Lauren Bunting Broker MD & DE

Lauren's Blog

Housing market finally starting to turn around in ‘24

Friday, December 15, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Realtor.com released its 2024 Housing Market Forecast and Predictions report recently and the headline was: “Housing Affordability Finally Begins to Turnaround.”Synopsis of the data was as follows:As ...

Read more

Helpful hints to save on homeowners insurance

Friday, October 13, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Homeowner’s insurance is a necessity if your home is mortgaged and covers the structure of your home and your personal property, as well as your personal legal responsibility (or liability) for injuries ...

Read more

Assumable loans offer lower rates

Friday, October 06, 2023 Lauren Bunting

With the sharp rise in interest rates, the assumable loan is coming back on the real estate scene. An assumable mortgage allows a buyer to purchase a home by taking over, or assuming, the seller’s mortgage ...

Read more

Homebuyer Affordability

Friday, September 08, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released their monthly report on homebuyer affordability at the end of August. The news release said July was challenging but mostly unchanged from June, with ...

Read more

HB-107 Reserve Study Wrap-Up

Thursday, June 08, 2023 Lauren Bunting

In the past two week’s article, we reviewed the Maryland General Assembly new legislation requiring all condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives to undertake regular ...

Read more

More Details on New Reserve Study Legislation

Thursday, June 01, 2023 Lauren Bunting

In last week’s article, we reviewed the Maryland General Assembly new legislation requiring all condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives to undertake regular reserve studies ...

Read more

The Rise of Single Women in Homeownership

Thursday, May 04, 2023 Lauren Bunting

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), single women comprise the second largest group of homebuyers. As of 2023, single women made up 17 percent of all homebuyers. Contrastingly, ...

Read more

Maryland Withholding Tax Explained

Thursday, April 20, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Anyone who sells a property in Maryland, but is a “non-resident” of the state of Maryland, must pay a withholding tax. Recently the Maryland Association of Realtors released information on various ...

Read more

The Rise of Real Estate Wire Fraud

Thursday, March 23, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of REALTORs reports that real estate wire fraud continues to be one of the most prevalent cybercrimes in the U.S. About 13,638 people were victims of wire fraud in the real estate ...

Read more

NAR Publishes 2022 Third Quarter Real Estate Market Recap

Thursday, March 16, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) website, www.realtor.org, has information on county median home prices and monthly mortgage payments across the country. NAR applies the House Price ...

Read more

FHFA Recalibrates Upfront Fees for 2023

Thursday, February 16, 2023 Lauren Bunting

In mid-January, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)announced further changes to Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises) single-family pricing framework by introducing redesigned and ...

Read more

Three Helpful Tips to Save on Homeowners Insurance

Thursday, February 09, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Homeowner’s insurance is a necessity if your home is mortgaged, and this type of insurance covers the structure of your home and your personal property, as well as your personal legal responsibility ...

Read more

Maryland REALTORS® Year End Report Highlights Difficult Market For Consumers

Thursday, February 02, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Maryland REALTORS® issued a housing statistics report showing that Maryland home sales dropped 41.9% to 5,124 units in December 2022, against 2021’s figure of 8,818 units. Home sales prices ...

Read more

How RPAC Supports the REALTOR® Party

Thursday, January 26, 2023 Lauren Bunting

 Since 1969, the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC), has promoted the election of pro-REALTOR® candidates across the United States. The purpose of RPAC is to use voluntary ...

Read more

First Time Home Buyers Hit Record Lows While Average Age Rises

Thursday, January 12, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of REALTORS®’ 2022 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report shows that first-time home buyers have dropped to their lowest numbers on record. NAR further ...

Read more

2022 Real Estate Sales Recap for Worcester County

Thursday, January 05, 2023 Lauren Bunting

2022 was a year in which we saw a shift in the real estate market: increasing mortgage rates, reduction in the volume of sales, but no increase in inventory resulting in prices ...

Read more

New Forms Required For Real Estate Transactions

Thursday, December 22, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Back in the beginning of October, Maryland REALTORS® rolled out changes to its statewide forms library, which contains contracts, disclosures and addenda that members of Maryland ...

Read more

How C-PACE Works For Homeowners

Thursday, December 15, 2022 Lauren Bunting

C-PACE is the acronym for Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy. C-PACE programs provide private financing for commercial property owners to upgrade buildings with energy, resiliency, and environmental ...

