We're talking to customers who have been waiting for the market to "rebound" to sell and many are taking advantage of the trend now to avoid the Spring and Summer inventory increase.

With big changes to FHA financing on the horizon and all time low interest rates NOW might be the perfect time for you to find your home. Put The Fort Meade Homes Team to work for you today.

* Increased Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premium by .10 percent on new loans and .05 percent on new loan amounts above $625,000 ( This would mean about a $25 increase in payment on a $300,000 home) beginning with FHA case numbers assigned on or after April 1, 2013

These changes take effect with case numbers assigned on or after June 3, 2013

* Removes Mortgage Insurance (MIP) Cancelation Policy- this means that once you have an FHA loan, the mortgage insurance will remain on the loan for the LIFE of the loan. In the past you could get it removed once you loan reached 78% of the property value.

* Increased minimum down payment from 3.5% to 5% on loan amounts above $625,000

* Provides for more stringent underwriting for loans with credit scores under 620

* Provides for more stringent underwriting for loans with Debt to Income ratios over 43%

What does this mean for the average Fort Meade Home buyer? Quite simply, if you are using an FHA loan to finance a new home your costs will be higher after June 2013. The real estate market is hot right and housing prices in the Fort Meade area have been on a steady increase for 12 months . If you have been considering a home purchase, you can avoid these increased costs by buying now.

The new apartment complex wil be known as "Reece Crossings" and is the first ever privately developed apartment community intended exclusively for military use. Reece Crossings will offer 432 apartments including 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom units with 1,100 - 1,200 s.f. The article notes that this facility is intended to house up to 1,400 service members so it appears there will be some double occupance in the two bedroom units. These apartments will be furnished with a sofa, entertainment center and coffee table, in addition to a queen-size bed, desk and night stand in each bedroom. A far cry from the current "barracks" that provide these service men a single room with a shared bathroom.

The community will also offer a host of amenities including a fitness room, weight lifting facilities, a state-of-the-art clubroom with flat-screen TVs, sports ticker and video gaming, a cyber caf with charging stations and Internet access, basketball and sand volleyball courts, a lap pool and outdoor grilling and picnic pavilions.

The project broke ground in December and the first building and clubhouse are slated for completion in December 2013.

Colonel Edward Rothstein notes that "“Reece Crossings is a barracks in name only,” he said. “And that is good news for the recruitment and retention of younger service members.”

Check out the links below to view a video animation of Reece Crossing or read more about the initiative.

The cost to have a professional on our team provide these services for you is one month's rent. And that includes:

* Expert presentation of your property with a 35mm digital slide show

* Listings on over 50 local and regional websites including www.FortMeadeHomes.com

* Professional screening of each applicant for credit, employment and rental references

* Preparation of all lease documentation to keep you in compliance with local and Federal requirements

* We attend the final walk-through to place your tenant

* We provide you with a complete rental package for your records.

We can also guide you on some self-management tips including subscribing to BGE's Service protection plan which automatically switches utilities back into your name if a tenant terminates or vacates the property. This service is a must, especially in Winter months as an abandoned home and one small burst pipe can cost you thousands in property damage.

We can also arrange direct deposit of your rent and set you up with a home warranty to cover maintenance items.

If you have a home for rent near Fort Meade give us a call and we'll make sure you receive expert service.

On the other hand several nearby counties received increases including Prince George's County (which is the county with the highest number of foreclosures in the Nation), Calvert County along with Charles, Frederick and Montgomery county where you can obtain a VA no money down loan for a home valued up to $843,750.

These loan limits are subject to change as needed and if our market trends stay steady I do hope the VA will favor the Fort Meade real estate market with some stronger loan limits.

Listing inventory was down this month by 21% and the battle cry amongst Realtors is "we need new listings". If you prepare your home properly and price it right multiple offers could be the result.

We just listed and sold a short sale property in the Fort Meade community of Seven Oaks with 4 offers to choose from. And another property that we just put up in Crofton appears to be going the same way.

Great news but we need more inventory. If you are thinking of selling your Fort Meade area home give us a call. We specialize in real estate in Severn, Crofton, Odenton & Piney Orchard along with other areas within 15 minutes of the base.

* Stats courtesy of RBI for Anne Arundel County Maryland. If you'd like more specific information about values in your city or neighborhood contact us anytime.

