Maryland: Cyber Security; Bigger Than BRAC With the military's Base Relocation and Closure Initiative (BRAC), Maryland is experiencing an influx of jobs in the range of 25,000 plus.  This growth should continue through 2011 with the bulk of the jobs going to either Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County or Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County. However, Maryland officials have been pursuing the Cyber Security industry, which is expected to be, over time, bigger than BRAC.  The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development is developing an action plan. This is one more sign that Maryland is out of the recession for the long term. Cyber security expected to have bigger impact on Maryland than BRAC 06/26/2010

Is The Pay Scheme For Real Estate Agents That Unique? Real estate agents typically only get paid when a sale closes. There are often times, when an agent will put numerous hours into working with a client or customer, but end up with no sale and, hence, no pay. The agent may spend large amounts of money, including time if you were to give it a dollar value. They will spend money on signs, brochures, and advertisements. Just to be in the business, they will spend money on licensing fees, continuing education costs, association dues, multiple listing service costs, lock box fees, and on and on. All of these efforts and costs show up as expenses on their accounting ledgers and not one of them shows up as revenue. These expenses all occur prior to getting a sale, and, therefore, based upon ... 06/25/2010

Interest Rate Factor Chart This chart will help you to calculate your monthly principal and interest payment for a 15 or a 30 year term loan. Here is how it works: Find the appropriate interest rate. Find the column for the desired term of the loan. The number that corresponds to that term and that interest rate is the interest rate factor. This is the amount required each month to amortize $1,000 over the specified term. Example: Interest Rate: 4.75%; Term: 30 Years; Interest Rate Factor = $5.22 Divide the loan amount by $1,000. Example: Loan Amount: $150,000; $150,000 / $1000 = 150 Multiply the interest rate factor (Line 3) by the amount of thousands borrowed (Line 4) Example: $5.22 x 150 = $783.00 This number ($783) represents the principal and interest portion of the monthly payment... 06/23/2010

How Much Can You Afford? Before shopping for a house, it is important that you determine how much house you can afford. If you can afford up to $250,000, then it would be a waste of your time if you were to look at houses which were priced much above that amount. Alternatively, although you do not want to spend too much money, you can determine how high you can go rather than limiting yourself to an arbitrary lower number. Keep in mind, that when I talk about "How much you can afford", that for any given person the number may be different, since people have varying comfort levels and varying financial goals, which are beyond just purchasing a house. In this exercise, I will show you how to determine the amount that you can afford for an FHA type of loan.  You should realize that this is... 06/22/2010

Maryland: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs For the third consecutive month, Maryland has shown an increase in new jobs. There were 4,800 jobs created in the private sector, which is more than 10% of the nation's 41,000 jobs created.  Maryland only has 2% of the nation's population. Certainly, with three straight months of growth, Maryland is in a strong recovery phase after the recession. Overall, counting federal jobs, employers added 11,200 jobs in May.  Almost every job category showed an increase. Maryland's unemployment rate dropped by .3% after a decrease of .2% in the previous month.  The unemployment rate remains far below the national average. For the fifth consecutive month, the number of unemployment claims decreased, which is a sure sign that layoffs have significantly slowed.  The improvem... 06/22/2010

Benefits of a Home Warranty A home warranty may be a good investment when selling your house. Here are some of the benefits of selling a home with a home warranty: The seller does not have to pay for the warranty until the home sells and goes to settlement. If the home does not sell, then the seller never has to purchase the warranty. The warranty is in effect during the listing period, so the seller can use it if something happens prior to a sale or prior to settlement. The warranty is transferable to the buyer and is good for a one year period; the buyer can renew the warranty. The warranty covers most major systems in a house.  This includes appliances, heating and air conditioning systems, electrical and plumbing, water heaters, and such.  There is usually a limitation on roof cover... 06/19/2010

Are You Getting a Good Deal? A few years ago the real estate market was in very good condition.  Prices were rising at extraordinary rates.  Interest rates were low, so these properties were still affordable even at higher prices.  Lots of people were selling and lots of people were buying.  Many people were skeptical about this boom in prices, referring to it as a bubble and asking when it would burst.  Indeed, it did burst.  Prices began to come down. While prices were coming down, many people were reluctant to believe that values were coming down as well.  What used to be an appreciating product in most markets was now a depreciating product in most markets.  Real estate was losing value almost at the rate that an automobile would lose value. The slow acknowledgment of this changed m... 06/19/2010

