Unlike the Department of Public Works for Baltimore County tree pickup, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works asks residents to put their trees out where their trash is normally collected, and will remove them on the days when their trash is regularly picked up.

All trees must be empty of ornaments, lights, and tinsel, and must not be in bags.

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works also offers the ability to bring your tree in to have it mulched. If you take your tree in and bring bags or other containers, you can take that mulch for your own personal use! This year the Reedbird Avenue Citizen Drop-off Center, 701 Reedbird Avenue, will provide this service from 9am-2pm Monday through Saturday.

If you had a real tree for your holiday celebration in Baltimore City, you have some time to still enjoy it, or you can put it out for collection as soon as Tuesday.

Happy New Year!

After the decision on October 24, 2011, that cap and compromise is no longer the case.

According to an article in the Daily Record,

The Court of Appeals, in its 7-0 decision, called the immunity provision and $17,000 offer “totally inadequate and unreasonable” to remedy the harm done to children permanently brain damaged due to their ingestion of lead-based paint in a rental property.

“For a child who is found to be permanently brain damaged from ingesting lead paint, proximately caused by the landlord’s negligence, the maximum amount of compensation under a qualified offer is minuscule,” retired Judge John C. Eldridge wrote for the high court. “It is almost no compensation.”

Thus, the provision — found in the 1994 Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing Act — violated Article 19 of the Maryland Constitution, which grants individuals the rights of access to the courts and to a remedy for their injuries, the court added.

This is a very big thing for landlords in Baltimore City, where many older homes may have lead based paint if they haven’t been mitigated in the past.

Landords all around Baltimore should make sure they understand Lead-Based Paint laws, rules & regulations, to ensure they protect both themselves AND the tenants they would have living in their properties.

Though technically it isn’t until Monday, there are plenty of things to do this weekend for Baltimore Halloween fun!

• At Hunt Valley Towne Centre, kids can trick-or-treat on Friday evening from 4-6pm. Children can come in costume and get some treats at the shops on Main Street off Shawan Road in Hunt Valley!
• The Towson Town Center mall will have a festive Halloween celebration on Saturday the 29th at 11am at the Level 1 Grand Court. They will also have mall-wide trick-or-treating on Monday the 31st from 6-8pm at participating stores for children aged 12 & under. More details on their site.
• ZooBOO! at the Baltimore Zoo / Maryland Zoo in Baltimore — 10 am – 4 pm Friday 10/28 – Sunday 10/30. 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! The event comes with your Zoo admission. Costume contests are at 11:30 & 2:30 for kids under the age of 12. There are special events with many of the animals throughout the day, so make sure to visit their website for more details.
• Port Discovery is celebrating Baltimore City’s Kids Month on Saturday from 10am-5pm for FALL-O-WEEN Festival. Activities include making your own tutu or mummy, wildlife adventure, Halloween drum jam, a moon bounce, performances and more! Visit their site for more details.
• Hallowmarine is at the National Aquarium in Baltimore from 10am-4pm on Saturday. Come in costume, there are many spooky events, including a Haunted Classroom! Aqua.org for more info.
• The Great Lantern Parade in Patterson Park is *NOW SUNDAY, 10/30 due to weather!* Saturday October 29 at 7pm. There is a pre-parade Great Lantern Parade Fall Festival from 3-6:30pm. Here is their blog with more details.
• Weber’s Farm in Parkville — Really fun Hillside Slide, pumpkin picking, scarecrow making, hay maze, “Boo Barn”, farm animals, hay ride & more. $7 admission for children, $5 for adults on weekends. Open from 9:30am-6:30pm!
• 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. We did this last weekend, and our son had a blast. They even have facepainting inside — and the main building is already their Christmas wonderland!
• 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 supposed to be very intense, and was named one of “America’s Best Haunts.”
• Hampden HalloweenFest — 5pm-7pm on Sunday, October 30– 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.
• Kim’s Krypt is in a new location in 2011 on Eastern Avenue in Essex. It is open from 7-10:30pm Saturday through Monday — another haunted adventure. The “krypt” is indoors, while the line is outside.

