Baltimore Halloween 2010

With Halloween falling on Sunday this year, many Baltimore Halloween events were happening on Saturday, October 30.

But there are still a number of things to do on Halloween Day, October 31, in & around Baltimore — so check them out!

• Weber’s Farm in Parkville — Fantastic Hillside Slide, pumpkin picking, scarecrow making, hay maze, “Boo Barn”, farm animals, hay ride & more. $7 admission for children, $5 for adults. Open from 9 am until dusk!
• ZooBOO! at the Baltimore Zoo / Maryland Zoo in Baltimore — 10 am – 4 pm. Come in costume, visit the animals, plus free trick-or-treating, carnival games, inflatable slides, crafts, and live entertainment, including magic, mini-theatre, and costume contests! Admission at the gate is $16 for adults, and $11 for children.
• Valley View Farms in Hunt Valley is open from 7am-9pm and has its’ fantastic Halloween Display, a free haunted house, and straw maze for the younger children. You can also take a guess at how many pumpkin seeds are in the Giant Pumpkin, named Rolling Thunder (weighing in at 1540 pounds!) to win a gift card.
• Huber’s Farm in Kingsville is open 9am – 5pm and has pumpkin picking, a kids area for $5 per hour, and at night from 7:30-10pm, Creepywoods, a scary haunted wooded attraction, which is very intense, and named one of America’s Best Haunts.
• Hampden HalloweenFest — 5pm-7pm — Trick or Treating at participating stores on the Avenue, Chestnut Avenue, and Falls Rd. 6:30 is a costume contest in front of Ma Petite Shoe on 36th St. Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Hampden. (Meanwhile, you can drive, ride or walk by my new listing at 911 38th Street while you are there!)
• Hauntington Avenue 2010 Block Party in Remington from 6-8 pm. Located in the 2900 Block of Huntington Avenue, this is part of Free Fall Baltimore. The Black Cherry Puppet Theatre will be providing walking street puppets, there will be stilt walking from Paco Fish, and local musicians Ricky and Lennon La Ricci.
• Annual Halloween Tour at Westminster Burying Ground at Fayette and Greene Street in Downtown Baltimore from 6-9 pm. There are many Edgar Allan Poe themed readings and events, spooky music played while you tour Westminster Hall. There will be cider, popcorn, and a haunting good time.
• Kim’s Krypt in Dundalk is open from 7-10:30pm — another haunted adventure. The “krypt” is indoors, while the line is outside.
• Cox’s Point Haunted Mansion in Essex 7-10pm — at Cox’s Point Park on Riverside Drive, called “Maryland’s Oldest Haunted Attraction.”

Sunday should be a fun day full of fun & spooks. Enjoy what Baltimore has to offer!

11th Annual Great Halloween Lantern Parade and Festival

Saturday, October 30, 2010 is the 11th Annual Great Halloween Lantern Parade and Festival in Patterson Park to celebrate Halloween.

This year’s parade theme is taking it into the Garden, so expect to see many garden-themed paper lanterns built throughout the past few weeks by children, neighbors, and artists alike in workshops promoting the event.

On Saturday, beginning at 3 pm, there will be another lantern-making workshop, hayrides, live music by the Love Peace Project, Old Man Brown, and Balti Mare, along with food and drinks to enjoy.

7 pm is the line up, and the parade begins at 7:30 pm.

Last year, inclement weather made the 2009 Lantern Parade move to Sunday. Rain date this year is on Halloween!

Thanks to the Creative Alliance and Southeast Community Development Corporation for putting this neat event on each year. For more details on the festival parade, please visit their website.

Come to Downtown Baltimore to experience this unique, hands-on event. Make a lantern and you too can be in the parade!

Photo courtesy of elh70/Erica via Flickr CC

Commit to Vote on Facebook

Have you gotten a lot of your friends posting a “Commit to Vote” button on your page?

I have continually gotten them, and though I appreciate the sentiment, I was lucky enough to be able to take advantage of Early voting in Maryland, and voted on Tuesday at Towson University.

Though I have gotten tired of so many postings on my facebook page, I do understand the importance, and hope everyone who is able to get out and exercise their right to vote.

