Here’s the data for June 2010 (vs June 2009)

Avg Sold Price as Percent of Avg Asking Price: 91 % (up 2 percentage points)

Average Days on Market:  106 (down 14.52 %)

     (this is a good thing)

Active Home Listings:       4303 (up 0.74 %)

Total Sold Dollar Volume: $208,571,804 (up 22.23 %)

     (this is a good thing)

Average Sold Price:           $375,129 (up 6.18 %)

Total Units Sold:                556 (up 15.11 %)

     (and this too)

In total this means that a few more homes are coming on the market, many more are selling for a bit more money.  Although the higher average price may simply be an indication that higher priced homes are more salable, versus an indication that prices are rising.  In fact, in most areas prices are stable, thank goodness.

And, as they say, “Your mileage may vary!” so, for specific data on your neighborhood & how this impacts your property, call today.

Or visit http://www.AnnapolisHomeValues.com

(YES, I CAN HELP YOU BEAT THE AVERAGES.)

Get your property sold quickly, easily, and for top dollar. 

Get a smart, aggressive Internet strategy. 

Put my systems to work for you today.

I CAN PUT MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET . . .

Call Today!

P.S. Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.

Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, 410-268-0160

Chief NAR economist Lawrence Yun remains cautiously optimistic about the national housing market. “It’s significant that home sales remain above year-ago levels, but the market is going through a period of swings driven by the tax credit,” he said. ‘We’ll likely have another surge in the spring as home buyers take advantage of the extended and expanded tax credit. By early summer the overall market should benefit from more balanced inventory, and sales are on track to rise again in 2010. However, the job market remains a concern and could dampen the housing recovery – job creation is key to a continued recovery in the second half of the year.”

Anne Arundel County figures for January 2010 are shown below.

Source: Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. – MLS Resale Data Copyright 2010 – Information deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed.

If you would like specific information on what is happening with home sales in your neighborhood, I’ll be happy to help.   Call for a free, no-obligation consultation.  Get the information you need to help you enjoy the home of your dreams.

P.S. Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.
Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Much of the recent activity was sparked by first time buyers looking to take advantage of an $8,000 tax credit, which was initially due to expire at the end of November. NAR expects market demand to remain strong as the tax credit program has been extended and expanded through April 30.

Current inventory levels in all price ranges have dropped to 3.57 million units nationally, creating a 7-month supply. “Low-end inventory has become very tight in many areas and in some cases buyers are becoming more aggressive,” explained NAR president Vicki Cox Golder. Multiple offers are not uncommon in the lower price ranges, and foreclosed properties are selling more quickly.

Anne Arundel County figures for November 2009 are shown below.

Download Free iPhone Application for Finding Homes in Maryland and Enter Code 4517

Househunting for the rest of us!

Announcing a free service that you and your friends just may not be able to househunt without – an iPhone application for finding and viewing home listings! If you’re looking for a home in or around Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, check it out, and let me know how you like it.

And if you’re thinking of selling, wouldn’t it be good if your home were made available through the latest technology like this?

I’m still using my Blackberry, so will look forward to hearing your thoughts (and if you think I MUST get an iPhone).

P.S. Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.
Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Always looking to learn more about property management, and also looking for books to recommend to friends and clients, I just picked up a copy of The ABC’s of Property Management, by Ken McElroy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If there were ever a book to convince you not to try to manage an extra home yourself, this is it! Full of stories of things that happen to people when they haven’t mastered the business of property management.

I discovered long ago that property management works fine if you treat it like the business that it is, but not so well if you treat it like a hobby or an afterthought. (Yes, I learned that the hard way.) Here are some handy references for those who choose to do it themselves.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And if you do it yourself, be sure to learn the Maryland state laws, as well as those of the county and city where your property is located.

Of course, it often pays to bring on a specialist. For those who’d like to team up with a professional property manager, I can make some recommendations in the Annapolis area. You need to be prepared to compensate them somehow, typically by paying a percentage of the rent.  Sometimes you can negotiate a guaranteed rental payment, regardless of vacancy.

Oh, you want to know how to get it free? Some will do it for a portion of the future increase in your property’s value. Let me know if you’d like further details.

P.S.  Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.
Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Carlyn Lowery Sold Another Home

Home sales in Anne Arundel County were up a staggering 44% in October 2009 as compared to October 2008. And inventory was down 11%, to 3906 homes at the end of October 2009 as compared to 4357 at the end of October 2008.

