Annapolis Real Estate and Homes for Sale in Anne Arundel County, Eastern Shore and Waterfront Homes, Properties in the Surrounding Counties of Maryland
Most experts agree that one of the best ways to avoid roof trouble is to inspect your roof twice a year: In the Fall, for sun damage and in the Spring for Winter damage. By doing this, you will be able to identify any problems early, before you start having leaks. Use binoculars from the ground to check for problems. If you have asphalt shingles (petroleum based material covered with sand-like granule), look out for a roof surface that is not smooth and the edges of the shingles are curled and warped. Check for crooked shingles. Scan the roof for any shingles that may have been lifted by the wind or are missing altogether. Bumps can indicate that the roofing nails below have become loose. Look for bald spots where the mineral granules have worn away. With wood shingles, check for curled, broken, and split shingles and for spots where nails have become loose or rusted. With tile or slate, individual tiles can chip and break and require replacement.In valleys and in flashings around the chimney and vents, check for broken seals along the flashing's edges and for rust spots in the metal. Check rafters and the underside of the roof for dark wet spots. These are signs of rot and will need to be replaced. Climbing into your attic or onto your roof to inspect your home can be very dangerous. For that reason, we urge you to use the services of a professional contractor to conduct a close-up roof inspection. Related Links: Hometime has a whole roofing section for do-it-yourselfers that is great information. ImproveNet has a calculator to help you determine the cost of a new roof. Home Restoration & Remodeling Magazine offers advice on choosing a roofing contractor. I hope you found this help full.
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist
Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County For more information Click Here
Another benefit of owning a home is Forced Savings.
Some people are just lousy at saving money, and a house is an automatic savings account. You accumulate savings in two ways. Every month, a portion of your payment goes toward the principal. Admittedly, in the early years of the mortgage, this is not much. Over time, however, it accelerates.
Second, your home appreciates. Average appreciation on a home is approximately five percent, though it will vary from year to year, and in some years may even depreciate.. Over time, history has shown that owning a home is one of the very best financial investments.
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist
Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County
Pat Savani again use some goodcommomn sense in her bog on the impact of rising intrest rates.
Rising rates usually affect home prices to some extent. This was evident in the most recent boom when affordability was up in the 140% range, rates were low and CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
TOP RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT: LICENSED SINCE 1986
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist
Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County
I am convinced one of the most difficult things we do when negotiating is to communicate effectively. More transactions are lost because we misunderstand, don't listen, assume we know, don't call back, don't clearly articulate, don't write it down or don't work to build consensus.
To communicate effectively we need to:
Listen
Try to understand what the other party wants and why they are requesting it?
Know if a request is a casual want or an absolute need?
Know how to identify an alternative option that will satisfy their request?
Return calls promptly, especially difficult ones, they don't age well.
Make sure all written communication is clear and expresses the exact terms of the agreement.
Be professional and unemotional in our communications, our clients don't need an emotional agent.
Listen, we will never hear if wwe are thinking about what we're going to say next and not listening to the answer of the question we already asked.
Ask good questions to get all the facts and never assume we already know the answer.
Try to build on areas of agreement to build consensus.
Appreciate that the person we're speaking with may be under a lot of stress or having a bad day and not take it personally.
Leave our ego out of it, when everyone feels like they won it will be easier to get agreement.
TOP RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT: LICENSED SINCE 1986
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County Champion Realty, Inc. 711 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401 410.224.0660 (O) 443.569.2736 (C) 410-224-0632 (F) e-Mail PatOgle@AnnapolisHomes4You.com Visit www.AnnapolisHomes4You.com Blog AnnapolisHomes4You.blogspot.com
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When you rent a place to live, you can certainly expect your rent to increase each year – or even more often. If you get a fixed rate mortgage when you buy a home, you have the same monthly payment amount for thirty years. Even if you get an adjustable rate mortgage, your payment will stay within a certain range for the entire life of the mortgage – and interest rates aren’t as volatile now as they were in the late seventies and early eighties.
Imagine how much rent might be ten, fifteen, or even thirty years from now? Which makes more sense?