Whether you do it early or do it on November 2nd, make sure to have your voice heard and VOTE!

Timonium Scaregrounds 2010

The Timonium Fairgrounds this weekend will become the Timonium SCAREGROUNDS to support the United Cerebral Palsy Delrey School.

Put together by a few families in Lutherville, this event is a scary one — and not designed for the little guys.

As the Towson Times article says,

A group of traveling “carnies” are kidnapping, torturing and killing teenagers, then grinding them up to make corn dogs to sell at their haunted carnival.

A highly elaborate haunted house, it will be held under the Grandstands at the Fairgrounds. There will be more than 12 rooms full of blood, gore, ghosts, clowns, and other scary people and sights, all designed to scare the pants off its’ visitors.

The special effects and makeup are all either hand crafted or movie set quality. It should be very scary!

The Timonium Scaregrounds Haunted House will be open Friday & Saturday, October 29 & 30 from 6:30-10 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 at the door, and more information can be found on their website.

Timonium Scaregrounds is located at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, 2200 York Road (map), Timonium, MD 21093.

Loch Raven Trail Access Meeting Thursday, October 28, 2010 at the Timonium Fairgrounds

The Loch Raven Trail Users Committe has a planned community meeting about the Trail Access on Thursday, October 28, 2010.

The Committee was formed in response to the Department of Public Works’ plan to restrict access to use of the single track trails on the Watershed Property to lessen the impeding of forest renewal.

Many people utilize these trails, and have asked the Department of Public Works to work with volunteer groups to recondition and maintain these trails. These groups include (according to their October 24 report, entitled: Baltimore City Reservoir Watershed Property Recreational Trail Use):

Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE- 5000 local mountain bikers, 950 volunteer hours at Loch Raven this year, maintains trails in over 30 parks), International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), Bike Maryland, local businesses, local schools, the boy scouts and the citizens who use the trails want to help to correct poor trail conditions to protect the environment and our municipal water supply.

If you utilize the Loch Raven Watershed Trails, and are concerned about the restriction of all access to the single track trails, this meeting will show you how to get involved. More information can be found at the website set up for this cause.

The Loch Raven Trail Access meeting will be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium from 7-9 pm.

The Maryland State Fairgrounds are located at 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

Early Voting in Towson

Today, my husband and I took advantage of Maryland’s new Early Voting, and went to Towson University to do our civic duty.

The line was short, the directions easy, and the Administration building well set up & equipped for early voting.

Baltimore County and Baltimore City have a number of sites where you can vote early. Baltimore County voting locations include Towson University, Catonsville Community Center, Honeygo Community Center in Perry Hall, North Point Library in Dundalk, and Randallstown Community Center.

Baltimore City’s early voting centers include the Public Safety Training Facility at 3500 Northern Parkway, St. Brigids Parish Center near Canton, Pleasant View Garden Apartments in Downtown, Library #10 on Loch Raven Blvd, and Edmondson Westside Senior High School #400.

We enjoyed our early voting experience, and thank Towson University for hosting! GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!

BRAC Buyer Assistance Programs

There are a number of families relocating to the Baltimore area for BRAC, the Base Realignment and Closure Program. Many BRAC transferees will be working at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, MD.

To help families with their necessary moves, the State of Maryland government has put a few closing cost assistance programs into place.

These programs are through the Maryland Mortgage Program (also known as MMP), including programs such as CDA, House 4 Keys, and DSELP programs.

The newest release is called the BRAC Match Program.

According to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, (DHCD) in Directive 2010-22,

The BRAC Match Program is a new program that enables eligible BRAC homebuyers to receive $2,500 in downpayment and/or closing cost assistance. BRAC Match Program assistance is provided through a zero percent deferred loan repayable at the earlier of maturity or prepayment of the first mortgage, or sale or transfer of the property and can be combined with other downpayment and closing cost assistance programs such as the $5,000 currently available to all borrowers through the Downpayment and Settlement Expense Loan Program (DSELP).

If you are affected by BRAC and moving to the Baltimore area, you have many options available to you now.

Contact me to learn more about the BRAC buyer assistance programs and how they may benefit you buying a home in Maryland.

