Why Do Some Houses Sell While Others Stay on the Market?

Why do some houses sell while others stay on the market?

A very good question. The answer is rather simple: price & condition.

In a Towson neighborhood where there could be 3 houses that have been on the market for months, a new one comes on. There is a flurry of activity, and the house goes under contract quickly.

Why this one? Why not the others?

The likelihood is that this Towson homeowner had their home in a staged, beautiful condition, and it was priced RIGHT. The other three may have overpriced when they first listed in an attempt to “test the market” or their house isn’t in top notch showing condition.

This video, from Jay Papasan, Vice President of of Publishing for Keller Williams Realty, and co-author of a number real estate best-sellers, demonstrates why some houses in the same market sell while others may not. His graph is a great visual of understanding!

Contact me, your Towson Realtor, to find out true Towson house values.

New Safeway in Towson is Open

The new Safeway in Towson is now open! On Thursday, August 19, it opened its’ doors to an enthusiastic crowd of people.

I finally was able to get over there today, and it is GORGEOUS! The staff was so polite and helpful — the food selection great, including fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats.

The funny part is that my May 6, 2010 post about the New Safeway in Towson in the Old CompUSA and Linen N Things Building has been wreaking a bit of havoc on my office since Thursday.

Since the Safeway is so new, it is not up on the Safeway website, nor is it on the Local Business Results in Google yet. The reason this has caused some issues, is that my blog post comes up at the top of the Google Search engine. People have been clicking on my blog and calling the only phone number they can find — my Keller Williams Timonium office. Needless to say, my office has been getting numerous calls from people trying to get more information about the Towson Safeway!

I ended up going back and changing that post, since we called the Parkville Safeway and they gave us the number for the new Towson one, so that people could call the right place to get the information they need.

Though I love the new Towson Safeway, I don’t have the answers they need — but I can help with Towson real estate!

Baltimore County Restaurant Week Extended

Baltimore County Restaurant Week has been extended through September 5, 2010 for 14 of the 15 originally participating restaurants.

2010 was Baltimore County’s first restaurant week, and from the look of things, this will continue yearly!

Restaurants from Towson to Timonium to Sparks have been and are continuing to participate with discounts for lunch and dinner!

The participating restaurants, brought together by the Milton Inn in Sparks, are:

Towson:

Cafe Troia on Allegheny Ave in Towson

The Melting Pot on York Rd in Towson

Stoney River Legendary Steaks in Towson Town Center

—————————

Lutherville/Timonium:

The Peppermill on York Road in Lutherville

Michael’s Cafe on York Road in Timonium

Christopher Daniel on Padonia Road in Timonium

Sabor in Mays Chapel in Timonium

—————————

Cockeysville/Hunt Valley:

Vito’s Cafe on York Rd in Cockeysville

Patrick’s on Cranbrook in Cockeysville

Greystone Grill in Hunt Valley Towne Center

Jesse Wong’s Kitchen in Hunt Valley Towne Center

—————————

Other Baltimore County Locations:

The Milton Inn on York Rd in Sparks

Artful Gourmet Bistro in Owings Mills

The Grill at Harryman House in Reisterstown

Mia Carolina in Glyndon

—————————-

So enjoy these great Baltimore County restaurants while they have their specials going on for the next two weeks!

Charles Street Construction at 695 Ramp Closures

On August 10, the Charles Street ramp to 695 West closed, and the roundabout entrance to that & I-83N reopened.

Traffic before had been routed coming north into the right lane to enter the Beltway, and those traveling south have used alternate routes to access I-695W since that entrance closed in early April.

According to the State Highway Administration’s press release, this new closure should be temporary, about two weeks.

The big upcoming change should come at about August 24th, when the west bound ramp from northbound Charles Street should re-open. The ramp to eastbound I-695 from Charles Street remains closed for the time being.

Weekend work will really change things. Look out for these big issues the weekend of August 27 -30 (or 9/10-13 in case of inclement weather):

Charles Street Bridge Traffic Switch – Weekend Work

• 9 p.m. Friday, August 27 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 30: Crews will shift all Charles Street traffic from the old bridge to the new bridge.  The Charles Street Bridge will remain open to vehicular traffic during the shift, with flagging operations and intermittent traffic stoppages throughout the weekend.

The ramps from southbound I-83 (Harrisburg Expressway) and eastbound I-695 to Charles Street will be temporarily detoured to the MD 45 (York Road) interchange during the weekend.  The flyover ramp from southbound I-83 to eastbound I-695 will remain open during the bridge traffic shift.

In case of inclement weather, the Charles Street bridge traffic shift and temporary ramp closures will take place the weekend of September 10-13.   This interchange currently carries more than 120,000 vehicles per day along I-695, with 55,000 vehicles per day along Charles Street.

Additionally, the left-turn ramp from southbound Charles Street to eastbound I-695 (Inner Loop) will remain closed until late fall, and the posted detour through Lutherville will continue.

