Thursday, September 3, 2009

What is the impact of rising interest rates on home prices?

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

For More Valuable Real Estate Information visit: http://freereports.annapolishomes4you.com/

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
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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Effective Communication is Key When Negotiating

I love the way Pat puts things. Simple and to the point.

Via Pat Savani (Champion Realty, Inc.):

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.

For More Valuable Real Estate Information visit: http://freereports.annapolishomes4you.com/

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

Please Don't Forget to Show Your Support for Our Troops!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Benefits of Owning Your Own Home Part 3

Stable Monthly Housing Costs

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?

For More Valuable Real Estate Information visit:
http://freereports.annapolishomes4you.com/

“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

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

Please Don't Forget to Show Your Support for Our Troops!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Benefits of Owning Your Own Home

Income Tax Savings

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

For More Valuable Real Estate Information visit:
http://freereports.annapolishomes4you.com/

“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

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Benefits of Owning Your Own Home Part 1

The Best Investment

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."

For More Valuable Real Estate Information visit:
http://freereports.annapolishomes4you.com/

“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

8 Must Know Steps that help your buyer mentally move in.

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.

For More Valuable Real Estate Information visit:
http://freereports.annapolishomes4you.com/

“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

Monday, August 17, 2009

A Video Testimonial from a Satisfied AnnapolisHomes4You Team Customer

For More Valuable Real Estate Information visit:
http://freereports.annapolishomes4you.com/

“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

Friday, August 14, 2009

Buyer's Remorse Doesn't Have to Be Fatal

Here is a great post from Pat Savani

Buyer's Remorse.

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!

For More Valuable Real Estate Information visit:
http://freereports.annapolishomes4you.com/

------------------------------------------------

PS: You can do it and we will help you!

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

Gary Orders, e-Pro, REALTOR®

Certified Internet Marketing Specialist
Jenn Morgan, REALTOR®

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

#1 in AOL, Comcast, Google

#1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County

Please Don't Forget to Show Your Support for Our Troops!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

New Rules Give Buyers More Protection at Closing

I was reading the Washington Post today and came a cross the great article By Kenneth R. Harney about the new rules that give buyers more protection at closing. "If you're applying for a loan to purchase a primary or secondary home, or planning to refinance, you should be aware of a little-publicized new set of federal consumer-protection rules that takes effect July 30." To read more of Kenneth Harney article CLICK HERE .

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

Champion Realty, Inc. 711 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401

410.224.0660 (O) 443.569.2736 (C) 410-224-0632 (F)

e-Mail mailto:PatOgle@AnnapolisHomes4You.com

Visit http://www.AnnapolisHomes4You.com

Blog http://AnnapolisHomes4You.blogspot.com

Please Don't Forget to Show Your Support for Our Troops!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

American Home Styles - Bungalow

Image via Wikipedia

Bungalow

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A bungalow (Gujarati: બંગલો baṅglo, Hindi: बंगला baṅglā) is a type of single-story house that originated in India. The word derives from the Hindi baṅglā (or perhaps the Gujarati variant baṅglo), meaning "Bengali", used elliptically for a "house in the Bengal style".^[1] Such houses were traditionally small, only one story and thatched, and had a wide veranda.

In India and Pakistan, the term bungalow refers to any single-family unit (i.e., a house), as opposed to an apartment building, which is the norm for Indian and Pakistani middle-class city living. The Indian sub-continent usage is different from the North American usage wherein a bungalow can be a quite large, multi-storied building which houses a single extended family. In India and Pakistan, owning a bungalow is a highly significant status symbol.

The term is first found in English from 1696, where it was used to describe "bungales or hovells" in India for English sailors of the East India Company, which do not sound very grand lodgings.^[3] Later it became used for the spacious homes or official lodgings of officials of the British Raj, and was so known in Britain and later America, where it initially had high status and exotic connotations, and began to be used in the late 19th century for large country or suburban houses built in an Arts and Crafts or other Western vernacular style - essentially as large cottages, a term also sometimes used.^[4] Later developers began to use the term for smaller houses. In Britain and North America a bungalow today is a residential house, normally detached, which is either single story, or has a second story built into a sloping roof, usually with dormer windows ("one and a half stories"). Full vertical walls are therefore only seen on one storey, at least on the front and rear elevations. Usually the houses are relatively small, especially from recent decades, though early examples may be large, in which case the term bungalow tends not to be used today.

In Singapore and Malaysia, the term bungalow was originally made popular by the British who popularized this building typology. It is now used to refer to a detached, single family residential dwelling usually of two to three story with its own compound.

In South Africa, the term bungalow never refers to a residential house but means a small holiday house, a small log house or a wooden beach house.

Advantages

Bungalows are very convenient for the homeowner in that all living areas are on a single story and there are no stairs between living areas. A bungalow is well suited to those who are mobility impaired, e.g. the elderly or those in wheelchairs.

Neighborhoods of only bungalows offer more privacy than similar neighborhoods with two-story houses. With bungalows, strategically planted trees and shrubs are usually sufficient to block the view of neighbors. With two-story houses, the extra height requires much taller trees to accomplish the same, and it may not be practical to place such tall trees close to the house to obscure the view from the second floor of the next door neighbor. On the other hand, even closely spaced bungalows make for quite low density neighborhoods, contributing to urban sprawl.

