Sharon's eNewsletter

Bank owned homes in Ocean Pines, Maryland

2012-02-20T11:39:00.003-08:00

Bank owned homes in Ocean Pines, Maryland are on the decline. In the last 12 months there were 29 bank owned home sales and as of Feb 20, 2012 there are only 3 homes identified as bank owned according to the local multiple listing service. On the other hand there are currently 19 Short Sale properties on the market. These Short Sale properties are sometimes know as pre-foreclosures since the sellers owe more than their home is worth and if their lender doesn't accept an offer on them, they could end up in foreclosure and become bank owned properties when the lender takes back the home.

When you want to know when a home is going into foreclosure there are many places to look and often they charge a fee to sign up for their notification service. If you want to save time, you should contact a REALTOR® that works in the area you are interested in. A professional REALTOR® has systems in place to stay in contact with their clients looking for properties.

If you are looking for a bank owned home in the Ocean Pines, Maryland area, check out my listing at 16 Gatehouse Trail, Ocean Pines, MD. This is a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath traditional style home built in 2007. It has 2252 sq. ft of living space and a 2-car garage.

The first floor has hardwood floors, a large great room with spacious kitchen and a screened porch. There is a two sided fire place between the living room and dining area that makes entertaining a breeze.

The bank has touched up the paint, installed appliances and lighting. They even cleaned the home and refreshed the carpets so it is like a brand new home.

Check out the video tour for more photos.

Searching for homes for sale in Ocean City Maryland

2012-02-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

Searching for homes for sale in Ocean City Maryland can be a daunting task. According to the 2011 National Association of REALTORS® Home Buyer and Seller Survey, 88% of Home buyers begin their start their search on the internet. With so many places to look like REALTOR.com, Truila, Zillow, Yahoo Real Estate, Craigslist, Point2Agent, Homes.com, and all the big box brokers, it's no wonder that 89% of the buyers purchased their homes through a real estate agent.

The real estate agent plays a very important role. They help locate the type of home that meets the desires of the homebuyers. They set up appointments with the sellers/agents to preview the homes with the buyers. They assist the home buyer navigate the purchase process from getting pre-approved for a loan, finding a home inspector, coordinating walk-through, settlement and much more. Real estate agents has access to the most up to date information about the homes available in their specific market. Hiring a real estate agent can save the home purchaser valuable time since they will do all the searching and notify the buyer when homes that meet their desires become available.

To find out how I can help you find that perfect home for sale in the Ocean City Maryland or surrounding area, please click the link below to fill out my search form.

Please fill out my form.

2011-11-16T16:07:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe that another year is coming to an end already. I for one can say that I have been very busy and am starting to see the market turn around.

Yes, there are still plenty of homes on the market and prices haven't been going up, but the goods news is things are actually starting to stabilize.

The foreclosure market has given those looking for an investment property the opportunity to spend some of the cash they had on the sidelines, since it is still too expensive to buy gold as a hedge against inflation. With the number of people looking for rental properties (as some homeowners are forced to make the decision to walk away from their homes that have dropped in value and can't be refinanced), now may just be the time to purchase that investment property.

If you or someone you know has been waiting to find the right property to buy, give me a call and I will be happy to begin the search with you. I can still be reached at 410-726-4260 or sharon@sharoncurtiss.com

Below are some tips to help save you on energy costs as we get ready for winter as well as other money saving ideas. Hope you enjoy and have a Happy Holiday Season.

Your Real Estate Consultant,

Sharon A. Curtiss

Hileman Real Estate, Inc.

410-208-9200 x108

www.sharoncurtiss.com

ENERGY and other SAVING IDEAS	How to Inspect Windows, Doors to Stop Air and Water Leaks Inspect windows and doors regularly to stop air leaks and water seeps that create high energy and repair bills. We’ll show you how. Read
	LED Holiday Lights: 6 Need-to-Know Tips LED holiday lights vs. old-fashioned bulbs: 6 tips to help you decide which is right for you. Read
	Appeal Your Property Tax Bill To successfully appeal your property tax bill, you first need to do a bit of sleuthing into your real estate assessment. Read
	Is Your Heating System Ready for Winter's Nip? Getting your home’s heating system professionally serviced every year will keep it running smoothly and help keep heating costs under control. Read
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this. © Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Still on the Fence?

2010-07-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

BUYERS STILL ON THE FENCE?

Here is one lender's perspective on waiting to buy.

Lets breakdown these historically low rates. To understand a little better just how incredibly cheap mortgage money is to borrow.

On a 30 year fixed rate loan, every $1000 dollars borrowed only costs $5.10!! per month. Since this money is tax deductible, after taxes it only cost $3.60!! per month.