So, as you can see, there is plenty to do for Halloween in Baltimore. I am sure there are many more — what events do YOU know of & can share?

Have a safe and Happy Halloween in Baltimore!

Always a good time, there are exhibitors, games, entertainment, and more. Plus this is the last year for “Hampden Idol!”

The big draws tend to be the wildly popular “Toilet Bowl Race” and the Hampden Film Festival.

This year there is even the Great Baltimore Mac Off, where chefs will submit their best Mac & Cheese recipes and are judged.

What is Hampdenfest? According to their site:

HampdenFest features 4 stages of music and art performances, an activity area for kids, an emerging artists exhibit and a film festival, as well as four blocks of arts and crafts vendors and other wares from a wide range of merchants and artists.

So much to do & see! So come on down to fun-filled Hampden, and visit Hampdenfest on the 10th!

Photo courtesy of Gavin St. Ours courtesy of Flickr CC

The event begins at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School (“Mervo”) with Check-in and Neighborhood tour sign up from 8:30-11am. There is a $10 per person charge to participate.

Home buying classes are 9-11:00am, then 11am-1:15pm are the neighborhood tours. Participants must visit at least four of the houses to qualify for the award.

What is the award? A $4,000 forgivable loan that after five years doesn’t have to be repaid, if you still live in the property you buy using that money as the primary owner.

How do you know if you qualify?

From the Live Baltimore website:

How do I get the $4,000 award?

You will be eligible for the award funds if all of the following conditions are met:

• A current homeownership counseling certificate is required. Counseling must be completed BEFORE signing a contract of sale. Click here for a list of housing counseling agencies.
• You must use this home as your primary residence.
• You close on your new home within 90 days from the event date. Contracts signed prior to the event will not be eligible for the award funds.
• Your property is within the fair boundaries.
• Your mortgage amount cannot exceed $417,000.
• You are encouraged to use a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac approved lender.
• You must invest a minimum of $1,000 from personal funds/resources.
• Purchase contracts must be signed and dated after the “Buying into Baltimore” event, not before. Contracts signed prior to the event date will not be accepted.

You must be one of the first 50 people to meet these qualifications and submit your validated/stamped ticket, proof of homeownership counseling, signed contract of sale & photo ID to Baltimore Housing, Office of Homeownership (417 E. Fayette Street, Suite 1125, Baltimore, MD 21201).

The boundary/dividing line is:

Boundary dividing line:

Starting from the North (Baltimore City/Baltimore County Line)…

• Head South on Charles St.
• To West on 29th St.
• To South on Howard St.
• To West on Camden St.
• To South on Russell St. and continue to County Line

So if you are considering buying a house in East Baltimore City, contact me to learn more!

On Fridays, it is open from 5-10pm, while Saturdays & Sundays it is open 1-10pm.

There is a petting zoo, dog & pony show, magic show, Wild West show, games and more for fun for all ages.

The rides are sure to be a big hit, and you can buy a ride bracelet for $25 there (or here for a short time, $20 by getting them in advance – there are a limited number available at the discount). Tickets are $1.25 each, but most rides take more than one ticket.

Admission to the fair itself is $5 per person, but there is an online special for advance purchase of 2-for-1 by filling out a request form online here.

It’s exciting to have a new fair in Baltimore City, and I look forward to seeing how it goes! Come on down to the all new Pimlico Race Track Fair over the next three weekends!

The Bnote comes in $1 and $5 notes, and became available for use on April 18.

According to the Baltimore Green Currency Association, Bnotes are local currency, and:

Local currency, also called complimentary currency, is money that is designed to be used within a community, town, or city.  Whereas national currencies, like the US Dollar, are now loaned into existence, necessitating their repayment with interest to a bank or financial institution, local currencies exist solely to facilitate commerce within a community and to preserve and restore the social nature of trade and business. Dollars are universal, but they don’t have the same power that local currencies have, to promote and grow a local economy, in ways that benefit the people and not banks.

Many merchants in the Hampden neighborhood are accepting the currency, and are ready to get it into circulation around Baltimore.

Here is the list of merchants who are currently accepting the Bnote as currency. They include the very popular Woodberry Kitchen, Golden West, Cafe Hon, 9th Life, Corner Restaurant, Renew Organic Skincare, Sprout Organic Salon, and even two attorneys!

While you’re using your Bnotes in Hampden, make sure to stop by my listing around the corner from the Avenue at 911 38th St. Better yet, you can live there, and just have a quick jaunt to use them!

The Homestead tax credit limits the increase in the value of the actual property tax a person actually pays is computed. In Baltimore County, the current homestead cap is 4%.

You receive an application to apply for the Homestead Tax credit when your house is reassessed every three years and at the time of sale when buying a house.

For those new homeowners, however, the new owner must be in the house for a year before becoming eligible for the tax credit. For example, if you buy a house in December, and you apply, the credit wouldn’t take effect until July of the following year.

The homestead tax credit is based on ownership and occupancy. In order to be eligible, you must live in the house.

The credit really helps to keep your property tax bill down with that 4% limit on assessment increase!

This chart shows the property tax computation with a decrease in value. This shows you the significant difference in amount of taxes you would pay if you did not receive the Homestead Tax Credit! Most of the years, it is anywhere from $80-400 difference, but years 3 & 4 show a savings on taxes of about $1700!

Here is an article to find out how your Baltimore County tax assessment is determined.

To determine if you are eligible for the homestead tax credit reduction, here is a link to the application.

If you feel your assessment may be too high, and would like to appeal a Baltimore County tax assessment, read more and determine if it may be the right route for you.

Please let me know how I can help you with your Baltimore County home!

How does Baltimore County determine my house assessment?

These are two very good questions which determine how much you pay in property taxes each year.

First, tax assessments are done as mass appraisals. This means there are many homes being valuated at the same time.

The Baltimore County tax assessors are trained as appraisers and have a number of ways they come up with your assessed value. There is a homeowner’s guide to property taxes and assessments on their website, which gives some details about the process.

Recently, I was able to listen to the heads of both the Baltimore County and Baltimore City departments, as they explained more in detail what they do.

They use a cost approach and land value. The cost value is how much the house would cost to be built today minus depreciation based on age and condition of the house. Any finished heated space is included in the valuation of the house.

They do not come into your home, so they make assumptions on things based on County permits pulled by contractors doing work on your home.

Often, when a homeowner appeals, they will point out deficits, which is how they know what problems there may be with your home.

They use the multiple listing system that real estate agents use as well, called MRIS.

Short sales and foreclosures are removed from consideration, as they consider them “bad sales”.

Neighborhoods, as determined by the Baltimore County Department of Taxation and Assessments, are not the same as the neighborhoods established.

Neighborhoods are graded on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best. An assessor I spoke with said that a well known and established neighborhood, Ruxton in Towson is graded as a 10. There are neighborhood sets and subsets, for example, Old Lutherville is a subset of Lutherville. And even within subsets, the type of house will be assessed at different “rates.”

Because these assessments are done every three years and on a mass basis, that is why there is an appeals process. Especially with higher priced homes such as those in Ruxton, the homes tend to be unique, and the mass valuation may not be correct.

Learn more about different Baltimore County tax appeal processes so you can understand if an appeal may be right for you and your home.

Unlike Baltimore County tree pickup, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works asks residents to put their trees out where their trash is normally collected, and they will be picking them up on regularly scheduled trash days.

All trees must be empty of ornaments and tinsel.

Baltimore City DPW also offers the ability to bring your tree in to have it mulched, and if you bring bags, you can take that mulch for your own personal use. There are two locations for this service, Sisson Street Citizen Drop-off Center, 2840 Sisson Street, and Reedbird Avenue Citizen Drop-off Center, 701 Reedbird Avenue both from 9am-2pm.

If you had a real tree for your holiday celebration, you have some time to still enjoy it, or you can put it out for collection as soon as Tuesday.

Happy New Year!