Michael Johnson

BRAC Update

The Base Realignment planned for the Ft Meade area in Odenton, MD is beginning to show some traction. According to recent reports, the Spring of 2010 will produce 300-400 new job transfers to the area. This is a very small piece to the pie that will ultimately bring an estimated 22,000 new jobs to the area.

Unemployment in Anne Arundel County is currently at 7.3%, substantially lower than the national average of 10.2%. The majority of the new positions to be filled at Ft Meade/ NSA (and additional contractors) will be skilled labor and will bring in a pool of not only workers but consumers. From income taxes, to higher spending in the local economy, and naturally housing needs, the surrounding area will benefit greatly from the incoming surplus.

With a 5,000 acre campus available, the amount of office space currently under construction would pale in comparison to the nearby Pentagon. There is much opportunity for expansion which is scheduled to reach completion in 2015 according to the Capital newspaper.

Housing in the area has reached a level of affordability not seen in 32 years according to RE/MAX International. Low interest rates and the softening of the local market has led buyers out in droves to snatch up bargains in Anne Arundel, Howard, and Baltimore County. Days on market has reduced from 145 days to 122. As the local market continues its movement from a buyers market to a stable/ even playfield, home appreciation will be in the near future for local area homeowners.

For more information regarding housing in the Ft Meade / NSA area of Maryland, call Mike Johnson of RE/MAX Summit Realty at 410 544-8370 or visit www.annearundellistings.com For all of your housing needs!

Spring Time is Here!!

With the arrival of spring it is a great time to get the kids and yourselves out of the house. Kinder Farm Park in Millersville is a great place to go. The park borders the city of Severna Park and the several communities.

Kinder Farm Park is a part of the Anne Arundel Parks and Recreations so if you have a park's pass it is free to get in. Kinder Park hosts a variety of activities for the young and old alike. There are trails both paved and dirt for hiking, bicycling and even horseback riding. A huge playground in located at the parks center and the farm offers many different animals that the kids love to look at.

For those of you who love gardening, Kinder Park Farm offers community gardens for rent. It is a great place to come and try your hand at growing some of your favorite vegetables or flowers.

Kinder Farm Park also has a 4-H Livestock Club. Children can join between the ages of 8-18.

Living around Kinder Farm Park gives you a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the park throughout the year. Communities in Severna Park and Millersville have many entrance points to access the park.

Communities such as Chartwell and Kilmarnock and Brittingham border the park. As of March 2009 the average sales price of Severna Park homes were $464,328. Home prices have steadily declined in recent months and are beginning to show signs of stabilizing in this Spring market.

For more information on Kinder Farm visit their website at http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/parks/kinderfarm/livestock.cfm

For real estate information on Severna Park and Millersville please contact:

RE/MAX Summit Realty

We are pounded constantly by advertising and marketing and occasionally a good scam. I can recall a couple of years ago a beautiful vintage Fender Stratocaster that I nearly fell for that fell in the category of "too good to be true." Thankfully I woke up once I read the phrase "Western Union" the money. I recently placed a rental listing of mine on CraigsList for a fantastic historic row home in the Little Italy section of Baltimore. Cute as can be! Let me introduce you to a fine Englishman, Paul Resch...

Paul asked for me information on the property as his company based in the UK was to be opening an office in Baltimore. Checking out the company, it did match the location of where he currently lived. Knowing that a review of a credit report from one of our bureau's, I asked him for the information on his landlord. His landlord replied with a modest testimonial about our dear friend Paul (paulresch80@gmail.com).

Here was one of his first replies:

I want the 12 month lease to start on the 15th of April 2009, I also want to notify you that I have in the mean time arrange with an interior decorator (Agent) who will be handling the purchase of furniture's, entertainment system and other appliances that I will need in the property, they will as well be in charge of moving down my luggage's down to the states. So the check of $7,500 will be sent over to you which is a relocation grant by my employer. All you need do is to deduct the deposit $3,350 and forward the difference to my Decorators so I can have the place prepared before my arrival. All applications and lease will be signed as soon as I arrive. Also for familiarization I am Paul Resch, I am 31 yrs of age, a British citizen, married to a lovely lady, with a daughter (Family staying over in the UK), I work with ( Kingsbridge Risk Solutions (UK) Ivy house,8 - 10 High Street,Twyford,READING,RG10 9AE), as a loss adjuster agent, I am a Christian, reserved in Nature, Non smoker also i don't keep pets.

I look forward to meeting you and hope to have a good relationship as a tenant with you. I await the details. You can reach my at this number +44702 402 3794 Below is my present landlords information for reference :

Dr.Joseph Williams.

4 Dorville Crescent. London W6 0HJ

UNITED KINGDOM

EMAIL:josephwilliams2xxp@live.com

Regards.

Paul Resch

Once I notified Paul that we would not accept a check for $7,500, almost double the amount of rent and deposit, our communication began to lag. The sounds too god to be true Stratocaster began to pop up in my head once again. You see Paul or whatever his name is solely looking for opportunities to rent a home from afar, send a phony check, and as it sits in limbo and never clears- attempt to earn the difference for his "interior decorator."

While I was optimistic the transaction would work, in hindsight, it simply didn't add up. So beware of Paul and scammers that attempt to secure your properties from afar with a hefty check coming straight from his company's relocation department!

Have You Ever Done a Transcation With This Agent?

We know who these agents are, $100 Gazillion in sales last year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Hall of Fame, blah, blah, blah blah blah! How is it that agents like these are still kissing themselves in the mirror attempting to convince the public how great they are?

In difficult markets like the one that we are currently in, we must remember to do business with other agents in the same manner we would like to be treated. Return phone calls, emails, offer showing feedback when asked, and carry a transaction through as "time is of the essence."

Here's to a fantastic Spring!

It seems no matter where you turn, the downturn of the global economy has been blamed on the collapse of the credit and real estate markets. Certainly lending did get out of hand and homes were used as ATM's for far too long. However, the link to gas prices and the collapse of the financial markets is rarely discussed.

Prior to Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005, the supply of gas suddenly diminished. Naturally, unrest in the Middle East and two wars were real causes for concern. Any wrinkle in the delivery and shipping of oil has a near immediate cause and effect reaction on the cost of crude oil. We can all remember the painful images and stories from the devastation of the Category 5 hurricane. In the midst of that tragedy, the entire world would soon see the price of gas and heating oil begin an up and sometimes down roller coaster for the next 3 years.

Lets face it, all markets are run by supply and demand. Whether it is a stock, commodity or real estate, prices are dependent on demand. While credit was easy to obtain and real estate prices seemed to have no ceiling, nothing stays the same forever. Once the concern turned to basic needs like being able to afford to drive to work, the flow of money slowed. Sure there were congressional meetings with CEO's being grilled, questions of speculation in oil but lets face it the reward of investing in real estate was now purely risk! Buyers and investors of homes fled.

While the cost of gas is now hovering at approximately $2 per gallon or roughly half of where it recently was, it is no longer in the headlines. In fact, the cost of gas is barely news-worthy. However, in the back of almost every consumers mind is the financial pain we all experienced over a three year time period and most feel that $2 gas is a temporary reprieve. It is only logical that big expenditures are now put. Is there a fix no, but a nice honest explanation of what happened and a realistic assessment of where prices are heading would certainly help people budget for their future.