Barsch Team Blog

I give the most simplified, up to date data that will help you prepare to sell your treasured home, or make your first home purchase in Montgomery County, Maryland. Below please the trend for June 2008: Montgomery County, Single Family Homes Montgomery County, Coop/Condos Please do not hesitate t...

I read a post here on Active Rain yesterday, and while I agreed with most of it, I didn't agree with one point.  To be honest, the post had already past when I went to respond...so I don't know who posted it. In the post the member said something to the effect that a car does not represent an age...

Keeping safe, tips from a cop.  Part 4 of 4 Swimming Pool Safety Why in the world would a cop be concerned about pool safety?  Believe it or not, we respond to these types of accidents with the fire department.  Luckily, I have not been to any of these scenes, but I have a pool of my own.  This s...

Keeping safe, tips from a cop.  Part 3 of 4   Your home   Some information below is beneficial to keep yourself and your family safe while at home or away from home:  Keep a list of serial numbers on high priced items; if no serial number is present you can etch your own "unique identifying numbe...

Keeping safe, tips from a cop.  Part 2 of 4  Neighborhoods   Many times as an officer I respond to neighborhoods for many types of complaints.  I've been on scenes from something as serious as a homicide to a minor complaint of trespassing.  A lot of times while speaking with victims, witnesses a...

After reading a blog from a fellow Active Rain Member Ken it made me realize how good we really have it. Each day I pull up listings all over the Montgomery County Area, and there are more short sales, third party approvals, and foreclosures then I ever imagined in my life.  Almost any house that...

Keeping Safe, tips from a cop.  Part 1 of 4  Auto Theft and Theft from Auto  A lot of these things might seem like common sense to the majority of you, but you would be surprised how much I run across the same things day in and out.  From my years of experience as a police officer, I give the fol...

I'm not talking ugly, beautiful, gorgeous, or perfect here.  I'm talking just the image, layout and backgrounds of the photographs.  Not specifically Active Rain members, just a industry topic in general. What were those photographers telling us when we were getting our snapshots taken?   I've lo...

I was having a conversation the other day with another agent in this area, and one thing we discussed were original ideas to get more showings in a listing he has.  We talked about a few ideas, and Brokers Open Houses came into the subject.  Obviously, that is not a "new" idea.....but it's not so...

Buyers Corner...... I want your trust, but I need your attention even more. Buyers come to real estate agents in many ways.  Whether they be friends, family, former or current co-workers in other professions, and referrals to name a few.  Usually, the agent and buyers grow a bond between each oth...