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buying a home with a well and septic

4/23/2019

Here in Maryland we have a lot of homes on wells and septic systems. If you aren't familiar with what this means, your home has a water supply. If it is public water it's piped into your home from the city. The city treats the water and guarantees it's potency. If you're on a well, your water comes from the ground!

Most homes in Maryland have individual wells where you're the only owner. There's a few subdivisions here that have a community well where all the homes in the community draw from that one well. On a side note, when a home in that community has a fire, the fire trucks have to bring the water with them, because the well doesn't have enough capacity the fire department needs to put out a whole house fire!

Now for the other side of the equation. The water you send down the drain has to go somewhere. If you're on public sewer, the city maintains those lines and takes it away from your home. A septic tank is just that. The water that goes down your drain goes to a tank that sends it into the ground to be absorbed. Some areas don't really allow for ground absorption, so those homeowners have to pay to have those septic tanks pumped out.

The home you may be buying may have a combination of these items. There are subdivisions here in Maryland that have well water, but city sewer. Usually if you have city water, you have city sewer.

When you're buying a home and it has a well, or a septic system, you're going to want to have them tested. As you can see in the septic system picture, you definitely don't want the septic to contaminate the well. In the environment, there are all kinds of nasties that can get into the water. If the water gets contaminated, it can be treated. Even though this would be an extra inspection fee, you definitely want to make sure you can drink the water. Also the inspector should test the flow of the water in the home. You definitely want to make sure you'd have enough water pumping so a teenager could take their 1/2 hour shower, mom can run the dishwasher, and still have enough water coming in to flush toilets and have drinking water.

With your septic system, you need to have the lines checked, the tank checked, and the field inspected. The house my client is buying has a 15 year old septic tank. Even thought that may seem young, you would want an inspector to look at the whole system including the lines leading from the home to the tanks. The answer to the inspection should give you peace of mind. Either it's good for awhile, or it's good for now but you may need to replace either. So you would know that you may have that expense in the future.

Unfortunately wells and septic can be costly if they need to be treated, repaired or replaced. As a buyer, you definitely want to know that your water is potable, and what goes down your drains is going somewhere safe so as to not contaminate your water. AND, if you will have that expense in your future. It's money well spent.

If you have any questions about well and septic inspections, please feel free to give me a call. I'll be glad to refer you to an expert that can answer any question you may have.

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A little note about washing your hands...

2/5/2019

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We all know it's cold and flu season. Personally when someone tells me the same old thing I've heard over and over again, I'm a little apt to not listen very well. But I'm telling you--- YOU NEED TO WASH YOUR HANDS.

Here's why..... I'm not sure if you saw, but right here in Anne Arundel County, the Broadneck Peninsula to be specific, the Severn River Middle School has the norovirus. That's right, the norovirus. We all hear about the norovirus on the news as something cruise ship passengers get, and frankly I sometimes think, they're sick in warm paradise. Have you seen our wintery weather we get here? And they got a little sick in 80 degree sunshine? Here's where I tune out again.

But norovirus isn't just on cruise ships. Some little middle schooler had the virus and went to school. Did you know that after the person has those flu like symptoms, their bodies are still shedding the virus for up to 3 days after? So that poor kid was sick, felt better the next day and their parents sent him to school. All the while he was there he was infecting all his class mates.

Kids at the school were calling in sick with it on Wednesday which was a delayed reporting day. Because they noticed the outbreak, the school disinfected the school on Thursday when they were all off. But by that point, it was too late. By Friday, more than 1/2 of the school called in sick with the virus. So it's not just a cruise ship thing! And how do you prevent it? Washing your hands!

Yes, it's that simple. Think of all the things you touch every single day. When you go out in public, your hand on the shopping cart is not the first ones to touch it that day! I can make myself a little grossed out just thinking how infested our world is.

If you have the virus on your hands, as long as you aren't touching your eyes, nose or mouth you can be fine! That's why it's so important to wash your hands before you eat.... any germs on your hands get transferred to the food you eat, and when you ingest it, you just got yourself sick.

Now once I get to this point, I pull out my inner parent. Kids don't wash their hands like they're supposed to! Sometimes you get lucky if the little ones throw their hands under the water. So it made me wonder what's the minimum requirement to be effective?

I did find that it doesn't matter if the water is warm or cold, as long as you're washing with water AND soap it will be effective. But what about hand sanitizer? Hand sanitizer is effective against reducing viruses, but sadly, it's not effective on Norovirus.

And in case you haven't missed it, each link in green leads you to an article explaining the findings.

