Washington Monument Lighting 2011

The Washington Monument Lighting is always a popular event, with nearby museums and shops participating, and many people coming to enjoy the magic of lights, fireworks, and this year, a laser show finale choreographed to music!

This year is the 40th Annual Lighting of the Washington Monument, so expect an extra special night.

The lighting will take place Thursday, December 1, 2011 with events beginning at 5:30pm and running until about 8:00pm. The ceremony itself starts around 7:00pm, and the official lighting takes place close to 7:45pm.

The weather looks to be perfect — a little cold, but clear for the show. We have gotten used to this warmer weather, but this will feel much more like the holidays! There will be hot chocolate, food, and fun for all!

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore have partnered to put this on. More details can be found on the BOP site.

So bundle up, and come to Mount Vernon to celebrate the beginning of an always exciting season in Downtown Baltimore!

The Washington Monument is located at Mount Vernon Place by the Walters Art Museum at 600 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Photo courtesy of sidewalk flying via Flickr CC

 

Baltimore Thanksgiving 2011

Well, Thanksgiving will be a weird one this year for many of us here in Baltimore.

The Baltimore Ravens play the San Francisco 49ers at 8:20pm Thanksgiving night — so my family will be split up in places.

A mini Kirk Thanksgiving will be held at Ravens Stadium (or really, prior to, at the tailgate), since a number will be attending the game.

Another group will be at my house with kiddos.

Another group will be heading somewhere new.

And my side of the family is staying at their homes in their respective states.

I will miss those we cannot be with, but am thankful for the family we will be.

So, HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Baltimore, and GO RAVENS!

Downtown Baltimore Holiday Light Show at Power Plant

A brand new holiday light show will be showcased this season on and around the Power Plant in Downtown Baltimore.

It begins this Saturday, and it looks to be spectacular!

The light show will be held throughout the holiday season at the following times & dates:

Saturday, November 19 – Saturday December 31
Sunday – Thursday: 6pm, 7pm, & 8pm
Friday – Saturday: 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, & 9pm

I may just have to go this Saturday evening for the first night. It looks SO neat! Here is a preview from the “It’s a Waterfront Life” website! The Greater Baltimore Committee describes the show as:

“…projections on the Power Plant buildings, accompanied by a laser light show, high energy music, and fireworks. The show will preview the GBC’s concept for a year-round entertainment intended to pump up the “fun” element at the Inner Harbor after dark.”

I have a feeling my son would absolutely love it!

Saturday is a big day for the Inner Harbor with the Winter Wonderland at West Shore Park from 1-5pm with live music, crafts, games, and more. You can even create your own lantern, and participate in the Holiday Lantern Parade at 5:30! The Holiday Lantern Parade will go from West Shore Park to the Harbor Amphitheater with characters, illuminated suits, festive decorations, and more. PLUS Santa will bring up the end of the parade and arrive at Santa’s Place for his stay through 12/24.

So come on down to Downtown Baltimore this Saturday to enjoy the awesome new light show on the Power Plant. I can’t wait! If you go, let me know. I’d love to hear how you liked it!

This Month in Real Estate November 2011

This Month in Real Estate for November 2011 has been released!

The numbers from October, presented by Jay Papasan, showed the home sales at an annual pace of 4.9 million, down slightly from last month, but much better than September’s numbers. Median home price was $165,000, which is another drop from This Month in Real Estate October 2011. Interest rates rose very slightly to an average of 4.1% for a 30 year fixed mortgage.

The Top Story asks the question, “What are first time homebuyers looking for?” According to KW research, much of it is to stay in the same area as they were renting. 3/4 of first time homebuyers bought a single family home, and most purchased a three bedroom, two bath home.

Of course, this data is nationwide, and the Baltimore real estate market is different than any other. Many areas of the country do not have the dense, highly populated areas with rowhomes such as Downtown Baltimore in Federal Hill, Fells Point, Canton, and Locust Point. Even Baltimore County has many townhouse neighborhoods, such as Mays Chapel in Timonium, Rodgers Forge, and areas of White Marsh and Perry Hall.

In News You Can Use, Bryon Ellington discusses three things you should know about buying versus renting.

1) Equity. You can build wealth through equity. He aligns it with a long term savings account. Every month that you pay your mortgage, a portion of the mortgage goes into that “account” (your principle).

2) Appreciation. If the market where you buy appreciates, then that equity becomes even larger.

3) Make it your own. You can renovate, paint, do whatever you’d like to it!

He also points out that when you pay rent, you are still paying a mortgage. It is just someone else’s mortgage, and you don’t get the benefits of ownership.

For more information about buying a home in Baltimore, please contact me. I would be happy to help!

Charm City Circulator Green Route Launches

The Charm City Circulator in Baltimore added the Green Line this morning, November 1, 2011.

The Green Line has stops in Fells’ Point, the Water Taxi at Maritime Park (At Caroline and Thames,) the Shot Tower (near the Metro and Power Plant Live), Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, plus City Hall.

Today also adds a Howard Street/Pratt Street stop to the Orange line, near the light rail.

More details on routes and hours can be found on their website!

Don’t know what the Charm City Circulator is? Check out my prior posts. It is a neat initiative for Baltimore residents and workers!

More about the Charm City Circulator Orange Route.

More about the Charm City Circulator Purple Route.

The Charm City Circulator is free bus transportation service provided by the City of Baltimore. It is designed to provide transportation around Downtown Baltimore for residents, workers, and visitors. Come Downtown and get around for FREE!

Halloween Weekend in Baltimore 2011

Halloween Weekend is always a fun-filled weekend in Baltimore.

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!

Purple Friday October 14, 2011

It’s Purple Friday here in Baltimore, and I am ready after a relaxing BYE week.

Hopefully the Baltimore Ravens’ offense used their time off well and were able to strengthen their struggling offense.

This week I wore my Ravens gear and even got my nails painted purple (which, for those who know me, is funny because I *never* get my nails painted any sort of color!).

The Ravens vs Texans game is at 4:05pm on Sunday, so get out & enjoy the beautiful weather we are supposed to have beforehand. Then hunker down and cheer our Baltimore Ravens to victory!

Happy Purple Friday!

GO RAVENS!

Ravens Win Big Against Jets on Sunday Night Football

The day was raw, the weather gave us shots of drizzle, but many thousands turned out to support our Ravens last night in Downtown Baltimore.

As the defense was announced, the players came out, pumped and seemingly ready. And they were.

The defense played an incredible game.

The offense was off, not in sync like they had been on week one. Luckily the defense was, and they forced three turnovers for scores, helping boost the Ravens to a 34-17 win over the Jets.

It wasn’t a pretty win, and at moments, I was worried about the Jets coming back. Thank goodness that didn’t happen.

It was a successful night in with the big win, and the Ravens sit at 3-1 as they head into the BYE week this weekend.

So, no Purple Friday this week, and we return home against the Texans on the 16th. The Texans are a force to be reckoned with, also sitting at 3-1, with come-behind amazing wins. Our boys had better rest up and be ready! GO RAVENS!

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!

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