home ownership tagged posts

Significant Life Events

What is the number one reason people move? Life’s milestones often serve as motivation for housing decisions. Whether it’s tying the knot, starting a family or pursuing career advancements, these pivotal moments ignite aspirations for stability and growth. These milestones contribute to a sustained and, at times, pent-up demand for a move.

Declining Mortgage Rates

Against the backdrop of life’s milestones, the changing mortgage rates have a considerable influence on housing demand. Declining mortgage rates, in particular, are a powerful stimulant, giving prospective buyers increased purchasing power and motivating them to enter the market...

Thanks to Cindy Bernstein of Aim4Order for this episode of Tips from the Pros on tips to organize the bedroom.

The bedroom is your oasis, a place to go to get away from it all. However, in many cases, it becomes a cluttered room that does the opposite of what you want. Here are 12 tips to organize the bedroom.

Start with decluttering

As always, decluttering is the first step. Make sure everything in your bedroom has a home. Put clothes, shoes and cosmetics away. Don’t leave things laying around.

Always make your bed

Every day, make your bed when you get out of it. It’s a good habit to start. An unmade bed always makes the room look messier, even if it’s not too cluttered.

Surfaces

Dressers, desks and nightstands can accumulate clutter...

Thanks to Cindy Bernstein of Aim4Order for this episode of Tips from the Pros about the reasons we have clutter.

Try as we might, we all have some clutter in our lives. Understanding the reasons why we accumulate so many things can help us turn it around and begin to reduce clutter.

1 . You’re not sure what clutter actually is.

Clutter, as defined by Merriam-Webster is, “Scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness. A crowded or confused mass or collection.”

2. You can’t resist a sale.

Do you ever buy things you already have? You may buy things in bulk because you think you’ll use them, but then don’t. Often you take advantage of items that are on sale that you think you might need, but never do.

3...

What made you choose THIS home over all the others 10 years ago?

For us, the neighborhood sold it. The home is on a corner lot, across the street from a wonderful park.  While the home had features that I hadn’t envisioned (a rather small kitchen and only one bathroom), we knew that those features were changeable.

Features like a big, flat, fenced-in yard and the view of the forest across the street weren’t things we could add to another house that checked all the boxes for interior features.

 What do you love most about your home, the area, the neighborhood?

We’ve loved having Double Rock Park in such close proximity...

Thanks to Clean Sweep for this episode of Tips from the Pros about slate roofs.

As a realtor, you probably see almost every type and quality of roofing imaginable, from roofs that seem to have more bare spots than shingles to traditional composite shingles. However, many realtors lack experience with slate roofing. This high-quality roofing material can last for up to 150 years if it’s properly installed, and it adds major value to homes.

Slate Roofing

Slate roofing can match almost any exterior aesthetic thanks to the wide range of textures and colors that the material comes in. It’s also completely recyclable once it has worn out. Slate roofing requires expert maintenance and specialized installation to give homeowners the best experience possible.

When Selling a Hom...

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...

If building wealth is among your aspirations for the year ahead, you will need some tips and idea. You might be looking for financial goals to set, depending on your age and stage of life.

In this Monthly Item of Value, get tips on where you should focus in each decade of your life. Although your priorities will surely change over time, the goal of continuing to build wealth may not.

In your 20s: Start saving and balance debt-to-income. 

In your 30s: Save as much as you can for large goals while you handle the demands of a growing family or caring for aging parents. 

In your 40s: This is your peak earning decade: Research shows pay growth peaks at 49 for college-educated men and 40 for college-educated women.^*

In your 50s: Max out your savings and catch-up on savin...

December Calendar of Events

Lots of activities and holiday events are happening in December around Baltimore. Get the scoop on what’s happening and where.

Image: Allevents.in

The Tipsy Bee (Adult Spelling Bee) Tuesday, December 4, 8:00-9:30 pm at Old Major, 900 South Carey Street, Baltimore.

Image: Allevents.in

47th annual Downtown Partnership Monument Lighting, Thursday, December 6, 5:00-8:00 pm at the Washington Monument, 699 N. Charles Street, Baltimore.

Image: Allevents.in

Holiday Pet & Family Portraits Waverly Ace Hardware, December 8, 601 Homestead Street, Baltimore, 10 am.

Image: Maryland Fire Museum

Fire Museum of Maryland Holiday Train Garden, Open December 2, 9, 16, 27-30 ate the Fire Museum of Maryland, 1301 York Rd., Lutherville, MD 21093.

Image: Miracle on 34th Stree...