There were only 2,528 homes for sale which is a decrease of 22% over last year. Low inventory is driving multiple offers on the best prepared and priced homes.

If you've been thinking of buying a home near Fort Meade now might be the time to take advantage of a market that is pretty equal right now but appears to be shifting towards a sellers market. Interest rates have never been lower (try 3.25%!) and you can't find a better long term investment than real estate and we'd love to help you get there.

The Fort Meade Homes Team has been helping families buy, sell and rent homes near Fort Meade since 1999. Let us put our experience to work for you.

While most insurance offers protection agains future events such as a car accident or property damage, Title insurance covers you for any issues that may have been attached to the property before you purchased it.

All title companies in Maryland perform a detailed search for liens and encumberances on your home. They check to see that the deed is good and are usually very good about finding recorded issues. But even the best title examination cannot find hidden defects that are not a part of public records such as; a forged deed, an undisclosed lien (which would be a payment due to a person or entity for which the house is collateral), an un-probated last will and testament of a previous owner, or even a filing clerical error.

Owner's title insurance protects your largest investment by paying to defend any claim against your title, and will either pay to clear the title blemish or pay any valid claim. The premium is paid only once, at the settlement table when you purchase your home, and is in place for as long as you own your home.

Because the lender requires a full policy for themselves, you become eligibile for a significant discount for your personal Owners Title Insurance policy. This is called a Simultaneous Title Policy. The premiums for both are based on the sale price and loan amount.

To calculate what your premium (combined owner and lender) will be, use this easy method to get an approximation.

Sale price divided by $1,000 x $5.00. This amount covers both you and the lender.

So on a $200,000 home purchase you would pay approximately $1,000 for full coverage as long as you own the home.

If you have questions about the home buying process including title insurance please contact us. The Roskelly Team has been helping families buy, sell and rent homes in the Fort Meade area since 1999 and we'd love to help you too!

Just a month ago rental homes were being snatched up with multiple applications in hours, not days and some homes were even go for more than asking price. If you are a Fort Meade home owner and you've been thinking about renting your home contact us for information on our Tenant Locator services.

Our award winning combination of Internet advertising and 35 mm digital photography give your home the market advantage with Fort Meade rental clients.

That broke down as follows:

Condo/Townhome/Duplexes 121 sold with an average sales price of $255,500 (-07% from 2011)
Single Family Homes 357 sold with an average sales price of $374,000 (+10% over 2011).

This is a trend we are seeing on our team as well. Single family homes are in higher demand as prices seem to have stabilized. We had 15% new listings coming on the market this month and an 26% increase in the number of homes that went under contract. As anticipated inventory is decreasing and demand is way up. A great "brew" to give us stabilizing and even increasing home values.

The overall average days on market went down ever so slightly by 2% but we are still eating up inventory that was on the market for a while. We expect that number to go down as well. Our team listings are selling in 30 days or less in most cases and several with multiple offers after just days. If you take the time to stage your home, provide beautiful photos and blast it on the Internet (top ranking websites really help) your home will sell in today's market. When it's time to sell make sure you are choosing an experienced real estate pro with a proven history of solid sales with low days on market and high list price to sale price ratios.

Of the homes successfully sold just 43 short sale listings. A short sale is a negotiated payment of your mortgage loan for the market value of the home when it is less than your full pay off. There is nothing truly "short" about these sales as they take longer to process but with the right negotiation tools and a willing buyer they can be a win win for everyone. Short sale is a better alternative to foreclosure. If your monthly expenses exceed your monthly income and you can no longer afford your home contact us for a caring and confidential review to see if you qualify.

There were 39 foreclosure sales this month in Anne Arundel County. So far we are beating the national real estate averages in Anne Arundel county on these and we have yet to see the promised flood gates of withheld inventory hit the market.

Our team of Realtor professionals specialize in real estate (including homes for sale, homes for rent and seller representation) in the Fort Meade area including the cities of Odenton (Piney Orchard), Crofton, Gambrills, Severn, Severna Park, Arnold, Glen Burnie, Pasadena and Millersville. If you are considering a traditional sale, short sale, military HAP sale, purchase or rental in the Fort Meade area contact us for excellent customer service!

Source RBI real estate statistics April 2012.