Ken Haedrich

About to Spend Big Bucks on that Annapolis Fixer-Upper? You Might Want to Call This Guy First and See If You Can Realize Your Homeowner Fantasies Without Busting Your Budget

So you've picked out the cutest little Annapolis bungalow you've ever seen and you're thinking about making an offer.

But you've got some...concerns. You're not sure how an expanded kitchen would fit into the overall design. You're wondering if the new master bedroom is going to change the roof line. And you'd really like to see your new home "go green" as much as possible. Where do you turn?

To someone like Chris Neumann, design consultant, who deals with these sorts of issues all the time. Chris is a former owner and manager of one of the DC area's top Design Build Remodeling firms, where he was the design director. He oversaw many large and small scale renovation projects and you can check out a number of them at his Website. That's one of his projects in the photos above, before and after.

You can see a summary of the services Chris offers at his Website, so I won't go into much detail here. But briefly, he can do a pre-purchase consultation or advise on renovation possibilities. He can do a feasibility analysis and consult on the design process, zoning limitations, material choices and budget trade-offs.

He'll also do a sustainability survey and advise on how to save energy, conserve water, and incorporate "green" products and technology into your project. If it was my call, I wouldn't go near a reno without first talking to Chris.

FULL DISCLOSURE STUFF - I can attest to the quality of Chris' work because we're selling his Annapolis home, which he transformed from drab to fab.

OTHER STUFF - If it's a fixer-upper you're looking for in the Annapolis area, we have plenty of homes we can show you. Just email me at kenhaedrich@gmail.com, tell me what area/s you're interested in and what price range, and I'll email you a list of the best prospects right away.

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As Elsewhere, Buyers Are Calling the Shots in the Annapolis Real Estate Market. Here Are 5 Ways to Really Get Their Goat

I was reading Active Rain the other day and came across an article with a very similar title to the one above. It doesn't beat around the bush, and that's a good thing: the market is too competitive right now for bush beating. I've cribbed the 5 "things", but the observations are mine.

#1. Odors. If your home has off odors, you're a dead duck. Odors have essentially the same irritating effect on buyers as an alarm that goes if when they enter and never stops until they leave. You may not even smell the odors anymore, which is why you need an outside opinion. Do whatever it takes to eliminate the offensive odors - replace carpet, clean air ducts, etc - if you expect a sale.

#2. Cleanliness. Your home should look like you could eat off the floor, not as if you just did. There are no shortcuts here or places to hide because buyers will open every cabinet, look behind every door, in search of dirt. The best few hundreds bucks you spend when you sell a home might be hiring a professional cleaning crew.

#3. Clutter. Clutter and cleanliness go hand in hand: where you find one, you almost always find the other. Pack up the clutter, rent a storage unit - you're moving anyway, right? - and get it down to just a few things on every surface and wall. Your home should emit a sense of calm, not chaos. Chaos confuses buyers, and confused buyers don't buy.

#4. Sellers at Home. Imagine, if you will, a waiter who hovers at your table when you're out on a date. That's how buyers feel when sellers stay in their home during a showing. Doesn't matter if the buyers and their agent say it's fine if you stay. They're lying.

#5. Unfinished Projects. Buyers want to imagine The Good Life in your home, a life of leisure. The last thing they want is to inherit a list of projects you never got around to. Trust me: the house down the street doesn't have any unfinished business and it's priced better besides. That's what you're up against.

Finally, none of the above matters if you're home is overpriced for this market - which is the main thing buyers don't like about your home. But if that's the case, they probably didn't even bother to make an appointment in the first place!

Shameless plug: If you're thinking of selling your Annapolis home - or buying one in the area - give us a call. We can help you avoid these 5 mistakes, among many others, and have a great real estate transaction. We can be reached at 410-507-7222.

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17 Homes Active, 2 Under Contract, and 9 Sold in the Last 90 Days

Last week I posted market information for homes $750,000 and up in the Eastport, which you can find here. As you may know, Eastport is the peninsular neighborhood of Annapolis more-or-less circumscribed by Spa Creek to its north, back creek to the south, and the Severn River at its tip.

It's an eclectic neighborhood, with million dollar homes and modest bungalows often coexisting side-by-side - an arrangement that seems to suit the citizens of Eastport just fine, thank you.

Things are changing, of course. Every year, more and more of the old bungalows are being renovated or torn down and replaced by modern homes. But still, Eastport holds onto its charm and friendly, small town feel.

The Eastport Market in a Snapshot

Of the 17 active properties in this price range, the average days on market is 267, with an average list price of $510,394.