Agency?  I Just Want to Buy a House Real estate agents know the importance and the benefits of agency to any given buyer. However, when the topic is brought up to a potential buyer, frequently, their eyes glaze over and they wonder why the agent is talking about this seemingly unrelated topic. After all, they just want to buy a house, not have a class on the laws of agency. But if they understand that one, their interests can be represented when they have an agency agreement and, two, that they can potentially save thousands of dollars by having an agent represent them, then their ears may perk up. Here are some differences between being represented and not being represented Seller Agency This is where the agent represents the seller and not the buyer.  They can still work with the buye... 06/17/2010

Growing The Right Things In An Economy The growth of an economy can be measured.  In fact, many things in an economy can be measured and they are. However, what is critical is that we understand what the measures mean.  For instance, some economic growth may not be good, because it may be related to a negative element of our society. If crime in society increases, then so might police forces.  The more criminals that are caught, the more detention centers that may be needed, which may lead to economic growth related to the construction of jails. If more violent crime exists, then more hospital emergency care is needed. If more arson, or fire related to un-maintained buildings occurs, then there is a higher need for firefighters and fire fighting equipment. If more urban sprawl takes pla... 06/11/2010

Greater Baltimore: Job Growth Looks Strong A strong real estate market is fueled by a strong and growing economy, with many job opportunities. A survey of several companies in the Greater Baltimore area indicates that, indeed, the prospects for hiring or maintaining current employment levels are very strong. Some key industries which should experience this excellent job market are construction, durable goods manufacturing, financial services, professional services, education and health services, and hospitality.Important to note, is that this is above the already strong market for government related jobs. This strong job market, in a growing economy, coupled with extremely low interest rates and low home prices should lead to a very good real estate market. Baltimore-area hiring outlook... 06/08/2010

Virtual Renovation Buyers will often buy a house based upon their emotional feel for the property. This is one of the reasons that it is difficult to sell a fixer upper type of property to a regular buyer, as compared to an investor. There are renovation loans available such as the FHA 203k for rundown properties.  Additionally, even after the renovations are done, the price can be lower than buying a home which is already in good condition. But for so many buyers, the emotion never hits them when they see the house in its dilapidated condition.  They have difficulty imagining the finished product. One thing that has happened for good homes is staging, but not just staging at the actual house but rather staging online or virtual staging. The concept of virtual staging can be expanded, s... 06/03/2010

$2500 Per Year For TEN Years What is this incredible offer? I am talking about $2500 per year for ten years. Actually, this amount may vary; it could be more or it could be less. Additionally, it will probably last for more than ten years. How do I determine my eligibility? Do you qualify to get a mortgage? If so then you are a candidate for this special offer. Just give me a call and I can put you in touch with a reputable lender to determine your abilty to qualify for a mortgage and for how much.  There is no cost for you to perform this easy step. Who pays for this program? This offer is courtesy of your government. No, this is not the same as the now expired tax credit, which received so much publicity. In fact, this offer has been available for some time now, but has not been recei... 06/02/2010

Transportation: More Money For Biking and Walking U.S. Sec. of Transportation Ray LaHood turned transportation policy on its head with a declaration that pedestrians and cyclists should be treated as equals with drivers.  That means federal dollars for more projects geared toward walking and cycling. In an interview with NPR, LaHood stated: "I think what you see here in Washington, D.C., as you tool down Pennsylvania Avenue. They've put all-new bike lanes in there. Go up on 14th Street in D.C., where they've put bike lanes in. What it means is that communities decide that there are lots of people who want to bike on streets. In order to make it safe, you paint a lane down the street and make sure that it can be safe and - so that people then begin to pay attention to these bicyclists. A... 06/01/2010

