Pikesville, MD Real Estate News

By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
  8319 Stevenson RoadStevenson 21208MLS #   MDBC2077546 is TOO LATE!     This four-bedroom, three-full-bath Stevenson Rancher is a rare find and even better than new! The house has two-car garage access from the front, kitchen, and patio, making it a convenient and practical space. The house features a wall of sliding glass plus a separate door to the patio and deck, which gives the living room an airy, open feel. The entire first level has gleaming wood floors, which adds a touch of elegance to the space.   The bright and beautiful gourmet kitchen is a standout feature. The white and grey quartz 'waterfall' counters contrast the groceries, making it a lovely place to cook and entertain. The kitchen has stainless appliances, including a deep sink with a curved black faucet, a double-doo...
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By June Piper-Brandon, Creating Generational Wealth Through Homeownership
(Coldwell Banker Realty)
Looking for Something to do in Pikesville?Are you over 60 and looking for things to do? Do you want to take a fitness class? Do you want to join a book club? Learn to quilt? Join activities with other active people to socialize, learn a new skill, or improve your overall knowledge in any area.  The results of recent studies published in the recent issue of the AARP magazine state that adults who stay active and keep learning live longer and more productive lives.  What a great way to stay involved and up-to-date. I'll be teaching beginner and continuing quilting on Thursday mornings from 9:00 to 11:30 am.  Come join in the fun.The sign-up is now available for new classes starting in January.The Pikesville Senior Center is located on the second floor of the Baltimore Public Library in Pi...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Maybe It's Not Time To Sell Counseling is a big part when working with potential sellers. You often have family members making decisions. Grown children think Mom or Dad should be in a condo or adult community. Sometimes they are correct, but sometimes it is not the right answer. I have seen couples sell their homes at the urging of others...only to reverse the situation and try to come back home. It is a huge challenge moving once must less twice. And way too exhausting even for people of a younger age. I have been known to talk people out of selling their homes. Or at least have them think about it for a while.And these situations may take longer, need more explanation, and require patience. A senior must know that the option exists to stay and age in place.It's not about getting the ...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Pay Attention to Your Garage When Selling When marketing a home, remember closets and garages. Please make sure they are either neat, empty, or even staged.  Some sellers want to take everything from inside the house and put it in the garage! This is their quick way of getting the house ready for the photographer. Not A Good Idea. Garages need cleaning to show that it is only for cars. After the listing is signed, we go through the home to see what is necessary to make the best first impression.Garages are an excellent selling feature in Baltimore. Especially with our wide range of temperatures and weather conditions. Either quite hot in the summer, cold in winter, a quick thunderstorm, rainy days, and the possibility of snow and ice later in the season.Careful about storing something f...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
 What To Call Double Closets  Depending on the potential couples as clients, I sometimes call the closets 'Hers and Hers' when showing properties.It is usually funny until one says he has more clothes.  Then I say, ' Okay, they are now 'His' and 'His.'There is always a smile, especially when someone first hears this. Our advertising and selling.. needs to have some personality and some fun. I have seen the couples teasingly ( I hope ) when visiting this much space, telling the other partner they can have the tiny linen closet. All in fun.By the way, closets can sell a home; ensure they are neat and organized.You are lucky to have two closets, no matter what you call them.
