With all of the negative attention the real estate market is getting due to the media, it can be extremely scary to think of selling your home in todays market. The truth is, go into this adventure with an edge. Don't be blindsided, know what you are going to be up against, and be knowledgeble about the whole experience going in.

Getting the edge on getting your home sold in a timely manner has to do with a few key factors....

1. P R I C E ! ! ! When it comes down to it, price is the A1 way to get your home sold fast. Be realistic going in. Try to detach your self emotionally from the experience, and remember it is a business transaction. Do not focus on the value of your home in retrospect of the memories your family has created there, but realistic on looking at what has sold in the community. Remember to look at the recent solds in the area, not as much the actives. Look at the solds, and the credits the sellers may have given the buyer as closing cost assistance. You want to be sold before all the other competition which may be sitting with a sign on its front lawn. SO, PRICE it right!

2. Condition. Condition of your property is also key. Place a fresh coat of nuetral paint on the walls, whether you like it nuetral or not! Buyers like to imagine the color palette possibilites. Nuetral walls, flooring, and fixtures, tend to bring top dollar. Do minimal repairs to ensure your property is in great show condition. Replacing light bullbs, ripped screens, patch repairs, or other small features mean alot more than you would think! Basic landcaping also draws the buyers, a little goes a long way.

Call me today for more tips to get your home ready for sale. This does not have to be as difficult as the media is making it! Real Estate is booming! Call me today, i'll prove it to you!

Gloria Price

Long & Foster Real Estate Company

EHO Realtor

The media is doing us all a disservice. They poke and prod, going on and on about how terrible the market is, yadda, yadda. They do say it is going to get worse. Millions upon millions of homeowners will lose their homes to foreclosures. On and on, they paint an extremely grim picture of real estate.

Guess what ladies and gentlemen? It is a GREAT time to buy. Home prices are in fact rising, just not at the astronomical level they were a few years ago. Values are increasing; just at a much more NORMAL RATE. For instance in Harford County this year, sold home prices rose this year 6.30%. Listed prices on homes in Harford County rose over 10.14% Do those numbers supplied by MRIS lie? Homes in Baltimore County experienced nearly the same numbers, at a rise of sold properties of 5.44%, and a rise of list prices of 8.27%.

The media loves to paint a picture of doom and gloom. Any story is a better story if it inflicts fear in the general public. Just look at an edition of The National Enquirer, gossip, juicy, negative tidbits about all of our favorite or most loathed stars.

Be smart, ignore the media, follow a professional in the fields advice. Look at the numbers, they do not lie. With all the current homes in pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, hud owned, and short sale, it is a great time to find a deal. Buyers need to realize, they do not have to fight over homes and overpay in a bidding war nowadays, like they did a few years ago.

Instant equity in a property is also not hard to come by. How wonderful is it to purchase a home, and have instant equity? This is not a dream, it is a reality. Sellers are also more apt to contribute towards closing costs to get the deal to the closing table. My question is; what are the buyers waiting for?

It is a great time to buy a home..

Mark & Gloria Price

Long & Foster Real Estate

Do you think you have the hottest house on the block. When you go to sell are you sure you will get top dollar, and are sure it will be quick to sell? Sure you do.....If you are one of my sellers. Until the arrive at the "Price School of selling your Home." All sellers think they have the diamond in the rough and deserve top dollar. Sellers all the finest upgrades, most tasteful decor, and grandiose selling points that no one on the block who has sold, has ever had.

My job as your preferred real estate salesperson is to burst your bubble and educate you. Teaching you the definition, value, and meaning of TRUE MARKET VALUE is my job. My job is to cut to the chase, stop the schmoozing, and bring you back to reality of what your home is really worth.

If I were a butcher and you asked me for the finest beef $5 could buy, only for me to sell you ground beef, would you be satisfied. Of course you could not afford the Filet Mignon, but I did not tell you that. I sold you cheap meat only to disappoint you. When what should've happened; the butcher should have told you $5 would not get you a great piece of meat, just a mediocre meal. Yes, as the butcher I have made a $5 sale, but did I make the customer happy?

Teaching you, the seller what TRUE MARKET VALUE means you must look at this......

