Well not exactly my kitchen, but I think I have eaten more meals in the Suburban House than in my own house or we did until last night. And we almost never get through a meal without seeing a friend or client. It’s just our favorite neighborhood deli and restaurant!



They make the best omelets (seems like about a dozen eggs), the best chopped salads, and have the best waitress, Mitzu, who knows that when I order a “chop chop” that’s not what it is called on the menu. It is an oriental chicken salad that is finely chopped. They make wonderful matzoh ball soup and sky-high corned beef sandwiches and one of the best steak subs around. If you still have room, their desserts are gorgeous.
But look at what happened at 5:00 pm yesterday: Fire in storage building damages popular Pikesville restaurant. From the news reports, no one was hurt, thank goodness, and about 30 customers and employees got out safely.

I couldn't stay away when I heard. I had to see for myself. It was dark but you could still see the damage was massive. The booths were just piles of charred debris, there was water damage, and broken glass everywhere, and the cleaning crew was there boarding up this Pikesville icon known as The Suburban House.
We wish everyone well and hope that they are able to open again soon.
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Who says that condominiums in Baltimore, Maryland have to be for the elderly or more mature, retired buyers? Sure, many are moving out of a big house and looking forward to not having to worry about maintenance and enjoying the luxury of a full service building. Who doesn't like a doorman to help with your packages, a 24-hour receptionist to greet you, to take your mail, your messages, your dry cleaning? It's kind of like hotel living.
Well it hit me when I was showing my Park Towers West to a young mother with a beautiful six-month-old baby boy. Oh, it was hard for me to stay focused on showing the condo when there was this perfect young baby who I could make smile and coo. You know me, the former Pediatric nurse.
Anyway, the prospective buyer asked if there were any young people living in the building. My first thought (not expressed) well of course not! Aren’t condos just for ole folks? But I would not give that kind of answer instead we stopped at the receptionist desk and asked. To my surprise, we learned there is a 3-year-old and a 10-year-old living in the building, not in the same family.

Young people in a condo, there’s a novel idea in Baltimore. Yeah, yeah, I know in New York and other big cities there are lots and lots of kids who grow up in a high-rise buildings - there is no choice. It's not common here in Baltimore, though. But it got me thinking. With so many condominiums on the market with fantastically low prices, here is an opportunity for singles, young married couples, roommates, and college students to get into the housing market.
I also noticed that the ramps were perfect for strollers, and bikes not just wheelchairs and walkers.
I have one that is below $57,000 and is fully furnished (Clarks Lane). I have three under contract under $80,000 (Strathmore) including that lovely lady's the perfect gift, another is listed under $95,000 fully furnished (Tarragon in Reisterstown), another under $105,000 (Park Towers East), as well as a couple of Co-ops at 11 Slade. (Not sure what the difference is between a condo and a co-op? Just ask.)
But what about the high condo fees of $600, $700 a month or even more? Because those fees in many cases include the utilities, it is still more affordable than almost any single family home, and most of us believe renting is a waste! If this trend catches on, the prices will go back up and in a few years the buyers will have equity for their next home.
I see this as a new way to market all of my special properties. And, as these new buyers decide to move up, they might want to go to Annen Woods, or Rockland Hills Drive, or my latest listing at 8008 Derby Lane, an all brick Coach House, or down to Baltimore’s harbor area and Fells Point's Henderson Wharf or my Lancaster Penthouse.
So I am proposing to start a new trend. Let’s market to the younger generation, to students and first time buyers. This is a good investment for parents of law, medical and college students. Let’s think outside the box.
Get into the market for under $100,000 and figure in your condo payments. Then live like you are on vacation, in a hotel, with all the amenities of a full service building. You can live in a condominium in Baltimore. Are you ready to set a new trend?
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With almost 300,000 points, you would guess that I've been blogging for a while. So why would I go to a session on blogging that was aimed at beginning bloggers? Because I always learn something.

