Crofton weather was amazing in January, as residents enjoyed warmer than usual temperatures and an early hint of Spring ahead. Even the daffodil bulbs, birds, and bunny rabbits were fooled by Mother Nature!
It felt a bit like Spring in the real estate market, too, as 24 homes went under contract in the 21114 zipcode during January. Since this is down from 30 in January 2011, why would I consider this good news? The reason is simple: I'm looking at this number in context with the 17 new listings.
When we see a higher ratio of new contracts to new listings, it indicates the market is moving in the seller's favor.
I think we all agree this is a turnaround that's long overdue.
If you've followed my market studies over the past few years, you know I always look to these two sets of numbers for some indication of a turnaround. Instead of a growing inventory of homes for sale, we're now seeing a decline in the inventory. In fact, it's down almost 30%, from 105 in January 2011 to 75 in January 2012.
This was not the first time we've seen more new contracts than new listings in the past 12 months. In fact, it's the third time. And the ratio was relatively close in August, September, October and December.
My crystal ball isn't always in perfect focus, but this chart seems to indicate that Crofton home sellers have good reason to be optimistic about 2012. I think this trumps other Crofton real estate statistics reported by RBI, an MRIS company.
For more information about your own neighborhood or a breakdown of detached homes vs. attached homes sold in Crofton or currently on the market, please contact me.
This report was originally posted earlier today at FocusOnCrofton.com.
The 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count will take place next week, from February 17–20, when bird watchers across the United States and Canada will tally millions of birds in the annual count coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada.
Don't worry... no one expects you to sit in front of your window for four days to count birds.
Here's how you can participate:
1. Count birds for 15 minutes, in as many places and on as many days (during the count period) as you like and submit a separate checklist for each new day.
2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time.
3. Track where, when and what species you see and submit your results online.
For a list of birds you're likely to see in this area in February, click on this regional bird checklist and type in your zipcode. Don't know the names of the birds you see? There are several online bird guides, including All About Birds by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
And check out Great Backyard Bird Count for Kids to help your scout troop, youth group or family get the most of participating in this activity.
My neighbor Sunny Frank enjoys photographing birds in her Crofton yard, and you can see several more of her bird photos at Crofton Village Garden Club.
Now that you have been Maryland homeowners for a day...
Here is the link to A Home Owner's Guide to Property Taxes and Assessments for Maryland and another link to the Assessment Appeal Process in Maryland. In part, it says...
If you purchase a property and the property is transferred after January 1 but before July 1, you may file an appeal within 60 days of the transfer. After filing a written appeal, you will be scheduled for a hearing; or, if you prefer, your written appeal can be reviewed instead of having a hearing.
Your property is currently assessed at $386,500 - approximately 25% more than your purchase price of $275,000. A successful appeal may save you over $1600 per year in property taxes that you could spend updating your home or replenishing your retirement account.
You can download the tax appeal form at Maryland Property Tax Appeal Form. Item #3 should include a statement from you that reads something to the effect that...
You can obtain a copy of the appraisal from your lender (if you don't already have one), and I'll be happy to provide another copy of the MRIS printout if you need one.
I urge you to file your appeal NOW, before you get bogged down in life and the 60-day deadline slips away. By the way, you will probably get a quicker response if you ask for a review, and not a hearing.
'Hope you're enjoying your first weekend as homeowners!
PCS-ing military personnel have two facilities for temporary housing in Annapolis, in addition to countless hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfast options.
The first is the Navy Gateway Inns and Suites located on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy. Parking is right outside the door of this historic 1904 building, which also houses the Officer and Faculty Club. There are 16 luxurious custom decorated suites plus two elegant custom-decorated Distinguished Visiotrs Suite.
Each custom suite is 500 square feet and features high-speed wireless Internet, a refrigerator and microwave, HD flat screen TV, Queen-size sleeper couch and a queen-size bed with posturpedic pillow-top mattress. (Note: the building will be closed for renovation in summer/fall 2012.)
Another option for military personnel and their family members (including DOD civilians) is the Navy Lodge Annapolis Station, located at 347 Kinkaid Road in Annapolis. This is a pet-friendly facility, unlike most civilian accommodations in the Annapolis area, and there is accessibility for wounded warriors and physically challenged guests. Reservations are required, and honored on a first-come first-serve basis.