“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best…you very often get it” Somerset Maugham
"Expect the Best" Pat Ogle
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County For more information Click Here
Because of income tax deductions, the government is basically subsidizing your purchase of a home. All of the interest and property taxes you pay in a given year can be deducted from your gross income to reduce your taxable income.
For example, assume your initial loan balance is $150,000 with an interest rate of eight percent. During the first year you would pay $9969.27 in interest. If your first payment is January 1st, your taxable income would be almost $10,000 less – due to the IRS interest rate deduction.
Property taxes are deductible, too. Whatever property taxes you pay in a given year may also be deducted from your gross income, lowering your tax obligation
“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best…you very often get it” Somerset Maugham
"Expect the Best" Pat Ogle
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County For more information Click Here
As a fairly general rule, homes appreciate about five percent a year. Some years will be more, some less. The figure will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and region to region. Five percent may not seem like that much at first. Stocks (at times) appreciate much more, and you could earn over six percent with the safest investment of all, treasury bonds.
But take a second look…
Presumably, if you bought a $200,000 house, you did not pay cash for the home. You got a mortgage, too. Suppose you put as much as twenty percent down – that would be an investment of $40,000.
At an appreciation rate of 5% annually, a $200,000 home would increase in value $10,000 during the first year. That means you earned $10,000 with an investment of $40,000. Your annual "return on investment" would be a whopping twenty-five percent.
Of course, you are making mortgage payments and paying property taxes, along with a couple of other costs. However, since the interest on your mortgage and your property taxes are both tax deductible, the government is essentially subsidizing your home purchase.
Your rate of return when buying a home is higher than most any other investment you could make.
If you are moving to a home for the first time, you are going to be very pleased with all the new space you have available. You may have to even buy more "stuff."
“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best…you very often get it” Somerset Maugham
"Expect the Best" Pat Ogle
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County For more information Click Here
Pat Savani of Champion Realty always has some great stuff. Here are 8 steps to help the buyers mentally move in.
Pat Savani (Champion Realty, Inc.)Staging is an important part of preparing a property for sale. It can make the difference between languishing on the market and having a competitive advantage over similarly priced properties. Staging does not take the place of pricing the property correctly but in a competitive environment it may tip the scales to your advantage. Most of staging is focusing on lots of little things that collectively make a big difference.
Immaculate kitchens and baths are a must with fresh towels and empty counter tops.
Odors are a real turn off to buyers, so litter boxes and other types of pet odors and strong food smells must be addressed.
Lights are important, keep them on, have light switches in bedrooms associate to lamps that are prepared to light up. Keep lights on so the house always looks bright and cheery, it is a small expense that gives large returns.
Front doors need to be clean, freshly painted and no cob webs or debris.
Clean out corners that accumulate extra pieces of furniture and knick knacks.
Clutter is the enemy when selling a house. Pack, toss or sell extra stuff, it will make every room more spacious.
Clean around your furnace and change the filter. A dirty filter makes a buyer wonder whether routine maintenance has been performed on the property.
Lastly, eliminate strong statements of personal taste. When a room is too personalized it makes it difficult for the buyer to imagine moving their things in.
The reason for staging is too help the prospective buyer mentally move in; when you stage you give the buyer the space, and neutral palette to do that.
“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best…you very often get it” Somerset Maugham
"Expect the Best" Pat Ogle
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County For more information Click Here
“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best…you very often get it” Somerset Maugham
"Expect the Best" Pat Ogle
Pat Ogle, Associate Broker, CRS, DSAC, e-Pro, GRI, MCJ, REALTOR® Certified Residential Specialist / Certified Internet Marketing Specialist Over $73,000,000 in Settled Sales Champion Hall of Fame Best of the Best 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 National Sales Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 #1 in AOL, Comcast, Google and Yahoo #1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County For more information Click Here
When a buyer is not prepared for buyer's remorse they think that they are the only ones that have ever experienced it. They get cold feet and want to change their mind and declare their contract null and void! Their change of heart usually has no logical basis but is an emotional response to the decision that they made. Click here to read more!