Read more

October 2022 Local Market Update

Thursday, December 01, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The multiple list service, BrightMLS, that provides real estate data in the Mid-Atlantic, coveringsix states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and theDistrict of Columbia), ...

Read more

$32 Million Awarded in Maryland Housing Project Awards

Thursday, October 13, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Governor Larry Hogan announced last weeknearly $32 million in project awards through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) 2022 application round for federal Low Income ...

Read more

Mortgage Rates Are On The Rise

Thursday, October 06, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The talk about town related to real estate right now is mortgage rates are on the rise. To provide some guidance, here’s what industry experts are saying about the present and possible future ...

Read more

Resolutions to Real Estate Transaction Disputes

Thursday, September 22, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of Realtors explains the differences and the pros and cons to both mediation and arbitration, alternative dispute resolution options when a dispute arises from a real ...

Read more

The New Million Dollar Home Club

Thursday, September 08, 2022 Lauren Bunting

A recent Zillow report is showing that with sales up and values up during the pandemic real estate boom, more homes are selling for over the $1 million mark. The report also detailed that the typical ...

Read more

Maryland’s SmartBuy Program Helps Homebuyers

Thursday, August 25, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Governor Larry Hogan announced last weekthat the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has expanded the state’s landmark SmartBuyinitiative to address rising housing ...

Read more

June 2022 Home Sales Update

Friday, July 22, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Maryland REALTORS® released information on statewide June home sales. Their release states that home sales continued to slow down as prices continued to rise, according to ...

Read more

Appraisal Gaps

Thursday, June 16, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Appraisals in a sellers’ market can be troublesome, and transactions can fall apart when appraisals come up short—creating an appraisal gap. An appraisal gap is the difference between market ...

Read more

2022 Update from the Maryland State Legislature (Part 2)

Thursday, June 02, 2022 Lauren Bunting

In 2022, the Maryland State Legislature convened on January 12th and adjourned on April 11th. Maryland REALTORS® issues a report each year on the Maryland Legislative session to summarize ...

Read more

2022 Update from the Maryland State Legislature

Thursday, May 26, 2022 Lauren Bunting

In 2022, the Maryland State Legislature convened on January 12th and adjourned on April 11th. Maryland REALTORS® issues a report each year on the Maryland Legislative session ...

Read more

The Fair Housing Act Explained

Thursday, May 05, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The month of April this year celebrated the 54th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, the landmark civil rights law signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1968, that made discrimination ...

Read more

Maryland Mortgage Program Announces Two New Loan Products

Thursday, April 28, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Maryland Mortgage Program announced the launch of two new loan products to provide higher levels of down payment and closing cost assistance. ...

Read more

3 Tips To Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster

Thursday, March 31, 2022 Lauren Bunting

You know the old tune by Tennessee Ernie Ford: You load sixteen tons, what do you get; Another day older and deeper in debt; Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go; I owe my soul ...

Read more

Equitable Interest

Thursday, March 17, 2022 Lauren Bunting

What is equitable interest? An equitable interest is an "interest held by virtue of an equitable title (a title that indicates a beneficial interest in property and that gives the holder ...

Read more

Three Helpful Hints to Save on Homeowners Insurance

Thursday, March 03, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Homeowner’s insurance is a necessity if your home is mortgaged, and this type of insurance covers the structure of your home and your personal property, as well as your personal legal responsibility (or ...

Read more

Doc Lite Loan Program: A Local Loan Solution for Investors

Thursday, February 24, 2022 Lauren Bunting

It’s a hot real estate market right now, but we all remember the real estate “crash era” that began in 2008. That real estate downturn brought about many changes in financing and how loans are approved. ...

Read more

Industry Experts Take on the Market

Thursday, February 03, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The number one question most real estate agents are asked right now is "What is the market doing?". The best way to answer that question is to watch the market statistics and listen to the various industry ...

Read more

Property Reassessments & How To Appeal Them

Thursday, January 20, 2022 Lauren Bunting

With property reassessments going out last month for much of Worcester County, property owners might be wondering what their options are if they disagree with the values the county assessment office has ...

Read more

What To Expect In 2022

Thursday, January 13, 2022 Lauren Bunting

According to a recent article released by the National Association of Realtors, consumers can expect slower housing price appreciation, easing inflation and rising interest rates in 2022. This statement ...

Read more

October 2021 Market Analysis

Thursday, November 18, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Maryland REALTORS® just released real estate statistics information from the October 2021 housing market analysis. The market continued its monthly trend of a decrease in units sold, down 8,665 in 2021, ...

