Archive for the 'Living in Annapolis' Category
Annapolis Real Estate Agents – Do You Have a Great Real Estate Office?
August 26th, 2009
Categories: Home Buying, Home Selling, Living in Annapolis
Annapolis real estate agents, like agents across the country, are reaching the time of year when we size things up – where are we with respect to our annual goals, what can we change to do better. This year is a good year for my business, and it’s a good year for my brokerage, Keller Williams Select Realtors of Annapolis, Maryland. We are expanding market share, in one of these cases of “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” This office provides ongoing training in how to deal with this changing market, including handling foreclosures and short sales, using first-time homebuyer programs and incentives, and presenting listings to sell. The education and experience is proving its value in today’s challenging market, as we succeed in helping our clients meet their goals while also meeting ours. It’s a win-win.
If you or someone you know in the real estate business is considering how to build their business, and open to exploring opportunities with different real estate companies around Annapolis, or elsewhere across the US or in Canada, let’s set up a time to chat about joining Keller Williams. I love this company.
Keller Williams Select Realtors
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
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Annapolis Rotary Crab Feast on Friday, August 7, 2009
July 17th, 2009
Categories: Living in Annapolis
Summer is time for outdoor fun, like the 64th annual Annapolis Rotary Crab Feast.
This the Annapolis’ biggest summer event and the best darn crab feast in the world, as well as the signature fundraiser of the Rotary Club of Annapolis.
Last year’s crab feast donated $70,000 directly to local charities and non-profit groups. More than $1 million has been awarded since the first Annapolis Rotary Club Crab Feast in 1946.
Check out the details and order tickets at http://www.annapolisrotary.com/crabfeast.asp or get your tickets from me in person.
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
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Maryland Schools Ranked Best in the Nation
January 12th, 2009
Categories: Living in Annapolis
The Maryland state school system was just ranked best in the nation . Our schools got a great report card in the study Quality Counts 2009, produced by Editorial Projects in Education, the publisher of the trade newspaper Education Week .
How Do You Find the Best Schools?
People often want to buy homes in good school districts. The question is, what makes a good school district? You can discover a great deal by doing research on line , talking to friends and neighbors, and visiting schools. It’s far better to research schools and choose the neighborhoods of interest, before falling in love with a home.
What do you think?
Do you know of some good resources for local school information? How would you suggest people size up a school to choose if it is right for their family?
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
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Happy New Year!
December 31st, 2008
Categories: Living in Annapolis
Annapolis Maryland Harbor and Capital Building
Happy New Year!
Best Wishes for a Spectacular 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
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Gift Ideas for Real Estate Investors and First-Time Homebuyers
December 7th, 2008
Categories: Home Buying, Home Selling, Investing, Living in Annapolis
Need a few gift ideas? Good stocking stuffers? If you have friends, family, or clients who are thinking of investing in rental property, help them out with one or more of the following books:
And if you know of someone who is renting their home and might like to invest in a home of their own, perhaps someone who is about to be a new graduate, here are a couple of good gift choices:
And for any friends in the real estate sales business, here’s a good one:
This is a great book, however you may want to pick it up for yourself rather than risk offending a friend with the title!
Happy shopping, and happy holidays! Let me know of other good ideas that you have, as I still have a bit of shopping to do myself.
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
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The Tao of Annapolis Real Estate
October 10th, 2008
Categories: Home Buying, Home Selling, Investing, Living in Annapolis
When will the local real estate market hit bottom and values resume their upward climb? What will be the impact of the federal bailout? Whose opinion should you listen to? Said Lao Tzu, “Those who have knowledge, don’t predict. Those who predict, don’t have knowledge.”
While we may not know when the market will turn, we do know that today offers tremendous buying opportunities – low interest rates, lots of inventory, and motivated sellers. And we live in a great place to own real estate, near our nation’s capital, paradise by the Chesapeake Bay.
If your long-term financial plan includes acquiring more real estate, observe the yin and yang – the dark chaos is accompanied by tremendous opportunity. Are you focused on the gloom or present to the opportunity?
Don’t miss the moment.
Some of our clients are now negotiating great deals to acquire properties with 100% owner financing and with lease-options, some are leverage existing assets to create down payments and getting great rates with bank financing. And many are waiting.
They diligently practice it.
When the average type of men hear Tao,
They half believe in it.
When the lowest type of men hear Tao,
They laugh heartily at it.
Without the laugh, there is no Tao.”
- Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
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
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Free Money for Annapolis Non-Profits – Act Now – They’re Giving it Away!
September 7th, 2008
Categories: Living in Annapolis
The end of the fiscal year often results in last-minute dashes, and I just learned about a great opportunity through a colleague in the Rotary Club of Annapolis. Commerce Bank is expanding to the Annapolis area, and as part of their commitment to actively supporting our community, they offer grants, sponsorships, and community development and service programs.
