What recession? Who says that real estate is down? Penthouse condos in Baltimore are hot!

Ritz-Carlton Residences, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD
Yesterday the penthouse condominium at the Ritz-Carlton Residences on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD was sold. Well, actually it was three penthouses joined together making a 4 bedroom, 6.5 baths, six balconies, and 12,000 sq. ft.
And it sold for a mere $12.6 million. It has views of the Inner Harbor, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Camden Yards sports complex, home to the Baltimore Orioles. And who bought it? None other than Baltimore native and mega-novelist Tom Clancy.
Clancy mastered the techno-thriller genre beginning with his first novel, The Hunt for Red October in 1984, and his empire has expanded to include video and board games in addition to his many best selling novels. He lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and will keep that home, but this heart of Baltimore mansion-in-the-sky places him close to the Orioles where he can keep an eye on part-ownership investment. He has also invested in his home town by funding professorships in pediatric oncology and ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University.

Exterior and master bath, 1400 Lancaster Street
Now if you want to live in a luxury penthouse condo in downtown Baltimore, and you want great views, and you want sleek and modern, and you want it new, you could be the first to live in this unit.
Then you would be just across the harbor from Tom Clancy. But you'd better hurry before we raise the price!
Yes, you could stand on your balcony at 1400 Lancaster Street and wave to Clancy on his balcony, and for a whole lot less money.
No,Unit 1003 does not have 12,000 sq. ft., but it can be bought for $12,000,000 (you counted right – six zeroes) less, and you can still have a top floor in this contemporary condo.
That's what I call a bargain! Purchased a few years ago for $¾ of million, you can have it all for a cool $½ million. Take a look…and then... give me a call 410-530-2400.


Everywhere you turn, a great view. Slate floors, granite counters, stainless appliances.


Looking out from the kitchen, and looking in to the kitchen - beautiful in any direction.
Thanks to Mr. Clancy, penthouse condos in Baltimore are hot!
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410-530-2400
This is a Baltimore sky...not one in Arizona.
It was a wonderfully busy Sunday; met with new clients, took a listing, showed a couple of properties, along with the emails, phone calls and just everyday life. On the way home, I stopped for a few needed things at the store.

Instead of stopping to smell the roses, I bought some. This color was calling my name - so pretty and so unlike all the others in their shades of reds and pinks. I walked out of store looking forward to going home. But then I was struck by the beauty of the sky. I thought of Mike Jones and his Arizona skies, but this evening I was not in AZ, I was less than two miles from home staring up at a sky the same shade as my pretty bunch of roses.

I drove a few blocks to really see the show, and a show it was! There was Tic-Tac-Toe going on in all its glory. I just kept shooting and watching the intensity of the colors deepen into the sunset. Now that is my kind of art - nature does it with such perfection. Maybe not the same Arizona skies that Mike sees on a daily basis, but for Baltimore, it was a sheer and utter exquisite delight.


And upon arriving home, I arranged the pretty roses in a vase, sat back, and smiled. Together Lee and I smelled the roses. Could you hear me smiling?
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410-530-2400
A blog is the gift that keeps on giving!
When I write a blog article, that's not the end of that story. Whenever possible, that blog becomes a marketing piece, a thank-you note, an "I was thinking of you" reminder to a prospective client, and another opportunity to remind clients and prospects of my service and expertise.
Here's one example: There was a buyer who came to Baltimore from the British Virgin Islands to find a place for her college student daughter. She found me through the Internet and was interested in one of the condos I had listed. She was a delight to work with, and bought one of the condos for her daughter. I did a follow-up post on that which helped to reinforce what was already a good relationship. I pointed to the story again in a post that reminded folks that many young people – singles and young families – are finding Baltimore condos to be an affordable choice with great convenience features. My listing inventory of condos is at an all time high, and I find that younger buyers are looking at my high-rise buildings and thinking of buying.

Something else I do is use a blog article as a reminder gift for a person or business. For example, when I write about a restaurant like Tio Pepe in Baltimore, or a dairy with great ice cream in Harford County, I print copies of the article in color and then laminate them. I take them to the owner the next time I visit - one always goes on the wall, and the other is for them to show off. It takes just few minutes and a few cents, but the impact is huge.
Blog articles also are a source for my print advertising. When I have great feedback from a client, like the cient from the British Virgin Islands, I use excerpts in my print ads to reinforce to both clients and prospects the level of service they can expect.
And of course the great benefit of having a large collection of blog articles is that you have taken the time to think and write about many aspects of the real estate business. After a few hundred thousand words, you have the core of a book that you can publish and use to promote yourself to prospects and clients. No magnet or mug can compare with the impact of a book with your name as author when it comes to proving that you are the expert in your market.
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410-530-2400
When is a three car garage a four car garage? Let's begin to count.

First, there is the cute little metallic light brown 1974 Excalibur convertible. It has only 4,000 miles on it, but I bet they were all fun miles.

Next is the 1964 red convertible Lincoln Continental with the "suicide doors." (Front-opening doors are called "suicide doors" because, if the door becomes unlatched while the car is moving, the air pressure will pull the door open and make it impossible to close.) This is the same model car, but black of course, that Kennedy rode in on that fateful day in Dallas.

Number three is a 1992 six-door Cadillac Superior stretch limousine. There are two TVs in the back, facing opposite directions. Two of those six doors open only from the inside.

The last is a 1967 Cadillac, also a red convertible. Each of these beauties has been restored with all new leather, new tops and custom paint. I am sure others could give a lot more details on these toys, but these four certainly remind us that the only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys!
This oversized three car garage actually has all four of these autos inside. The garage is a beauty by itself. Built 10 years ago, it has heat and air conditioning, windows, electricity and automatic doors that can also be controlled from inside the home. An insulated attic and finished walls make this four-door garage a wonderful space for a home office, art studio, workshop, hobbies and maybe even for some lucky person... a place to house a special auto or toy collection. Security is maintained by the lighting and surveillance cameras. This freestanding structure makes a nice addition to the custom built home at 3317 Old Post Drive.
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410-530-2400
My friend and speaker , Umar Hameed, will be hosting this forum Tuesday Morning November 3rd
Event Details
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 8am-9:30am
Highly Effective Ways to Get Past the "Gatekeeper"
You will never make the sale if you don't get to the decision maker. Each time the gatekeeper stops you from reaching the decision maker it costs you MONEY! Come to this week's forum and learn highly effective techniques that get the job done.
Host: Umar Hameed, international speaker, author and consultant, and Founder of No Limits Selling and Productivity Cubed.
Sales Pro: Stacey Lynn Munsell, Senior Account Executive with Baltimore Magazine, former sales manager at Chef's Expressions Catering, and former director of sales and marketing at Planet Hollywood.
The Sales Experts Forum will be held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month. At each forum we'll feature a hot sales topic and a lively discussion led by Umar. Sales pros who are at the top of their game will share some of their most effective ideas, techniques, and secrets with you. In addition to breakfast and networking, you'll get a chance to learn from your peers specific ways to
When
Tuesday, November 03, 2009 from 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM (ET)
Cromwell Valley Park
2002 Cromwell Bridge Road
Baltimore, MD 21234
Hosted By
Productivity Cubed ,Umar Hameed, international speaker, author and consultant, and founder of No Limits Selling and Productivity Cubed. Umar specializes in getting salespeople unstuck so they can make a ton of money and live happier lives.
Cromwell Valley Park
2002 Cromwell Bridge Road
Baltimore, MD 21234
410-530-2400
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