Read more

Choosing A Tenant

Thursday, November 04, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Landlords have an importantdecision to make when selecting a tenant to rent their investment propertyyear-round. Property owners have traditionally interviewed prospective tenantsin person and asked for ...

Read more

Earnest Money

Thursday, October 28, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Earnest money is a deposit made to a seller that represents a buyer's good faith to buy a home. This deposit money can be called an escrow deposit, good faith deposit, or earnest money. But, whatever ...

Read more

What is Mortgage Insurance?

Thursday, September 23, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Mortgage insurance is an additional cost that buyers will have to budget for in their total monthly costs when they are not able to put 20% or more down on the purchase of a home. Referred to as MI or ...

Read more

Debt-to-income vital for down payments

Thursday, August 05, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Most buyers know they need to save for both a down payment and closing cost money. Buyers also need to pay down their debt to be sure their debt-to-income ratios are under the various thresholds for USDA, ...

Read more

June named national homeownership month

Thursday, June 10, 2021 Lauren Bunting

June, 2021 was proclaimed National Homeownership Month by President Joe Biden. The White House issued a news release statement from President Biden stating, “We also know that people of color continue ...

Read more

Waiving appraisal effective strategy for select buyers

Thursday, April 22, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Buyers are looking for ways to strengthen their offer in this competitive seller’s market. One tactic that carries a lot of weight with sellers is waiving your appraisal contingency. But not every ...

Read more

VA Loan obtainable through mortgage companies, banks

Thursday, January 21, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Most people are familiar with the VA Loan, which is a loan program through the Department of Veterans Affairs.These loans are available to veterans and active-duty military members and they offer no down ...

Read more

Real estate market closes strong despite 2020 chaos

Thursday, January 07, 2021 Lauren Bunting

The year 2020 in real estate ended very strong. Here’s an “at a glance” recap of some of the various market stats.• The average sales prices varied monthly throughout the year, but June had the highest ...

Read more

Real estate year-end observations

Thursday, December 24, 2020 Lauren Bunting

This year has produced noticeable real estate market shifts, and in many cases the surge in real estate demand was fueled by the effects of covid-19.Here on the shore, we saw increases in feeder market ...

Read more

Record-setting low interest rates benefit home buyers

Thursday, December 10, 2020 Lauren Bunting

There are so many advantages to owning your own home, and even with prices on the rise, affording a new home may be easier than you think due to continued record-setting low interest rates.In fact, according ...

Read more

Undersupply of homes sets up bidding wars

Thursday, October 29, 2020 Lauren Bunting

With two months left in this bizarre 2020, and the continuation of a very strong sellers market, many buyers are asking what impact continued economic uncertainty could have on home prices and will they ...

Read more

Housing prices increase, but appraisals lag behind

Thursday, September 24, 2020 Lauren Bunting

With “for sale” inventory limited in many price points, sellers may be able to ask more for their home.But, sellers need to remember that the home will still need to appraise adequately if the buyer is ...

Read more

Housing market could be stronger

Thursday, September 17, 2020 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of Realtors Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, released a video report that dissects the latest homes sales numbers, talks about what could make the market even stronger, and forecasts ...

Read more

Flood insurance program may expire Sept. 30

Thursday, September 10, 2020 Lauren Bunting

The National Flood Insurance Program’s authority to provide flood insurance is currently scheduled to expire on Sept. 30.The National Association of Realtors is making every effort to secure a long-term ...

Read more

Adverse-market fee to start Sept. 1

Thursday, August 27, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Earlier this month, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced plans to impose a new 0.5 percent adverse-market fee on mortgage refinances starting Sept. 1.In most cases, this would cost homeowners thousands ...

Read more

Prepare for storms with insurance, actions

Thursday, August 06, 2020 Lauren Bunting

With the recent Tropical Storm Isaias impacting our coastal area, the importance of having a plan in place for storm events to protect your property is top of mind.In addition to purchasing flood insurance, ...

Read more

New state legislation impacts HOA and condo associations

Thursday, July 23, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Below is the final summary of the 2020 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly on items that were passed and put into legislation affecting the real estate industry as it relates to both ...

Read more

Md. legislation affects real estate industry and taxes

Thursday, July 09, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Below is a summary of the 2020 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly on items that were passed and put into legislation affecting the real estate industry as it relates to affordable housing ...

Read more

Financial incentives available

Friday, June 26, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Are you looking to buy a home in Wicomico County? The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, in partnership with Wicomico County, is providing attractive financial incentives to help ...