#1. Take my professional opinion seriously. As a professional Realtor, this is my job not my hobby. For a living I scour over tons of properties daily. I am on the ball when it comes to determining value. No professional Realtor is trying to take money out of a sellers pocket by telling them their home is worth less than it really is. C'mon, I would be cutting my nose off to spite my face if I did this.

#2. Do not look at what the other yahoo's in your area are asking for their homes. Burt Bankruptcy down the road might have his house on the market with desperate Delilah the local agent for $25,000 over what it is worth. He needs to get this price to pay off his 2 home equity loans to break even. Does it mean he is going to get it... Uh, no... Never.

#3. Look at what's sold now! Your best bet it is in the last six months not a few years ago when the market was smokin'. We have to speak the truth. Just because the market was hotter the haberno, and things were selling for more than we would believe, that is not the case. We have to look at what has been selling fairly recently to see what was and is moving now. As depressing as it may be, it is the truth.

Even know your faucets are lined with gold and your floors may be paved with platinum, you can only sell for what the marketplace dictates. The old saying it is what it is holds true. My truth and honesty may cost me few listings. Yet sellers, I would rather tell you about the ground beef, that let you think it is Filet...

Do you ever see those Homes magazines in your local grocer? As a seller do you NEED to see your home in one? As an agent do you feel obligated to put your listings in one? Realistically, most sellers feel it is their agents duty to place their home in a full color fabulous ad in the local magazines. Sellers also want to see their homes in the local papers, from the larger city wide papers to the local neighborhood ones.

As a real estate professional; helping both buyers and sellers achieve their dreams in today's crazy market, I have a nagging feeling that I have an idea what works...... Guess what sellers, it isn't the paper print like you think. Sure those paper ads look attractive, and yes I receive a lead call every once in a while on the properties I have printed in these fine periodicals, but have I ever sold a listing on a call I received from the ad? NO. I have sold other homes from these lead calls, but never the listing they called on.

Now hold on, I will never say never. Surely, some of the real estate professionals do have success stories of receiving calls off these prints in paper. Most real estate professionals will agree, these prints are placed to appease the client. To make the client see and believe that their home is being adequately put "out there."

Yes, these periodicals are a bit pricey to advertise in, and yes it is my job to advertise your property adequately and appropriately. But trust me technology is the way to go. Internet advertising is hot! More prospective homebuyers are searching the net daily to find there new home.

The days of reading the black and white classifieds to find your next home are close to over. The days of googling your wants and needs are here. The thousands and thousands of pages consuming the Internet speak for themselves. Virtual tours, pictures, maps, websites, interactive videos, and more.

For sellers it is no different. You can list your home online if you really wanted to. Without a Realtor even visiting your home. (This is something I personally would not recommend) Yet, it is possible. A few punches of the keys, uploading a few pictures, and violla.. Virtual Victor is your listing agent.

Working in an office with well over 100 agents for sure there are some "old timers" there. No, I am not referring to the over 75 crowd. In fact I am referring to the people whom have been in the business before the MLS was online. These "old timers" for the most refuse to utilize the Internet to gain clients or sell their listings. To each his own I guess.

My point; I can sell your home with the click of a few keys and a mouse much faster and more efficiently than a periodical. Don't get me wrong, I hesitantly put my listings in print to appease my sellers. Yet, I am much more likely to weave my success on the world wide WEB!

Mark & Gloria Price

For millions of Americans, owning a home is a wish. Are you one of them? Owning a home is a dream which can be fulfilled for all Americans today, if you follow a few simple steps. It does not have to be a dream just out of your reach, it can in fact be a reality.

Dedication to your goal. First and foremost you must set a reasonable goal. People who set goals are more likely to achieve what the want in comparison to people who do not set them. Are you really where you want to be right now? Are you happy with your job, your living situations, your bank account? Yes these questions may be materialistic, but unfortunately they are realistic in today's world.

I do not care if you have boatloads of debt, and you have not paid your credit cards in months. It is never ever too late to get focused! Success is within your reach. If you want to accomplish the dream of becoming a homeowner, make it more than just a dream.

First, set your goal. Where do you want to be? How will you get there? Need help on that one, let me know? Personally, I have created a goalmaker program to get your thoughts in order, organized, and ready to begin the road to owning your own home. Make your list today!

Do damage control.... Get all of your bills together, no matter how big or how small. Try not to forget a one. No matter how depressing or overwhelming it may be, this indeed is an extremely important step on the road to reality. Then separate the bills into two piles. Needs and wants. There are bills you need to have; Electricity car insurance and so on. Then there are bills you want to have. For example those bills from department stores which almost always carry an extremely high interest rate and drag you down!

Talk to the man with the $$$. There is no better reality check than to talk to a lender. Yes, I am not going to lie, this may be extremely disheartening. Although, this too is also an extremely important step. By speaking to a lender you will also receive more goal setting ideas and information to get you on track to do what you need to do!

Bring out the band-aids. Now the real work begins. Your credit may need some work, but not all is lost. It is not as difficult as one may think to repair your credit, and you do not need to pay someone to do it! You can do it to succeed. With a little help and a few answers, you can be on the road to making things right.

When I am confronted with a potential buyer in need of fulfilling their dream to become a homeowner, I never turn them away. No matter how grim their situation may be. I know with their dedication, honesty, and motivation on making their dream a reality, we can on the future make it happen.

Ready to commit? Email me. Tell me your needs and wants in the future of homeownership. We can get started, today! Shrug off discouragement, and think positive from here on out!

Mark & Gloria PRICE

Long & Foster Real Estate Company

410-718-0977 / 410-515-7400

EHO / Realtor

For those who may be receiving a property tax assessment notice this week or in the future for your primary residence, you will find a homestead tax credit application with your notice. You should complete and return the application to the state (you can do it very quickly on line), so that the "cap" on your assessment will continue in future years. This is the first time the state is requiring that the application be completed and filed ...

This is extremely important to do to prevent your property taxes from going sky high! The new assessments are out, and set to hit all homeowners in the next few weeks.

Get in touch with Mark & Gloria today to have a copy of your tax assessment emailed or snail mailed to you! If you feel your assessment is too high, we will be more than happy to run a CMA of your property to contest it!

Mark & Gloria Price

Long & Foster Real Estate Company

410-718-0977

410-515-7400

EHO / Realtor

When was the last time you gave your home a checkup?

Cars need to be serviced every three thousand miles or so, but your home does not exactly have an odometer. That is why it is important to put it on a regular inspection and maintenance routine. By tackling an important maintenance chore or two each month, you can keep your household running safely and efficiently all year long.

The holidays are over! Get back into the swing of things! This month, organize your home improvement files. Review warranties and product manuals for your major systems in your home and your appliances. Jot down service reminders on your calendar, you will be more likely to remember to do them.

Also, do not forget to check your furnace filters monthly. Vacuum your air vents monthly to prevent cob web buildup. Maintain your fireplace and chimney to prevent chimney fires.

Battten down the hatches, we have quite a while until spring will be here. Bundle up and keep warm,

Mark & Gloria Price

Long & Foster Real Estate Company

410-718-0977

410-515-7400

EHO / Realtor

Last week I made a post in reference to our family being featured on a segment on the CBS Early Show. Just an update to anyone following the story, the segment aired this morning.

I wanted to include the footage which was aired on TV for viewing. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Happy & Healthy New Year!

Mark & Gloria Price

Long & Foster Real Estate Company

click on Video to watch the segment...

Listed below are the Market Statistics for the month of November in Baltimore County, Maryland. Want to recieve a complimentary listing of this via email or snail mail monthly? Simply let us know, and we will be more than happy to get it to you!

Thanks,

Mark & Gloria Price

Long & Foster Real Estate Company

410-718-0977 / 410-515-7400

The average sold price of a home in Baltimore County, Maryland is up over 6% to $317,622

There were 559 units sold this month

The average days on the market for a home is 90

There were 914 new homes placed on the market this month in Baltimore County

There were an average of 4423 active listings on the market

EHO REALTOR

Listed below are the Market Statistics for the month of November in Harford County, Maryland. Want to recieve a complimentary listing of this via email or snail mail monthly? Simply let us know, and we will be more than happy to get it to you!

Thanks,

Mark & Gloria Price

Long & Foster Real Estate Company

410-718-0977 / 410-515-7400

The average sold price of a home in Harford County, Maryland is down over 5% to $274,688

There were 186 units sold this month

The average days on the market for a home is 117

There were 379 new homes placed on the market this month in Cecil County

There were an average of 1935 active listings on the market

EHO REALTOR