October is Kids Month in Downtown Baltimore

The month of October is Kids Month in Downtown Baltimore, and there are still two weekends left and one full week to enjoy the festivities.

Tagging onto the Free Fall Baltimore promotion, Kids Month has many free events, or discounts on other experiences.

Saturday is a Family Concert with sing along and a free movie at the Enoch Pratt Library. The Walters Art Museum has a Free Family Festival of Wonders.

Next Saturday, Halloween Weekend, is the B&O Railroad Museum Halloween Bash and BSO Halloween Spooktacular, while Port Discovery has their Family Falloween Festival.

So come to Downtown Baltimore to enjoy both Free Fall Baltimore and Kids Month. You won’t be disappointed!

Final Two Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a House

Yesterday, I posted two good reasons why now is a good time to buy a house from a publication from Keller Williams Realty International entitled “7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home” , after posting the top three on Tuesday. Today round out the final two good reasons why a buyer should buy now!

To recap the top three reasons to buy a house:

1) Homes have never been more affordable.

2) Mortgage rates are at rock bottom and won’t stay there forever.

3) Prices are trending back up.

Two more good reasons to buy a home now:

4) Sellers are motivated.

5) Lenders are back in the game.

And then the final two of seven:

6) Ownership Costs are Dropping Below Rental Costs.

Though homeowners have other costs such as HVAC repairs, carpet replacements and the like, ownerships costs are now dropping to a level where even including these items, it is still cheaper than renting in many cases.

Rents have still been on the rise while interest rates and house prices have dropped. Keep in mind also that most of the time the interest you pay on your mortgage is tax deductible, so that brings it even lower over the long run!

7) Home Ownership Remains at the Core of the American Dream. People, in general, want to own their own home. Also, rent is subject to being raised every year, while a fixed mortgage is not. Taxes and insurance would really be the majority of any change in monthly payments in your mortgage, and you can build equity in your house. Meanwhile, rent is just money thrown away over the long run.

The recent decline in home sales was predictable due to the expiration of the $8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit. Summer sales were lower than normal because of the spike in purchases earlier in the year.

Fall is trending back to normal, and before we know it, prices will be trending upward over the whole Baltimore real estate market area.

What does this tell us? The time to buy a home in Baltimore is NOW. Contact me so I can help you take advantage of these Seven Reasons!

Two More Good Reasons that Now is a Good Time to Buy a House

Yesterday, I posted the top three good reasons why now is a good time to buy a house from a publication from Keller Williams Realty International entitled “7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home” . Today, two more good reasons why a buyer should buy now!

To recap the top three reasons to buy a house:

1) Homes have never been more affordable.

2) Mortgage rates are at rock bottom and won’t stay there forever.

3) Prices are trending back up.

Numbers 4 & 5:

4) Sellers are Motivated. There are more houses on the market than there are buyers. This creates a ”Buyer’s Market”. This is where we are now in the Baltimore real estate market as well as the rest of the United States. Across the US, the average supply is 12.5 months, meaning that for all of the homes currently on the market, it would take over a year to sell them all. What does this mean for buyers? Sellers who need to sell, NEED TO SELL. They may take a reduced price, or give concessions to make their home stand out above the rest and get it sold faster.

Short sales and foreclosures have been adding to this mix, with 32% of home sales since the beginning of 2010 being distressed. So many sellers are making their homes nicer, with lower prices, to attract buyers to their homes. What buyers may have had to compromise on before, many don’t have to now!

5) Lenders are Back in the Game. After awhile of very strict lending standards, and some banks not lending at all, many are now reentering the purchase market. Standards are still strict, and much more documentation is required of buyers, but if you have steady income, decent credit, and can afford payments, banks most likely are going to give you a loan! My friends from both Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and First Mariner Bank tell me they have many more programs opening up to so many more buyers than even a month ago. This shows the confidence these lenders have in the marketplace!

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With the extremely low interest rates right now, low house prices and high number of homes on the market, plus these two important reasons of sellers being motivated and lenders more willing to lend money, now could be the best time possible to buy a house in Baltimore. Contact me and I will help!

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