Read more

Appraisal of home important part of real estate process

Thursday, June 11, 2020 Lauren Bunting

The appraisal of a home is an important step in the real estate process, one that can certainly make or break a deal.An appraisal is a valuation of a property done by a professional, licensed individual ...

Read more

OC housing market strong because of low interest rate

Thursday, June 04, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Demand has been very strong in the Ocean City market over the past month due to both being in our spring market (although somewhat postponed due to covid-19) and historically low interest rates.With some ...

Read more

Differences between down payments and closing costs

Thursday, May 28, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Some of the biggest misconceptions in buying a home are related to down payments and closing costs.The first misconception is that a down payment is the same thing as closing costs.Down payments are one ...

Read more

FHA Condo Rule Changes

Sunday, September 01, 2019 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of Realtors® sent out a press release last week commending the Department of Housing and Urban Development for finalizingnew Federal Housing Administration condominium loan policies. ...

Read more

Moving After Losing A Loved One

Tuesday, May 07, 2019 Lauren Bunting

This post is authored by Lucille Rosetti from thebereaved.org and is being added to my blog at her request to helpprovide information on how to proceed with moving after the loss of a loved one.  Moving ...

Read more

LWB Real Estate Report: Housing Opportunity Certification

Tuesday, August 07, 2018 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report:There are many positives that surround an improving real estate market, but there is a downside--housing costs in many areas begin to exceed the financialreach of some low-to-moderate ...

Read more

LWB Real Estate Report: Can I Afford to Buy?

Thursday, July 12, 2018 Lauren Bunting

 Most people want to own their own home—it gives a sense of security and stability. It also allows for more flexibility in personalizing and renovatingyour home to make it your own. Most importantly, ...

Read more

LWB Real Estate Report: Tax Prep to Purchase

Sunday, January 01, 2017 Lauren Bunting

For those considering a purchase of a new home in 2017, there are steps you can take to prepare yourself financially. The first step is to contact a localmortgage broker that can help review your current ...

Read more

Interest reduction possible with two new buying plans

Tuesday, May 05, 2015 Lauren Bunting

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced the release of two new initiatives this week. The first is the Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP) "You've Earned It!" program ...

Read more

Best return on investment key for remodeling

Friday, February 06, 2015 Lauren Bunting

 "Remodeling” magazine issues an annual “Cost vs. Value Report” that highlights the remodeling projects that offer the best bang for your buck. This year’s report touted the following projects as ...

Read more

Buyer protection often comes from title insurance

Friday, January 30, 2015 Lauren Bunting

Most commonly used in the state of Maryland to protect a buyer and ensure that title to a property is clear and marketable in a real estate transactionis the purchase of a title insurance policy. Title ...

Read more

House and Senate approve extensions

Friday, December 26, 2014 Lauren Bunting

The U.S. House and Senate approved a package of tax extensions that include an important provision that helps distressed homeowners through extending theMortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act for all of ...

Read more

Foreclosure inventory down, report states

Friday, October 17, 2014 Lauren Bunting

CoreLogic, a data and analytics company, recently released its National Foreclosure Report with data through August 2014—and it shows foreclosureinventory is down. The report states that 45,000 ...

Read more

Many own homes through MMP effort

Friday, August 15, 2014 Lauren Bunting

The Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP) is a home loan program that can open up the door to homeownership for many Marylanders who wouldn’t otherwise beable to afford to buy their first home. This program, ...

Read more

FHA takes steps to help underserved

Friday, May 16, 2014 Lauren Bunting

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued a news release announcing its "Blueprint for Access". This blueprint outlines the additional steps the FHA is taking to expand access to credit for underserved ...

Read more

Web site offers real estate investment starting tools

Friday, April 11, 2014 Lauren Bunting

Have you ever dreamed of delving into real estate investments but didn't know how to get started? There is an online, free resource called BiggerPockets.com that offers real estate networking and information ...

Read more

Alternative mortgage loans made available

Friday, March 21, 2014 Lauren Bunting

Many buyers are aware of both FHA 3.5 percent down loan and the USDA 100% financing loan. Both of these loans require upfront mortgage insurance fees aswell as monthly insurance premiums that can really ...

Read more

Home purchasing is a process

Friday, February 07, 2014 Lauren Bunting

So you want to buy a home, but don’t know where to begin. Many prospective homebuyers call an agent to see a property before figuring out what they reallywant in a home and also before the other crucial ...

