Once again, I must give kudos to Brande Bradford! Her post Expired Letters has inspired me to post once again to the rookies of the group that are struggling since the change in market conditions. Many that follow my posts know that I moved 700 miles into a market where I honestly had no clue, no contacts, and no Sphere of Influence. I started my RE business in Baltimore just 3 short years ago.

I believed to get a stable foothold in the market, I needed to concentrate on a Farm Market and Network like a madman, but knew that with my years of experience in investing I would carve a niche in the investment side of the business.

My focus the first 1 1/2 years was just building a name and getting the needed sales to make a living. I did this through the concentration on the farm-mail, door knocking and going to any function that involved members of the community-as well as patronizing all the local businesses in and around the farm. This began to establish me as the local expert in the farm market, and I started receiving calls from buyers that wanted to live in or near my farm community. Not to mention seller calls that were ready for their next home.

The first year in business grossed about $179K per month in sales-a $2M first year. I was pretty happy with that and could pay my bills on the commissions earned from those sales. Through the first half of my second year, my sales were still maintaining pace with that of the first year, so I felt it was time to start focusing on my niche!

Heres where I made 1 fatal mistake! If I was already on pace to have another $2M+ year then I could concentrate on my niche, which was to grow my investor clients. HUGE mistake! Two things happened almost at the same time: I stopped my farm marketing (I broke my own rule about consistency for 3 years!), AND the market turned on a dime to a buyers market! My farm market dryed up almost instantly and my investor market was not growing very rapidly.

I had started a massive ad campaign for investors and was starting to get some calls, but no real sales. (You can't make $$ selling shells for $20K-unless you move a lot of shells!) I spent lots of time on the phone, computer and driving to meet with potential clients. I did a lot of non grata research to help potential clients make an informed decision. And sometimes I ended up not taking on the person as a client.

When working with investors, I have one very hard fast rule-If we don't click personally, I don't work with them. I have had some potential clients that I could sense they were looking for unethical Realtors-Ones that would help them through their deals even if the terms were a little-or a lot-shady. I even had a Realtor that asked me to change a listing to reflect a higher price so his buyer could get back $10K at the closing table! Of course it was going to the contractor to do work in the property, funny thing was it was a completely rehabbed property-NEW EVERYTHING! Oh well another story.

So what did I learn from this? I firmly beleive that focus is key-if you want to work strictly with buyers, first time buyers, sellers, investors, luxury, expireds-whatever the case-focus your efforts on that niche and build it. Become the expert in your niche, you will build long term success.

Do I still believe in the Farm? Absolutely! It doesn't have to be a geo-farm-it can be a niche farm. My mistake was changing drastically from my geo-farm to my niche. It's like building a new business all over. I should have maintained my farm presence while including my niche in the marketing activities.

I have returned to working my geo-farm as well as growing my business with investors. If you have read my posts about working with the Gray Manor Community & Business Group, or working the Community Yard Sale, you will see that I quickly placed myself back into the farm as the local expert.

My investor list has grown to well over 100 and I am consistently working with 5-10 investors at any one time. One investor has turned 3 single family homes through me in the last 2 weeks-all closing later this month. The $20K shells that were bought last year are now ready to sell or to rent. Investors are looking for their summer and fall projects and some are looking at expansion into larger projects.

I have two investment groups that are currently interested in different projects. One is a 20 unit apartment building listed at $4.5M and another is an 88 unit complex listed at $12M. Will they get to the closing table? At this point, we are just starting the negotiations, but it could make for a great end to my third year!

Doesn't it seem contradictory that my post is titled Laser Focus when I didn't do it! Or did I? Yes there were some mistakes, but overall my focus was always to be in the investment game. I put that focus on the back burner to make sure I built a solid income in my farm. Then I should have maintained what I had built while adding the focus on investors.

The farm market is almost on auto-pilot, so my concentration doesn't need to be with it-just maintain what I am doing. My focus is now very specific to investors and my list grows daily with new leads, prospects, and listings.

MORAL: Make a decision on your niche-although sometimes your niche chooses you! Focus your efforts, energy, and advertising to your niche market. Grow yourself as the expert in your field and most definitely Don't forget about your own education!