Other nearby Navy Lodge locations include Bethesda, Patuxent River, and Washington, D.C. You can make online reservations for any of them by clicking on Navy-Lodge.com.
Be sure to touch base with me before you come so I can set aside a few days to give you a grand tour of the Annapolis/D.C. area and help you explore your housing options.
Sales were UP in Crofton, Maryland, last month, no matter how you look at it. Twenty two homes sold in December 2011, compared to just sixteen in the same month of 2010 – a 37.5% increase. December sales were up 22.2% in the 21114 zip code from eighteen during November 2011. There were seventeen homes sold during October 2011. Clearly this trend is going back in the “right” direction, after a dip from twenty two in September.
“Balance” is the barometer I use to evaluate the Crofton real estate market and predict its short-term future direction. This is done by determining whether new sales and new listings number about the same. (If new listings are double the number of new sales, for example, it's a bad thing for sellers and a good thing for buyers.) New pending contracts in December and new listings were very much on balance: fifteen new listings vs. fourteen new pending sales. If we could see this balance for several months, it would be good news for the Crofton real estate market.
Crofton home sellers and buyers can both find something to like in the December real estate report, as balance seems to be returning. Could we see a “normal” real estate market in 2012? I hope so, but the higher days on market in December gives me reason to pause in making that prediction.
If you're a statistics junkie and want more details about the Crofton real estate market, I'll be happy to share them with you. Just give me a call for the latest real estate information in the greater Crofton area, this zipcode, or your very own neighborhood - and what it means to you.
Originally posted to FocusOnCrofton.com
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Real estate adviser and advocate for Maryland home buyers and sellers in Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton, Davidsonville, Gambrills, Odenton, Fort Meade, and other nearby communities in the DC-Baltimore area
When you live in Anne Arundel County Maryland, you can play a round of golf in Crofton,
go sailing on the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, and then attend a ballgame at Camden Yards in Baltimore
or a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. - all in the same day!
Maryland home buyers, I will introduce you to the friendly suburban neighborhoods of Crofton and Odenton, rural areas such as beautiful Davidsonville, and charming water-oriented communities near Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay. I will help you explore your financing options and refer you to other real estate professionals including mortgage lenders, home inspectors, and closing attorneys. If you are in the "research stage" for your next home purchase, you may want to search the MLS at your own pace, request a complimentary Relocation Guide, or read the helpful articles in my Homebuyer Guide. When you are ready to make a move, I will be ready to help you.
Maryland home sellers will find easy access to recent home sale data on my website, and information in my Homeseller Guide about pricing, preparing your home for showing, creating curb appeal, and marketing your home. Talk to me to find out how the "BRAC Factor" could impact your home sale. A successful home sale involves a lot more than just finding a buyer, and we will work together to achieve your real estate goals. If you are relocating to another area - across town, across country, or anywhere in the world - I will find a well-qualified agent for you at your destination.
Military and civilian transferees to Fort Meade, Andrews AFB, and the U.S. Naval Academyvalue my first-hand experience as a Naval Officer's wife. I've "been there, done that" when it comes to military moves, and I'm happy to help you with everything from buying a home to finding a local hairdresser or babysitter. You will find several links of special interest to military families in my Crofton Area Resource Guide. (NOTE: Personnel assigned to the Pentagon, Naval Station Anacostia, Marine Barracks, Walter Reed and other D.C.-Baltimore area military installations sometimes call Crofton home, too, since the commute is usually within 60 minutes.)
I have truly enjoyed the privilege of sharing this journey with my clients for many years - through buyers' markets and sellers' markets, inflation and recession, war and peace. Yet I am still passionate about being the best possible adviser and advocate for my clients, from start to finish.
Nothing would please me more than the opportunity to create a real estate success story for you now -
whether you are a home buyer, seller or referring agent.
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New to the area?
Looking for waterfront? Start here
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Why Margaret Woda?
Margaret Woda is a household name in Anne Arundel County and Bowie real estate circles, after thirty+ years in this business. But you may be looking for something more tangible, some real qualifications that help differentiate one agent from another in this tough market - evidence that the agent you choose is tech-savvy, as well as experienced in real estate.