Read more

FHA Introduces Changes for April 2013

Monday, April 01, 2013 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report: FHA Introduces Changes to Help Strengthen Its Financial Health.In a recent Housing of Urban Development (HUD) news release, a series of changes were announced that will allow the agency ...

Read more

Help Navigating the Real Estate World

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Lauren Bunting

Many buyers are aware of both FHA 3.5 percent down loan and the USDA 100% financing loan. Both of these loans require upfront mortgage insurance fees aswell as monthly insurance premiums that can really ...

Read more

Boomerang Buyers

Friday, March 01, 2013 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report: Real Estate Rebound Buyers There is a contingency of buyers referred to as "rebound buyers" or "boomerang buyers"--these are the people who lost homes in foreclosures or short salesduring ...

Read more

Important First Steps When Thinking of Buying a Home

Tuesday, January 01, 2013 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report: Important first steps to buying a home With affordability on the rise, and interest rates at all time lows, more people are asking the question—should I rent or buy? The most ...

Read more

Changes Affecting Home Buyers and Sellers

Sunday, April 01, 2012 Lauren Bunting

Changes Affecting Home Buyers and Sellers: Various legislative changes and industry modifications are made throughout the year that can affect both homebuyers and sellers. Here are two of the moresignificant ...

Read more

$25 Billion Settlement Against Banks

Thursday, March 01, 2012 Lauren Bunting

$20 billion in relief for homeowners The federal government and 49 state attorneys general have settled a lawsuit for $25 billion against the country's five biggest banks for foreclosureprocessing and ...

Read more

What to do with your money??

Wednesday, February 01, 2012 Lauren Bunting

Holding out to try and find the lowest price is not always the best strategy...Are your feet stuck in the sand when it comes to investing? Not sure what to do with your money in today’s economic climate? ...

Read more

FHA Waives Anti-Flipping Rules through 2012

Sunday, January 01, 2012 Lauren Bunting

Buyers looking to purchase a home with an FHA backed loan will continue to have more leeway to purchase directly from banks or investors with a recentdecision by the Federal Housing Administration to ...

Read more

3 Helpful Hints to Save on Homeowners Insurance

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report: Three Helpful Hints to Save on Homeowners InsuranceHomeowner’s insurance is a necessity if your home is mortgaged, and this type of insurance covers the structure of your home and ...

Read more

Real Estate in the New Year

Tuesday, January 04, 2011 Lauren Bunting

As we say goodbye to 2010, it's time to look into this new year with rose colored glasses, but let's temper that optimism with some reality mixed in. In2010, some of our beach markets saw foreclosure ...

Read more

Recent Posts

Tags

Archive

Thank you so much for all of your hard work. We are so excited to move into the perfect house for us, and couldn't have done it without your guidance.

Megan and Brandon Cater

My friend was right, you are the hardest working realtor, bar none. I honestly don't think that I would have gotten through this house selling process without you.

Brenda Burbage

Lauren made first time homebuying extremely approachable, and took the time to educate me on everything involved in the process.

Amanda Hanke and Keri Swigert

Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication that made this purchase possible. You advocate for your clients and I highly regard you for it. You made it possible for me and my family to achieve our goal of homeownership.

Tom Harutyunyan

Thank you so much for the very wonderful, professional job you did with selling our property. You will always be special to me.

Penny Carley

We want to say a sincere "Thank You" for all you've done for us! We know at times the road seemed never ending. Thank you for always staying positive even through our ups and downs of this process. We appreciate all you do!

Mike and Patty Locke

Lauren's extensive knowledge of the local real estate market proved to be invaluable during the purchase of our first home.

Allison Shockley and Patrick Molloy

Lauren is very easy to work with. She has helped me sell and buy homes in the area and has always been hard working and professional.

Jennifer K. Leggour

Lauren went through tremendous lengths to look out for us every step of the way all the way to the very end. If you are in need of a real estate agent who will treat your transaction as if it were their own and provide you with nothing less than A+ service you will be in good hands with Lauren.

Shireen and Mark Ambush

We were referred to Lauren by a good friend, and we couldn’t have been placed in better hands. Lauren went above and beyond in every way, throughout the entire process.

Liz Young

Lauren Bunting was our realtor when we recently sold two homes- one in Maryland and the other one in Delaware. To say we were very satisfied with all she did for us is an understatement!

Janet and Bruce Lathbury

MLS Disclaimer


Top
Contact Me
Realtor logo   Equal Housing Opportunity logo