Stephen Luckett
LuckNet Real Estate Group
443-384-6000 office 443-912-4866 cell

Baltimore County Real Estate, Nottingham Real Estate, Perry Hall Real Estate, White Marsh Real Estate, Parkville Real Estate, Dundalk Real Estate, Sparrows Point Real Estate, Miller's Island Real Estate, Middle River Real Estate, Essex Real Estate, Rosedale Real Estate, Baltimore City Real Estate, Harford County Real Estate, Fallston Real Estate, Bel Air Real Estate, Anne Arundel County Real Estate, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Settlement, REO/Foreclosure, Real Estate Agents, Short Sales

Well it is that time of year again when thoughts of Spring turn to working in the garden and on the lawn. I thought everyone might be interested in seeing some great pics of Spring in Bloom in Dundalk Maryland.

OK, some of the pictures are from last year as well with the flowers in full bloom.

We had many problems trying to get pretty much anything to grow in the soil when we bought this house. Around here the soil is mostly clay with a high acid content, not very conducive to sustaining floral life.

My wife, being the green thumb, believes in keeping everything as organic as possible-not adding any chemicals to the soil if at all possible. We searched to find the perfect organic additive to the soil to aid growth. After some trial and error, we finally came across the perfect fertilizer for our soil-Chicken Manure!

Chicken Manure is extremely inexpensive to get, about $4-$5 for a 50# bag and a bag covers a lot of area. It can be used on flower beds, veggie garden beds, or lawns without adding any unnatural ingredients.

My neighbors have all asked "our secret" and some have started using the organics themselves. One put it on his tomato plants last year and they actually grew to over 8 ft tall and produced more tomatoes than he had ever seen in his 22 years of planting!

On a regular basis, people stop in front or beside our home to take a look (corner lot). Many have knocked on our door to see what we use to get the flowers to grow so big and healthy and my response is always the same:

"Oh, Chicken Poop", I say.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Stephen Luckett

LuckNet Real Estate Group

443-384-6000 office 443-912-4866 cell

Baltimore County Real Estate, Nottingham Real Estate, Perry Hall Real Estate, White Marsh Real Estate, Parkville Real Estate, Dundalk Real Estate, Sparrows Point Real Estate, Miller's Island Real Estate, Middle River Real Estate, Essex Real Estate, Rosedale Real Estate, Baltimore City Real Estate, Harford County Real Estate, Fallston Real Estate, Bel Air Real Estate, Anne Arundel County Real Estate, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Settlement

Everyone knows I write a lot of blogs about Dundalk and especially Gray Manor. Why?, because I live here and am proud of where I live!

I have just recently found out that last year a small group of people joined together in Gray Manor to establish a Community and Business Group: Gray Manor Community & Business Group

This group meets monthly to discuss topics of interest and concern for the residents and businesses of the Gray Manor Community. The meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at: First Lutheran Church of Gray Manor 212 Oakwood Rd.. Start time is 6:30pm. The next scheduled meeting is Tuesday May 13-Just 4 days before the Community Yard Sale.

If you would like to see other events or a schedule of meetings and topics, check the Calendar on the website.

The current President is Linda Gossman and she may be contacted at: president@graymanor.org

As I wrote in my last Gray Manor blog-There is a strong sense of community in this area. The formation of the GMCG just proves my point even further. Needless to say, I will be more involved with the evolution of this group for the betterment of this great community.

If you would like more information on the Gray Manor Community Group in Dundalk, do not hesitate to email Linda to get your questions answered.

If you are interested in more information on living in Gray Manor-or Dundalk-Give me a call or email and I will be happy to ahow you how great----and affordable----it is to own a home here!

Stephen Luckett

LuckNet Real Estate Group

443-384-6000 office 443-912-4866 cell

Baltimore County Real Estate, Nottingham Real Estate, Perry Hall Real Estate, White Marsh Real Estate, Parkville Real Estate, Dundalk Real Estate, Sparrows Point Real Estate, Miller's Island Real Estate, Middle River Real Estate, Essex Real Estate, Rosedale Real Estate, Baltimore City Real Estate, Harford County Real Estate, Fallston Real Estate, Bel Air Real Estate, Anne Arundel County Real Estate, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Settlement

The Gray Manor Community Yard sale has been scheduled for May 17, 2008. 8 am -1 pm Rain Date May 31,2008

If you live in Gray Manor-Keep this date open to help clear out your spring clean pile!

If you love yard sales, be sure to visit the many homes AND businesses that will be involved in this day of fun and bargain hunting!

