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!

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

Fell’s Point Films on the Pier 2011

Fell’s Point is joining in the outdoor film craze, and is beginning it’s Summer 2011 Fell’s Point Films on the Pier series this coming Wednesday, July 6, 2011.

Movies begin at 8:45pm on the Broadway Pier!

July 6th begins with the award winning “FIGHTER” and follows with “THE SOCIAL NETWORK” on July 13.

The movies are being put on by Fell’s Point Main Street and a number of local sponsors. More information on the group can be found on their site!

The full list of Summer 2011 movies is below:

 

 

JULY

7/6: The Fighter

7/13: Social Network

7/20: Iron Man 2

7/27: Get Him to the Greek

AUGUST

8/3: Takers

8/10: Let Me In

8/17: Twilight: Eclipse

8/24: Black Swan

So bring out your lawn chairs, blankets, and the like, and make yourself comfortable on Wednesday nights on the Pier. Grab some dinner in Fell’s Point and head over after!

Another great reason to live in Downtown Baltimore!

Photo courtesy of mathplourde via Flickr CC.

 

Johns Hopkins Hospital Job Openings

Johns Hopkins Hospital has 400 job openings on its main campus.

The main campus is located on Broadway past Fells Point and Canton in Downtown Baltimore.

The chief operating officer, Judy Reitz, states that this does not include openings some of its’ other campuses.

They are also building new patient towers to be opening in January 2012, which could bring as many as 1,000 new jobs to the area.

Johns Hopkins Hospital employs over 6,000 people.

The Baltimore Business Journal reports that the jobs listed as open include:

rehabilitation specialists; administrative assistants; nurse managers; lab technicians; pharmacists; computer programmers; and equipment managers. Reitz said the hospital also is always looking for registered nurses, housekeepers, security guards and cafeteria workers.

This is great news for the Baltimore real estate market, because this could mean people moving into the area and possibly buying houses to take advantage of the incredibly low interest rates and low housing prices.

Prime Steakhouse Restaurant in Baltimore’s Chef Will Be On Top Chef

Prime Steakhouse Restaurant in Baltimore’s Chef will be a contestant on the next season of Bravo’s Top Chef.

Timothy Dean will be competing for the title in Washington, DC beginning next month, according to the Baltimore Business Journal.

Fells Point’s Prime Steakhouse has become a popular place in its’ short time in business.

Having national attention from Bravo’s Top Chef could bring even greater things for the Fells Point and Downtown Baltimore areas with visitors coming to try Chef Dean’s food, and getting to experience what our great city has to offer.

Coupled with the “Find Your Happy Place in Baltimore” campaign for the summer, Baltimore’s economy could see a great boost in resolving its’ current deficit.

So visit Prime Steakhouse in Fells Point and judge Chef Dean’s creations yourself!

Snowpocalypse 2010 2.0 brings SnowSayCanYouSee 2010 2.0 Tomorrow in Fells Point

As I lament about what bad the Snowpocalypse 2010 2.0 brings, in Downtown Baltimore‘s Fell’s Point comes the fun snowball fight called SnowSayCanYouSee at Broadway Square at Broadway and Thames to enjoy the large amount of snow we will have on the ground.

The last one was just this last Saturday, as we are due to have the second blizzard in one week in the Baltimore area, the “fun” just doesn’t seem to end! We make history with this storm, and hopefully many will enjoy another good snowball fight.

Details are posted on Facebook for anyone who wants to join in. Date: February 10, 2010, Time: 2:30 pm

The likelihood is that roads will be closed so you need to live close enough to walk to enjoy this great time tomorrow. So if you live in or around Fell’s Point, don’t miss it!

Snowpocalypse 2010 “Snow Say Can You See” Snowball Fun in Fells Point February 6, 2010

With the “Snowpocalypse” coming tomorrow through Saturday night with predictions of snow accumulations of around TWO FEET, residents of Downtown Baltimore are ready to have fun.
On December 19, 2009, we got about this same amount, and there was a fun snowball fight in Federal Hill called “Snow Say Can You See”.
This Saturday, February 7, 2010 is Snow Say Can You See Part Two — this time in Fell’s Point at the Broadway Square at Thames and Broadway.
A great time was had by all who attended the last, and I am happy to see that they are moving across the Harbor to let more city residents enjoy!
What a wonderful idea to get people out of their houses for a safe, fun time, since attendees will walk from their houses!
Enjoy to those who get to go — and take pictures to share!

Kooper’s Chowhound Burger Wagon in Hunt Valley Monday January 18, 2010

Koopers Tavern on Thames Street in Fells Point is very well known for their terrific burgers.

They decided to take their famous burgers on the road in the form of the Kooper’s Chowhound Burger Wagon so people all over Baltimore can enjoy their award winning tastes!

The burgers are for everyone — they have angus, bison, turkey and veggie burgers! Toppings can include the basics or as interesting as blue cheese, applewood smoked bacon, peppers and jack cheese.

Exciting for some in the Northern Baltimore County area is that the wagon will be in Hunt Valley tomorrow in the rear parking lot behind the Verizon Building close to Schilling Road (map).

So if you plan to be in Hunt Valley or Cockeysville tomorrow, make sure to stop by to try one of their burgers. I may see you there!