GoogleMap Area Baltimore Visitor Center to Fort McHenry

The Charm City Circulator Banner route will run from the the Baltimore Visitor’s Center at the Inner Harbor to Fort McHenry. It will have a number of stops along the way at businesses, restaurants, and neighborhoods.

It looks like it would serve the Federal Hill, and Locust Point neighborhoods. There are many shops, restaurants, plus the American Visionary Arts Museum and Baltimore Museum of Industry are in this area.

Under Armour is at Tide Point near Locust Point as well.

This could be great for both the environment and the economy along this route.

The Baltimore Department of transportation will have an informational meeting where anyone can come & have input on the route. That will be held on Monday, February 13, 2012 from 6-8pm at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council Office, located at 1500 Whetstone Way #300 (the Offices at McHenry Row).

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!

Another great reason to work, play, and live in Baltimore!

More details about each of the current routes as of February 9, 2012:

Charm City Circulator Green Route

Charm City Circulator Orange Route 

Charm City Circulator Purple Route 

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!

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City sent a press release out this morning with this great announcement that 50 eligible buyers participating in the Buying into Baltimore event on September 11, 2010 will receive $4,000 towards their new home, an increase of $1,000 over the past 13 years of the program. These are 5 year forgivable loans, meaning that if the buyers remain in the home for 5 years, they will not have to repay.

The Spring Buying into Baltimore Fair was held on May 8, and was a great success.

September’s Buying into Baltimore Event & Tour will begin at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School on Hillen Road in Baltimore from 8:30 am – 2 pm.

From the press release:

To receive the money, participants must:
1) live in the desired home as the primary owner/occupant,
2) possess a valid homeownership counseling certificate,
3) participate in the “Buying into Baltimore” tour and have the tour ticket validated at four homes,
4) buy in the eastern part of Baltimore (see Live Baltimore website for boundary details),
5) purchase a home that is less than $417,000, and
6) sign the home sales contract after the event takes place.

Funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants must close on a house within 90 days of the eastern region fair to receive the $4,000 award. There are no income restrictions on this program, nor does a recipient have to be a first-time homebuyer.

The Boundaries, from the Live Baltimore website are:

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 May 13, 2010, outside the Maryland Science Center, 261 people gathered in orange and black ponchos to create the big smiley face.

The World Records Academy reported on the new world record, giving Baltimore props for its’ Happy Place campaign.

The goal is to show how happy you can be when you visit Baltimore and to garner more tourism for the great city.

Tom Noonan, the President and CEO of Visit Baltimore stated that:

“Baltimore makes us happy everyday, and we think the world’s largest smiley face is the perfect symbol to kick off our summer travel season,”

“No matter what makes you smile, we encourage travelers from all over the country to come and find their happy place in Baltimore this summer.”

Baltimore is also a wonderful place to live for many of its’ residents.

Contact me to learn more about living in Baltimore.

What do you have to do to qualify for the $3,000 award?

First, you must visit 4 of the 16 homes featured on the tour. These are just samples of homes on the market that would qualify for the award. Meet and begin at the Polytechnic Institute at 1400 West Coldspring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21209. (As a side note, the East Side Buying Into Baltimore 2010 Homebuyer Fair and Neighborhood Tour will be September 11, 2010).

More details to qualify and receive the award from the LiveBaltimore.com site:

Bring your validated/stamped ticket, signed contract of sale & photo ID to Baltimore Housing, Office of Homeownership (417 E. Fayette St. Suite 1125 – contact info will be on ticket). You will be eligible for the award funds if all of the following conditions are met:

• A housing counseling certificate is required before a commitment letter for award funds will be issued. Counseling must be completed prior to signing a contract of sale. We urge you to get this housing counseling as soon as you can; it must be completed BEFORE signing the sales contract. Click here for a list of housing counseling agencies.
• You are one of the first 50 people to submit the validated home tour ticket, valid homeownership counseling certificate, and signed contract of sale to the City’s Homeownership Office.
• 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.
• The award is secured by a Deed of Trust written for a five-year term; the payback obligation reduces 20% for each year of occupancy and is released after the five year period.

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.

So here you have a great opportunity to buy a home in Baltimore City and receive a reward for doing so!

Contact me for more information on the West Side Buying into Baltimore 2010 Homebuyer Fair and Neighborhood Tour.

From the first seconds when Ray Rice ran 83 yards to score a touchdown on the first drive to the amazing defensive plays forcing turnovers, the Ravens were there to WIN.

It feels like 2001 all over again, and that is GREAT.

The underdogs that no one expected to win, a wildcard into the playoffs, the misfit team that you wonder what they can do.

And that’s just how the Baltimore Ravens like it.

Going into Indianapolis to play the Colts as the clear underdogs, against a nearly perfect 2009 team, a team we have not beaten since 2002, the odds are stacked against us. And that is where the excitement comes alive for our players and our city.

Expect Baltimore to be purpled-up as we get together behind our Ravens and support their playoff run.

Times like these are the ones that show just how exciting, fun, and wonderful it is to live in Baltimore!

GO RAVENS!

This could mean a lot of jobs in the Maryland/DC/Virginia area, if current employees don’t want to move across the country.

They will be scouting locations in all three states before deciding where to plant their roots, which will happen by summer of 2011.

Should they choose to be in Maryland or even the northern part of DC, this could be a fanastic for the Baltimore real estate market in 2011.

Why?

Washington, DC, the Potomac, and the surrounding areas are very expensive places to live. Now, coming from Los Angeles, it might not be as much of a shock, but with MARC trains and easy commutes from Baltimore to the DC area, living in Baltimore is a great option for those employees who will be working for them.

So, welcome, Northrup Grumman!