More information can be found at the Gray Manor Community & Business Group

Stephen Luckett

LuckNet Real Estate Group

443-384-6000 office 443-912-4866 cell

Baltimore County Real Estate, Nottingham Real Estate, Perry Hall Real Estate, White Marsh Real Estate, Parkville Real Estate, Dundalk Real Estate, Sparrows Point Real Estate, Miller's Island Real Estate, Middle River Real Estate, Essex Real Estate, Rosedale Real Estate, Baltimore City Real Estate, Harford County Real Estate, Fallston Real Estate, Bel Air Real Estate, Anne Arundel County Real Estate, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Settlement

What is it like to be a part of such a great community like Gray Manor in Dundalk, Maryland? I have been asked this question many times over the course of my Real Estate career. So many times in fact that I decided to write this short description for potential new home buyers thinking about moving in to this community!

Gray manor encompasses over 600 homes bordered by Northpoint Rd, Trappe Rd, Woodwell W, and German Hill rd in Eastern Baltimore County. It offers a wide variety of housing and well as i and necessities within close proximity. The closeness of schools, churches, stores and services, as well as the affordability of homesmakes this one of the most popular neighborhoods in Dundalk.

If you are a history buff, there are many stories that surround this community-of course the most popular being that of the Battle of North Point in the War of 1812, which actually occurred in September of 1814. A monument erected on "Battle Acre" is dedicated to those that fought to Defend Baltimore and had the British retreat in just 1 day! The next night was the Battle at Ft McHenry which was the point in the war where the British were driven from Baltimore.

Another marker erected is on a field near the corner of Northpoint and German Hill. This marker was erected to mark the "Battle Ground Methodist Episcopal Church" which was used by both armies as a hospital during and after the famous battle in 1814.

A large parcel of land, now owned by the Historical Society will be preserved commemorating the great battle here led by General John Stricker, who is the Namesake for the Middle School that services the Gray Manor Community. You can get much more information on the Battle of North Point from the BC Public Library or Eagle Heritage.

Gray Manor was surveyed and plotted in the early and mid 1940's, although there are several homes that date into the 1920's. I had the opportunity to meet the son, now almost 70, of the man that worked to lay out the original plat of the Gray Manor Community. He lived, with his family in a farm house located approximately where the Charlesmont Pool is currently. He remembered walking the area with his father and helping set the grids of where homes were to be built. He recounted stories of finding many artifacts at the time, like arrow heads and musket balls.

There is a wide variety of housing available in the Gray Manor Community. This corner home on Oakwood rd is an example of the earlier homes, built in 1926. You can find these homes scattered throughout the community, although the majority of homes were built just after WW II. The post War homes comprise mostly bungalows and Cape Cods with 2 or 3 bedrooms and 1 bath. These homes became occupied quickly as they were built to accommodate the growing steel industry in the Dundalk area.

Many homes purchased new in this area are actually still in the families of the ancestors. I have talked with many of my neighbors to find that their homes were either passed down through the generations or sold within the family after the owners deceased. This adds much to the heritage and history of the Gray Manor Community, as well as what makes the Community so popular.

When homes are for sale outside a family, normally they will sell quickly. I have sold many homes in this community and find that homes generally receive much attention while being marketed. It was funny that last year I sold 2 homes to children and grand-children of parents that lived on the same block, so if the house is not being passed down family will at least move close when available. This adds so much to the sense of community in Gray Manor.

Do you like to feel like you have some space? Most of the yards in Gray Manor are large as compared to many communities. 5000-7500SF is normal for most properties. This allows space for a garage, a pool, a wok shed or just about anything that you might want in your yard. Although the majority of yards are fenced, this is not to keep neighbors away, but usually to keep the family pet in. Being a very Family oriented community, cats and dogs are very popular.

It's nice that even though you feel away from the city, amenities you want are still close at hand. Gray Manor Park is just off Woodwell west and offers plenty of room for family outings and a wide variety of activities through the Baltimore Park & Recreation. The new Battle Field park will be added as well as work is done to preserve the area at Northpoint and Trappe Roads.

Do you need to be within a short distance of shopping? Walmart, Drug City, Mars Grocery and many other businesses are located nearby for your shopping convenience. Our Dundalk Walmart is one of the highest volume Walmarts in the Country. Of course, I couldn't get through a blog like this without mentioning one of the hottest flea markets in Eastern Baltimore County. Plaza Flea Market is next door to Walmart and is a great place to spend some time on the weekends.

You can get more information on this area and Dundalk checking these links:

My Dundalk.com Dundalk Eagle Gray Manor Community & Business Group Localism.com

I would say this a thumbnail sketch of what you can expect being a part of the Gray Manor Community in Dundalk. We have enjoyed living in this community and I recommend it to anyone looking for their first or next home. I would be happy to assist you in finding that perfect place call HOME.

