Who is in Control? We were supposed to go to settlement on Monday, the 23rd of the month. The week prior to that the Buyer's Agent says that they may need an extension for 2 to 3 days, which possibly would put us at Thursday the 26th.  He states that because the bank just received the appraisal that it delayed the processing of the loan. For the most part this is not a problem, although the Seller states that if he knew that settlement would be delayed, then he would not have paid people to help him to move. The lender states that they have everything that they need from the Buyer and in fact that he has loan commitment. The title company has done its work, except for that portion which requires the loan package from the lender. Thursday comes and the bank has not yet provided a clear t... 07/26/2018

Innocent Boy Caught on Camera? There was a posting on nextdoor.com. The lady indicated that a package had been stolen from outside of her home. She has a camera surveillance system. She posts three photos of a teenage boy. The presumption is that this boy is the thief. In none of these photos is there any evidence of a package.  There is no package on the porch, the steps, the surrounding area, and not in the boy's possession. Someone took note that in one of the photos he was on a scooter and in another photo he left the scooter on the grass in a common area. Why was the boy there?  Here are some possibilities.  He was selling magazines to pay for his way through college.He was letting homeowners know that a general contractor for whom he works was doing work down the street, so if the... 07/10/2018

Fireworks, Yard Sale, and Coming to the Market Soon The Fireworks are in Fullerton Park.  From the Beltway, I-695, take the Belair Road exit, to Fullerton Avenue.  This is the 55th year for the Fireworks.  This big event is supported by the nearby communities of Linover, Overlea, Elmwood-Belmar, and the neighbors in Perry Hall, White Marsh, Parkville, Rosedale, and Northeast Baltimore City.  The fireworks display will start at about 9:15pm on July 4th.  Come early with your blankets and chairs and get a good spot to see the show.  You might want to bring bug spray as well.   While you are there, perhaps early, because you are also attending a back yard cookout with friends and family, or, perhaps early, because you want to make sure that you have a place to park, then you might want to ... 07/02/2018

First Thing I'll Do Is Knock Down This Wall People like open living spaces.  Many new houses are designed with open designs, but many older homes have more segmented designs. A statement that is often made by a buyer when looking at an older home is "First Thing I'll Do Is Knock Down This Wall". Unfortunately, if they don't do it right then the next thing that they will do is watch the house fall down.. Some walls are just partitions while other walls actually are load bearing walls. Unless you have some engineering, or architectural knowledge, then before taking out a wall, you should probably consult with one of these structural experts. A load bearing wall will typically run perpendicular to the joists.  If you go into the basement of the house and find a set of joists running from t... 06/19/2018

Don't Base Your Offer on the List Price I was approached by a prospective buyer about a listing that I had which was priced at $200,000. The buyer asked if the seller would take $150,000. I hesitated, with a perplexed look, and took a moment to look at the listing.  I asked the buyer why he would offer $150,000 when it is priced at $200,000. He said he just wanted to know if they would go that low. I told him that I did not know, but that they would probably consider an offer of $250,000. He looked at me with a perplexed look and said why would I offer $250,000, when they are only asking $200,000. Probably you would not offer that much, but now you can see why it can look just as ridiculous to offer way below list price. However, that little anecdote aside, the question still remains as... 06/10/2018

A zillow Listing: Way Underpriced and Not Actually on the Market My client called me about a house that they found on zillow. Zillow deceptively makes it look as if the house is on the market and available for purchase. If you read far enough, you find that the house was foreclosed upon and that it will be on the market in the future.  It is not on the market now. They state an estimate, not the way out of whack zestimate, but an even further out of whack prediction for how much the house will sell.  The person seeking a home is led to believe that this is the current asking price of the home. Their prediction is about 1/6 the amount for which it sold 1.5 years ago (the market has been appreciating since that time), about 1/6 of the estimate of value from 2 other real estate sites, abou... 06/09/2018

Townhomes for Sale in Belmont South | Nottingham, MD - May 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Belmont South neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the May 2018 full market report of townhomes for sale in Belmont South, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Townhomes in Belmont SouthIn the past 6 months, only 1 property has sold in Belmont South. It was a 3-bed, 1-bath Townhome for $165,000.Belmont South Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (March) as compared to the 5-year April average. The market supply is 1 month, which indicates the total number of months it would take for the current inventory to sel... 06/08/2018

Homes for Sale in Linhigh | Nottingham, MD - May 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Linhigh neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the May 2018 full market report of homes for sale in Linhigh, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Homes in LinhighIn the past 6 months, 0 properties have sold in Linhigh ranging from a -bed, -bath, and -half bath for $, to a -bed, -bath, and -half bath for $,.Linhigh Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (March) as compared to the 5-year April average. The market supply is 4 months, which indicates the total number of months it would take for the current inventory to sell. Th... 06/08/2018

Homes for Sale in Oakhurst | Nottingham, MD - May 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the May 2018 full market report of homes for sale in Oakhurst, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Homes in OakhurstIn the past 6 months, 2 properties have sold in Oakhurst ranging from a 3-bed, 2-bath, and 2-half bath Townhome for $208,000 to a 3-bed, 2.5-bath Detached for $329,900.Oakhurst Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (March) as compared to the 5-year April average. The market supply is 0.4 months, which indicates the total number of months it would take for the ... 06/08/2018

Homes for Sale in Ridgelys Choice | Nottingham, MD - May 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Ridgelys Choice neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the May 2018 full market report of homes for sale in Ridgelys Choice, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Homes in Ridgelys ChoiceIn the past 6 months, 0 properties have sold in Ridgelys Choice ranging from a -bed, -bath, and -half bath for $, to a -bed, -bath, and -half bath for $,.Ridgelys Choice Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (March) as compared to the 5-year April average. The market supply is 0.5 months, which indicates the total number of months i... 06/08/2018

