Maryland New Texting While Driving Laws October 1, 2011

As of October 1, 2011, new texting laws will go into effect for drivers of motor vehicles.

In 2009, laws were enacted that while your car was moving, you had to have hands free headset and could not text while your car was in motion.

The biggest change is that now you may not EVEN READ A TEXT at a stoplight — or anywhere in the roadway if you are in the driver’s seat. You may not read, type, or any sort of distraction with your phone while you are in the roadway. Emails, texts, facebook updates, etc, cannot be made even if you are sitting still at a light or in traffic. For full details of the changes, visit the Hands Free Info website.

Please be mindful of the new law. Violators can be fined up to $500 for each offense.

Be careful on the roads out there, Baltimore!

Fell’s Point Fun Festival 2011

The Fell’s Point Fun Festival is this weekend, October 1-2, 2011 from 11am-7pm.

With the Ravens game Sunday not happening until 8:20pm against the Jets, Baltimore fans can still enjoy the day downtown with their families!

2011 marks the 45th annual festival, showcasing carnival rides, five stages of live music, plus a family & kid’s area with activities and entertainment for young ones. There is even a “Carnival of Wonders” tent with a magician, a real-live flea circus, jugglers, performers, and art & crafts!

The festival was originally begun as a way to raise funds and draw attention to the Fell’s Point neighborhood, when the area was due to be destroyed to construct highways.

Now, it has grown into a large event (they are expecting around 700,000 attendees over the weekend this year) with many coming to Downtown Baltimore to enjoy the beautiful Fells Point neighborhood, games, food, and fun. Visit the Preservation Society’s website to find out more details.

This weekend looks to be cool & sunny — a perfect weekend to enjoy Fell’s Point!

Photo courtesy of virgohobbs via Flickr CC

Foreclosure Backlog Could Lower Baltimore House Values Further

The foreclosure backlog is large, and with foreclosure filings up 33% in August over July, analysts think the real estate market has yet to hit bottom.

What does this mean for Baltimore real estate?

Well, it could mean that Baltimore house values could see further drops.

As more foreclosures come on the market in any area, the surrounding houses often see values drop. Technically, these “distressed” properties are not used as “comparables” for appraisal purposes, but the buyers/consumers see value in their own light.

Put yourself in a buyer’s shoes. Let’s say there are 30 houses on the market in one Downtown Baltimore neighborhood. 15 of those houses are foreclosures or short sales, so they are at a reduced price. Let’s say of those 15, three of the foreclosures are in decent condition, need little work, and were rehabbed just seven years ago.

Buyers are savvy and know that the banks will often negotiate on price if there are not many offers on the table.

Why would they buy a more expensive house in the same neighborhood if they can get a deal on that one?

Yes, there are some buyers who need to find homes that are in good condition due to their type of financing, especially if using the CDA program and an FHA insured loan. That buyer, though, will not be willing to overpay (and due to their loan type cannot overpay since their appraisal must come in at the contract price!) and can wait for another deal. With a large number of houses on the market, they have plenty to choose from.

With the foreclosure filings up, this still doesn’t include those in the early stages of the foreclosure process, according to RealtyTrac and a NASDAQ article.

Baltimore home sellers need to price their homes aggressively to get them sold, and stage them to make them stand out. Contact me for help. I know how to get your Baltimore home sold!

Free Fall Baltimore 2011

Free Fall Baltimore is on for October 1-31,2011 its’ sixth year since its’ inception.

Free Fall Baltimore is a month-long event where many museums have free admission, free events, and shows to bring people to Downtown Baltimore to learn of places, in hopes that people will continue to come back and enjoy Arts in Baltimore after the month is over.

Many of the events, though free, will require reservations due to space limitations, so make sure to visit the Free Fall Baltimore website to view and reserve what you may want to attend!

 

 

 

 

So come to Downtown Baltimore and enjoy many of the arts for free in October. So much to see and do — with no cost to you!

When Parents Get Sick

Those of you who read my blog regularly have probably noticed that I haven’t been posting much this week. Those who follow me on social media know part of the story.

Last week, we discovered that my Dad’s rectal cancer had returned in his pelvic area — a number of new tumors. He had been doing so well, and had been chemo free for a year. It was a depressing aspect for my Dad, having to endure the treatments again, hair loss, and the ailments that go along with chemo treatments.

My parents live in another state. I grew up in Connecticut from age five, and my parents are still there. I had been calling to check on them, and sent them little gifts to brighten their days while they faced the prospects coming in the next few months.

I missed Sunday, but called Monday, and got no response. Later, while we were eating dinner, my mother called from her cell phone — which is very rare. I missed the call, and after multiple attempts, got ahold of her. Dad was in the hospital.

On Sunday, when my mother had gotten home from church, my father had a step stool out. When she asked why, he could not explain. He pointed to the window curtain, but couldn’t verbalize what he’d done. He walked over to the two screwdrivers and said, “Stanley Works”.

Monday morning, he had gotten up, and when my mother went upstairs, he was in bed with his robe on. When she asked why he wasn’t up, he said, “You told me to go back to bed.” They hadn’t spoken yet that morning.

When the social worker from the Cancer Center at St. Francis Hospital called my mom to discuss how they were handling things, my Mom told her of the two incidences. The social worker said, “Let me call you right back.” She did, and told my mother to get him to a hospital immediately.

In the Emergency Room, they were checking him for signs of a stroke, ran a CAT scan, and asked a lot of questions. He couldn’t name one of his grandsons, only remembering that he is a little devil. (True. )

Turns out, his cancer has spread to his brain.

