John MacArthur

Yes. I am talking to you. You may not think that I heard you when you complained about all the bail outs going on. You may think no one heard you when you complained about the neighbors that showed up with two or three families in that house next door. You may think that paying your mortgage on time will help keep your home values reasonably secure.

WELL. I did. Someone did. It won't.

Oh, you aren't sure who I am or why I am talking to you like this.

Let me refresh your memory.

I am the friendly little man that parked in the wrong spot. I was with the young couple that parked their car in the wrong spot.

Doesn't ring a bell?

O.k., I am that litttle man that stood in the 10 degree temperature at the home two doors up and held the partial screen door open with my knee, while I kept some papers under may arm, my keys in my teeth and attempted to open the antiquated lock box on the front door.

I am that guy that took the time to point out the potential of the empty house in your neighborhood. I am the guy that smiled and waved when you offered my and my clients the single finger salute. I am the guy that apologized profusely because we parked in the wrong numbered spots. I am the guy that said nothing about the fact that the parking lot was over half empty.

I am one of the few soldiers fighting a battle against empty homes in your neighborhood.

You see, I remember what it was like a few years ago. I remember the joy people found here. I remember the pride in ownership everyone displayed.

Yep. Same houses, different economy.

I am a Realtor.

We aren't the enemy.

We are attempting to make fine lemonaide out of the rotten lemons that have been left behind. We know that if more homes become vacant and fall into disrepair, it will effect everyone.

So...if you see us...........WORKING..........trying our best to fill those empty homes, cut us some slack. We may park in the wrong spot. We may wander around the wrong yard. We may ask you a few questions. If we are successful, we might find the right buyer and fill up that empty eyesore.

We could use a little help here.

Isn't it time... 1 BR, 1 BA full sized Condo

$89,000

I've been there. Looking around a dinner table that used to be full of hustle and bustle and now seats one or two. I've peeked into extra bedrooms to realize that my little birds have flown and left me with an office, a sewing room and a catch all (just put it in the little room) room. Yes, I've been there. I've been there. Sitting down going through monthly expenses, wondering why am I heating and cooling such a big house. Why do I have so many t.v.'s ? How did the family room in the basement become such a packed storage area? Where did all this "stuff" come from? I've been there. I have had to go though boxes of memorabilia....report cards, holiday cards, old newspapers, books, gadgets that I did not recognize nor remember their function, and stuff and more stuff. I don't know why I thought it would be so important. Now it only serves to anchor cob webs in corners that are rarely visited. I have been there. I can remember shaking my head and thinking there must be a better way. I can remember walking through the once comfy home and feeling like I was walking through caverns that merely held relics of days gone by. I suppose it is no secret that I found myself looking out the window and wondering how will I continue to take care of my yard. My tomatoes were easy enough, but the lawn, the flowering shrubs and the branches that have begun to fall with more regularity. I can recall smiling at the bough of trees and realizing that every one of those leaves would end up falling as winter approaches. I shook my head and wondered, was this the year that I would have the added expense of hiring someone to take them up. Yes, I have been there. I share these thoughts because I have also found "a better way".

There is no shame in making the statement...."It's time."

If you would like information on a one bedroom condo for less than $100,000.....Call me.

It's funny. Those of us on the front edge of the baby boomers have some built in aversion to "age restricted" developments. Maybe, we thought we could stay young forever if we kept listening to the Rolling Stones. Maybe we thought that the age of Aquarious would lead to a life in which we would never age. Maybe. It is not true.

If we are honest with ourselves......we may listen to classic rock sometimes but we find little joy in most of today's sounds. If we are honest, we are absolutely astounded that pants worn so low don't just fall off the younger folks we see. If we are honest, we like driving in the left lane if we have to make a left turn down the road. We have changed our style to accomodate our changing abilities. I've been there.

We have made little concessions to the aging process. We know our limitations. It just seems to get harder out "there".

Maybe it is time for you to visit Leisure World. Believe me, there is a certain comfort in having a guard at the gate. It is very nice to have a Giant Food Store right in the development. It is great to have a private 18 hole golf course on site. It is terrific to have a community that has so many opportunities for leisure time. Leisure World, with it's inherent safety and security, makes leisure time your special time.

Oh, the children and grand children can visit. They can even stay overnight or a few days. I've been there. They do have to go back to their hectic lives. They are always sad to leave and they will act like it is a crime to leave you there in that "senior's community". Do yourself a favor and look pitiful (it will make them call more often). As soon as their car is around the corner, you can slip over to one of the restaurants and share coffee and pictures with your new friends.

You see, I've been there. Maybe it is time for you to consider a lifestyle that fits your life. At this point, the house may be too big, the yard too big, the expenses too great and your outlook on the rest of your life includes the thought that you want to remain active...at your pace. If that shoe fits............call me at 301-537-4377. My name is John MacArthur. I am a Realtor with Long and Foster. I do have one unit for sale that is fairly priced. I have access to all the other listings in Leisure World and can arrange to show you any one of them.

I've been there. I understand. I will work with you every step of the way.

Interest rates are falling ( should I add the oft misquoted term "to historical lows") and you have decided that now is the time to buy. Maybe, the news that home prices have dropped considerably has spurred you to action. It could just be that, regardless of what is going on in the world, your personal situation has brought you to this decision.

If you go looking for information on the internet, you have probably seen hundreds of homes for sale at prices that seem to good to be true. Let me be the first to tell you, if something appears to be to good to be true, it probably isn't what it appears to be.

You just might be the next person that calls me or sends me an email announcing your intent. You might be the next person that shares "I want to buy a short sale".

So you want to buy a "short sale"?

I don't blame you. If I were operating on the limited information that is available, I might want to buy one myself. As a matter of fact, if they were such a great deal, I might wonder why they ever become available to the public at all. If they were such a great deal, I would expect those smooth talking real estate agents would snatch them up as soon as they could. I would expect that those investors that always seem to make money when folks are really down, would be buying them as fast as they could get the deal done.

Hmmmm. There sure seems to be a lot of them out there. If you ask some agents, they will swear that they are being sold quickly. I have even heard some title companies bragging that they closed one a day during 2008. For all the talk that is being shared, there sure seems to be a lot of them on the market.

At the risk of being told I am all wet, I will preface the rest of this note with the statement.....the following is my understanding of the short sale process in my market and does not reflect the experience of others in this or other markets. Fair enough?

As most of you that might be reading this are aware, many homeowners owe more for their home than their home might bring in today's market. Many homeowners took advantage of increasing values and borrowed money in the past few years against the value of their home at that time. Values have gone down. Some of these folks borrowed money that was offered via exotic loan programs. Some of these people used exotic loans to make the initial purchase. Yes, the world has turned upside down.

What is a short sale?

In very basic terms, a short sale is the process in which a home owner sells their property and the proceeds of the sale are less than the amount necessary to clear all the liens on the home. In days gone by, a short sale was usually accompanied by a check from the home owner to cover the shortfall. Times have changed. The importance of fulfilling responsibility has taken a back seat to a new mentality of "it's not fair" or "it's not my fault" or the old standby "everyone else is doing it, so it must be o.k.". Let me be clear, there have always been cases where situations prevented a home owner from bringing money to the table. In our current market, it seems the reasons have been expanded to allow for bad judgement in the beginning.

Now, if a home owner falls behind in payments and determines that they can not or will not pay the mortgage anymore, they face a few choices. They can move out. They can strip the home of anything that is salvagable and move out. They can contact their lender and ask if they can return the keys. They can just mail the keys to the lender, or they can call a real estate agent and see if the home can be sold.

If they speak with the lender, the lender may advise them to attempt a short sale before returning the keys. The lender may send them a short sale package. This package will give the lender a clear picture of the home owners financial situation and "hardship". The home owner will share this package with the real estate agent. The real estate agent will have permission to speak with the lender. The agent will make sure the package is complete and will have it ready to submit once an offer is made on the home.

Understand, there is a huge difference between advising a home owner of what information will be required and approving the sale of the home. The lender (s) only have one figure and that is the amount that is owed to them. If there is more than one lender, they each have to approve the final sale figure.

The home owner sets the asking price.

Most of the time, the home owner will discuss the asking price with the real estate agent. The agent will do a market analysis and offer that information. Often, that figure is significantly lower than what is owed on the home. The lender does not approve nor disapprove the asking price. It is just a "best guess". The agent has to hope that the price is low enough to attract an offer and high enough to satisfy the lender.

No one knows if the price is right until an offer is submitted and reviewed by the lender (s).

There is no guarantee that the offer will be reviewed quickly. One problem occurs when the home owner vanishes. This can happen. People down on their luck, often disappear. The offer can not go to the lender until it is signed by the home owner. Once the offer is signed, it is sent, along with the package to the lender. At that point, the buyer has to wait. At any time, before the offer is approved by the lender, the buyer can declare the offer is void by sending that notification in writing to the home owner (via the agent).

Each lender has it's own process for dealing with short sales. None that I am aware of have hired additional staff to deal with short sales. Many have cut back the number of employees and the work load on the remaining employees has increased. The lender (s) will attempt to determine if the price offered is the best they can get for the property. The lender (s) will attempt to measure the benefit of selling via a short sale or just taking the property and selling as-is. (If the owner has vanished, this is the likely outcome). Lenders are under a great deal of pressure from all sides. They are dealing with current loans, delinquent loans, property that has been foreclosed, current foreclusure proceedings and re-working loans for people that qualify for that. There is a lot going on at a lender. In the middle of the process, the lender may be sold or taken over or just file bankruptcy. It is a precarious world out there for lenders today.

Your short sale offer is just a small piece of a multi-faceted financial institutions transactions.