Homes for Sale in Southfld At Whitemarsh | Nottingham, MD - May 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Southfld At Whitemarsh neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the May 2018 full market report of homes for sale in Southfld At Whitemarsh, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Homes in Southfld At WhitemarshIn the past 6 months, 2 properties have sold in Southfld At Whitemarsh ranging from a 2-bed, 2-bath Condo for $150,000 to a 3-bed, 1.5-bath Townhome for $240,000.Southfld At Whitemarsh Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (March) as compared to the 5-year April average. The market supply is 0 months, whi... 06/08/2018

Homes for Sale in Nottingham, MD - May 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Nottingham neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the May 2018 full market report of homes for sale in Nottingham, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Homes in NottinghamIn the past 6 months, 20 properties have sold in Nottingham ranging from a 4-bed, 2-bath Detached for $149,000 to a 4-bed, 2.5-bath Detached for $371,152.Nottingham Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (March) as compared to the 5-year April average. The market supply is 1.4 months, which indicates the total number of months it would take for the current inventory... 06/08/2018

Have You Claimed Your House? Well quite naturally you have claimed your house.  It's your house! Of course, it is your house, once you get past others that have taken it over such as kids, pets, spouses, accumulated stuff, weeds, ants, and whatnot and whonot. I am not talking about deeds and titles, but rather, I am talking about those real estate web sites like zillow and trulia and such. If you google your house, you will find that it is already on these web sites.  I do not know who gave them permission to put your house on these sites, but nevertheless, there you will find it. Not only, will you find your house on these sites, but they have the added gall to ask you if you wish to "claim" your house. There is some value in claiming your house on these sites, especially if you are tr... 05/31/2018

Low Mortgage Rates; High Home Affordability Mortgage interest rates are still relatively low. They are, for most buyers, less than 4.5%. If you couple this with a good economy, where wages are rising, then you have a high affordability for home buyers. This means that it is easier to get a good price for your home. When you add in the fact that there is currently a low inventory of homes on the market, then it further increases the likelihood that you will get a good price for your home. If you would like to sell your home, then feel free to call Ron Trzcinski at 410-935-5844.   05/31/2018

Pricing Strategy of Underpricing a Listing Misleads Some Buyers I received a call about a property that was priced at $99,000.  The buyer was looking for something priced at $100,000 or less and this property was in a preferred location for her and was a property that interested her greatly.  She questioned whether the price was correct. I checked the listing and figured that it was worth at least $450,000 and maybe as much as $650,000.  It was not listed as a foreclosure, a short sale, an auction, or as any kind of distressed sale.  In fact, the property recently had been renovated. The strategy in this low inventory market is to price the property extremely low and let the knowledgeable buyers make their highest and best offers, which hopefully for the seller, is an amount which is ac... 05/15/2018

Maryland Real Estate Inventory Drops Again For nearly two years, the number of homes actively on the market has decreased in year to year same month comparisons. Based on supply and demand, fewer available homes has led to an increase in prices. The price increase has been exacerbated by more buyers entering the market. Fewer available homes and more buyers tends to push prices higher. This upward push on prices has been happening, in spite of a downward pressure created by higher interest rates and relatively stagnant wages. Mortgage interest rates were at about 3.5% in mid, 2016, whereas they are at about 4.75% as mid, 2018 approaches. This increase in mortgage interest rates has led to the principal and interest portion of monthly mortgage payments increasing by about 16%. Here are t... 05/14/2018

Homes for Sale in Nottingham, MD - April 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Nottingham neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the April 2018 full market report of homes for sale in Nottingham, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Homes in NottinghamIn the past 6 months, 28 properties have sold in Nottingham ranging from a 2-bed, 2-bath Condo for $113,400 to a 3-bed, 2.5-bath Townhome for $396,767.Nottingham Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (February) as compared to the 5-year March average. The market supply is 1.4 months, which indicates the total number of months it would take for the current inven... 05/08/2018

Homes for Sale in Southfld At Whitemarsh | Nottingham, MD - April 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Southfld At Whitemarsh neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the April 2018 full market report of homes for sale in Southfld At Whitemarsh, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Homes in Southfld At WhitemarshIn the past 6 months, 2 properties have sold in Southfld At Whitemarsh ranging from a 2-bed, 2-bath Condo for $150,000 to a 3-bed, 1.5-bath Townhome for $240,000.Southfld At Whitemarsh Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (February) as compared to the 5-year March average. The market supply is 0 mont... 05/08/2018

Condos for Sale in Silver Ridge | Nottingham, MD - April 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Silver Ridge neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the April 2018 full market report of condos for sale in Silver Ridge, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Condos in Silver RidgeIn the past 6 months, 0 properties have sold in Silver Ridge ranging from a -bed, -bath, and -half bath for $, to a -bed, -bath, and -half bath for $,.Silver Ridge Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (February) as compared to the 5-year March average. The market supply is 2 months, which indicates the total number of months it would ta... 05/08/2018

Homes for Sale in Ridgelys Choice | Nottingham, MD - April 2018 Home ValuesThis is a snapshot of recent sales in the Ridgelys Choice neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Please click here for the April 2018 full market report of homes for sale in Ridgelys Choice, Nottingham MD.Highest and Lowest Sold Homes in Ridgelys ChoiceIn the past 6 months, 0 properties have sold in Ridgelys Choice ranging from a -bed, -bath, and -half bath for $, to a -bed, -bath, and -half bath for $,.Ridgelys Choice Community Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month (February) as compared to the 5-year March average. The market supply is 0 months, which indicates there are currently no ... 05/08/2018