Realtormarney.com is Baltimore’s Best Real Estate Blog on Zillow

Realtormarney.com was voted by readers as Baltimore’s Best Real Estate Blog on Zillow!

Though I have my issues with Zillow and the very incorrect Towson Zillow Zestimates, it is still an honor to be nominated for best Baltimore real estate blog, and even more so to have the voters choose my blog to win!

The race was very tight between myself and Jamie Smith-Hopkins from the Baltimore Sun. To have it be a close one between a full time professional writer and myself made it even more exciting to me!

The night before the final votes, I had been down a lot, and thought the contest was over. I used Twitter and Facebook to put a call out for help — and my online friends and “fans” came through to help me win with 46% of the votes!

It shows how powerful these social media sites are, and what connections you can make and relationships you can build.

I want to thank each of you who voted and got the word out to vote for me, and the amazing amount of support I received. I am overwhelmed and grateful.

THANK YOU!

Don’t forget to contact me for your Baltimore real estate needs. I am here & ready to serve!

West Towson Elementary School Fall Registration

It’s time to register your child if you have been redistricted to the West Towson Elementary School.

The Baltimore County Public Schools site has finally been updated so it is correct for redistricting!

To make sure you need to register at West Towson, use the School Boundaries finder and enter your address.

If you did not receive a package, you will need to go to West Towson Elementary School at 6914 North Charles Street, Towson, MD 21204.

For all Baltimore County School registration, you will need, according to bcps.org:

•            When registering a child, you will need to present :

o            Proof of Baltimore County residency in accordance with Rule 5150 (Deed or lease and photo ID with 3 proofs of residency)

o            Certificate of birth

o            Immunization record

o            Copy of the child’s most recent report card (if applicable)

•            If the student is transferring from another public school in Maryland, a copy of the Maryland Student Transfer Record will be required. This form may be obtained at the school from which the student is transferring.

•            Most importantly, contact the appropriate school prior to registration. Schools are open throughout the summer to accommodate parents during the registration process.

Registration is open during the week so make sure if you have a child who should be registered for Fall 2010 at West Towson Elementary School, stop by to do so!

East Joppa Road Closed at Towson Town Center and Towson Circle

East Joppa Road is closed at Towson Town Center and the Towson Circle.

Traffic headed west must take Fairmount Avenue down to Goucher Boulevard to access both the mall and areas west of the Towson Roundabout.

This is due to bridge construction needed on East Joppa Road just east of the circle.

The closure is expected to continue through September 1, 2010.

There are bright orange signs directing traffic through the detour, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled to figure out how to get around. It is a fairly easy & straightforward path, so hopefully there won’t be many issues.

Be careful going around Towson Town Center and East Joppa Road in Towson!

Baltimore Zillow Best Blog Nomination

Zillow has named its’ top 10 real estate blogs in Baltimore based on traffic, and realtormarney.com is one of them!

I am proud to have been nominated, and the hard work I put into my Towson real estate blog is being noticed.

You can vote every day until August 11, 2010 at midnight, so please stop by daily (click the photo to take you to the poll) and vote for me!

Either way, don’t worry, I will continue to provide in depth Towson real estate information, as well as activities and homes for sale in Hunt Valley and surrounding areas!

I appreciate the nomination, despite my issues with Towson Zestimates and their inaccuracies. The site has many great tools, but close valuations in our area is not one of them.

Thank you for your continued support and readership. If you have any Baltimore real estate topics you would like to see me cover, please contact me!

Towson is CNNMoney’s #14 Top Affluent Singles City

Towson was named CNNMoney.com’s #14 Top Affluent Singles City!

CNNMoney.com named the top 25 cities for highest income per single households, and Towson, MD was #14 in their list.

This is due to the median family income of $102,302, and the 35.4% rate of singles versus married households. Many Towson professors at the nearby Towson University and Goucher College live close to the schools.

Towson Feet on the Street is noted as a big plus for singles living in Towson, as well as the restaurants and bars along Allegheny Avenue.

If you are considering living in Towson, contact me today!

Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) to be Eliminated

The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) will be eliminated, thanks to a bill signed into law by President Obama.

HVCC was enacted in 2009, and has been a big issue in the appraisal battle many home sales have been experiencing.

In June last year, Tasha Linton and I wrote about how HVCC Could Negatively Affect Towson Home Values , because the appraisers assigned are the lowest cost one available, not necessarily from the area. Real estate is very local — for example, Towson neighborhoods are very unique — sometimes even street-by-street! An appraiser from outside of Washington, DC will not understand the neighborhood nuances, and this could tremendously effect an appraisal value.

The HVCC going away is a huge relief to many in the real estate community, and homeowners should be very pleased as well.

HVCC will be phased out over the next 90 days, with the end of October closing this sad chapter in real estate housing history.

Next Page »