baltimore city tagged posts

Thanks to Mark Hines of Fidelity Bank for this episode of Tips from the Pros about mortgage rates.

Don’t forget Fidelity Bank Mortgage now has the lock and shop to insure the rate does not go up while searching for the home of their dreams. See attached.

Long term trend provided by Market Alert, Inc.

Some may be wondering where all the furloughed government workers claims for jobless benefits are?  As is normally the case with federal workers — they have a different system than the average Joe on the street.  There are more than 10,500 government employees who have sought benefits through the week ended January 5th, the latest period for which numbers are available.  

The federal jobless benefits are higher than those paid to ordinary citizens – but unlike regular citizen...

Thanks to Tom Benisch of State Farm for this episode of Tips from the Pros on creating an evacuation plan.

Getting out and making sure everyone is safe: That’s the crux of a fire evacuation plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated; in fact, simpler is better — and fast is key. Create your own plan and follow these practice reminders so you can act immediately if there’s a fire in your home.

Make a plan

1. Sketch a map of your house.
2. Draw two escape routes from each room — one out a door, one out a window.
3. Designate and “star” a meeting spot a safe distance from the house (for example, the mailbox across the street).
4. Hang the plan where everyone can see it regularly.

Practice fire evacuation — exactly as you’d do it in real time

1. Sound the smoke alarm.
2. Leave everything ...

The kitchen is part of a home where people spend a lot of quality time. It’s very special, more so than most of the other rooms.

How can you make your kitchen stand out from other kitchens people might see when shopping for a home? Staging!

Staging is when you decorate a room to be more appealing to home buyers. It’s important to keep your personal items out and put in things that appeal to a larger group of people. Personal touches are perfect when it’s your home, but you are trying now to entice someone else to make it their home.

In this month’s Item of Value, get tips on how to stage your kitchen. Click here to read the full report.

October Calendar of Events

Lots of activities are happening in October around Baltimore. There is still a little time to celebrate outdoors. These activities include Fleet Week, theater, art and other cultural events.

Image: Maryland Fleet Week & Air Show.

Maryland Fleet Week and Air Show on October 3-9 in the Inner Harbor, Baltimore.

Image: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

She Stoops to Conquer at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company through October 21, 2018.

Image: John Waters. Divine in Ecstasy. 1992. Collection of Amy and Zachary Lehman. © John Waters, Courtesy Marianne Boesky Gallery.

John Waters – Indecent Exposure through January 6, 2019. Retrospective organized by the BMA examines John Waters’s influential career.

Image: Baltimore Running Festival

Baltimore Marathon will be dow...

Thanks to Mark Hines of Fidelity Bank for this episode of Tips from the Pros about mortgages.

As expected the Feds raised interest rates 25 bps to 5.25% on Wednesday, noting that job growth has been “strong” and inflation has been close to their 2.0% target.  In addition, a larger majority of members (12 up from 8 last meeting) now expect an additional 25 bps hike by year-end and three more hikes in 2019.

The Prime rate is for short term lending like revolving charge accounts and HELOC’s (Home Equity Line Of Credit). This also affects the construction loans that rely on the prime rate as their benchmark.

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Thanks to Cindy Bernstein of Aim4Order for this episode of Tips from the Pros about organizing mistakes.

Some people believe if their home is clean, it’s organized. That is not necessarily true. Clutter can be hidden in closets or under beds. People may have trouble finding things because they don’t have storage containers clearly labeled.

How do you make sure you don’t take these organizing missteps?

Kitchen counters

You don’t have to have your kitchen counters completely clear. If you use your toaster every morning, keep it on the counter. Putting it away and taking it out every day is a waste of time. However, if you only use it every now and then, it makes sense to keep it off the counter.

Entryway

A completely clear entryway can make it hard to find a place for your coat,...

Thanks to Tom Benisch of State Farm for this episode of Tips from the Pros about what to store in the garage.

It’s easy for a garage to turn into a catchall storage unit. For most items that’s fine, but some things simply don’t belong in a garage, and they can even become a home hazard without proper storage protection. This list of common red-flag items can help identify what doesn’t belong in the garage.

• Extra fuel. Stashing portable gas cans and propane tanks in the garage can be dangerous: Highly flammable fuel poses a leaking risk. If you store any fuel in the garage, do so only in dedicated, leak-proof containers out of the reach of children and pets and away from potential sources of ignition such as water heaters or power tools...