Branden Schroeder's Blog: The Maryland Real Estate Market

Beginning January 1, 2008, property owners of a principal residence in Maryland will be 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 new legislation passed in 2007 by the Maryland General Assembly now mandates the one-time paper or online application filing. 

The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation will be sending notices to all homeowners beginning in January 2008 for the 1/3 of homeowners being reassessed for this year.  All other homeowners (the other 2/3) who will be reassessed in 2009 and 2010 do not need to file the application until that time, and may…

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 participating retailers, which include The Home Depot and Costco.   

Given the fact that CFLs use about 75% less energy and can last as much as 10 times longer than conventional incandescent bulbs, buying CFLs makes good sense for homeowners from a monetary perspective… Read Full Post