Stephen D Luckett

LuckNet Real Estate Group

443-384-6000 office 443-912-4866 cell

Baltimore County Real Estate, Nottingham Real Estate, Perry Hall Real Estate, White Marsh Real Estate, Parkville Real Estate, Dundalk Real Estate, Sparrows Point Real Estate, Miller's Island Real Estate, Middle River Real Estate, Essex Real Estate, Rosedale Real Estate, Baltimore City Real Estate, Harford County Real Estate, Fallston Real Estate, Bel Air Real Estate, Anne Arundel County Real Estate, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Settlement

Are you thinking about calling one of these "signs" on the side of the road? Do you feel that you are in a position that this will be your last resort?

Laws in Maryland have changed as of April 3, 2008 concerning the foreclosure process. Why not get educated before giving away the farm!

Saturday, April 19th

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - "Foreclosure Prevention"

Description: Stop Foreclosures, Don't Wait! Get the information you need to avoid the hassles of Foreclosure. At this Workshop, special financing options from HUD and the State of Maryland will be discussed. Learn about Short Sales, Loss Mitigation and getting the most money for your home. Learn about "Foreclosure Consultants", "We pay cash for Houses", and "foreclosure" websites. There will be ample time for questions and answers.

If you are interested in attending this class, contact me to reserve your seat today!

Stephen D Luckett

LuckNet Real Estate Group

443-384-6000 office 443-912-4866 cell

If you are like me, you love yard sales and flea markets. On Saturday April 19, 2008 the Walmart at 2399 North Point Blvd in Dundalk will be holding their first of 2 annual Flea Markets.

This is one of my favorite as there are always alot of tables set up with a huge variety of items for purchase-and most of the time at a great price!

When Wal-Mart holds their Flea Market-it is set up in the parking lot between the Wal-Mart and the Plaza Flea Market. The location draws a huge crowd, so this flea market has become very popular.

Vendors know that this market draws a large crowd so it attracts a wide variety of vendors-from the professional vendor to Mom & Dad just clearing the basement and the garage for spring cleaning. So if you have a little time Saturday between 7 am & 3 pm, come browse the tables and maybe you will find that dream bargain you have been looking for!

Stephen D Luckett

LuckNet Real Estate Group

443-384-6000 office 443-912-4866 cell

Rebuilding Together Baltimore's annual Rebuilding Day is Saturday, April 26. Rebuilding Together Baltimore is dedicated to assuring that low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly, disabled or families with children, live in safe homes. Rebuilding Day brings together hundreds of volunteers to provide critical home repairs to not only help the individuals, but to also preserve and revitalize their communities. The GBBR Charitable Foundation is organizing a group of volunteers to help with a community beautification project in Baltimore County's Turner Station community.
We could use your time and talents as a part of our Volunteer Team! If you would like to volunteer, please contact Lanell Patrick at 410-337-7200 or Lanell@GBBR.org.

Many first time home buyers in the Baltimore, Maryland area think that they must start in a row home or townhouse because the single family home is just out of reach. I am here to say that is just NOT TRUE! There are some great neighborhoods in Dundalk, 21222 that are filled with single family homes that are affordable to the first time home buyer.

Gray Manor is one of those neighborhoods-very diverse in style and size of home as well as price. I have helped several first time buyers find wonderful single family homes in this neighborhood.

Just a few examples-John and his wife were thrilled when we found a single family 3bd/1.5ba fixer for $163,000! They were able to do a special construction loan to add a second floor as well as do all of the fix up work. Now they have loads of equity in their first home, as well as a very nice single family home.

Chris and his wife still thank me for getting them into their first home in Gray Manor. A cute little 2Bd/1 Ba cape cod that had been updated and with a nice size yard for their small child. They have been in about 1 year and are just starting to rehab the entire house to add more bedrooms and baths for new "family additions!"

There are many opportunities like these in the Gray Manor Community. If you are thinking that your first home or even a move up to a single family is just out of reach-Give me a call and I will show you just how possible it can be!

See listings in Gray Manor

Stephen Luckett

LuckNet Real Estate Group

443-384-6000 Office 443-912-4866 cell

Baltimore County Real Estate, Nottingham Real Estate, Perry Hall Real Estate, White Marsh Real Estate, Parkville Real Estate, Dundalk Real Estate, Sparrows Point Real Estate, Miller's Island Real Estate, Middle River Real Estate, Essex Real Estate, Rosedale Real Estate, Baltimore City Real Estate, Harford County Real Estate, Fallston Real Estate, Bel Air Real Estate, Anne Arundel County Real Estate, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Settlement

Governor O'Malley Signs Emergency Legislation to Protect Homeownership.

