Where Do Interest Rates Need To Be?Many potential buyers are holding off from buying a home because they believe that mortgage interest rates are too high.This, naturally, raises the question of where do interest rates need to be for these buyers to make a purchase.For the first few months of 2023, interest rates have been fluctuating between 7.0% and 8.0%.The average interest rate from the 1970s through today is about 7.76%, which a bit higher than today's interest rate.The historically low rate of 2.96% was the average in 2021.  Don't hold your breath waiting for that low rate to return anytime soon.In 1981, when people were actually buying homes, the average interest rate was 16.63%.  It is not likely that we are going to go anywhere near that amount.  The economy in the late 70s and... 04/27/2023

House Needs Too Much Work; You Rent Instead of SellYour house needs lots of work before you can put it on the market and realistically get a price that you want.Instead of spending the time and money to properly prepare your home for the for sale market, you decide on an alternative.You immediately put the house on the rental market instead of going through the hassles necessary to sell it.In order to get a good and reliable tenant, you will do a thorough background  check before you approve them to rent your place.You will want to verify that their income is sufficient to pay the rent and the utilities, to review their credit to determine if they consistently pay their bills, to check that they do not have a criminal background, and to talk with references to help you to determine that... 04/12/2023

Maryland Real Estate Prices PlateauAccording to data from the Bright MLS, which serves all of Maryland, and reports compiled by the Maryland Association of Realtors, real estate prices have plateaued in Maryland.If you were waiting for the market to peak before you put your house on the market, then that time may have arrived.With mortgage interest rates doubling over the last year, inflation remaining much higher than anyone would like, an extremely volatile oil market, and with a potential recession brewing, potential buyers of real estate have been hesitant to enter the market.The appreciation of 8 to 11 percent, that was seen over each of the last three years, has leveled off.One major stressor that is preventing a drastic decline in prices is that, even though fewer homes are being... 04/11/2023

Selling with a VA Assumable LoanVA loans are assumable.If you own a home that you purchased with a VA loan when interest rates were closer to 3.0%, then you could use this as a selling incentive.The purchaser, who would assume the loan, does not need to be a veteran.The purchaser would still need to qualify to the lender's requirements regarding credit, income, and debt.The purchaser would need to pay a 0.5% VA funding fee.If you go this route, then  you should make certain that you are not responsible for the loan if the new borrower defaults.When the purchaser is not a veteran, then the VA loan entitlement will remain with the property and you will not be able to use it for another home.When the purchaser is a veteran, then the VA loan entitlement of that veteran can be substituted fo... 04/10/2023

Mortgage Interest Rates Over the YearsMortgage interest rates have gone up and down over the years. The average mortgage interest rate since 1972 up until 2022 has been 7.76% for a conventional conforming loan.The average yearly high was in 1981 at 16.63% and the average yearly low was in 2021 at 2.96%.Mortgage interest rates have made a fast increase from 2021, when they averaged 2.96%, up until today, in early 2023, when they are near 7.00%.Although interest rates have made a recent sharp increase, they are still below the average when calculated from 1972, however, interest rates by themselves do not show the full picture about affordability. They do not consider the price of homes, wages, inflation and debt, nor savings and available assets.When deciding whether or not to purchase a... 03/13/2023

The Power of VideoWe have a house on the market at 1 Putting Way, Reisterstown, MD 21136. I can start to tell you about it by giving a description such as the following:   Prepare yourself for a jaw-dropping experience.This custom designed home has been built with the highest quality construction methods, materials, and finishes.It starts off with ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) for the foundation and walls, which provide the highest level of energy efficiency, sound reduction, and wind tolerance (capable of withstanding hurricane force winds).The home contains nearly 4,700 square feet of finished living area that includes 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths, and a half bath.The spacious 3 car garage is equipped with a 240V Electric Vehicle charging station, plus an incredible storage area above.Ta... 03/10/2023