So, if you don't need to move right away and you aren't terribly concerned about the accuracy of the price of the home you want to buy and you aren't worried about the various things that could go wrong at any time during the process (can anyone say, interest rate change)............buying a "short sale" may be right for you.

Before you jump into the fray, it might be best to sit down and go over your situation. It might make a lot of sense for you to share what you want and when you want it. It may behoove you to slow down just a bit, and meet with a real estate agent and go over the home buying process. If you are in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. or in our Nations Capital itself, I would welcome the chance to sit with you and go over the market and your situation and see what is the best way for you to proceed in buying a home.

I can be reached at 301-537-4377 or you can drop me an email at macarthurgroup@gmail.com

Now located in the North Gate Shopping Center

(right on the corner up from Michaels)

It was a glorious Christmas Eve in Aspen Hill, Maryland. Dunkin Donuts took over the vacant spot on the corner in the Northgate Shopping Center. Starbuck's fans will still have to traverse in the Giant Food and hope that the barista/produce clerk is there to fill their order.

Real coffee folks can now stop, have real good cup of Joe and a donut to boot. I have to warn you, the younger generation is not quite up to speed on nomenclature. I stopped by to support their opening (and take care of a sugar craving) and waiting my turn patiently.

As the musical words "Next" rang out, I stepped up to the counter and ordered a cup of joe, small and a honey dipped donut. The nice young lady just stared at me. I waited. Her lip quivered. I tilted my head in a quizical fashion. She swallowed, took a breath and whispered..."I beg your pardon, Sir."

"Ah, one small cup of joe and a warm honey dipped donut", I repeated.

The blank stare morphed into a dear in head lights look of terror. And just as the line behind me began to become beligerent, a fine young man stepped over and told her.

"He just wants a small cup of coffee and a glazed donut".

She stared at him with a look of wonder. He smiled and said..."My grandfather used to work in a donut shop...they used to call coffee joe and glazed honey dip".

He turned to me, reached out and shook my hand introducing himself as the manager of the new location. He thanked me for stopping by and with a wink, he was off to greet another patron.

It is nice to have Dunkin Donuts in town. I was so happy. I added a order for a dozen donuts to take home with me.

If you have an urge, Dunkin Donuts is still serving hot "joe" and warm donuts.

18200 Georgia Ave

Olney, MD 20832

301.774.6779

Olney Maryland recently enjoyed the grand opening of Peruvian chef Javier Angeles-Beron, the former executive toque at Latin Concepts, own restaurant............Aroma. It is located on Georgia Avenue, just north of the intersection with route 108. There is plenty of free parking in the front and rear of the restaurant which is a good thing. Once word slips out that we now have easy access to such a fine restaurant, reservations will be needed.

Late on a tuesday evening, We had to run errands. I had just invited a couple of people over to eat at Christmas and we had no turkey. Faced with the dilema of returning home to leftovers or stopping while out.....Robin asked the clerk in the wine store for a recommendation. He immediately suggested a new restaurant in Olney. I saw Latin American and prepared for tacos. Boy was I in for a pleasant surprise.

For now, one week since opening, there was room for two in the totally renovated dining area. White table cloths are such a nice touch. You have to like a place where you are greeted by a manager, a hostess and a server within moments of your arrival.

They call the style Latin American. A native from Lima, Peru and a Washingtonian award-winning chef, Javier Angeles Beron has created a menu reflective of his heritage and his travels throughout Latin America and around the world. It sounds fancy in print but dances on your palet.

The appetizer that sounded the most interesting was a sampler of four kinds of ceviche. They were devine. A cool way to begin the experience and each variety had a personality that could have stood on it's own. There was also a delightful chicken soup that had a hint of the Orient while loaded with perfect bite sizes of chicken.

The salad was fresh and accented with scrumptious fried plantain....sort of a banana like thing that complimented the salad.

On to the big test...............Lomo Satado. We had just discussed my enjoyment of this meal earlier in the day. Robin was surprised that it was on my top 5 favorite meal list. Now, just by dumb luck...it was on the menu. Lucky me!

I am a fan. I have eaten it at most Peruvian restaurants. O.K., I will admit...the description made it sound like a safe bet. How could you go wrong with meat, potatoes, rice, onions and seasoning? Well, you can't.

This entree stood head and shoulders above any I have had in the area. The meat was quality and cooked perfectly, the onions carmelized, the potatoes cooked, the rice firm and not lumpy, tomatoes sliced and cooked and the sauce with a bite. Now, I will admit I was afraid that the sauce was not sufficient..........you know the gravy hog started whispering............then I ate and I ate and I left a clean plate. I realized, this guy in the kitchen did not need to hide the meal under a sauce. It came together perfectly.

The waitress inquired about dessert. I am sure it is marvelous. It sounded good. I had just enjoyed a great Lomo and I did not to tarnish the memory. I passed.

If you want more information, visit their website............www.aromaolney.com After many long months, we finally have a true chef in town. Aroma.........come for the food.......return for the experience.

Javier...muy bueno!