certain neighborhoods. Although there is a strong relationship, it may be a secondary relationship which is the result of so... 12/05/2010

Putting Someone Else Down Does Not Raise You Up If you truly have a superior product, then it will rise to the top on its own merits. By putting down other firms, by name, you may temporarily move to the top, but it does not make your product or service any better. There is a good chance that you will ultimately fall behind because you choose to bring another down instead of raising yourself up. Certainly it may be okay to point out what you offer and let the savvy consumers in the free market recognize on their own that you have a better product. In the real estate market there is a place for the full service brokerage and for the brokerage which offers a menu of services from which one can choose. There is a place for a "discount" brokerage if the consumers find appropriate value in t... 12/05/2010

Sir Isaac Newton, Motivational Guru Sir Isaac Newton, a scientist, may not have been a real estate agent, but, as it turns out, he may have been a motivational guru. Many people are aware of Newton's Laws of Motion.  But could these laws actually be motivational guidelines for successful real estate agents. Law One An object at rest will stay at rest, while an object in motion will stay in motion. Have you been sitting by the phone waiting for a call or a text, or by the computer waiting for an email, or by the door waiting for a knock?  Sorry, but an object at rest will stay at rest.   Have you been on the move trying to make things happen?  Good for you; you have the momentum going that will eventually lead to business. Law Two The more force that you apply to something of a certain m... 11/27/2010