Teri Deane--Central Maryland Realtor, ABR, CDPE, CRS, SFR

MRIS, the database used by professional real estate agents in the Mid-Atlantic states to list homes for sale and rent, now has a new feature - searching for neighborhoods suited to your lifestyle. Public access is through HomesDatabase, the public portal.

You can adjust parameters for:

• Fun & Entertainment
• Shops & Stores
• Family & Child Friendly
• Highly Rated Schools
• Pet Friendly
• Median Home Price
• Rural, Small Town, Suburban, Urban, Downtown
• Public Transportation

The usual search parameters for homes are also available (e.g. single family detached, townhome, etc.). An interactive map has icons for the homes for sale.

This is great for anyone who is unfamiliar with the area or who may be deciding where they want to live.

Check it out for yourself - let me know what you think!

LIFESTYLE SEARCH

One side effect of a market with so many folks having difficulty making their mortagage payments has been a plethora of predators who suddenly appear on the scene with promises of taking away your debt, helping you avoid foreclosure, negotiating with your bank on your behalf, quick fixes on your credit report, etc. Some of these companies even go so far as to lable themselves as "nonprofit."

The Federal Trade Commission says to watch out for the following scams - debt negotiation companies that:

• charge a high up front fee to negotiate with lenders, qualify you for a government program or some type of debt elimination scheme
• require you to make monthly payments to them - not your creditor
• tell you to stop making payments or not to communicate with your creditors
• require substantial monthly service fees
• guarantee they can remove your unsecured debt (credit cards are an example of unsecured debt)
• promise that unsecured debt can be paid off with pennies on the dollar (e.g. workouts that shave a huge % off your balance)
• claim that if you use their system you will avoid bankruptcy
• demand payment as a percentage of your savings
• claim that creditors never sue consumers for non payment of debt
• promise that using their system will have no negative impact on your credit report
• claim thtat they can remove accurate negative information from your credit report

Never agree to transfer your home's title to someone with the promise that they will prevent foreclosure and sell or rent your home back to you.

Howard County Realtors in partnership with the Willis McGahee Foundation provided over 200 families in the county with the fixings for a complete Thanksgiving dinner this year. Distributed at the Hilton Homewood Suites in Columbia, Realtors joined with volunteers and some Ravens players (including Willis) to hand out the turkeys and other goodies.

Willis McGahee (right) with Ravens players and Calvin Ball

If you find your mortgage payment has gone up, the likely culprit is your real estate tax. The State of Maryland conducts an assessment of your property every 3 years to assign a value to your home for taxation purposes. An assessment isn't the same as an appraisal, and the assessed value of your home isn't necessarily what you could sell it for today.

Although the assessment letters go out in January, the tax rate is determined in June or July for the coming fiscal year (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011) and taxes are paid at the end of December and in July or August. Your monthly mortgage includes 1/12th of your tax so that your lender/loan servicer can pay the taxes for you when they are due. So, if the taxes go up - so does your monthly mortgage payment.

If you purchased your home between January 1st and July 1st, you will have 60 days to appeal the current assessment on your new home. If you decide to appeal, it's a good idea to speak with your real estate agent to gather the necessary data and research to support your position.

Another reason to be aware of your assessment is that it can effect your chances of resale if it's set too high. Many buyers will walk away from or be unable to afford the payment on a home with high taxes.