It's so hard to be recommending this when we have beautiful Fall weather outside.  But a little effort now will pay off big once winter gets here. I thought I'd put together some winterizing tips to add to everyone's honey-do list! 

Tip #1-- Check your furnace.  Check the filter, change it out/clean it if necessary, get the pilot light and burners checked out if it's gas or oil.  Fireplaces, boilers, water heaters, space heaters and wood burning stoves should be serviced at least yearly.  When's the last time you had your chimney cleaned out?  

Tip #2- Have you ever had your ducts cleaned?  When all the windows get shut for the season, it traps all those allergens inside, and as your heater blows warm air, it blows them right into your living area for you to breathe.  Clean and vacuum all the air vents (especially the returns).  For reference, ducts should be professionally cleaned every 3 years.

Tip #3- Test your fire and smoke alarms and your carbon monoxide detectors.  Often these go unattended. A good rule of thumb is to check them every time you have to change the clocks (i.e Daylight savings time, think spring forward and fall back), or every 6 months if you're the organized type who will remember. Watch for the local Fire Department, as sometimes they'll give away batteries and or smoke alarms around this time. They may even come to your house and check them for you!

Tip #4- Remove excess leaves surrounding your home.  Once the leaves are down, it's easy to see the dead branches on your trees too making it a great time to remove them.  Dead branches have the potential to break off and fall, ruining your roof and/or deck, or even your neighbor's fence!

Tip #5- Maintain your gutters.  If you're my husband, that doesn't just mean looking at them and saying how nice they look.  Remove all the debris that can slow or impede the flow of water draining from your roof.  Trapped water can freeze and thaw, which repeatedly happens over the winter.  The freeze/thaw cycle can be destructive to not only the gutters but the adjoining roof too. If you're me, there's people who will come clean out your gutters for less than $100.  Check your local Facebook groups (which is where I see the postings for when they'll be in the neighborhood). Then my husband can continue to "inspect" my gutters and say how nice they are!

Tip #6 - While you're up there,  inspect your roof.  Look for damaged or loose shingles, gaps in the flashing at the joints with siding, vents and flues as well as damage around the chimney.  If you get your chimney cleaned (see Tip #1) the chimney sweep will inspect your chimney for you.  Proactive maintenance on your roof can prevent emergencies and expensive repairs later.

Tip #7- Inspect your exterior walls and windows.  You're looking for things like cracks, gaps, loose or crumbling mortar, and splitting or decayed wood. Caulk exterior joints around windows and doors, which helps keep the home weather tight and helps to lower your heating bills. Address the cracks now while bugs are looking to make your home their winter resting place.  The last thing you want is to have a bug invasion in your home in the middle of winter (yes, it has happened).

Tip #8- Maintain steps and handrails. Repair broken steps and secure loose banisters.  Broken steps are easily hidden beneath snow, which could call a dangerous fall.  Similarly, a person slipping on ice will grab a handrail for support.

Tip #9- Pools, sprinkler systems and outside faucets should be shut down. Homeowners can shut down outside faucets, while the other tasks should be performed by industry professionals.  Water left in a sprinkler line freeze, bursting the pipes.

Tip #10- When a disaster strikes, we're always hoping we have the right coverage.  Your insurance agent will appreciate your call , just to make sure you have the coverage you really need, and making sure you'll be covered in a disaster.  You may find things you can delete (I had a camera covered for $25 a year that I didn't even own anymore), or things you need to add (an electronics rider to cover things like computers/printers/ipads, etc).  You'll gain peace of mind by making sure you are covered!

If you have any other tips you'd like to share please comment below!

With the market being the way it is, if you've been looking for a home, you realize that the perfect home may look like it needs a bit of work before it becomes perfect.  But what if it's more than new paint and carpeting?  What if it has lead based paint?   What if the plumbing isn't up to code? Where does the funds come from to make those repairs?

Enter the Maryland Housing Rehabilitation Program (MHRP). Their purpose is to preserve and improve single family properties and one-to-four unit rental properties. It is a program designed to bring properties up to applicable building codes and standards.

The program works by MHRP providing rehabilitation funds to correct exterior and interior deficiencies, make accessibility modifications, correct health and safety violations, improve plumbing, wells and sewer improve weatherization and energy conservation, and correct lead based paint violations.  

After those items above are done, then general improvements are eligible.  This includes small additions, alterations, carpeting, fences ad landscaping, kitchen, and bathroom or closet remodeling. Luxury items like swimming pools and recreational facilities are not eligible. This may cover single family owner-occupied homes to 1-4 unit rental properties.

To be eligible you must be a Maryland resident, own and occupy the dwelling to be repaired (or rent to an income eligible tenant) and be a family of limited income, or rent to a family with limited income.

Loans will have interest rates based on the income of tenants served and projected income available to repay the loan. Generally, the maximum loan is 110 percent of the value of the property. Loans in excess of $5,000 or with deferred payments are secured by a mortgage. The maximum loan term is 30 years. Loans which serve families with incomes at or below 50 percent of the statewide or Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area median income may have deferred payments if necessary for project feasibility.

Think this program sounds good and would like to check it out?  Visit their website and download an application.  The office for the City of Annapolis is at 410-263-7961 x7787.  The office for Anne Arundel County is 410-222-7600.

The market right now is very fickle.  While things have slowed down, there are buyers out there.  It's super important to make sure your home is priced appropriately. Here's 12 things that can happen if your home is overpriced!
1- Sellers may lose the positive impact of the "newness" of your home being on the market.
2- Sellers begin to lose confidence in their agent. They may blame them when the home has not sold, or say they have poor salesmanship.  They may say they aren't advertising enough, or that there isn't enough showings and your agent isn't concerned enough. If the house was priced right, this would not happen.
​3- Sellers begin to concentrate on the objections they hear about their home, and not focus on the good features
4- Sellers may become confused about the true value of their home, and generally they may buy another home where they are more comfortable about the price.
5- Agents may lose their enthusiasm about showing properties that buyers reject due to price.  They prefer showing homes where their chances of selling are better.
6- You as the seller place yourself in a poor position to obtain maximum dollars, since your property can become "shop worn"
7- You lose valuable time!  Time is waster in preparing for showings.  If you have to move, but one stays behind to sell the house, families may e separated needlessly.
8- Buyers become suspicious, thinking that there is something wrong with either the home or the neighborhood when the home has been on the market too long.
9- The real estate agency loses it's reputation in the area when a property is not sold.  The neighbors blame the agency and will list their home with another Realtor.
10- Negotiations between buyers and sellers usually break down when a home is overpriced, because the seller does not know a good offer when they get one.
11- The real estate agency wastes advertising dollars.
12- Sellers lose opportunities to buy another home, or incur additional costs when carrying two mortgages.

What you should take to heart in all this, is trust your realtor.  When you're getting ready to list your home, your agent will have an honest discussion with you on what you can reasonably sell your home for (and the data behind that number)  You will get a breakdown of all the fees involved, and what you can expect to get (in the form of a check) when all is said and done.

If you would like an analysis of what you're home is worth, please give me a call. I'd be glad to help you decide if selling your home is something you'd like to do.

With our real estate market slowing down, you may have the dilemma of still wanting/needing to sell your home.   Some homeowners may try to use the "For Sale by Owner" approach, and others may not have the time or the energy, so they may choose the agent route.

However, all agents are not equal, and they're not all the same! How do you choose a listing agent?  There's a vast difference between how much experience they may have, as well as their approach to selling your home.  Make sure you ask around for who your friends used, and when deciding, do a google search on them. Why did your friends recommend them? What did they do different that others would not?

Do they have their own website, or is it a company prepared one?  And when you interview them, ask about that.  You may find the agent isn't very tech savvy, which may affect how your home is marketed down the road! The world is centered around technology, and you definitely don't want your home to be left behind!

In your search, have you found their current and past listings? Do they have any listings right now, and if so how many?  This will allow you to see how they've marketed other homes. Seasoned agents will have listings, new agents may not.

Be very cautious about hiring a friend.  There are a lot of real estate agents out there, so it's not uncommon for a homeowner to know someone who's in the business.  The problem with the friend route is that they might not have the necessary experience with listing a home. There are agents who just represent buyers.  And it has been said that the best way to lose a friend is to go into business with them.  The stress associated with selling a house can be too much even for the best of friends.

We caution about choosing an agent based on who has the highest proposed listing price.   Unfortunately it's been shown time and time again that people who initially overprice their homes ultimately get less for the property than they would have received if it were priced properly from the start.  If an agent is doing their job, they should be able to show you some concrete evidence supporting their estimate of what your house is worth.   Also don't fall for the ploy of letting an agent ask you what you think your house is worth.  Make agents tell you first, and press them to show you how they came up with their number.

A word on commissions - when you hire an agent, it's important to consider how much they charge.  All brokers independently set their commission rates, and depending on the broker, individual agents also have some latitude in modifying those commissions. But as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.  The listing agent has to pay for things like staging, pictures, brochures, the sign and advertising out of their own pocket.  The firm they are affiliated with does not pay for that, the agent does.  Factor in the agents time and knowledge, and you can see they have expenses and are worth every penny.

Make sure the agent will sell your home and not themselves.  Sometimes agents work by the laws of large numbers, and try and get as many listings as possible, with the theory being even if they sell half of them they'll make a decent living. That may work for them, but for you, you don't want to be the 1/2 that doesn't sell.

Additionally, agents may take a listing they know that has a low probability of selling to use as "bait" to get new buyers and/or new listings.  Exposure can help the agent get new clients, but it doesn't go anything to get your house sold.  Instead they should be addressing the concerns of why that home has a low chance of selling.  

With all that being said, don't be afraid to give a new agent a chance.  New agents will have their broker's support, and many times will have a mentor in their office that is helping them along the way.  What a new agent lacks in experience will definitely be made up in enthusiasm.  They're most likely more up to date than the "old timers" with respect to technology and new selling tools (remember the comment about an agents website?)

Most importantly, use an agent you're comfortable with and you feel like you can trust. Selling your house is a big deal on a number of levels, and if not handled in an effective and professional manner, it can cost you not just money, but your sanity as well.

If you ever have any questions about what the listing agent does, or how to hire one, please give Susanne a call, or send her an email.  She'll be glad to answer any questions you may have.