There are three lesions — the two large ones at his temples are almost an inch each. Very large. We didn’t know what was going to happen. So I hopped on a plane about 12 hours later to be with them when we heard more news.

As they did more scans, tests, etc, we found out that he qualifies to have a procedure called “Cyberknife”, where there is targeted radiation to just those three tumors. It is high dosage, and should “kill the cancer cells”. It has an 80% success rate per tumor. The doctors put him on a steroid that is reducing the swelling on his brain from the tumors, so he is thinking clearly and able to speak normally, with only a few blips here and there.

My brother & sister-in-law drove up to CT from Hershey, PA to be there with us too. We went from thinking this was the end, to having hope.

Now, we could get a few more good years with him. We just have to hope that new tumors don’t decide to grow, and that he is in the 80% success rate.

Once he has been through this “Cyberknife” radiation for his head, then they will go back to address the five tumors in his pelvis. He will still need chemo for those, but can’t have it while having the treatment for his brain.

It is very hard to watch your Dad get sick. He has been fighting cancer over and over again for eight years. He’s had major surgeries, minor ones, and enough radiation and chemo for multiple people.

I appreciate the incredible amount of support I have gotten from friends far & wide — social media has brought forth some incredibly kind, supportive, and amazing people. If you are one who prays, please keep prayers coming for my Dad. If not, positive thoughts are hugely welcome, too.

Thank you!

RennFest 2011

The Maryland Renaissance Festival is underway, and runs through the October 23.

Called RennFest, it is a good time for people of all ages!

RennFest is located right outside of Annapolis in Crownsville, and is open on Saturdays and Sundays.

There are vendors with food, clothes, goods, and more, plus performances galore!

Performances take place on one of 11 stages or theatres, with numerous shows throughout each day. There are even Medieval jousting tournaments in the jousting arena! One stage has mostly children’s shows, so the fun is there for everyone.

Wandering performers, musical, dancing, etc happen throughout the Village all day as well.

Tickets are $19 for ages 16 & up, and $9 for children ages 7-15, while admission for kids 6 & under is free. Seniors aged 62+ tickets are $14.

Their website is chock-full of details — times, location, performances, and more so you can plan your trip.

It has been a few years since I have been, and am thinking I want to bring my son back this year because I think he would really enjoy it. The jousting, the costumes, the performances — what could a five year old not love about the fest?

I hope you go and enjoy — and maybe I will see you there!

Photo courtesy of LukeGordon1 via Flickr CC

Stoop Storytelling in Center Plaza Thursday October 4, 2011

**Please note, date change. It will now be October 4, 2011** This Thursday, September 22, 2011, bring chairs, blankets, and food, and join in for a neat, free event!

This FREE event runs from 5:00-7:30pm, and from 5-5:30 is free wine and beer from local vendors!

The theme of the evening will be “Scaling the Mountain: Stories of Resilience, Determination, and Battling the Odds” about overcoming adversity, objections, and rejections. It is delivered via Spoken Word and each person is given seven minutes to tell their story.

In the middle, enjoy a performance by the 5th L.

Another neat event put on by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Inc.. For more details, please visit their facebook page.

More great reasons to live in Downtown Baltimore!

Purple Friday September 16, 2011

Happy Purple Friday, Baltimore!

After last week’s incredible game against the Steelers, we Baltimore Ravens fans are very excited and happy about our season.

As we head into week two, our spirits are high, and our support loud and purple!

On a personal note, today my Dad got some bad news, that his cancer has returned. I appreciate positive thoughts sent his way. Hopefully the course of treatment will go well, and all of the support he can get will certainly help. THANK YOU!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

GO RAVENS!

Hunt Valley Home Sale Statistics August 2011

Hunt Valley home sales were down in August 2011, in line with drops seen in much of the Baltimore real estate market.

Total sold volume was down 37.40% to $6,125,080 from a high last August of $9,784,500. It is very interesting, and makes me look at the statistics more carefully, that only two less homes sold (18 vs 20 last year).

This means that higher priced homes moved more last August than this August, as average sales price dropped 30.44% to $340,282 from the average of $489,225. One Cockeysville condo sold for under $50,000, which could have a large part of that % drop.

The good news is that more homes went under contract his August than last year this time, with 14 new pending contracts, and a total of 19 under contract. There are a 101 active homes for sale in 21030.

See the full August 2011 Cockeysville home sale report here.

As you can see, when there are not many sales in an area, the whole zip code’s value can be brought down a significant amount by just one low sale. This is why it is important to get a true view of your neighborhood, and not rely on general statistics. Contact me for a deeper look at your Hunt Valley house value!

Timonium Home Sales Statistics August 2011

Timonium home sales were up in a HUGE way in August 2011 — across the board, great numbers were showing over the same month last year.

Total sold volume was up 134.17% from $8,953,500 in August 2010 to $20,966,275 last month. Average sold price was up a smidgen 4.54% to $374,398.

Total number of homes sold was up 124.00% to 56 over last year’s 25 homes sold in August.

The one number that was down is a good one — the number of days on average that it took to sell a home dropped 46.55% — on average, it has been taking 62 days to sell instead of the 116 days it was taking in the same period last year.

38 homes went under contract, and 59 new ones were listed. There were a total of 226 homes on the market in 21093.

This appears to be a continuation of the rise we saw in both June and July Timonium home sales.

Compared to much of the Baltimore real estate market, Timonium is really doing well.

See the full August 2011 Timonium home sale report here.

As I have talked about many times before, each neighborhood, even within zip codes, can have different markets and statistics. Contact me for more details on your Timonium neighborhood house sales.

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