And now, tax incentives for first-time home buyers have been expanded and extended until the Spring, which will increase demand. Interest rates are low, with safe 30-year-fixed rate loans available below 5% with no points.

Many people who would like to move are not sure if it is time to put their property on the market, as they are hearing mixed reports. With all the news about the tough economy, and credit being hard to get, people sometimes get the impression that houses are not selling.

Houses ARE selling, and only those that are on the market have the chance to sell. For those who are thinking about making a move, opportunity is knocking.

More on this topic:
Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended and Expanded, A Gift for Annapolis Real Estate Buyers
Annapolis Real Estate Market Statistics November 2009

P.S. Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.
Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Cash Gift from the Federal Government

* Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010, and

* Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners purchasing a principal residence between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, who have used the home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight.

Plus,  members of the armed services, as well as intelligence service and foreign service personnel, get extra benefits!  Those who are on active duty and out of the U.S. for 90 days during any part of 2009, get an additional year to buy their homes, to May 1, 2011.

Homebuyers who purchase their home using the tax credit must use that home as a principal residence for a period of no fewer than three years, or must forfeit the entire credit. Military, intelligence and foreign service members do not have to repay the credit if they have to sell their home after fewer than three years occupancy due to official business.

More on this topic:
The Basics: Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit 2009/2010
Time is Running Out for $8000 Gift from the Federal Government

$8000 Bailout Gift for Your Friends

P.S. Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.
Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Buyers are taking advantage of low interest rates and a first time buyers tax credit available through the end of November. “Much of the momentum is from people responding to the first-time buyer tax credit, which is freeing many sellers to make a trade and buy another home,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist.

Total housing inventory is trending down across the country, reaching its lowest level in two and a half years. Inventory fell to 3.6 million homes available for sale at the end of September. This represents a 7.8 month supply at our current sales pace. “If we could continue to absorb inventory at this pace, home prices would return to normal, modest appreciation patterns next year,” Yun said.

Anne Arundel County figures for October 2009 are shown below.

Source: Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. – MLS Resale Data

Copyright 2009
- Information deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed.

P.S. Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.
Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Carlyn Lowery Real Estate Team

Promote Your Page Too

Some folks read these blog posts with their favorite RSS reader such as iGoogle, some subscribe by email, some follow me on Twitter, and some find it most convenient to discover the latest news when checking in with friends on Facebook.   The formatting seems nicest here, yet some of the other delivery methods are more convenient.

I’m still experimenting with Facebook and Twitter, and would love to hear how you like to use them for both work and play.

P.S.  Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.
Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

]]> http://annapolisrealestatetoday.com/2009/11/04/annapolis-real-estate-news-available-on-facebook/feed/ 0 http://annapolisrealestatetoday.com/2009/11/03/stop-double-mortgage-payments-say-annapolis-real-estate-sellers-with-vacant-homes/ http://annapolisrealestatetoday.com/2009/11/03/stop-double-mortgage-payments-say-annapolis-real-estate-sellers-with-vacant-homes/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:51:04 +0000 carlynlowery http://annapolisrealestatetoday.com/?p=288

Vacant House in Annapolis

One mortgage payment is bad enough, but two is sometimes just too much to bear. And vacant homes cause all kinds of problems.

Insurance coverage may lapse after thirty days.
Little problems may turn into big problems, because no one was around to notice.  A small trickle becomes toxic mold.
Lawn mowing, leaf blowing, gutter cleaning, snow shoveling – enough to deal with when you live in a home, and a real hassle when you live elsewhere.
Neighbors get mad when the home and yard deteriorates.
The city issues fines for code violations.
Realtors recommend low sales prices, or say they can’t help.

What’s the alternative, renting the home out and risking bad tenants who might trash it?

For those who have had enough, and are determined to stop the double mortgage payments and other ongoing expenses and hassles, other options are available.  Our growing network of Annapolis real estate professionals includes people who create custom solutions, with a little flexibility on everyone’s part.

Professional rehabbers who renovate homes for resale, “hard money” lenders who fund rehabbers, landlords who like to have property and tenants to manage, investors who subsidize mortgage payments for a portion of the equity, note buyers who convert seller financing to cash, insurance experts who provide policies for vacant homes, Realtors who bring home buyers and renters, people who want to “rent to own” or buy with a “lease-purchase.”

If you’d like to participate in these ways or others, please get in touch, and let’s see how we can work together to get more of these vacant homes occupied!

P.S. Call me today for all your Annapolis real estate needs.
Carlyn Lowery, Associate Broker, Keller Williams Annapolis : Real Estate Brokerage in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland