Brien Berard Maryland Real Estate Agents Laurel real estate

My sister-in-law lives in Northern Idaho. The family has a business in the city they live in. Recently, they decided to sell the business.

My sister-in-law and her husband seem to be good with money. They have a nice home, no children, and they seem to pay their bills on time.

For some reason, my sister-in-law decided to sell the family business without the help of an agent. They didn't even call me, here in Maryland, for any advice.

Well sure enough, after a period of time, they got a buyer. The buyer did not have an agent either. So no agents are involved in the transaction.

They quickly agreed on a price and set a settlement date about 45 days from contract ratification. I don't really know if the contract was ever ratified, I am just making an assumption.

The forty-five days came and went with no settlement. My sister-in-law spoke with the buyer as to why he would not be able to settle. He explained to her it was the bank's problem. It seems the bank did not give him good terms, so he was going to try a different bank.

Ok, these things happen and she did not have a reason not to believe him. They set a second settlement date.

The second settlement date came and went. Again the buyer told my sister-in-law it was the banks problem and he was going back to his original bank.

In the mean time, my sister-in-law, came to visit us here in Maryland. She knows I am a Maryland real estate agent here in Laurel Maryland. We talked briefly about her situation, she was confident she could trust the buyer and that things would get resolved quickly.

Well they didn't.

My sister-in-law had her attorney call the buyer's bank. The bank indicated the buyer had been approved for his loan again. This is not what the buyer told my sister-in-law.

The buyer lied to my sister-in-law. Normally, the seller does have recourse, like keeping the buyer's security deposit. However, my sister-in-law is not holding the security deposit and doesn't know what the contract says about the security deposit.

Worse yet, my sister-in-law dosn't have any money to pay her employees. She has no back-up plan, no other buyers.

This happened about three weeks ago. My sister-in-law has not asked me for any advice and has not kept me and her sister up to date on whats happening.

Most of this, if not all of it, could have been avoided if there were licensed agents involved. For my sellers, I make sure the contract protects them and gives them legal recourse to take any necessary action.

In addition, if it was my buyer, I am under legal obligation to make sure my buyer behaves in a fair, honest and ethical matter.

Had my sister-in-law had a licensed agent looking out for her interest, she would not be in the mess she is in now.

Maybe you don't need an agent if a deal goes smoothly. However, with contracts currently at 50 pages or more, most deals don't go smoothly.

It is too late for my sister-in-law. Don't make the same mistake she did, hire a professional.

For more information on buying Maryland homes, visit Maryland real estate.

The Laurel School of Music located in Laurel Maryland at the corner of Main Street and 7th Street is celebrating its' 20 year anniversary.

Both my daughter and I have attended the Laurel School of Music. My daughter currently is a voice and piano student at the school. Her teachers are Laurel's own Dr. Mack Statham for piano and Rebecca O'Campo for voice.

Alvin "Al" Roda has owned the school for the last five years. According to an article in the Laurel Leader, when Al first took over the school was facing financial difficulty. Al started an aggressive program of marketing, which included a free concert at my church, First United Methodist on Main St in Laurel.

According to the Laurel Leader, Al has worked hard at getting all types of people interested in the school. He stated he wanted students and their parents to take classes. As I stated before, my daughter and myself took classes.

The most interesting thing in the article was that the Laurel School of Music had started a "Rock Band" class. This class has become very popular and numerous students have already signed-up for it again.

The Laurel School of Music is another great business located in Laurel Maryland. Congratulations to the school.

For more information on Laurel Md and other communities, please visit Maryland real estate.

Maryland real estate prices in Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties continue to fall. Every month since January the average sold price and medium sold price has declined significantly.

This price decrease has resulted in more sales this year as compared to last year in Maryland.

First time home buyers have been coming back into the Maryland real estate market for over a year now. Low interest rates, low prices and numerous government incentives have help to push buyers off the fence.

Some markets in Maryland have seen multiple offers on homes. I have worked with a buyer who has been beaten out on three homes in Silver Spring Maryland.

Buyers are now considering foreclosure homes that need work. The FHA 203K rehab loan is becoming more and more popular. These homes are bought way below market and banks are giving buyers money to rehab the homes.

For more information about Maryland home sales, visit Maryland real estate.

Laurel Maryland held its annual fourth of July parade on last Friday. The weather was beautiful and thousands of Laurel residents lined the streets to cheer the parade.

The parade also provided residents the opportunity to see their current Maryland state senators and delegates. Maryland State Senator Jim Rosapepe was there shaking hands and talking to his constituents.

Maryland delegates representing Laurel Maryland were also there. Long time Delegate Barbara Frush rode in a car and waved to the crowd. Freshman Delegates Joseline Pena-Melnyk and Ben Barnes worked the crowd as well.

Maryland District 1 County Councilman and West Laurel resident, Tom Dernoga was present. Tom Dernoga will run for Maryland States Attorney next year. Not far behind these local Maryland officials was the woman who wanted to succeed Councilman Dernoga, Mary Lehman. Mary is also a West Laurel resident.

Maryland Senator Rosapepe probably shook more hands than anyone. Well after the parade he could be seen meeting and greeting Laurel residents. However, all the Maryland officials seemed to take a sincere interest in the concerns of the residents who spoke with them.

Laurel Md local businesses and other participated in the fourth of July parade.

For more information about Laurel and other Maryland communities visit Maryland real estate.

The other morning I was walking through my neighborhood in West Laurel Maryland, when I noticed something odd.

I was on Bond Mill Road walking south, there was a man walking on the same side of the road as me coming in my direction. He was gesturing and talking in a very animated way.

The only problem.....nobody was with him.

I am very familiar with people who talk to imaginary people. My sister was a paranoid schizophrenic. She often talked to imaginary people.

Another time I worked in a restaurant. Often at lunch time we had a woman come in, by herself and order lunch. As soon as the waiter took the order and left the table, she engaged in an enthusiastic conversation with an invisible person on the other side of the table.

Many times these people function quite well in society. The woman who came to my restaurant was never a problem. She ordered her food, paid her bill and left.

So, back to my story. This gentleman was wearing a t-shirt and jeans and looked to be in his late 30s. I studied his face. He was definitely talking to someone. As he got closer, I noticed something.

He had a Blue-Tooth phone in his ear!

Those phones are driving me crazy. I was completely fooled.

I talked to myself about it the rest of the way home.

If you are considering buying a home in Maryland, pleas visit Maryland real estate.