Bottom line is.... I know we've all heard it before, but washing your hands with soap and water (hot or cold) is the most effective way of preventing the spread of things. Hand sanitizer does work but not on everything. And if you're ever at one of my open houses, you are always going to be more than welcome to use the sink to wash your hands! Stay healthy Annapolis!

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Baby It's Cold Outside!

1/22/2019

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Can you believe how crazy the weather has been? We get a ton of snow, then it follows with brutal cold! If you're a homeowner, you're now seeing how well your home is handling the cold. And if you're a renter, you really have no choice as to how cold your home is! Here's some tips that can help with some common happenings.

Have you checked your vents and do you know where they are? Newer houses have vents that vent to the outside of the house, which depending on the location can get covered with snow. Blocked vents can have Carbon Monoxide backing up into your home. If they're covered, go outside and shovel around them so they are clear. Check out this article here

Did your pipes freeze? At this point if they're frozen, you can attempt to unthaw them with things like a hair dryer or portable space heater. Keep your faucets open while your pipes are thawing so the water has somewhere to go. Once they're completely thawed, consider where the pipes that became frozen are. Maybe you can insulate them in the short term, and call someone to insulate them professionally when the weather gets better. If they've burst, call a professional plumber ASAP!

Does your home feel cold and drafty? When it feels negative 2 outside, you're not going to be going around outside your home caulking all the drafty areas you can find. You can use drapes and curtains to block the windows and keep the draft out. You can also insulate your drafty windows with bubble wrap. Check out how to install it here. This should get your through the winter until you can install some new windows.

Are your outdoor doors drafty? Consider making a door draft stopper. You can find a bunch of creative ones here. If your look at your door and you can see daylight through the cracks, you obviously will need new insulation around your doors. But until then? You can put newspaper in the cracks. (I'm showing my age as this is what my grandparents used to do!). When the weather gets better, you can install it yourself, or

Is your furnace not keeping up with the cold? You can call in a professional to service it, but with this extreme cold it will be costly. You can use a space heater for just your living space to help out your system until you can get it serviced/replaced. Using a fireplace safely can help you too. But only use it if you've had your chimney has been inspected and cleaned out, because a chimney fire can be hard to put out and will be devastating! Use caution!

I really wanted to get this out there because frankly, tips to keep your house warm are for things you should do to your home when the weather is nice! But if you didn't get a chance to do them, this extreme cold can be a wake up call for maintenance you need to get done. But in the meantime there's things you can do to minimize the chill! Stay Warm Annapolis!

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Why I'm Thankful

11/13/2018

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I don't know why, but with Thanksgiving happening so early in November, it's really thrown me for a loop. Halloween snuck up on me, and a mere 3 weeks later, it's Thanksgiving! Yes, we have more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas (and subsequent New Years), but I still feel as if I've been thrown a curve ball.

But then I thought of all the things I'm involved with, and the people I've helped, and I concluded there are worse problems to have. I love being a realtor. Some people may think that's a little nuts considering, but I'm thankful for it. And here's why:

I'm thankful for my clients. I feel like clients don't always realize all that a realtor does for them, but that is the job to be honest. So much goes into the real estate transaction, and your realtor is doing so many things on your behalf behind the scenes. I've done my job when a client says how seemless and easy their transaction was. It's supposed to be easy for them... if it wasn't, people wouldn't choose to make a move in the first place!

I get to meet so many great people, and I find that I take away something I've learned from each and every one of them. Look at how enriched my life has become because I've met them. And I'm glad to say that some of these clients have become great friends. I'm blessed.

Consider this too... I'm helping people realize their dreams. I don't think that every home is going to be someone's dream home, but I'm helping them buy or sell something that is their home. A home is a great place, and if you're lucky, it's one that's comfortable, warm, loving and happy. If it's not and you have to sell, well then by my helping you sell, I'm helping you close one chapter and move on to the next.

Speaking of dream homes, did I mention I get to see the most BEAUTIFUL homes? Homes that have gorgeous water views and spaces like theatre rooms and bowling alleys! I get to see gorgeous furnishings and the newest features like drawer microwaves, heated floors and hidden butler pantries. I'm currently obsessed with outdoor living spaces, with pools like that on Pool Kings with waterfall edges, coves, water slides and even lazy rivers! All in your backyard! Then there's outdoor kitchens, living rooms and fireplaces. I could obviously go on, but what other job would give you exposure like I get on a daily basis?

