Kay Corbin-Riddle, Broker

1. Lay the groundwork. Your first step is figuring out how much house you can afford and how much you could borrow. If you're moving to a new community, be sure to find out what home prices are there. Housing prices can change dramatically from state to state and even city to city. You might also want to talk to friends or colleagues in the area about neighborhoods and other considerations only a local might know.

2. Take your time. "Every house we found online that we really liked was snatched up before we had a chance to go to to check them out. I started to worry that if we didn't move fast enough, all the "good" houses would be gone". I was determined to find something - anything. My husband, the levelheaded one, urged me not to rush. Did I listen? No. As a result we settled for a house that had only a few of the things I wanted and many of the things I didn't want.
In retrospect, I realize homes constantly come on (and off) the market. You might not find your dream home, but you don't have to settle for any old house just because you feel under the gun to buy something. Consider renting to give yourself time to find the right home.

3. Realize you won't find the perfect home. Forget the idea of finding your dream home. It doesn't exist. You will not find a house that has everything you want, and none of the things you don't. Real-estate agents tell you to make a list of what's important to you - size, condition, location, style and price. That way you can zero in on a home that comes closest to suiting your wants and needs. We wanted an old home with hardwood floors, a small yard, a garage that didn't face the street and a basement. We got a newer home with wall-to-wall carpeting, a big yard, a garage in the front of the house and a crawl space. That's because we had to give up some things to get others - like a big kitchen and plenty of bedrooms.

4. Accompany the inspector. Most stories on homebuying advise you to have a home-inspection clause in your contract, giving you the right to have the property inspected and to withdraw your offer if the inspection report isn't satisfactory to you for any reason. What these stories often neglect to mention is that you should be present during the inspection. Sure, you'll get an inspection report. But it can be difficult making heads or tails of it. If you're present during an inspection, you can see problems with your own eyes, get an idea of how serious they are and ask the inspector how much he might think it will cost to repair them.

5. Pay attention to the little things. Because I thought I needed to rush to buy a home, I wasn't as objective during our home search as I should have been. When we finally walked into a house that met many of our requirements, we turned a blind eye to some things we should have paid closer attention to. And because the inspection didn't turn up any major problems, we decided to look past the minor ones. Well, it's the little things that can become big headaches once you move into a home.
Pay attention to how a home smells. A strong odor - especially a musty one - can be an indication of a bigger problem such as mold. Look at small details, not just the big picture. If there are cobwebs in the corners, dirty windows, weeds in the lawn and leaves in the gutters, the sellers obviously didn't do a good job of keeping the property clean. If they haven't taken the time and money to maintain the little things, there's a chance they've let big things, such as plumbing or the heating and cooling system, fall into disrepair. Don't think just because the house needs a few minor repairs or new paint on the walls, it will be cheap, quick and easy to tackle. Before you know it, the costs add up, it's taken a lot more time than expected and you've had to call in the experts to finish the jobs you couldn't handle on your own.

6. Be ready to negotiate. We got the sellers to lower their price by $7,000 and throw in a one-year home warranty, which will cover the cost of repairing or replacing the home's mechanical systems and major appliances. And we got a good deal on our homeowners insurance, with guaranteed replacement coverage at no extra cost.

7. Don't spend all your money on the down payment. If you're moving into your first home, you'll have to buy things you never needed before, such as lawn mowers, yard tools and major appliances. You'll need cash for these purchases unless you're planning to mire yourself in credit card debt.

8. Most importantly choose a Realtor to Represent you in this transaction to be your Buyers agent. You do not pay anything to have this Realtor Negotiating on your behalf. The seller pays both sides of Real Estate Commissions. Many 1st time buyers make the mistake of calling the Realtor who's name is on the sign. That Realtor works on behalf of the seller. The Realtor listing the property works for the seller. Make sure as buyer you have representation.

This credit is available to qualifying buyers who sign a binding contract by April 30, 2010, and who close on a new home between Nov. 7, 2009, and June 30, 2010. To qualify, you must have continuously owned and lived in a home for at least five of the eight years leading up to the purchase of a new home.

If you have owned and lived in your current home for at least five years, for example, you can qualify. If you bought the home you're living in now less than five years ago, however, you won't qualify.

The credit is 10% of the purchase price, up to $6,500. As with the first-time-buyer credit, this one is available only for the purchase of a principal residence, not a vacation home or rental property. And if you sell the place or move out within three years, you have to pay back the credit on your tax return for the year you sell or move. Homes that cost more than $800,000 are ineligible for the credit.

Income-eligibility rules are the same as for the first-time-buyer credit. The right to claim the credit disappears as adjusted gross income rises between $125,000 and $145,000 on a single return and between $225,000 and $245,000 for married couples filing joint returns.

An extension of the $8,000 tax credit appears all but certain after the Obama administration called on Congress to give house hunters more time to claim the popular tax perk. The move comes shortly after Senate lawmakers stuck an agreement to not only push back the measure's looming deadline but expand it to allow current homeowners and more affluent buyers to claim the credit. "We welcome efforts taken by Congress to extend the first-time home buyers tax credit for a limited period," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a joint statement today. "This credit has brought new families into the housing market and contributed to three consecutive months of rising home prices nationwide.

Extending the deadline: Although various proposals to extend and expand the credit have circulated in Congress for weeks, Senate lawmakers finally reached a deal in recent days. Under the terms of the agreement, the deadline for first-time home buyers to claim the $8,000 credit would be pushed back to April 30, 2010. But the term "deadline" doesn't mean the same thing as it does in the current credit. The Senate agreement stipulates that buyers must have a sales contract on a house by April 30 to be eligible, but it gives them an additional 60 days to close the purchase. That's much different from the current credit, in which transactions must be closed by November 30. Looked at one way, the effective deadline of the credit under this agreement is actually the end of June.

Existing buyers: But perhaps the most significant change is that current homeowners would become eligible for the tax perk as well. The current credit prevents home buyers who have owned a primary residence within the past three years from claiming the credit. The agreement, however, would allow current homeowners to claim up to $6,500 as long as the property they are vacating has been their primary residence for at least five years. Expanding the credit beyond first-time buyers is intended to boost home sales to "move up" buyers-those moving from one house to another-which some lawmakers, most notably Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson, argue is essential to a housing recovery.

More-affluent home buyers: The agreement also enables more affluent Americans to claim the tax credit. Senators moved to increase its annual income limits from $75,000 to $125,000 for single buyers and from $150,000 to $225,000 for married couples. These limits apply to both first-time and move-up buyers, although neither can purchase a home for more than $800,000 and still get the credit. Anyone taking the credit on a 2010 purchase can claim it on his or her 2009 tax return. And as long as home buyers live in the property they purchased via the credit for three years or more, the tax credit does not have to be repaid.

Credit controversy: Zandi estimates that the Senate agreement would generate more home sales than the current credit would. "It's broader, [and] the industry is geared up to take advantage of it now," he says. But first-time home buyer tax credits have already cost the government more than $10 billion in lost revenue, and Zandi expects that the Senate agreement would cost at least as much. And although it's been popular with those purchasing homes, some economists have called the credit an inefficient use of federal resources. Calculated Risk, a financial blog, has estimated that Uncle Sam has paid $43,000 for every additional home sale. And the Senate agreement-which enables households making more than $200,000 a year to claim the credit-could certainly appear overly generous in a time of trillion-dollar budget deficits.
At the same time, the credit has recently been linked to widespread abuse. Russell George, the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration, told a congressional panel last week that 19,300 taxpayers had claimed the first-time home buyer credit before they had even purchased a home. In another 74,000 cases-totaling more than $500 million-taxpayers claimed the credit despite evidence that they had owned a home within the past three years. And in at least one case, a 4-year-old claimed the credit, George said.
Although the agreement appears to have broad bipartisan support, it still has to get out of the chamber. Along the way, it could be stripped of certain generous provisions. But in light of the White House support, it appears all but certain that at the very least, the first-time home buyer tax credit will be extended beyond its November 30 deadline.

Kay

Yesterday I went to a rental property I manage to meet up with the Tenant and an Arborist to assess the browning of a couple trees in the yard.

What an experience. CSI TREE MARYLAND as the tenant joked.

The one with the most browning is a Serbian Pine, similar to Nowegian Pine, it has lots of brown needles on the interior and lower branches of the tree..... Diagnosis.... Needle Cast. Most likely due to the very damp, cold spring and summer we had. The Arborist suggested a fungicide application in the spring, this product, does need to be applied by an arborist, not something a homeowner can purchase.

Bartlett Tree Experts, Arborist Daniel Yates is who came to the home, took his time naming other trees and admiring the many trees this yard hosts. I would highly recommend him to anyone in Mid Maryland looking for an expert.

His website www.bartlett.com

Brosius Dam is another one of the many amenities you will explore and enjoy year round when becoming a resident of Lake Linganore. Fishing, canoeing and biking are just some of the sports I see on and around the lake every day.

The Residents here enjoy 13 different trails, My husband and I have accomplished about half of them. Here is an example of the discription of one of the trails listed on the trail map.

Lake Trail # 9 Grassy, dirt, concrete walkway, flat. Starts at Dam and follows North Lake shoreline. Goes by trail Post for Audubon Lake trail, after which there is a nice log bench with lovely lake view.

This discription goes on but this gives you the idea. I would love to share all I know and love about Lake Linganore. If you are considering a New home. These neighborhoods have so much to offer. Let me tell you all about them.