Conforming Loan Limits to IncreaseThe Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will increase conforming loan limits, effective January 1, 2023, by about 12.2%The FHFA determines the amount of the increases once it has received the third quarter housing sales numbers.For most counties in the country, the limit will increase from $647,200 to $726,200.The highest conforming loan limit, which will be available in 99 counties in the country, will be $1,089,300.Note, these limits are based on home prices and not on interest rates, affordability, wages, inflation and so on.In Maryland, the high limit of $1,089,300 applies to five counties: Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's.Check with your lender to determine the limits for the area where you are looking to purchase.If y... 12/02/2022

Should HUD Practice Social Engineering?With a FHA loan homes have become affordable, which sounds like a good idea.But, when someone forecloses on a FHA loan and HUD picks up ownership of the house, should they, then, practice social engineering?HUD is not in the business of owning real estate, so they should put the properties that they obtain on the market as quickly as possible and to the largest buyer pool possible.No, HUD creates all types of categories of buyers and makes properties available to some groups and not to other groups.Here is one: Good Neighbor Next Door.  What is a good neighbor?  Is it a teacher, a police officer, or the like?  Apparently so.  So what does that make me?  Am I a bad neighbor next door?Here is another one: Government agencies and non-profits.  Does HU... 12/02/2022

Home for Sale in Perry Hall MarylandPerry Hall home available for $425,000.  All brick rancher has over 1,800 square feet (3.726 square feet total) of living area on the main level plus a finished lower level.  3 good sized bedrooms, 2 full baths, and 1 half bath.  Features hardwood floors, 2 wood burning fireplaces, spacious covered back porch, eat-in kitchen, newer roof, newer gas furnace and central air, and several newer windows, fresh paint, and new carpet in the lower level.  Located at 9219 Cornflower Road, Nottingham, MD 21236.  Contact Ron Trzcinski of Century 21, The Real Estate Centre at 410-935-5844 for more details.    05/03/2022

Starting the Year off Right By putting the client first, consistently exceeding expectations, and tenaciously seeking solutions to all issues whether they are big or small you will gain a reputation as one of the go to agents for buyers and sellers.If you are looking to buy a home or sell a home,  then feel free to give me a call.  I can help. 02/01/2022

A New Location for El Saltos in Perry Hall, MDWe have been eating at El Salto's Restaurant since, before my youngest son, Liam was born.  I craved Mexican food the whole time I was pregnant and we had been driving to a place in Westminster then El Salto's opened their first location right near our house.  I was in 7th heaven.  Barely anyone spoke English back then and the food was authentic and reasonably priced.  Today, El Salto's has three locations and I tried out their third location last night.  I had a late listing appointment in Perry Hall and Liam had a date so I didn't feel like coming home and cooking dinner just for myself.  I was not disappointed.  This third location is a little more upscale compared to their other locations, the parking plentiful and lots of seating includ... 09/10/2021

If You Don't Want to Receive Mass Emails, Why Do You Send Them You know the saying: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."Here are some reasons to not send mass emails: The recipient did not ask for them. The recipient does not care about your offering. It creates information overload, so your information is forgotten anyway. Just because someone looked at your website, or an ad for your product, or whatever does not mean that they are interested in your product forever.  Some mass emailers send the same email day after day after day after day after day . . . I would have to keep repeating this phrase for you to get the idea. Google, facebook, yahoo, boohoo and the rest of the social media sites do not know what people want.  Just consider the real estate sites like zillow... 01/01/2021

Mortgage Interest Rates Here is about where the rates stand this week (first week of December 2020) 2.750% for a 30 year fixed rate conventional loan; 2.375% for a 15 year fixed rate conventional loan; and 2.375% for a 30 year fixed rate VA or FHA loan.  To give you more perspective on what this means, you may want to think in terms of how much your monthly payment would be.  For a 30 year conventional loan with a fixed rate of 2.750%, your monthly payment would be $4.08 for every thousand dollars that you borrowed.  So the monthly payment for a $250,000 house would be 250 x $4.08 or $1,020.00.  This includes principal and interest.  It does not include property taxes and property insurance. If this tempts you to think about buying, then contact me so that we can discuss it further or g... 12/04/2020