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
By living at home for a while, some young people may be able to get into home ownership faster.A record number of young adults moved back home during the pandemic. High rents and the ability to work from anywhere remotely made it possible to save money and work on their credit scores. They could also pay down loans, save up for a down payment and work on their debt ratios. Since home prices are up about 100K from 2020 to 2022, living at home has helped.Because of high rents,  more young people are moving directly into homes and skipping apartment living. Living at your parent's home may not be the ideal solution, but it may help more younger buyers access homeownership.  Thinking of buying or selling a home Call Margaret Rome  
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Weekly Baltimore Market Report February 5, 2023This week in the Baltimore Market report, we are finding that offers are coming in a little more quickly.  As buyers begin to return to the market, they are finding competition for available homes for sale.Buyers are touring more homes, increasing over 10% from last week.Prospective sellers might return when they see more buyer interest, and we may see more listings even before the spring market.    Thinking of selling your homeCall Margaret Rome
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Don't pack what you don't want to throw away. I had a call from one of my recent sellers who moved out of state. She tried to warn others to pack carefully. You don't need to pay to move unneeded stuff that will only get moved again once you get to your new home. Thinking she had thrown, donated, and given away a tremendous amount before she moved, she found she still kept way too much. And once in her new home has started to donate and toss things not needed.If you don't love it, don't pack it. Repurpose it before you move!If you want to sell your homeCall Margaret Rome
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
 Properties with a smaller buyer pool are more likely to spend more time on the market.And this is true of unique and unusual properties. There are fewer buyers for these homes, and we must dig deeper to match them up with the right buyer. These listings take much more time to find the right buyer from that limited buyer pool.I have always enjoyed the challenge and hide nothing when describing these houses. Always explaining the unique feature, whether built in the 1700s, has cantilevered decks, is attached to a cemetery, is adjacent to the beltway, or is upside down (not financially), but the bedrooms are on the lower level. Maybe the house is on the railroad tracks, has no basement, has more bathrooms than bedrooms, an indoor pool, a funky custom design, a converted barn, or an unusua...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Is it negotiable? This is almost always the second question after asking for the price.  Hmm...Isn't everything in life negotiable? Many low offers have made it through to closing. You cannot insult me with a lowball offer, and I should not allow the seller to be insulted.  The people who visited your home showed your home and made NO offer...were the insulting ones.  When someone takes time to write, submit, provide financial proof, chooses a lender, a title company, produces earnest money, decides on various dates, closing, inspections, etc., and...signs forty pages, that is not an insult..that is an offer!       The seller does NOT have to accept.. but it is the start of negotiations.  Please respond with a thank you.  If it cannot be negotiated...just an " We appreciate the offer, ...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Take a look at the Weekly Market Report from Bright MLS. Buyers are more active, and sellers may be ready to adjust their prices. Call me if you are thinking of buying or selling a Baltimore Home. When you are thinking of buying or selling a Baltimore home, Call Margaret Rome
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Sunday, January 22, I invited a guest Joe Brandli of Pillar To Post.  Joe will give suggestions, discuss, and answer questions about all aspects of the home inspection.Since the inspection process is the most time-consuming activity that a Realtor® deals with, I am pleased to have a professional on the show. There are three ways to listen.One on your radio dial  WCBM 680 AMTwo Internet WCBM.com or the Three Use the app WCBM.Noon SundayIf you would like to ask a question or talk about home inspections, you can call 410-922-6680 or text me410-530-2400What questions would you like answered?Thinking of buying or selling a homeCall Margaret Rome  
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Prepare Your Sellers For The Home Inspection Time to talk about home inspections and let the seller know what to expect.With a smile, I say it is simultaneously similar to a root canal and a colonoscopy. Here are a few things to help sellers get ready:First, have the sellers leave the house!Let them know it could be several hours. It could be 1-2 or 5-6 but let them know you will stay in touch. They need to be available by phone, especially if there are any questions. Suggest they have clothes in the washing machine and the dryer, dishes in the dishwasher, and the appliance set to "start."You've now made it easy for the inspector ...who does not have to "figure out" your appliances.Make sure all the windows and doors open and close and are not blocked.Ensure access to the attic, the ele...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
My marketing targets buyer needs. As a listing agent, I have many potential buyers waiting for the right house. So if I find them a home, I can put theirs on the market.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a homeCall Margaret Rome
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
 My day was made when I checked my email and found this lovely note from one of my most recent sellers.   ''My experience working with Margaret Rome was amazing.  I’ve moved many times over the years due to work transfers, and know it’s a process of choosing a realtor. Margaret was the first realtor I called.  As soon as she walked into the house, all she saw was the positives and potential.  Her knowledge and passion for real estate and the local market was impressive.  She also understood how difficult it was for me to sell my late brother’s house and was very patient, kind and helpful as I prepared it to go on the market.  She was always available if I had a question and never failed to contact me before a showing and after to share any comments made.  Her various marketing tools gav...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
It All Depends on Who You Talk To I've been talking with people about the current real estate market in the past week. Ask the man who just sold his house, and he'll say the market is excellent. Ask the woman whose house has been listed for several months, and she'll tell you the market is terrible. The truth is they're both right. I talked with a man who bought his house two years ago and wants to ask for several hundred thousand more. I thought, "Terrific! He must have made some great improvements. Maybe there's an addition, a new kitchen, or a pool with a hot tub." But he hadn't - all he had done was paint. I had to tell him that the market would not support that price bump these days.But a house priced right with a fair profit for the seller and a good value for the buyer will sell....