Over the weekend I showed a wonderful couple some homes, and afterwards in a discussion with someone else, they said how it must stink not working standard hours. I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm thankful that because my job is flexible, it allows me to be available for whenever I'm needed. Does an inspector need to get in to test the water? I can be there. If a friend needs a ride to a doctors appointment, I can be there. Even my dog Maggie is lucky because she isn't always home alone from 7 am- 6 pm every day, and she would be if I had an 8-5 job. And even looking at the holiday schedule, unless a client needs me, I can be off for my family on days like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, or even Christmas Eve (yes one of my clients has to work on Christmas Eve).

And because of that flexibility, I have the opportunity to work for some great causes. We're collecting food items to donate to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Here's the page that can give you an idea of the kinds of items they desperately need. Our office in Eastport is also collecting new unwrapped toys for the Toys For Tots Campaign. The deadline is December 14th, because they are distributing the toys to the public December 15-18.

So the next time you feel a little stressed, take the time to be thankful for what you have. And if you're someone I've worked with, please know how thankful I am that I was able to help you and how I will always be happy to help you in the future.

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Organizing for the holidays now??

10/30/2018

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I just attended a seminar that was talking about the virtue of being organized. As a realtor, it's imperative that I be organized. Think of all the pieces that go into a real estate transaction, if it's not all organized and at my fingertips, my clients may not close on time! We can't have that.

But in my personal life? Tomorrow is Halloween, and I've got my candy bought and in the bowl and ready to hand out. But then I saw this article by Apartment Therapy, and it just blew my mind. My life is so busy with my clients and my family, and here they're telling me I need to get ready for the holidays?!?!? It's not even Halloween yet.

After my initial temper tantrum about not wanting to and 'I'm not ready', I thought about it. In 3 weeks it's Thanksgiving. Then 4 weeks later it's Christmas. So I guess they're right, it is right around the corner.

So I signed up for their newsletter, and you know what? It's not horrible and it's helpful. Day 1 was write down everyone you should be buying a gift for. I spent 10 minutes with my phone's notepad and typed in everyone I thought I wanted a gift for. I can do 10 minutes, AND as I've been out and about, I saw a gift for someone on my list. I debated about picking it up (and didn't), but it's not something that will be a "Black Friday" thing, and now I'm thinking I may go back and pick it up. One gift (about to be) checked off the list!!

It's only 10 days long so I won't spoil it for you. I'm on Day 6 now, and I am really glad I signed up for it. So I'm passing this on to say "Get Organized!"

Here's wishing you a stress-free holiday season!

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MAKING A SUCCESSFUL OFFER ON A HOME

10/2/2018

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I'm currently working with a buyer who has been unsuccessful in her home search process. She has put in offers on 4 homes, and none of them have been accepted. She's getting frustrated, and it's hard to tell her she's unjustified. The market is really unique right now, and I feel like this may require a little more creativity.

At this point in time, houses are not sitting on the market for very long. The good ones are going fast. This latest offer she put in, the home had a second offer come in right after, and they accepted that. Her offer was a good offer, but their offer was better. And even though I can advise my buyers, the terms of the offer really comes down to the buyers decision.

So here's what I'm seeing happening on homes that are selling very fast. You need to make sure you're writing a clean offer, meaning, have as few contingencies on your offer as possible. Contingencies are a condition or an action that must be met in order for a real estate contract to become binding, and if it doesn't occur, the contract can become null and void. One contingency is the inspection contingency. This is one I NEVER advise clients to skip because it unearths potential problems that you may not want to deal with. You may decide to not ask for an inspection contingency if it's an extreme fixer upper and it's being sold "as is" because you're going to fix it up anyways. For a fixer upper, you can ask the buyer if they'll let you inspect anyways so you can start your renovation plan.

Another common contingency is a home sale contingency. That means the buyer has to sell their home first before being able to buy the new home. As it is now, a home on the market is only allowed to have one home sale contingency. So if you require this, your offer may not be accepted purely because they already have one home sale contingency offer that they accepted.

Another common contingency is a financing contingency, which says that the buyer has to qualify and obtain financing in order to sell your home. When an offer is written, your real estate agent will have the documentation to back up the contingencies. Sellers also consider how much of a downpayment you submit with your offer. Maybe offering a little more would make your offer more attractive.

I can hear the protests now! The majority of buyers require financing to purchase a home, that's true. However, having your prequalification letter in hand is a good step. But you could talk to your lender and have them start to process your application. They can get up to a certain point before they have to stop because they need the address of the home you're buying.

That leads to my next point. Think of this.... The sellers of the home you want to buy may be in the same position you're in. They may be wanting to buy a home, but they can't until their home is sold. Typically we put 60 days to close into the offers, telling the sellers you will have everything done and completed in time to get the keys in 60 days. However, because the sellers may be wanting to buy a new home, they may want to close faster. So offering a quick close (45 or even 30 days) might make your offer more attractive to the sellers. They'd get their money faster so they can buy their next place. Before you do that though, you need to check with your lender first to see if they're able to complete everything in that time. Taking the steps necessary to do that now may just allow you to offer a quick close.

Another word needs to be said about the offer. Fair and strong offers are important. However, for my client, her offers were fair. Think of it this way... this is an asset you're purchasing. It's so easy to get into a bidding war and overpay. Your realtor should be giving you the prices of homes that have sold in the area, and can advise you of what the home's current value should be. In this last instance, it's entirely possible the other offer was higher, but then they'd be overpaying.

There's a reason we got into the housing mess in the past.... So just because you were outbid doesn't mean you did anything wrong. It's entirely possible the other buyer is overpaying. You can put in your offer as a backup offer if you really like the home. If something falls through with the first buyer, you can ask to be considered first. This does happen and it's not uncommon. So if you have the time to wait it out, then that may be an option for you.

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Epsom salts for my Veggies?

7/3/2018

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June was a horribly weird month for my garden. We had days that barely got out of the 60's and boy did it rain. But then the month ended with heat indexes in the 100's. My Butterfly and Hummingbird garden hasn't seen a single one! No Monarch Butterflies and no Hummingbirds! I was loaded with them last year! What's a gardener to do?

I think this is one of the reasons why I love gardening. It's never the same every year. One year my tomato plants were attacked by hornworm caterpillars. The next my cucumbers were assaulted by stink bugs. This year, one of my many tomato plants has blossom end rot.

Gardening knowledge is such that information passed on by others can be extremely valuable. Just this past week, we were in our office and we were discussing gardening tips. The topic of Epsom salts came up. To start, Epsom salt isn't really salt at all. It's a mixture of magnesium and sulfate, but it looks like grains of salt. Tomato plants are large feeders, so they quickly can leach the nutrients from the soil, and you have to replenish it to have continued success.

I've never used Epsom salts, and I always thought that Epsom salts were for the very elderly, and they just soaked their feet in it. Why? No idea. It's one of those items that's been around since the beginning of time, so that generation learned how to use items for multiple uses (it was the Depression after all)

A quick google search lead me to this article with 20 different personal uses for Epsom salts! I had no idea about some of these. Our bodies even have deficiencies of magnesium and sulfate, so when absorbed through the skin, it can help heal a ton of ailments. Things like pain, cramping, tension (to help with muscle and nerve functioning), and even helping to regulate blood sugar! If you take it orally, it can help relieve constipation (but I'd ask your doctor before taking on a new regimen). You can see the whole article here.

But that's all medical, so why would I use it in the garden? Apparently I need to be using it. Plants that are heavy feeders will take all of the magnesium out of the soil. My assistant said there's an old gardener in her hometown that puts a teaspoon of Epsom salts in each hole before he plants his plants and has gigantic plants each year. But what does it do?

How it was explained to me, is that Epsom salts main benefit is it helps the plant absorb nutrients from the soil. As the plant gets bigger, absorption begins to slow or stop, and by adding some epson salts to your water, it helps to revive that absorption again. There's a great article here that describes this.

My assistant uses it to stop blossom end rot. Blossom end rot is when you see the nice green tomatoes starting to grow on your plants, and when you go look at it next, it's all brown on the bottom (where the flower was, thus the name blossom end rot). The tomato is lost, but is the whole plant? Not necessarily. I learned that blossom end rot is caused by a calcium deficiency. But you can fertilize your plant, but if it's not absorbing it, it's not effective. By adding some Epsom salts to the water, the plant will start to absorb the nutrients again. New tomatoes should not have blossom end rot.

What happens if you haven't started your garden yet? Go ahead and start! It's not too late! Things like tomatoes and peppers can produce into October (if the weather cooperates). Some farmers plant now so they'll have tomatoes into the fall. So go ahead and get your green thumbs busy!

Do you have any gardening tips you'd like to share with us? Please email me or comment below and I'll be glad to share them with everyone!

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Are you eligible for the Homestead Property Tax Credit?

6/19/2018

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One of the things as Realtors that we need to do is stay current on the laws. The State of Maryland has just passed a great new law that will go into effect on October 1st.