Check Your Spam Folder; It Might Have Something WorthwhileThe other day I prepared an offer for my client.  Before I sent the email off to the listing agent, of course, I had to decide, if I wanted it to go to their primary email folder or to their spam email folder.I doubted that this low ball offer would be accepted so I just checked off for it to go to the listing agent's spam folder.Now, you are probably wondering where is this check box that allows for you to check primary versus spam.Let's back up a moment.  There is no check box that determines whether an email goes to someone's primary email folder or to their spam email folder.Also, I would never give any less effort to any offer that I submitted.This raises a question.  Does anyone send out emails with the intent that they wil... 12/02/2020

Next Door Heroes Program  Next Door Heroes Program for Front Line Workers.   Buy or sell your home with Ron Trzcinski of Century 21, The Real Estate Centre, and receive an eGift Card good at Home Depot for $200 to $1,000 depending upon the price of the home.   Ron Trzcinski Century 21, The Real Estate Centre 410-935-5844 Direct rontrealestate@gmail.com 11/12/2020

Searching for Real Estate in Maryland Are you looking for a home in Maryland? Try this website which has all of the listed homes in the state: www.findmarylanddreamhomes.com Or contact Ron Trzcinski of Century 21, The Real Estate Centre, directly at rontrealestate@gmail.com From the shores of the Atlantic, to the Chesapeake Bay, to the Western Maryland mountains, it's all here. From southern counties such as St. Mary's and Somerset to northern counties such as Cecil and Carroll it's all here. From the Greater Baltimore region to the suburbs of Washington D.C. it's all here. Take a look.  10/26/2020

The Maryland Real Estate Market   Two factors have been making the price of real estate in Maryland rapidly appreciate. One of the factors is mortgage interest rates, which are at historically low levels.  The following shows rates as of October 2, 2020.--- Conventional, 30 year, fixed rate: 2.875%--- Conventional, 15 year, fixed rate: 2.375%--- FHA or VA, 30 year, fixed rate: 2.5% These low rates increase the affordability of buyers such that they can pay higher prices. The second factor is inventory.  The number of homes on the market over the last 3 to 4 years has consistently gone down in monthly year on year comparisons.  Correspondingly, the number of buyers has not shown such a consistent decrease.  Based on the theory of supply and demand, this pushes prices upward. A comparison... 10/02/2020

This is a snapshot of recent sales in the Belmont neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Click here to sign up for my free monthly real estate market update.Highest and Lowest Sold Belmont Home ValuesIn the past 6 months, only 1 property has sold in Belmont. It was a 3-bed, 2-bath Townhome for $172,500.Belmont Neighborhood Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month as compared to the 5-year average of the current month. In December 1 homes sold in Belmont. The average sold price was $178,000 and the average days on market was 10 days.  Sell Your Home in 72 Hours for Thousands More Than Traditional Real Estate!We have a program to sell your home over any weekend you... 03/23/2020

This is a snapshot of recent sales in the Belmont South neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Click here to sign up for my free monthly real estate market update.Highest and Lowest Sold Belmont South Home ValuesIn the past 6 months, only 1 property has sold in Belmont South. It was a 3-bed, 2-bath Townhome for $184,000.Belmont South Neighborhood Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month as compared to the 5-year average of the current month. In December 2 homes sold in Belmont South. The average sold price was $163,510 and the average days on market was 5 days.  Sell Your Home in 72 Hours for Thousands More Than Traditional Real Estate!We have a program to sell y... 03/23/2020

This is a snapshot of recent sales in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Nottingham, MD. Real estate market data and analysis is provided by Peggy Yee, Realtor. Click here to sign up for my free monthly real estate market update.Highest and Lowest Sold Oakhurst Home ValuesIn the past 6 months, 5 properties have sold in Oakhurst ranging from a 3-bed, 1-bath, and 1-half bath Townhome for $170,000 to a 3-bed, 3-bath, and 1-half bath Detached for $355,000.Oakhurst Neighborhood Real Estate Market ActivityThese market activity gauges show the market trends for the previous month as compared to the 5-year average of the current month. In December 4 homes sold in Oakhurst. The average sold price was $278,950 and the average days on market was 27 days.  Sell Your Home in 72 Hours for Thousands More Th... 03/23/2020