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
With interest rates doubling recently from the low threes to seven percent, it has reduced the buying power by 30-40%. That means as the rate, hopefully, drops, buyers can afford more house. They can also refinance if that happens.As John Meussner  in California states: " if rate increases put potential buyers on the sidelines, it would reason that reduced rates would bring buyers back to the market." Don't stop looking! As more homes come on the market, there should be more room to negotiate. Maybe you don't have to go to your maximum loan limit. Perhaps you can get a home more reasonably now. Many buyers have quit looking, and many sellers are in a position where they are ready to sell fast. The good thing is the feeding frenzy has calmed down. The multiple offers have slowed down, an...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Friggatriskaidekaphobia... What A Great Word! It is Friday the 13th! Do you know anyone who has friggatriskaidekaphobia?  The definition of friggatriskaidekaphobia is a severe fear of Fridays that fall on the thirteenth.Here's an interesting fact:  Any month's 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday.Some clients have asked not to settle on Friday the 13th, and others will not live on the 13th floor of an elevator building. Some high-rise buildings go from 12 to 14 and skip thirteen. (Do they think the 14th floor is not the 13th?)   We make our luck...good or bad. If you wake up with an "oh no, it's the 13th,'' and it happens to be Friday...you have already set yourself up for a not-so-good day. Just because a listing does not appraise, the air conditioner is not ...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
What do you fear, what are you afraid of, and what keeps you from living a full life?Umar Hameed is going to answer these questions on Sunday.My radio guest is an expert in changing individual behavior. He uses techniques and tools of Applied Neuroscience and NLP to make individuals and organizations more successful. He has been the Keynote Speaker in 16 countries and held a briefing at the white house. He's the author of three books, and his latest title is Unleash Your Crazy Sexy Brain.  Please tune in Sunday, January 8, to listen toUmar Hameed & Margaret Rome  
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
I am grateful for this heartfelt letter from my beautiful buyer.    ''Margaret Rome - A Force of NatureI am a retired professional woman and first-time property buyer who sought Margaret Rome’s help to buy a condominium. Margaret Rome, an amazing, skilled realtor, exceeded all my expectations and helped me find the perfect condominium.Margaret took me in hand; provided ongoing buyer education and reassurance; guided me relative to my purchase; maintained a watchful, close eye on events as they unfolded, and kept her hand on the process from inception to sale completion! Never was such a naïve buyer so lucky to find such a “mama bear” realtor!During the peak of summer vacations Margaret secured a seasoned housing inspector and stayed with me while he performed the inspection and detailed...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
January 2023 Marketing Challenge!Anna Banana Kruchten, Phoenix Broker, and Aura Alex are co-hosts for this contest and are asking for our most effective marketing tips and practices that have led to success in the real estate business. Being a big believer in marketing, this is fun.  There are many ways to market, brand, and advertise. It is our job to let the folks know we are in real estate! It is not their job to remember!Half the advertising does not work, but do we know which half? There are so many ways of marketing. Check out other marketing Consistency is my marketing secret, including my weekly advertising, blogging, and radio show.  Since I build my listing inventory at the end of the year, I have been having an excellent  December and January. But I need to be careful not to ...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
One of my clients is moving out of state when her home is sold. She asked how to find a Realtor® to help in her new area. Easy peasy! Just give me the city, state, and zip; with my connections, I can find an experienced agent in every state. This comes from my long-standing participation in ActiveRain. Usually, in one or two phone calls, I can hook you up with a professional, seasoned agent in your desired area.Moving is less stressful when you already have someone working for you in your chosen area. Give me a call so we can find you the best Realtor® for your needs. So the client above asked how to find an agent. Within 24 hours, I had the right person and introduced the two of them. My seller is now looking forward to her search in Virginia and knows she is in good hands. Just anothe...
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