Localism: Berkeley County, WV

You're Invited to The Housing Forum

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:27:53 -0600

Press Release: Housing Forum will be held Monday

The first of many anticipated public housing forums will be held tomorrow, November 24, between 6 and 8pm at The Living Room in Martinsburg.

The evening's event is sponsored by Marc Savitt, owner of The Mortgage Center. The guest speakers for the evening include David Hartley of the Eastern Panhandle Homebuilders Association, Stacy Lawing affiliated with Keller Williams Realty and yours truly.

The focus will be on the micro market of the Eastern Panhandle and our current economic state during these uncertain times. Is our housing market as bad as the national media portrays it? Come find out for yourself from local experts who really have a pulse on the local market.

When: Monday, November 24, 6-8pm

Where: 50 Monroe St, Martinsburg WV

Cost: It's FREE!

Martinsburg Home Values - Berkeley County West Virginia

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:45:05 -0600

Wanting to know the value of your home in Martinsburg WV or the surrounding areas such as Falling Waters, Inwood, Hedgesville and more. Send me the details of your home and I will send you a FREE competitive market analysis to give you a general idea of its value.

You may be looking to sell now or 5 years fro now. It doesn't matter.

Search homes for Sale

Martinsburg Real Estate

Frederick Real Estate

"5 Easy" Common Sense Tips

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:20:17 -0500

With our convenient location to the Baltimore Maryland and Washington DC beltway areas, West Virginia's eastern panhandle has long been a popular destination for tourism and home ownership. Most are drawn by our beauty and slower pace of life as well as the economics of lower priced real estate and taxes.

Some folks decide to put their roots down while others are looking to escape the beltway bustle at the week's end and I have had the privilege to assist both mindsets.

Since marketing vacation homes has become one of my niches over the years, I would particularly like to address those second home owners about some of the pitfalls to avoid.

"5 Easy Tips" to Protect Your Investment:

1. First and foremost, always turn off your main water valve when you leave. Make it a habit to do this year round because Murphy never takes a vacation and anything can go wrong while you're away. I can't tell you how many disasters I've encountered over the years while marketing vacation homes due to water damage.

2. While staying on the topic of water since it is one of most damaging elements that you can control, hire a professional to winterize your home. Turning the main water supply off and draining through the open faucets may not cut it when the temperature drops below 20 degrees. If you are not planning to use your home over the winter, I highly recommend this investment for your peace of mind. Trust me when I say that a frosty coating of ice in your oven is undesirable.

3. Oh those trees, those beautiful trees! We are so fortunate to have an abundance of beautiful hardwoods and pines covering our mountains, but they could be your nemesis too. Look around the perimeter of your home for trees leaning toward the house and also look for nearby standing dead trees that could fall and cause damage. Trees are beautiful and a wonderful habitat for local wildlife, but sometimes they need to come down. If you are fortunate enough to have standing dead hardwood trees, save them for firewood.

4. Most likely your vacation home will have that "cozy fireplace" and of course you'll need wood to fuel that fire. Don't stack the wood against the house or on the deck just because it's convenient. In your absence, the termites move in. Leave your permanent wood stack at least 20 feet away from the house. As an added tip, burn hardwood such as oak and limit the use of pine for burning as creosote could build up in the flue and may cause a chimney fire. If you use your fireplace or wood stove regularly, you should have the chimney cleaned once a year.

5. Bugs will be bugs and they all have a job to do, but they shouldn't be confined within your four walls. The obvious pests are termites and ants, but during this time of the year there may be infestations of lady bugs, stink bugs and common flies looking for a place to winter away. Here again, hire a trusted professional to control those little pests. I recommend quarterly treatment to protect your investment and making sure that the company you hire is fulfilling their contractual agreement.

The above tips are a compilation of my many years of experience in dealing with second home properties. Although I may have injected a little bit of humor here, it's basically common sense when you think about it.

Photo courtesey zieak

Berkeley County WV and Martinsburg City Home Buyers Assistance Program

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:32:25 -0500

A great new program established the beginning of 2008 has made home buying in Berkeley County WV easier. Below are the some of the details of the program.

Eastern Panhandle HOME Consortium of West Virginia

HOMEBUYER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

WHAT IS IT? A homebuyer assistance program (HAP) for first time homebuyers in Berkeley County and the City of Martinsburg. HAP provides income-eligible first time homebuyers with a deferred no-interest loan for downpayment and closing costs. The loan is forgiven if the buyer remains in the home for the term of the loan. The amount of the loan depends on the buyer's need for assistance.

WHO CAN USE HAP?

• FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS

• INCOME ELIGIBLE*

• HOUSE MUST BE IN BERKELEY COUNTY

• HOUSE MUST PASS CODE INSPECTION

HOW DOES HAP WORK?

• BE PRE-QUALIFIED BY A MORTGAGE LENDER

• COMPLETE A HAP PRE-APPLICATION

• COMPLETE HOMEBUYER EDUCATION

• BORROW UP TO $20,000 FOR DOWNPAYMENT AND CLOSING COSTS

• HAP LOAN AMOUNT DEPENDS ON HOMEBUYER'S ABILITY TO AFFORD THE FIRST MORTGAGE

• TERMS ARE 5 YEARS FOR LOANS LESS THAN $15,000; 10 YEARS FOR LOAN OF $15,000 OR MORE.

• HAP LOAN DOES NOT NEED TO BE REPAID IF YOU REMAIN IN THE HOME FOR THE TERM OF THE LOAN (5 OR 10 YEARS)

* HOUSEHOLD INCOME LIMITS SHOWN FOR EACH HOUSEHOLD SIZE

1 Person-$37,050

2 Persons-$42,350

3 Persons-$47,650

4 Persons-$52,650

5 Persons-$57,200

6 Persons-$61,400

7 Persons-$65,650

8 Persons-$69,900

For more details contact me. I will also put you in touch with a qualified lender to get you on your way to a new home.

Search available homes

What's "On the Go" in October?

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:26:46 -0500

"On the Go" for October

10 - Identity Theft Seminar at the Martinsburg Library - for more info: call (304) 267-8933

11 & 12 - Berkeley Springs Apple Butter Festival

11 - Hedgesville Heritage Days in downtown Hedgesville

16 through 19 - Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival

17 - Feast for The Arts "A Taste of France" call 304-263-0224

18 - Maryland Symphony Orchestra MasterWorks season featuring violinist Rachel Barton Pine

24, 25, 26, 31 - Old Opera House Night Watch

25 - Adam Stephen House pumpkin carving contest 6-9pm - for more info: call (304) 267-4434

25 - Taste of Transylvania "Dinner with Dracula" fundraiser for WV Filmmaker's Guild

27 - Maryland Theatre Tribute to Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee