Timonium Farmers Market

The Timonium Farmers Market at the Maryland State Fairgrounds is a great source of fresh fruit, vegetables, and local meat.

Each Wednesday afternoon, the market has local farmers showcasing their great produce and those around are enjoying!

Even in the heat, the market is full of people looking for local food.

CSA members have the convenience of picking up their weekly shared vegetables from Hope Ridge Farms here.

Hills Forest Farm from Kingsville has their bees’ honey available, and since it is local, it has been shown to be good for allergies.

The local meat from Gunpowder Bison & Trading is delicious!

The greatest part about the Timonium Farmers Market is that it is run by these and other local farmers.

During the Maryland State Fair at the end of the month, the market will be open each of the the ten days.

The Timonium Farmers Market is open through October 27.

Come by and get some fresh wares!

What is a Broker’s Open?

What is a Broker’s Open?

Here in Baltimore County, Wednesdays generally are “Broker’s Open” day. There is a fairly small area where Broker’s Opens tend to be highly successful, and that is in the Towson, Lutherville, Timonium, and Hunt Valley neighborhoods.

A Broker’s Open is where a real estate agent and their brokerage invite agents from their own and other brokerages to come view a new listing they have to showcase. Generally, they provide lunch or snacks to the agents, to thank them for taking their time to come. Visiting agents then give the listing agent feedback on what could be done to make the house more appealing to buyers, about the price, etc, to help the listing agent.

Buyers and neighbors are usually welcome to visit the home, as they would a regular weekend open house.

Please contact me if you would like to learn more about a Baltimore County Broker’s Open and how it may help to sell a home.

Baltimore Restaurant Week Summer 2010

Baltimore Restaurant Week Summer 2010 is coming up soon!

This summer, Restaurant Week is August 13-22, 2010.

Restaurant Week is always an exciting time with special meals and dining deals — $35.10 for a three course meal at nice restaurants in Baltimore. Lunch menus are only $20.10! The full list of participating eateries is here.

Baltimore’s Winter Restaurant Week 2010 was extended this past February because of our dual blizzards in one week, beginning February 5. Luckily this time, it’s just heat! So, get out of the heat and enjoy some fantastic food at great prices. Be sure to make reservations, because Baltimore Restaurant Week has people coming out to eat!

Real Estate Tax in Heathcare Bill

There is a real estate tax in the Heathcare Bill, called the Medicare Tax, because the benefits go to Medicare.

Many are up in arms over the 3.8% tax that would have to be paid.

Luckily for most Americans, this tax DOES NOT APPLY.

From Factcheck.org:

…only those with incomes over $200,000 a year ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly) will be subject to it. And even for those who have such high incomes, the tax still won’t apply to the first $250,000 on profits from the sale of a personal residence — or to the first $500,000 in the case of a married couple selling their home.

If you are married, you would only pay on PROFITS over $500,000 on your personal house that you sell. And that’s only IF you make $250,000 or more each year in income. Right now, you already can’t be taxed on your primary residence for this amount, and that remains true.

Washington Post columnist Benny L Kass, who also happens to be an attorney, reiterated much of the same information in his recent post:

First, it is not a sales tax, nor does it impose any transfer or recordation tax. It is called a Medicare tax because the money received will be allocated to the Medicare Trust Fund, which is part of the Social Security system.

So, please don’t worry. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010′s “real estate tax” will not effect most Americans. Those who will be are in the top 2% of income earners in the US, and won’t be affected until 2013.

Towson is CNNMoney’s #14 Top Affluent Singles City

Towson was named CNNMoney.com’s #14 Top Affluent Singles City!

CNNMoney.com named the top 25 cities for highest income per single households, and Towson, MD was #14 in their list.

This is due to the median family income of $102,302, and the 35.4% rate of singles versus married households. Many Towson professors at the nearby Towson University and Goucher College live close to the schools.

Towson Feet on the Street is noted as a big plus for singles living in Towson, as well as the restaurants and bars along Allegheny Avenue.

If you are considering living in Towson, contact me today!

Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) to be Eliminated

The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) will be eliminated, thanks to a bill signed into law by President Obama.

HVCC was enacted in 2009, and has been a big issue in the appraisal battle many home sales have been experiencing.

In June last year, Tasha Linton and I wrote about how HVCC Could Negatively Affect Towson Home Values , because the appraisers assigned are the lowest cost one available, not necessarily from the area. Real estate is very local — for example, Towson neighborhoods are very unique — sometimes even street-by-street! An appraiser from outside of Washington, DC will not understand the neighborhood nuances, and this could tremendously effect an appraisal value.

The HVCC going away is a huge relief to many in the real estate community, and homeowners should be very pleased as well.

HVCC will be phased out over the next 90 days, with the end of October closing this sad chapter in real estate housing history.

Tricks to Keeping Your Towson Home Cool in the Heat

With the heat advisories coming through every day and lasting until 9 pm, you may need some tricks to keeping your Towson home cool in the heat.

Lowe’s Home Improvement gave some great advice to check and follow!

• Fans and Ceiling Fans — a simple fan can make a room feel 6-7 degrees cooler because it helps to move the air around. Place one near an air conditioning register, and face it towards people, and you have instant cooling. This way you can possibly raise the thermostat but feel just as comfortable.

• Close Shades and Blinds — though natural light usually creates light so you don’t have to use your lamps and lights, the heat coming in from the windows may be negating that effect. There are heat-deflecting curtains, and white on the outside always helps!

• Control Internal Heat — Not using appliances? Unplug them.

Use a toaster oven instead of the regular oven if you can.

Don’t put appliances that put out heat near a thermostat. This will make your A/C run harder and longer than necessary.

Don’t cook in the middle of the day, try to cook after dark when it is a bit cooler!

Wash/Dry clothes in the evening as well because the humidity is what can cause it to feel even warmer. Those appliances create humidity in the air.

• Plants — having shade around the A/C unit is good — but don’t let it get too close, because then it may block the airflow and work against you!

Hopefully these tips can help you keep your Towson home cooler in this oppressive heat. Remember to stay hydrated!

HUD to Investigate Possible Loan Denials to Pregnant Borrowers

News came out yesterday in a New York Times report that there were loan denials to people because of the fact that one member of the family was expecting a baby, and now HUD is going to investigate the possible loan denials to pregnant borrowers.

Shaun Donovan, of HUD, stated to the New York Times:

“Lenders have every right to ascertain the incomes of families to determine whether they are eligible for a mortgage loan, but they have no right to use a pregnancy or a short-term disability as a cause to deny that family a mortgage they would otherwise qualify for,” Shaun Donovan, the agency’s secretary, said in a statement late Wednesday.

This was very upsetting to many who felt this was an illegal and unfair practice. The question I, as well as many, had, is whether this violated the Fair Housing Act.

I am hoping that these practices do not continue, or that they are found to be untrue allegations.

Maryland Foreclosures Up in June 2010

Maryland foreclosures were up in June 2010 as well as the whole first half of the year.

There were 6,304 foreclosures filed in Maryland last month. This is up 104% from last year in the same month. This is an interesting statistic, considering that across the US, foreclosure filings were down 7%.

The entire first half of the year also saw a large rise in Maryland foreclosure filings, up 56.2% from last year to 28,293.

The Baltimore Business Journal reported:

“The roller coaster pattern of foreclosure activity over the past 12 months demonstrates that while the foreclosure problem is being managed on the surface, a massive number of distressed properties and underwater loans continues to sit just below the surface, threatening the fragile stability of the housing market,” RealtyTrac CEO James J. Saccacio said in a statement.

I am hoping to see the foreclosure numbers drop as more people look to do a short sale in Maryland.

Contact me for more information on how to avoid foreclosure in Baltimore.

Baltimore City Property Tax Bill Errors

Baltimore City property tax bill errors were popping up in large amounts last week. Approximately 7,900 city residents received additional bills because of a computer issue, stating that their taxes were past due.

Many of those who received the erroneous additional property tax bill were newer Baltimore City homebuyers who bought their homes sometime between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.

The mix up occurred partially due to the Homestead Tax Credit, which many homeowners collect, but new homeowners cannot until they have lived in the house for a year.

Jamie Smith-Hopkins reported in the Baltimore Sun:

New buyers can qualify for the credit after living in their homes for one full tax year. They can end up paying much higher taxes than the previous owner, especially if that owner lived in the home for a long time. But the increase doesn’t kick in until the new homeowner’s first July 1 in the property — because any taxes before that point are calculated based on the previous owner’s liability.

Here’s what went wrong: The Homestead credit amount for the last tax year was somehow erased from the property accounts for at least some of the more than 5,000 people who bought in the city during those months. Suddenly, it looked as if they’d underpaid.

City officials state that this week owners should receive a correct bill.

If you are a Baltimore City homeowner and received what you feel is an incorrect bill, you can check the Baltimore City Government’s website to find your correct amount due.

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