Please note that the average days on market includes one home on Chester Ave that has been listed for 1,222 days. The most recent active listing, on Jefferson St, has been on the market for 6 days.

Two homes are under contract, including one on Moss Haven Court listed at $649,500. It's around the corner from a lovely home we have listed on Boucher Ave.

Average days on market for the nine Eastport homes in this price range that sold in the last 90 days was 164.

Our Boots-on-the-Ground Analysis of the Eastport Market

Of the many areas around Annapolis where we sell homes, the Eastport market is always a big draw. Our open houses here are well attended and buyers come here with the understanding that Eastport is a vibrant, diverse neighborhood featuring unique homes in a wide range of prices.

Even in the tentative market that we're in, we feel as if the demand for competitively priced homes in Eastport will remain strong.

Sign Up for our Eastport Hot List

Are you watching the Eastport real estate market? Keeping an eye on the homes for sale in Easport? Then sign up for our free Eastport Hot List, from which this data was taken.

Email me at kenhaedrich@gmail.com and we'll set you up to receive automatic email updates each time an Eastport home comes to market, goes under contract or is sold. It's an easy way to keep on top of things.

And if you have an Eastport home to sell, email or call me at 410-507-7222 and I can show you how we use our jumbo marketing toolbox and the latest technology to get our Eastport clients' homes sold.

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It Doesn't Take a Genius to Read Between the Lines of the Buyer Feedback We've Been Getting Lately

If you've sold a home recently, you know all about Feedback.

Feedback is the stuff buyers and their agents have to say about your property after a showing - the good, the bad, the indifferent.

Agents being busy - and this being the electronic age - feedback flies back and forth between agents in e-mail snippets. We're lucky if we get a complete sentence from a showing agent. A paragraph is the equivalent of a novel.

Feedback can be useful - if ten would-be buyers complain about pet odors, you know you better do something about it.

It's also a barometer of the market at any given moment in time, and a clear reflection of buyer behavior. Here - with very little exaggeration - is a sampling of feedback we've gotten recently.

• • Showed buyer 18 condos this weekend. They've decided to buy a farmhouse with 10 acres on the Eastern Shore.
  • They loved the house - it made their Top 15 list.
  • Clients have decided to write an offer on the home if it is still available when they get back from Hawaii this summer.
  • Clients loved the home. They thought it was spacious, bright, had good flow, a nice yard, killer kitchen and master. Met all of their criteria. They want to keep looking.

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This Credit Could Be Your Ticket to Owning a Home in the Annapolis Area

Buried somewhere deep in the 1,000+ pages of the new stimulus bill - also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - is a little bonus that Annapolis area home buyers should like: a tax credit of up to $8,000.

I say should like because I've been surprised at the number of people who have expressed outrage over not just the credit but the entire package. A few Governors are even threatening to refuse some or all of their shares, on principle, which is fine with me: I'll be happy to take what they don't need.

Getting into the Nitty Gritty of the Home Buyer Tax Credit

I'll save you the trouble of wading through those thousand pages by recapping some of the highlights of the credit below:

• To qualify for the credit, you must have bought a home after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.
• You must be what the law considers a "first time home buyer" - someone who has not owned a principle residence during the three year period prior to a purchase.
• The tax credit is equal to 10% of the home's purchase price, up to $8,000.
• To be eligible for the credit, buyers must meet certain income requirements. Eligibility is based on what's known as your modified adjusted gross income - you'll be asking your tax preparer about that one.
• If you're single, and your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000, the credit will be reduced. For married taxpayers filing a joint return, the figure is $150,000.
• The difference between this and the previous $7,500 credit is that this credit does not have to be repaid. (The other was, essentially, a tax free loan).

Will Annapolis Area Home Buyers Take Advantage of this Credit?

I can't see why first time buyers wouldn't be all over this (perhaps limited) opportunity. Several lenders I've spoken to have already written loans for buyers who are taking advantage of the credit.

One tells me that his borrower is getting gift funds from a relative to purchase a condo; the borrower will then repay the relative when Uncle Sam writes a check after the borrower files his 2009 tax return.

If you're thinking about taking advantage of this credit, email me at kenhaedrich@gmail.com and I'll email you a special free report on the 21 Most Frequently Asked Questions About the New Home Buyer Tax Credit.

If you'd rather, email me your home address, and I'll send you the report and a complete First Time Home Buyer Kit, with everything you need to know about buying your first home.

If you qualify, you don't want to miss this great opportunity. We'd love to help you take advantage of it. Just call me at 410-507-7222 if you have any questions.

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