Ramblings of a Baltimore area Realtor

This list is full of wisdom and just too good not to share with others.

Have a great day!!

The Story of Dick and Jane, the Public Library and Ruined Credit

This story is a true story, the names have been changed to protect the innocent, but it is something that everyone should know about because it could happen to anyone, even you!!

Dick and Jane own their own home and have excellent credit, well they did have excellent credit.  They have always been responsible and paid their bills on time and scrimped and saved to do anything they wanted.  A couple years ago Dick and Jane paid off their mortgage and decided to put an addition on their house.

Jane regularly borrows books from the public library, they have 2 children a boy and girl who go to school and get good grades and don't get into any trouble and like their parents live responsibly. 

While they were getting ready for the addition to their house they packed up everything into boxes and put it in the basement. 

Jane had borrowed some books from the library and they got packed away in the basement.  They became overdue.  Jane said, oh don't worry about it, they just won't let me take any more books out.  A couple months passed and Dick and Jane got a letter from the library saying they owed them money for books not returned.  Then finally they got a collection notice.  Dick paid the collection notice immediately. 

The addition to their home ended and as they were unpacking and putting things away they came across the books and immediately returned the books to the library. 

Last week Dick got a letter from his bank, where he's banked for 25+ years.  They were cancelling his HELOC because of his change in credit status.  Dick was shocked.  He pulled his credit and couldn't see anything.  Then this week he gets another letter from the bank that says we're going to reduce your credit card limit from $15,000 to $500 because your credit has changed.  He calls them and they go through his credit report with him and the only thing on there was a collection account for Anne Arundel Pub.  Dick couldn't figure out what that could possibly be.  But, finally he realizes it's because Jane hadn't returned a book to the library and time elapsed before she did finally return it. 

The moral of this story is.  Never trivialize anything and something as simple as not returning a book to the library can and will keep you from buying a house.  

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling.  You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc..  If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy.  The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2009 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's.  If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement.  This is a $350 savings.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent.  Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.

June Piper-Brandon, Broker - Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.

Baltimore to Give Edgar Allen Poe the Funeral He Should Have Had in 1849

Poe's body will lie in state at 203 Amity Street for 11 hours on Wednesday, October 7th for public viewing. Immediately following the viewing an all night public vigil will take place at the Poe Grave located in the Western Burial Grounds at Westminster Hall, located at the corner of Fayette Street and Greene Street, beginning at midnight until 7:00 am on Thursday, October 8th. TALK RADIO WCBM 680 AM will be set up at midnight with talk show host Les Kinsolving who will read The Raven with commentary

On Sunday, October 11, beginning at 11:30 am, an antique horse drawn funeral hearse will bring Poe's body from his Amity Street home to the Westminster Hall for the funeral services and internment. Under police escort the Loch Raven Drum and Pipe unit will lead the procession to the Westminster Hall. There will be one procession for the first service only, the second service is at 4:30 pm.  John Astin will officiate over the two funeral services. 

The funeral services will include a number of speakers including people who knew Poe, his literary acquaintances, writers who were influenced by him including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Baudelaire, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, H. P. Lovecraft, Walt Whitman and others. Living speakers will include science fiction, horror and fantasy editor Ellen Datlow, film maker Mark Redfield, artist and storyteller Gris Grimly and others to be announced. Music will be offered by The Baltimore Men's Chorus, The Monumental City Brass Quintet, violinist Ivan Stefanovic of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Paula McCabe, soloist at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, and Monte Maxwell, organist at the United State Naval Academy.

The Poe House and Museum has recreated the original tombstone of Poe and it will be unveiled during the funeral service. This will be the first time that the public will see what the original tombstone looked like.  For more information about this event at  http://www.poebicentennial.com/ .  You need to purchase tickets for the viewing and for the funeral.  Tickets are available until September 30, 2009 through the website, here. 

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home or an investment property give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling.  You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc..  If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy.  The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2009 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's.  If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement.  This is a $350 savings.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent.  Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.

June Piper-Brandon, Broker - Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home or an investment property give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling.  You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc..  If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy.  The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2009 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's.  If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement.  This is a $350 savings.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent.  Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.

June Piper-Brandon, Broker - Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.

Seton Hill is approximately ten blocks north of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and is near Walter's Art Gallery, Baltimore Symphony, the University of Maryland and Maryland General Hospital. Seton Hill is also very close to Baltimore's much improved Lexington Market.  Seton Hill National Historic District is bordered by Eutaw Street on the East, Franklin Street on the South, Pennsylvania Avenue and Orchard Street on the West, and McCulloh and Monument Streets on the North.  Seton Hill's Zip Code is 21201.

Seton Hill is Baltimore's oldest neighborhood, and is known as Baltimore's former French Quarter.  It is centered around the former St. Mary's Seminary and College, which was founded by Sulpician priests fleeing the French Revolution around 1791. Today Saint Mary's Park is situated where the former Seminary and College once stood. The neighborhood was designated as an Historic and Architectural Preservation District of Baltimore City in 1968, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Saint Mary's Park, the heart of Seton Hill, is the largest open green space in downtown Baltimore on the West Side.