This was the third in a series of Lunch and Learn sessions on social media presented by Leah Messina of Sinuate Media for our Baltimore Regional Chapter of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners.) Leah did a great job on the Facebook and Twitter sessions, and I wasn't disappointed with her presentation on blogging.
She covered the basics, of course – why you would want to blog for your business, choosing a blogging platform, figuring out what to say, and so forth. Leah showed us how to work with outside sources to improve our blog content, and also how to follow what's happening in our focus area with tools like Google Alerts, Digg, Technorati, and others.
She reminded us
that search engines love blogs for their frequent updates and new content. Since I started blogging just a few years ago, so much has changed. More options of platforms, specialized blog platforms like Active Rain, and the ability to embed audio and video.
As usual for these sessions, it was a full house. Kudos to NAWBO for creating this series of seminars. With so much to do every day in running our businesses, it's a great help to have well organized and informative sessions that give us tips we can put to work right away. And we get to network and eat lunch at the same time – multitasking!
Here's your bonus – Leah's presentation, which includes using Facebook in your business, is here: http://tinyurl.com/lgjnw7.
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I like certain numbers – you know that by now. There's my 944, and I love the growing numbers on Active Rain – we recently hit 150,000 members! It seems like just yesterday we celebrated 1,000 then 10,000, then 100,000.
There are many people with many more points than I have, but I'm still proud that I'm almost at 300,000 points and I have invited 125 members.
It is July 2009 and I have hit 300,000 points. Now I can go join Neal Bloom's Platinum Group!
But my favorite number? You guessed it. Today Lee and I celebrate our 15,000th day anniversary. We celebrate every day, but those big round numbers are extra special
Here's to many thousands more for all of us!
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There was a wonderful out town buyer who found me through the Internet, all the way from the British Virgin Islands! She has been looking for several months for a home, a condo in Baltimore, Maryland, for her 18-year-old daughter who will be attending the University of Baltimore. She loved one of my condos at 6210 Park Heights and wanted to put in an offer sight unseen. Nope, I could not do that - sometimes photos look better than the real thing.
So a couple of Fridays ago she flew in.... we spent hours getting to know each other, the condo unit she thought she wanted, and also another in the same building. There were similarities in both units but also a price difference - one in original condition, the other in move-in condition with updated baths, kitchen, carpet, appliances, etc.
We found there was a tremendous connection between all of us...the mother, the daughter, the uncle who lives in Maryland and wants to make sure his niece is "taken care of," and me. There was so much to talk about - where will she shop, what are the bus routes, what about safety, the security of the building, and the neighborhood? They had done lots of research and had lots of questions, but I could answer some of those questions before they were even asked – another benefit of knowing the area for years.
And when we were done, yes, they decided to make an offer, but not on the unit they came to see, but the second one instead. Strathmore Towers 6210 Park Heights Ave #701 Baltimore, Maryland 21215
As we parted later in the evening, I told her I had a gift for her…my book already in a gift bag. Then she said, "I have a present for you." She bought it in the islands, did not know why, but felt she “had” to get it, and it was for me. She seemed almost embarrassed as she presented me with the absolute perfect gift. Remember, we had never met. And out comes a BROWN pocketbook made of coconut SQUARES! How would she have known how to pick the perfect object, perfect shape, perfect color? All the things I love - it's brown, it has squares, it is made of natural material (coconut shells), and it is the same size as my book. It was made for me!
In such a short time... with the help of the Internet, email, phone, and finally face-to-face, we made a very very special connection.
.............Wait.....there's more........
When I wrote to this wonderful lady and asked permission to post her story, she not only approved but added her own wonderful comments:
This is her email that I am going to share in it's entirety:
"Margaret,
You have me blushing all over .... the map of the BVI, the Strathmore Building, the beautiful brown purse and the amazing story!!!! Well, look how things were unfolding. It is just amazing to meet you, a powerful lady with lots of charm. You have my permission to post this amazing story.
There are just a few little details that you can propably insert in the story. It is written in third person. The buyer for #701 said that she was first attracted to my website because I, Margaret Rome took the time to carefully showcase the properties and she thought that my website was done professionally. She also said that was what really singled out the HomeRome Website from the others! She also stated that she felt that I was appealing to her as a buyer with lots of information about the properties and plenty of pictures to help narrow down her search. She confirmed that I was the only realtor that she contacted from among the many, many websites that she researched.
The story does not end with what you wrote. The other amazing part just seems to blow my buyer away by the very thought of it is that the owner for the first condo she visited heard me talk about how my buyer and I met. Did you know that he is proposing to pass on his beautiful furniture that is used to stage his condo to my new friend although he had never met my buyer. How amazing!
Margaret, this is a compelling story to show how rewarding your profession can be. You meet all types of people, other linger around you for a reason or for a season, and others are just amazing people.
Continue to shine.
Marva"
Connections can start on the internet...become special and so much more!
Special Connections in Baltimore,Md...From Internet to Inter-Personal ...And More!
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