Baltimore County: The Linhigh Report Communities within the Greater Baltimore Region can change within relatively small distances. In Nottingham, which is in zip code 21236, one can find homes priced around $750,000, but can, also, find homes priced much more modestly. The good thing about the lower priced homes is that the neighborhoods are just as safe and just as attractive as the higher priced homes. Additionally, the homes are all in the excellent Baltimore County school system. One of these lower priced neighborhoods is Linhigh, which is just inside the Beltway (I-695) along Belair Road. It is very convenient to shopping, entertainment, hospitals, colleges, and employment centers. So when a buyer is looking for a home in that part of town, it is important to know that there are ho... 05/28/2010

ALERT: SPAM Has Infiltrated ActiveRain I would occassionally get these emails sent to me but they would be captured by my SPAM filter, but now, I have received as a comment to an ActiveRain blog of mine the following: Comment by ReplicaWatches: Maybe if you want to save your money on brand watches as Rolex Watches, IWC Watches, D&G Watches, Bell&Ross Watches, Omega Watches, Gucci Watches, then you can buy the Replica Watches, Replica Rolex Watches, for instance, in our online store. These Fake Watches, such as Fake Rolex Watches, are much cheaper then the originals, so hurry to buy the wonderful fashion Fake Watches. The hottest brands you can find like A.Dunhill Watches, Fendi Watches, Piaget Watches, Guess Watches, Fortis Watches, Breguet Watches, Audemars Piguet Watches, Watch Access... 05/27/2010

If You Want It Done Right . . . You know the start of the phrase.  But, what is the end of the phrase? It's a common phrase, so the ending flows right out of our mouth, but is the second part, which we believe that we know, always correct. Obviously, we want things to be done right, so would the complete phrase be: If you want it done right, then do it yourself. Does your car need tires, put them on yourself. Does your house need a new roof, put it on yourself. Do you need some meat, go butcher a cow yourself. Do you need a new car, go build one yourself. Do you need a new house, go build one yourself. Do you need a heart by pass, go do it yourself. For some of you and for some of these things you might be the most capable person for the job, but it is highly unlikely that you can do al... 05/26/2010

No More Urban Sprawl? Did the government encourage urban sprawl or did they just respond to the lifestyles of the American people? An elaborate system of expressways was constructed throughout the country.  The primary purpose was to allow for easy movement of military vehicles.  However, this extensive road network, also, made it much easier to commute longer distances.  Today, these expressways are congested and contribute to long and expensive commutes. This and other actions may have contributed to urban sprawl, but it was not intentional.  Now, HUD is talking of intentionally taking actions to reverse urban sprawl. Previously, the cost of transportation was not one of the qualifying factors for receiving a loan, but now there is talk of including it. Transportation is one of our bi... 05/26/2010

As Real Estate Goes, So Goes The Economy May 2010 In recent days and weeks, investors were busy watching the Euro and bailouts of severely struggling economies like that of Greece. Investors had been almost wholly concentrating on whether steep budget cuts to manage rising debt in European countries would slow a global economic recovery in the coming months. This negative news led the stock market to steep declines. However, they may have been missing a more important indicator of the health of the economy.  That indicator is the real estate market. The Commerce Department reported that sales of new single-family homes rose 14.8 percent in April to an annual rate of 504,000 units. That followed a 29.8 percent rise in March that was the biggest increase in 47 years. The latest gain is we... 05/26/2010

Maryland: Job Gains; Unemployment Drops The State of Maryland continues to lead the nation out of the recession. Alexander M. Sanchez, the state's labor secretary, stated "The job creation in the last three months is the largest three-month job creation in Maryland in more than 20 years," and "New claims for unemployment benefits have fallen more than 40 percent in the last six months - that's another extremely positive sign." Employers add 8,200 jobs in April in another sign of recovery   05/24/2010

Stocks Are Down; Invest In Real Estate Rates have improved this week as stocks plunged on worries about the European markets and its effect on the global economy. Concerns about how the European debt crisis and a slumping euro will impact the economic recovery fueled a flight to quality and a dramatic sell off in the U.S. stock markets. Investors are flocking to bonds, seen as a safe spot to park their cash in times of economic volatility. With interest rates in the 4%'s, buying a home is actually more affordable and makes more long term financial sense this week than it did before the tax incentive expired. Home prices are at their low in the cyclical real estate market, while interest rates are lower than most people have seen in their lifetimes. With the volatile stock market plummet... 05/21/2010