Ron Trzcinski

Why Baltimore City? Take A Look

What have you heard about the City of Baltimore? Has it been good or has it been bad?

Are you expecting to see boarded up houses, drug traders on the corners, bullets flying all over the place?

Think again.

Did you know that Baltimore City has a higher percentage of park land than any city on the East Coast?

Did you know that Baltimore City is home to two of the most forward thinking university and hospital systems in the world with The University of Maryland Medical Complex and Johns Hopkins University and Hospital?

Did you know that Baltimore City led the way nationwide in the revitalization of its downtown district?

Did you know that Baltimore City led the way with new sports stadiums with its Oriole Park at Camden Yards and its Ravens Stadium (M & T Bank Stadium)?

Did you know that Baltimore's port will be one of the only ports on the East Coast which can accommodate the newer super tankers because of its deeply dredged harbor?

Did you know that Baltimore ranks among the top 20 tourist destinations in the world?

Take a look at some of the houses which are on the market in Baltimore City (as of 1-19-2012).

In My Room

Do we exist as individuals or do we exist as individuals which are part of a larger entity which is our society?

Perhaps in answering the question we do not have to choose one or the other of these choices, but rather we might say that we actually exist as both.

As examples of how we are both, we only need to look as far as the sports which we play. For instance, with sports such as baseball, football, or basketball certainly there are individual efforts and individual accomplisments, but the ultimate goal of winning is not achieved unless all of the individuals work together as a team.

A quarterback throws a pass, but he throws it to a receiver and he only is allowed to throw it if his blockers give him enough time. So the individual efforts are important for each other individual to be successful and hence for the team to be successful.

In our homes, the design is such that it takes into consideration the importance of the family as a whole, which is seen in rooms like the kitchen, the dining room, and the family room where the members of the family get together and live and interact as one family.

But it is in the bedroom where each member is allowed to go and be as one. The Beach Boys put it perfectly in their song "In My Room":

There's a world where I can go and tell my secrets to / In this world I lock out all my worries and my fears / Do my dreaming and my scheming lie awake and pray / Do my crying and my sighing laugh at yesterday

Our homes are designed to let us rejuvenate as individuals and also let us grow with the interaction of our family.

Like sports, our homes are a microcosm of the society in which we live.

The benefits of a home are evident when a society is prosperously growing and moving into the future.

All families should have a home.

The Future of Real Estate: Capsule Lodging

As the population of the world rapidly grows, while the real estate in the world stays the same and possibly diminishes if there is any truth to the concerns of global warming, the challenge of finding room to house all of these people presents itself.

Not only is there a limit to the available land, but there is a concern about being able to keep the air, the water, and the land free of harmful pollutants.

Many areas have implemented smart growth initiatives, which are efforts at increasing the population density in certain areas where public utilities can best be managed for larger groups of people as compared to urban sprawl which has tendencies to increase pollution and costs substantially more to provide the same services to all of the people.

In some regions of the world where the population density is high throughout the land, innovative ways have been designed and implemented to account for this concern.

Areas such as Japan and Hong Kong are using "Capsule Lodging" to limit the space which is used by any individual person.

These capsules are arranged side by side and stacked, at least, two units high, similar to many condominiums.

Modern conveniences are provided such as air conditioning and heat, television, and internet service. The washrooms are communal.

Imagine how much space could be saved in a 4 bedroom house if it used these capsules instead of copiously sized bedrooms.

The smaller size of these units provides an added benefit in that it is easier to make them strong enough to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or tsunamis.

The lower cost of these living quarters could make it possible to eliminate homelessness.

It could bring the cost of housing down below that of the average automobile. Mortgages would be a thing of the past. Words and terms such as foreclosure, short sale, deed in lieu, and the like would eventually fall into the category of archaic.

How Did We Miss This?

You went to look at a few houses with the possibility of making an offer to purchase one of them.

One of the houses seemed to meet your needs, so you thought that it would be worthwhile to bring the rest of the family to see it.

When we pulled up to the house with the other members of the family, you were embarrassed. You were thinking that this house looks terrible. How did we miss all of these problems?

But remember how you were in a hurry to get inside. If the inside did not meet your needs, then you did not want to waste time looking at the outside. This house seemed to meet your needs and desires, but then you were anxious to get to the next house so you did not take the time to look at the outside. So, into the car and away we went.

Now excited to show the rest of the gang what you had found, you started to notice the roof which looked like it was ready to blow off, the deteriorating walls, the outdated windows, the overgrown landscaping, the potholed driveway. "Are you sure this is the same house?"

It may sound obvious, but you are buying both the inside and the outside of the house.

By looking at the outside first, you may find that there is no need to go inside of the house.

By looking at the outside first, you may gain glues as to how to look at the inside with a more discerning eye for things such as structural problems, cracks, water problems and so on.

With this thought in mind, you should only schedule enough houses to see at any given time such that you have sufficient time to look at the entire house, inside and outside. You may, also, find that it is best to schedule the appointments during daylight hours. Not only can this allow for you to see the outside, but it will give you a better picture of the inside.

Lock The Lock Box Please

I know that you are in a hurry. You have ten listings to see with one client and then you will look at another set of homes with another client and then you expect to write up two offers before later going to three settlements and then finally you will be able to start working.

So with all of this activity, I can understand how you may not have time to lock the door or put the key back into the lock box or if you do put it back how you do not have time to close the lock box.

Do it anyway! Take the time to do something right!