According to Commerce Bank’s Annapolis Manager and Assistant Vice President Jen Simon, the bank’s funds for this year are not fully allocated, and these programs are not yet well-known locally, so we have a great window of opportunity for funding projects that benefit local residents. As are result of Jen Simon’s recent efforts to get the word out, many of our local non-profits are now busy writing grant applications – which are due this week!
More information and an on-line application are available at http://www.commerceonline.com/communityrelations/overview.cfm
Let me know if you’d like more details, as I’ll be learning more over the next few days. We’re putting together an application for the Rotary Club of Annapolis, and I’d love to come up with a project to support affordable housing, a growing issue in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, especially as federal backing for 100% financing is vanishing. And it would be a pleasure if this news is of benefit to you, or a non-profit that you support, so let me know!
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
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Annapolis Real Estate Investors Change the Landscape
September 2nd, 2008
Categories: Home Buying, Investing, Living in Annapolis
This classic rancher at 118 Academy Street in sought-after Murray Hill in downtown Annapolis was recently sold. It was listed on January 5th at $899,000 and closed on July 24th for $775,000. The house featured 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and perhaps most important to the buyer, it was sited on three buildable lots. (Source: Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. – MLS Resale Data)
Within a few days after settlement, demolition began.
And it wasn’t too long before everything was gone, except for a few trees (and the environmentalist in me is very happy that these were saved).
Odds are that we’ll soon have three houses, and that they’ll be on the market for a pretty penny.
This is one real estate investor who is playing to win. I recently heard that eight times the number of people become millionaires in a down market as in an up market. In the face of so much bad news about the economy, it’s great to see an entrepreneur in action, acting boldly, creating value. It’s a great time to take calculated risks.
Yet I must say, I will miss the old house!
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
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Intentional Investors Buying Maryland Real Estate
August 19th, 2008
Categories: Home Buying, Home Selling, Investing, Living in Annapolis, Market Statistics
How’s the real estate market? Everyone is asking me these days. Recent headlines in The Capital, our local Annapolis newspaper, include:
Rumor has it that some of the new upscale chain restaurants in Park Place near Murray Hill may be closing. What will happen with Morton’s and Fado? Today’s Wall Street Journal reports:
Things are looking pretty bleak, one might say. Of course, it all depends on your perspective.
Here are some other facts from our local multiple listing service:
For those who are intentional about building wealth through real estate investing, this market is outstanding. Remember “Buy Low, Sell High”? Now is the time to find motivated sellers and acquire properties at great prices with excellent financing.
We are increasing our services to investors, so if you want to buy more rental property in Maryland, and you want to work with someone who understands your vision, let us know.
We’re building a new web site at http://www.IntentionalInvestor.com
Check it out and let us know your thoughts and suggestions.
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
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Why Maryland Single People Miss the Boat on Housing (And What To Do About It)
August 5th, 2008
Categories: Home Buying, Investing, Living in Annapolis
Annapolis Singles and Maryland Singles Thinking of Homebuying: Do you remember when you bought your first couch? Or are you still waiting? For many, buying a couch is such a sign of being an adult, it’s a big deal. When you did buy one, odds are it provided a nice place to relax in your first home away from home. The place where you could do what you wanted, when you wanted, unsupervised!
What about owning the home?
The way things used to be, or at least the way Hollywood tells us, you would finish school, get married, buy a house, buy a car, buy life insurance, have kids, live happily ever after. That’s not the way it is any more! (And maybe it never really was!) Lots of people are single and living on their own – in fact, in America today, there are now more households consisting of single people living solo than of households comprised of mom, dad, and kids.
Yet many single folks are waiting before investing in real estate – waiting to see how life will shape up – waiting to see how finances will turn out – waiting to see how their current job will work out – waiting for “the one” to show up – putting off lots of things until that day arrives when everything will be clear.
Did you wait to buy a car? Did you wait to set up an IRA or 401k? Are you waiting to invest in real estate? Or is a single friend of yours waiting?
Putting things off means missing the boat on the real estate investment opportunity now – the opportunity to build equity and establish financial security, the opportunity to control your home environment and design it exactly the way you want it, the opportunity to entertain your friends and family in your dream home, the opportunity to buy in a buyers’ market and choose from lots of inventory and make a great deal. Do you really need to wait?
These days, not so many people are missing the boat – we’re seeing a lot more singles buying homes – they are getting roommates, or mothers and daughters or single parents are buying together. They are buying rental properties, and learning to manage them well.
Many renters, who are now living in expensive Annapolis apartments such as those at 1901 West and Spa Cove, could easily become homeowners. One of my single clients recently invested in a condo in Riva Trace, and his new payments are barely more than his rent had been – plus he was able to move out of his apartment at Archstone Annapolis Bay off Forest Drive, and leave his landlord behind. I just love helping people discover how easy and fun it is to own their own homes.
For those who are ready to take the next step, attend our free Homebuying Workshop for Singles on Tuesday, August 12th. Please join me then, or get in touch 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
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