Last week brought about two welcome events for real estate homebuyers and sellers— the fed kept the federal funds rate flat, and the 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate had a minor reduction.The housing ...

In October of last year, the Maryland REALTORS® made changes to how property inspections are handled within the state contract of sale. The new process calls for property inspections to either ...

There have been lots of reports in recent years regarding the prevalence of deed fraud, but lately scammers are not even bothering with trying to change the deed to their name first, and are simply ...

Maryland REALTORS® released their monthly info from the Housing Statistic report, see the details of the news release below. The number of home sales in Maryland continued to decline in the July ...

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 ...

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 ...

Consumers can get confused when it comes to dual agency in real estate. The Maryland Real Estate Commission describes dual agency below: The possibility of dual agency arises ...

A wetland delineation is the fieldwork that determines or outlines the boundary between uplands and wetlands on a property. It may be done with aerial photography, digital imagery ...

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 ...

The COVID-19 pandemic kicked adaptations into overdrive, so the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently provided a report called Adopt to Adapt, with insight into ...

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offers a Forest Conservation and Management program and there are approximately 1,300 agreements in effect covering approximately 84,000 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

The State of Maryland has announced three new Sustainable Communities and one of them is located here on the lower Eastern Shore. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development announced last ...

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 ...

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 ...

Governor Larry Hogan announced at the end of April that more than $200 million in financing tools and new programs will be made available to create new affordable housing opportunities in the ...

One of the important steps during a real estate purchase is conducting a title search. The title search is just one of the buyer’s closing cost expenses and is usually ordered ...

If a piece of undeveloped land is being sold that has an agricultural use, but it is the intent to change the use to residential, then the Agricultural Transfer Tax and Surcharge applies at the point ...

Solar panels on a home can be a great selling advantage, one that provides very affordable utility bills. This type of technology is called a solar photovoltaic (“PV”) panel system or“Solar ...

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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

Worcester County’s Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Program, which was adopted in 1990, accommodates future growth within the Critical Area, while providing for conservation of fish, wildlife and plant habitats, ...

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 ...

2021 was another banner year in real estate that 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 September ...

Condominium associations provide master policy insurance coverage, but a master policy usually covers only the building’s exterior and common areas. To have coverage for what is inside your condo unit, ...

With low inventory in our market,and a high buyer demand, we are experiencing many multiple offer situations onproperties. It’s important to pay attention to contract details to be sure thatverbal agreements ...

Industry experts are still communicating that now is a great time to sell your house, yes, it’s still a sellers’ market.  The housing market forecast remains positive for the remainder of 2021, ...

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 ...

Buyers usually pay most of the closing costs associated with a purchase, of which, transfer and recordation taxes are one piece of the total closing costs. Customary in the state of Maryland is a split ...

According to the National Association of Realtors®, existing-home sales declined in February, following gains in both January, 2021 and December, 2020. However, all four U.S. regions recorded year-over-year ...

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 aspects ...

The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is especially true in selling a home in today’s world, where practically all house shoppers start their search online.  Staging a home properly ...

Lack of inventory, rising prices, multiple offers on new listings—all confirmation that we are indeed in a sellers’ market. Finding a home in today’s market is challenging for buyers, but there are ways ...

The Maryland Real Estate Commission is the regulatory agency that provides licenses to real estate brokers and agents.Its office receives 400-500 consumer complaints annually.Maryland Real Estate Commission ...

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 ...

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 ...

An important inspection for homes, especially those on a private well water supply, is the water quality test.This test usually covers bacterial, chemical and lead testing in our area. These water tests ...

Homeowners in the state of Maryland should be aware that as of Jan. 1, 2018, there were new residential smoke alarm requirements put into place, as per a bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly in ...

Cash may be king in a sellers’ market, but buyers need to understand that the same is not true with financial institutions.So, if you don’t have all of the cash funds readily available already in a banking ...

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 ...

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 ...

At the beginning of the summer, we reported that demand has been very strong in the Ocean City market and surrounding areas since the end of April.Demand in the Ocean City area has remained robust. We ...

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, ...

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 ...

Condo sales have been soaring in the Ocean City and surrounding beach markets.Purchasing a condominium differs from buying a single-family home in more ways than the obvious.Condo ownership offers buyers ...

With low inventory in our market, and a high buyer demand, we are experiencing many multiple-offer situations on properties.It’s important to pay attention to contract details to be sure that verbal agreements ...

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 ...

Listing inventory is at record lows both around the country and in our local area, and buyer demand is coming back as the country eases restrictions, so it’s a great time to sell if you have been considering ...

A home warranty is different from a homeowner insurance policy. Homeowners insurance policies cover things that “might” happen, such as theft, fire,storms/floods. But, home warranty plans cover things ...

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. ...

Customary in the state of Maryland is a split of transfer and recordation charges between a buyer and a seller. Section 14-104(b) of the Real PropertyArticle, Annotated Code of Maryland provides that, ...

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 ...

Real Estate Report: Millennials, age 18 to 35, are now the largest group of homebuyers, according to the National Association of Realtors. With this in mind, it’s importantto know what it is they are ...

Real Estate Report:An important inspection for homes, especially those on a private well water supply, is the water quality test. This test usually covers bacterial,chemical and lead testing in our area. ...

Real Estate Article:Maryland REALTORS recently released a brief report on 2018 Maryland legislation key issues affecting the real estate industry. REALTORS throughoutthe state provide advocacy and participation ...

Real Estate Report: CMA vs. AppraisalTo clear up any confusion, there is a definite difference between a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) and an appraisal. Basically, they are two differentlevels of ...

Real Estate Report: As of January 1, 2018, there are new residential smoke alarm requirements in the state of Maryland, as per a bill passed by the Maryland General Assemblyin 2013. Maryland REALTORS® ...

Maryland REALTORS® released their Maryland Year End sales figures, and announced that in 2017, residential sales in Maryland climbed by 3.2 percent,or more than 2,500 homes across the state. Eighteen ...

An important affordable loan product for the Ocean Pines area is in jeopardy—the 100% financing USDA loan. The U.S. Department of AgricultureRural Development Maryland/Delaware State Office has ...

Smells are an important factor when listing your home for sale, right up there with the visual presentation of a home. Top smells to check for are:garbage, pet smells, mold, body odor and tobacco.When ...

Contingencies Provide Buyers an Important Check and BalancePurchasing a new home is normally the biggest investment you’ll ever make and once you’ve bought a home, it’s a decision you can’t easily reverse.Contracts ...

 Due to recent state legislation, all rental dwelling units in Maryland will be required to have a carbon monoxide alarm installed within the dwellingon every level, including the basement, on or ...

Most real estate agents are Realtors®, which means they are members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). By belonging to NAR, all memberRealtors are bound by NAR’s Code of Ethics. But beyond ...

Real Estate Report: The Ins and Outs of a Short Sale You've probably heard the term "short sale" by now—a short sale is the phrase used when a homeowner is selling their home, but the list price ...