Cost and space considerations

One-story bungalow with painted trim, earth-tone shingles

On a per unit area basis (e.g. per square foot or per square metre), bungalows are more expensive to construct than two story houses because a larger foundation and roof area is required for the same living area. The larger foundation will often translate into larger lot size requirements as well. This is why bungalows are typically fully detached from other houses and do not share a common foundation nor party wall: if the homeowner can afford the extra expense of a bungalow relative to a two-story house, they can typically afford to be fully detached as well.

The smaller size however may be desirable for elderly people (perhaps with grown children) as it requires less cleaning, etc.

Though the 'footprint' of a bungalow is often a simple rectangle, any foundation is possible. For bungalows with brick walls, the windows are often positioned high and are right to the roof. This avoids the need for special arches or lintels to support the brick wall above the windows. In two-story houses, there is no choice but to continue the brick wall above the window (and the second story windows may be positioned high and right to the roof.)

Types of bungalow in Britain and North America

While the concept of a bungalow is simple, there are a number of variations upon the term, often describing where floor-space is extended above, or below the primary floor.

Ranch bungalow

Ranch Bungalow in Palo Alto, California

A ranch bungalow is a bungalow organized so that bedrooms are on one side and "public" areas (kitchen, living/dining/family rooms) are on the other side. If there is an attached garage, the garage is on the public side of the house so that a direct entrance to the house is possible, when this is allowed by legislation. On narrower lots, public areas are at the front of the house and such an organization is typically not called a "ranch" bungalow. Such houses are often smaller and have only two bedrooms in the back.

Raised bungalow

A raised bungalow is one in which the basement is partially above ground. The benefit is that more light can enter the basement with above ground windows in the basement. A raised bungalow typically has a foyer at ground level that is half-way between the first floor and the basement. This further has the advantage of creating a foyer with a very high ceiling without the expense of raising the roof or creating a skylight. Raised bungalows often have the garage in the basement. Because the basement is not that deep, and the ground must slope downwards away from the house, the slope of the driveway is quite shallow. This avoids the disadvantage of steep driveways found in most other basement garages. Bungalows without basements can still be raised, but the advantages of raising the bungalow are much less.

Chalet Bungalow

A bungalow with loft comes with a second story loft. The loft may be extra space over the garage. It is often space to the side of a great room with a vaulted ceiling area. The house is still classified and marketed as a bungalow with loft because the main living areas of the house are on one floor. All the convenience of single floor living still applies and the loft is not expected to be accessed on a daily basis.

Some houses have extra bedrooms in the loft or attic area. Such houses are really "one and half" stories and not a bungalow, and are described in British English as a chalet bungalow or dormer bungalow. "Chalet Bungalow" is also used in British English for where the area enclosed within pitched roof contains rooms, even if this comprises a large part of the living area and is fully integrated into the fabric of the property.

True bungalows do not use the attic. Because the attic is not used, the roof pitch can be quite shallow, constrained only by snow load considerations.

American Bungalows

American Craftsman Bungalow

The American Craftsman bungalow typified the common styles of the American Arts and Crafts movement, with common features usually including: low-pitch roof lines on a gabled or hipped roof; deeply overhanging eaves; exposed rafters or decorative brackets under the eaves; and a front porch beneath an extension of the main roof.

California Bungalow

Main article: California Bungalow

California Bungalow

The California Bungalow was a widely popular 1 1/2 story variation on the bungalow in America from 1910 to 1925. It was also widely popular in Australia within the period 1910–1940.

Ultimate Bungalow

The term ultimate bungalow is most commonly used to describe the very large and detailed Craftsman style homes of such California architects as Greene and Greene, Bernard Maybeck, and Julia Morgan.

Chicago Bungalow

A 1925 Chicago bungalow

The majority of Chicago Bungalows were built between 1910 and 1940. They were typically constructed from brick (sometimes in decorative patterns) and had one and a half stories. At one point, nearly a third of the houses in the Chicago area were bungalows.^{[citation needed]} One primary difference between the Chicago bungalow and other types is that the gables are parallel to the street, rather than perpendicular. Like many other local homes, Chicago bungalows are relatively narrow,^[5] being an average of 20 feet (6.1 m) wide on a standard 25-foot (7.6 m) wide city lot.

Milwaukee Bungalow

A large fraction of the older houses in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are bungalows in a similar Arts and Crafts style to those of Chicago, but usually with the gable perpendicular to the street. Also, many Milwaukee bungalows have white stucco on the lower portion of the exterior.

Michigan Bungalow

There are numerous examples of Arts and Crafts bungalows built from 1910 to 1925 in the metro-Detroit area, including Royal Oak. Keeping in line with the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, the bungalows were constructed using local building materials.

Bungalow Colony

A special use of the term "bungalow" developed in the greater New York City area, between the 1930s and 1970s to denote a cluster of small rental summer homes, usually in the Catskill Mountains. First and second generation Jewish-American families were especially likely to rent such homes.

PS: You can do it and we will help you!

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

Gary Orders, e-Pro, REALTOR®

Certified Internet Marketing Specialist
Jenn Morgan, REALTOR®

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

#1 in AOL, Comcast, Google

#1 Relocation site for Annapolis, Anne Arundel County

Please Don't Forget to Show Your Support for Our Troops!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

Friday, August 21, 2009

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Monday, August 17, 2009

Friday, August 14, 2009

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Bungalow

Advantages

Cost and space considerations

Types of bungalow in Britain and North America

Ranch bungalow

Raised bungalow

Chalet Bungalow

American Bungalows

American Craftsman Bungalow

California Bungalow

Ultimate Bungalow

Chicago Bungalow

Milwaukee Bungalow

Michigan Bungalow

Bungalow Colony

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