If you didn't catch the above article from the MAR (Maryland Association of Realtors) Take a minute to read it. The new legislation was signed to take immediate effect April 3, 2008.

I must admit that I am a little torn as to the overall effectiveness of this new legislation. I can and do understand that the Legislature wants to do something to help homeowners in crisis, but are these 3 laws the right ones?

SB 216/HB 365 - Foreclosure Process- Basically this law extends the time before lending institutions can start the process and the time before actual foreclosure. Maybe I am misinterpreting but seems to me that the time extension and other necessary filings will increase the total expense of the foreclosure-not help eliminate the foreclosure.

I talk with bank reps regularly and they tell me that it is a rare occurence that foreclosure proceedings are stopped due to the homeowner bringing payments and fees current. It could allow the homeowner a little more time to sell the property before the foreclosure sale, but does this truly help the homeowner to keep a roof over their head? This seems to add more time to allow the "foreclosure specialist" to "help" the homeowner, which I will expand on in a moment.

SB 217/HB 360 - Mortgage Fraud Protection-The key wording here is "knowingly" engages in any activity or filing to produce a fraudulent loan. This seems to be a pretty broad law aimed at anyone involved in the mortgage process. What about the homeowner that doesn't know he is dealing with an unscrupulous loan person-is that homeowner still going to lose his home even though he had no knowledge or direct involvement in the shady dealings-he was just trusting his loan officer? Does the statement:

mean that the homeowner will keep his home while the offending parties are prosecuted or since the homeowner signed all the paperwork, they are now a party to the fraudulent loan?

Please to all of the loan officers that are honest, hard working, and good at their jobs-I certainly mean no offense, but there are, in every business, those that feel they need to undermine the process to get the job done-no matter what the cost.

SB 218/HB 361 - Prohibition on Certain Foreclosure Transactions-Working on the investor side of this business, I get a lot of calls and emails concerning foreclosures, especially pre-foreclosure homes. I will not add an investor to my list unless I have talked with them face to face or at minimum on the phone. Usually within the first 5 minutes of a conversation, I can sum up the intent of the person.

Of course, every investor is in business, thus they should make a profit-but how much and to what end will they go? If I cannot get a good feeling about the person and since my license and reputation are on the line, I will walk away. Homeowners that are in trouble with their mortgage are nervous, scared and not thinking objectively-thus they might agree to many things not in their best interest.

My point being that some of the parts of this new law are very valid and will help the homeowner protect what is theirs-not from the lender but the so-called foreclosure specialist that is preying on the bad situation of the homeowner.

There are many investors that truly care not only about the profit but about the homeowner as a person. (We are all Human Beings first, aren't we?) I have worked with investors that have helped homeowners retain a new place to live, or helped them move, or paid for a moving company. Aren't these the type of people that are truly helping the homeowner AND the economy?

Parts of this law will make it tougher for these investors to do what they have done in the past, but I know that because of their moral fiber, they will find the RIGHT methods to get the job done within the guidelines set forth. I know that they will not negate the needs of the troubled homeowner in doing so.

Summing up-The Real Estate Market is correcting from the huge surge of the previous market. Is this not normal? When the stock market enjoys a long increase does it not go through a correction period that still ends higher than before the increase.

Each of us needs to ride this wave and do what is legally and morally necessary to stay balanced. Yes times are tough right now-How many Realtors left the business in 2007?-but the market will turn and level off. Those of us who are in a position to aid those that are more troubled have an obligation to help. We cannot depend on the Government to enact legislation every time things get tough. If this is our expectation, we take one step closer to a socialist society in America.

I have not yet made concrete decisions on the effectiveness of this new legislation, but I would love to hear your opinions.

Stephen Luckett

LuckNet Real Estate Group

443-912-4866 cell

Baltimore County Real Estate, Nottingham Real Estate, Perry Hall Real Estate, White Marsh Real Estate, Parkville Real Estate, Dundalk Real Estate, Sparrows Point Real Estate, Miller's Island Real Estate, Middle River Real Estate, Essex Real Estate, Rosedale Real Estate, Baltimore City Real Estate, Harford County Real Estate, Fallston Real Estate, Bel Air Real Estate, Anne Arundel County Real Estate, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Settlement