When it comes to technology, just check out my blogs here on ActiveRain and Localism, my website, my highly acclaimed community blog (FocusOnCrofton.com), online property fliers posted to several traditional and non-traditional real estate sites, market snapshots, real estate calculators, and single-property websites. You can communicate with me by cell phone, email, AIM, MS Messenger, text message or video-conference. If a new innovation comes along, you can count on me to use it in my business, to serve my clients well, to be the best possible adviser and advocate they could find.
If you are comparison-shopping for a Maryland REALTOR based on real estate qualifications, why not use the same criteria as the Anne Arundel County Association of REALTORS when they chose me as Distinguished Sales Associate of the Year in 1992: Professional Knowledge, Business Success, Industry Leadership, Community Involvement, and Ethical Standards of Practice.
Aren't these the same qualities you're looking for in a REALTOR who represents you? I am BOTH tech-savvy AND an experienced real estate professional, a rare combination!
You can read more about me on my blog, but here are a few of my professional and personal activities, both past (indicated with *) and present:
Professional Certifications and Licenses:
REALTOR® Industry Leadership:
Community Involvement:
Personal:
Again, please note the activities marked with an * are past activities. I include them here because I firmly believe in this quote from Miriam Wolfe:
This day is mine. It is unique. No one else in the world has one exactly like it.
It is the sum of all my past experiences and and all my future potential.
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Why Long & Foster?
Long & Foster is conveniently located in Crofton, Maryland - about a half hour from Baltimore to the north, Annapolis to the east, and Washington, D.C. to the west. I chose to work with this office for many of the same reasons that you might:
Home sellers and buyers experience individualized attention, superior professionalism and unparalleled resources at Long & Foster. Yet clients also benefit from the prominent online presence of LongandFoster.com and the market dominance of Long & Foster in Crofton and throughout the Middle Atlantic states.
I'm proud to be affiliated with a local market leader, and eager to show you how Long & Foster will make a difference in your next real estate transaction.
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You can count on Margaret!
Crofton real estate is synonymous with your name, and I can't imagine working with any other agent. I looked at three homes with you and would have been happy with any of them. Then you negotiated a great price and terms for me. Thank you! Carolyn Emanuele
When people ask why I decided to get into real estate, I always tell them I was inspired by my agent. Thank you for being my agent, my mentor and my friend! Latana Garvey
You left no stone unturned to get us results when our previous agent failed, and you were so pleasant to work with. Thank you for the website and all the online marketing you did for our home. Bill and Jo Mafera
You are relentless, and I'm just glad you were on my side! Jim Morrissey
I was faced with a short-sale, and Margaret knew about a program that would save my credit and satisfy the lender. As a result, I was able to buy another home. Debbie Smalle
You helped us buy in a tough seller's market, and you got top dollar for our condo when we relocated. You're the best! Ben and Jan Bachmann
Margaret was so patient as I struggled with the decision to sell my home of 26 years. Then she sold it in just one day at full price. Betty Brooks
When my anxiety level reached a boiling point, you "stayed the course" and calmed my fears. Now I have so much to thank you for - selling my home quickly at full price so I could buy my next home, and helping me find a home for my Mom. Larkin Plato
As a RE/MAX agent myself, I had high expectations when we relocated to Maryland. You exceeded them, however, with your knowledge of things that were important to us such as commuting options and community amenities, as well as real estate. I'm so glad to have you for a friend, now that we're official Marylanders. Kathy and Mac McKee
We selected Margaret for her professionalism, thoroughness and honesty. We were not disappointed! We sold two homes and bought one with her help. Dan Stachurski
Without your help, we never could have accomplished so much in such a short time. We LOVE the house you found for. Kevin and Debbie Means
We found more than a new home and community; we found a new friend in you. We can't wait to have you over after we get settled in. Tim and Alice Spinner
Three other agents tried to sell our house. Only you had the knowledge to truly make it happen. We will always be grateful. Dan and Sue Plefka
When I refer my friends or relatives to Margaret, I can rely on her quick response, intimate knowledge of the area, and financing expertise to assure that their real estate dreams are achieved. Phylis Collins
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