The Maryland Real Estate Market

In light of federal budget woes, staggering national debt, and continued economic uncertainty, most of the United States will take little solace in, and perhaps will be even a bit irritated by a recent S&P/Case-Schiller home-price report, a leading measure of current residential housing market trends, showing that the Washington, DC metro market to be the best performing residential real estate market in the entire country. It is, according to the report, a "Top 10" market to watch in 201... Read Full Post

I'm pleased to announce to launch of the newly re-designed, customized real estate website at www.MarylandHomesAndProperty.com. Featuring industry-leading property search functionality and advanced user panel control tools, the aim of the site is to provide users with extremely efficient access to information about Multiple List System (MLS) 'For Sale' properties throughout Maryland. Most individuals conducting searches enjoy being able independently begin the process of finding properties, b... Read Full Post

Conventional 30-year fixed mortgage rates are floating around 5%, which is a slight improvement over the past week, but most analysts believe such low rates are not likely to last. There are also persistent rumors that significant changes may be coming to government-backed FHA (Federal Housing Administration) home loans. Apparently, the following changes are currently under consideration by FHA: * Remove the per se blocking of sales on 'flipped' properties by offering a waiver to borrowers in... Read Full Post

Happy New Year and best wishes for 2010! This post is the first of a series of entries that will report on important changes impacting the Maryland residential real estate and home mortgage markets. Home mortgage interest rates leading up to the 2009 Holidays were especially volatile. The 10 year treasury yield index (ticker TNX) moved from its recent lows in December of 32.5 up to 38.15 as of Friday, January 8. This, along with other key economic factors have caused 30 year fixed rates to cl... Read Full Post

As of January 1, 2008, property owners of a principal residence in Maryland are required to file a one-time application in order to receive the Homestead Tax Credit. This credit limits the amount of assessment increases for real estate tax purposes. Previously, eligibility for the credit was automatic, but legislation passed in 2007 by the Maryland General Assembly mandates the one-time paper or online application filing. The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation will be sending not... Read Full Post

All Maryland residents can now receive special discounts on compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs through a unique mark-down program sponsored by Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE). The program provides an automatic $1.50 markdown on each CFL bulb purchase and $3.00 on multipacks. The great thing is, there are no coupons, mail-in-rebate forms, etc., involved in receiving this discount. The discount is already reflected in the price of the bulbs paid at the register when purchased at participa... Read Full Post