Seton Hill is composed of a variety of unique rowhomes.  Some are two storey, some are three storey, most have basements.   Some of the homes in this area are very compact and pose some challenges for large modern furniture.  No where else in Baltimore shares the variety of rowhomes that are available in Seton Hill.

Seton Hill has many small quaint restaurants, small shops and is walking distance to Lexington Market, Penn Station, buses and light rail for an easy commute to DC and anywhere in the City and County.

The Seton Hill Association is hosting a Neighborhood Open House Tour on October 3, 2009 to celebrate the historic neighborhood of Seton Hill, Baltimore's old French quarter !  Tickets are $20 for online registration, and $25 on day of event, you can find out more information about the tour at Seton Hill's official website.

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home or an investment property give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling.  You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc..  If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy.  The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2009 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's.  If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement.  This is a $350 savings.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent.  Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.

June Piper-Brandon, Broker - Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.

There are so many ways to get involved in the investment real estate market.  In the Baltimore area there is a 38,000+ long list waiting for housing that qualifies for section 8.  And, there are a lot of homes that need repair and could become eligible for those individuals. 

Yesterday, I viewed a house that is for sale for $92,500 and the landlord is receiving $1,250 a month through section 8.  Another property is $90,000 and the landlord is receiving $1,450 a month in rent.  These are some great rental opportunities available for future investors and have great cash flow. 

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home or an investment property give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling.  You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc..  If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy.  The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2009 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's.  If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement.  This is a $350 savings.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent.  Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.

June Piper-Brandon, Broker - Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.

 If you are thinking of buying or selling a home give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling.  You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc..  If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy.  The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2009 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's.  If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement.  This is a $350 savings.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent.  Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.

June Piper-Brandon, Broker - Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.

Glen Burnie, Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Market Update for the Week Ending September 19, 2009

The market has been seeing a welcome increase in sales and settlements over the past weeks, the sales are edging higher.  Interest rates are still low and there have been some improvements in the stock market.  The home sales still aren't as swift as we would like to see.  The welcome news this week for many sellers (and agents) was the increase in prices in many areas of Maryland.  The number of new listings has remained stable we are seeing a slight increase in the number of homes going under contract and settling.  Now that fall is on it's way we'll see another spurt in activity before the winter hibernation.  I'm surprised I'm not seeing more individuals making the decision to buy with so many great deals available.  Now with the economic stimulus changes (up to $8000 in tax credits) and low interest rates it will be interesting to see how this all changes.  Overall, there has never been a better time to buy, than right now.

These figures are taken directly from our MRIS system and are believed to be accurate.

Glen Burnie, MD

New Listings       23 (decrease of 2 from last week)          

Under Contract     19 (decrease of 1 from last week)

Settled Sales      7 (decrease of 2 from last week)

Anne Arundel County

New Listings         194(increase 37 from last week)         

Under Contract      110 (decrease 12 over last week)

Settled Sales         67 (increase of 18 over last week)

Glen Burnie offers many affordable housing opportunities for those relocating to Ft. Meade and Annapolis.  Glen Burnie is located north on 97 from rt 50 or north on Rt. 2 from Annapolis Naval Academy and east along 32 and north on 97 from Ft. Meade.  It is a relatively easy commute from either base and only a couple short miles from the Curtis Bay Coast Guard Station too, as well as being commutable to DC whether you ride the MARC from Odenton or drive.

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling.  You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc..  If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy.  The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2009 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's.  If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement.  This is a $350 savings.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent.  Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.

June Piper-Brandon, Broker - Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.

Native Plant Sale at Herring Run Park - September 19, 2009

Celebrate the arrival of fall by coming to the first plant sale of the season! The Herring Run Native Plant Nursery has a tremendous selection of native shrubs and trees, as well as a number of native perennials to choose from. This is a great opportunity to improve the landscaping and curb appeal of your home with trees and shrubs that are native to this area. 

Thanks to a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Baltimore County's Growing Home Campaign, The Herring Run Native Plant Nursery can offer exceptional deals on most of their plants. Come on out and see for yourself!

When:    Sat. September 19th  noon-4 PM                    

             Sat, October 3rd  noon - 4 PM  

              Sun, October 18th  noon - 4 pm

Where:      Baltimore Municipal Golf Corp, in Mt Pleasant Golf course, 6131 Hillen Rd (North of Northern Parkway and South of Loch Raven                             Boulevard).  

Cost:    Native trees $25-$70 (50% off shade trees for Herring Run Watershed resident or 10% off any tree over $25.00)            

25 varieties   Native Shrubs:   $15-$35.00                         25 varieties  

Questions :   email dcrew@herringrun.org

or call HRWA at 410-254-1577

or visit  http://www.herringrun.org/ and click on nursery link.

Map

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Maryland or anywhere else give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling.  You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc..  If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy.  The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2009 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's.  If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement.  This is a $350 savings.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent.  Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.

June Piper-Brandon, Broker - Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.