There is a Homestead Property Tax Credit Program was created to give homeowners a little break against year over year large tax assessment increases. Technically, the Homestead Credit does not limit the market value of the property as determined by the Department of Assessments and Taxation. Instead, it is actually a credit calculated on any assessment increase exceeding 10% (or the lower cap enacted by the local governments) from one year to the next. The Maryland.Gov website gives a great example to explain it:

Example:
Assume that your old assessment was $100,000 and that your new phased-in assessment for the 1st year is $120,000. An increase of 10% would result in an assessment of $110,000. The difference between $120,000 and $110,000 is $10,000. The tax credit would apply to the taxes due on the $10,000. If the tax rate was $1.04 per $100 of assessed value, the tax credit would be $104 ($10,000 ÷ 100 x $1.04).

Clear as mud right? In my opinion, any credit is money in your pocket, so you might as well apply for it. But there's rules on your eligibility. You have to live in the home, not change it's usage (like from being a residence to become a business), or transfer ownership.

The new law that was just passed by the State of Maryland said that the State needs to identify the homeowners that may be eligible for the credit, but haven't applied for it yet. The law says the State will begin notifying those individuals with an insert that would go out with their property assessment saying they may be eligible, and how to apply for the credit. It goes into affect October 1st.

By the way, when I was looking up the details of the law, I saw this beautiful picture of the State House on the Maryland site. Isn't it beautiful?

If you have any questions about the Homestead Property Tax Credit Program, please ask! I'll be glad to help you understand it!

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John Wilkes Booth

6/19/2018

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My assistant was the one who made me look towards the story behind Lincoln's assassination. I did a blog post a year and some ago about Lincoln's time here in Annapolis. She had gone to the Ford's Theatre to see their production of the Christmas Carol at the holidays. She's not from this area, and thought it was pretty cool (and took her kids too) to see the place where Lincoln was shot. When she came back, she said there was this whole museum you could look through that detailed the whole complex workings behind Lincoln's assassination. Not only were they killing him, but the plan was to kill his Secretary of State William Seward and the Vice President Andrew Johnson. Here's another story of our American History that shortens what actually happens.

And it wasn't just John Wilkes Booth! He had 3 accomplices, and his mother (of all people) was involved! So when I saw this brochure published by visitmaryland.org I was intrigued! There's a large map that details all the places in the journey, from as far north as Baltimore, through DC and ending at Garrett's Farm in Virginia.

What impressed me about the Visit Maryland site is that this brochure is available to download! I've done it here for you, so you can either print it from them or from here. Either way, what a fascinating story! Thanks to the National Archives for the great photo of John Wilkes Booth.

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Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad

6/12/2018

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For those who know me, the history of Annapolis fascinates me. I was thinking how if I set a goal to learn one new historical thing about Annapolis every day, I would never run out of information! The history of this city is so vast!

Recently I came across some brochures (this one was published by the Harriet Tubman Underground Railway Byway), and as I was looking at them, I was thinking how if I can't possibly keep up with Annapolis, if I even expanded to Maryland, I'd never learn it all! That's the great thing about learning - no matter how old you get, you can never learn it all. There's always something out there you don't know.

As I was looking at this brochure, I realized I really didn't know much about exactly what Harriet Tubman did. We all learned that the Underground Railroad existed, but really, it's more than a one line sentence in a history book. She was one of the most strongest and bravest people, and the fact that she shaped the lives of so many in a time period of strife was just amazing! The fact that just blew me away was, she's portrayed as this matronly older woman. But she started, and did most of her work, when she was in her mid 20's!!

So I came home and thought I'd share this brochure with you. Please go to www.HarrietTubmanByway.org and check it out. I initially thought I'd scan in this little map, but once I visited their site, shoot, there's no way I can share that all here! They have an interactive map, there's a lot of history, including what she did (or did not) do. While most of the tour is on the Eastern Shore, it would definitely be worth the trip over there to tour a few of the historical sites. The map even lists restaurants, stores and hotels near key spots on the tour.

If you don't want to venture out on your own, and would like to take a tour, there's a list of tour operators on the site too. Those can be found here.

There are 2 different Harriet Tubman Sites. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center (2 Rosehill Place, Cambridge, MD) and the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center (424 Race Street, Cambridge, MD). The Visitor Center is part of the National Park System, while the Educational Centers started in the 1990's by locals to preserve and promote her legacy. The Visitor Center recently opened in 2017.

So if you're like me and wanting to expand your knowledge, head out on the tour. Or take a tour. You'll be glad you did!