Teri Deane--Central Maryland Realtor, ABR, WHC--Howard County Real Estate

Last night at the Howard County Fair in West Friendship, Maryland - August 2008.

Entertainer, Richie Fields performs country and had the place rocking.

Vendor by Night -- I didn't try the 'Ethnic Sausage" but the fries were good!

Buyers should take advantage of this program now because it may not be here for very long.

Saving money for a downpayment and the closing costs necessary to purchase a home is very difficult. One option to consider is the Nehemiah Program established by the Nehemiah Corporation of America. Here is a brief overview of this program. For more information go to www.GetDownpayment.com or call the Nehemiah customer service hotine at 877-634-3642.

• You can receive gift funds (provided by a non-profit organization) for up to 6% of the sales price.
• New homes, resale homes, single family, duplex, triplex, condo, or townhomes are eligible.
• There is NO repayment of funds -- it is a "gift" to the home buyer.
• There are no income, asset or geographic restrictions and you do not need to be a first-time homebuyer.
• You do not have to have perfect credit -- a lender can evaluate your financial situation and provide you with an accurate assessment.
• Eligible loans for this program: any loan program that accepts gift funds for downpayment and closing costs. FHA loans are a good choice because they offer low interest rates, low downpayment requirements and more lenient credit requirements. Some conventional loans may also qualify.
• Nehemiah strongly recommends homeownership education courses which can be taken online.
• The seller will "gift" the amount back to Nehemiah along with a processing fee.

Contact me at 410-715-3261 for more information on this and other home ownership programs.

Visit my website at www.LoveMarylandHomes.com.

Please visit www.mdhomeprograms.com for a list of available Federal, State and County/Local programs.

Always fascinated by the colors and patterns in nature, I'm seeing some incredible things in the sky early in the morning when I drop my son at the bus stop. The other day, after a fierce but quick rain, these clouds hovered on the horizon. . .it was extremely windy as well and in a matter of minutes the clouds had disappeared from the horizon.

I saw a parallel with the real estate market and how dark and cloudy it can appear at times, but the clouds don't stick around for long. . .before we know it they'll be gone as fast as they came.

The sun will return and the market will stabilize. . .here's a sunrise shot I took today.