On a 20 year fixed rate loan, every $1000 only cost $6.30!! per month.
After taxes that is only $4.40!! per month.

On a 15 year fixed rate loan, every $1000 dollars only cost 7.35!! per month
After taxes, that is only $5.15!! per month.

WOW!! As the experts have said not in our generation, nor in our children's generation will we ever see rates this low again.

So Don't Delay, Invest in your next home today! Give Sharon Curtiss with Hileman Real Estate, Inc. a call direct at 410-726-4260 or O: 410-208-9200.

For Sale: 4BR/2BA Single Family House in Ocean Pines, MD, $322,350

2010-07-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

For Sale: 4BR/2BA Single Family House in Ocean Pines, MD, $322,350

HOME SELLING TIPS

2010-06-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Fielding a Lowball Purchase Offer on Your Home

Consider before you ignore or outright refuse a very low purchase offer for your home. A counteroffer and negotiation could turn that low purchase offer into a sale. Read

Keep Your Home Sale from Falling Apart

After finding a buyer, all you have to do to make it to closing is to avoid these five traps. Read

7 Tips for Staging Your Home

Make your home warm and inviting to boost your home’s value and speed up the sale process. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Successful Home Selling

2010-05-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

6 Tips for Choosing the Best Offer for Your Home

Have a plan for reviewing purchase offers so you don’t let the best slip through your fingers. Read

Keep Your Home Sale from Falling Apart

After finding a buyer, all you have to do to make it to closing is to avoid these five traps. Read
Understanding Real Estate Representation

Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s important to choose representation that meets your needs in the transaction. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Essential Maintenance Tips

2009-12-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Essential Heating System Maintenance

Getting your home’s heating system professionally serviced every year will keep it running smoothly and help keep heating costs under control. Read

Save Money With an Insulation Upgrade

Beefing up inadequate insulation is one of the quickest energy-payback projects you can do, resulting in lower heating and cooling bills and increased comfort. Read

Chimney Maintenance for Warmth and Safety

Maintaining your chimney and fireplace can make the difference between warm safety and drafty danger. Read

Cleaning and Caring for Siding

The annual cleaning and repair of your home’s exterior will pay off in a long life and increased value. Read

Conduct Your Own Energy Audit

A do-it-yourself energy audit can teach you how to be more energy efficient and make you a more-educated consumer should you decide to hire an expert. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

What's so short about a Short Sale?

2009-11-28T07:12:00.000-08:00

Did you ever wonder, what's so "short" about a Short Sale?

It's no wonder that so many consumers are confused about the home buying process today with terms like, REO, bank-owned, pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, and the now infamous "Short Sale".

Most consumers that are ready, willing and able to purchase these days are looking for a great buy and want to close on the property quickly, so when they see "Short Sale" in the advertisement for the property they naturally think it is going to be quick.

Wrong. The only thing short about the "Short Sale" process is that the seller's pocket book is "short" since they don't have enough money (assets) to pay off what they owe to their bank (lender).

Now I don't know about you, but if someone owes me money and they don't have enough to pay it off, I'm going to need some time to think about it. That is exactly what is going to happen with the bank when their borrower comes to them with a contract from a prospective buyer wanting to buy the home for less than is actually owed.

I found a really nice site which explains the Short Sale Process in detail. Just click the link to read more. When you are ready to begin your home search in the Ocean City, MD area, feel free to call Sharon A. Curtiss, Associate Broker/Sales Manager with Hileman Real Estate, Inc. at c/p: 410-726-4260 or Office: 410-208-9200.

You can also visit my website at www.sharoncurtiss.com to view other Buyer and Seller reports. I will happy to provide you with a free list of foreclosure properties in the area.

5 Tips to Buying a Home on Deadline and How the Tax Credit Extension Can Help

2009-11-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

Sharon Curtiss, REALTOR with Hileman Real Estate, Inc. in Berlin, Maryland shares these 5 Tips for buyers interested in claiming the home-buyer tax credit?

Below are five tips:

1. Don’t procrastinate. Start searching for a home now. Getting an early start will give you a better chance of finding the right house before the credit deadline. Before you start house hunting, get pre-approved for a mortgage, said Eddie Fadel, a Miami-based mortgage banker, and do a realistic assessment of what you can afford. Buyers who have to sell an existing home should price it aggressively from the beginning to drum up interest and get a buyer as soon as possible.

2. Don’t count on another extension. The credit won’t be available forever, Fadel said. If you want to take advantage, be sure to make that spring deadline.

“This is a medication for the housing crisis. Once the patient—which is the housing market—cures, there will be no medication needed,” he said.

3. Mind the interest rates. Mortgage interest rates are low right now, but will likely rise next year. Higher rates will affect your monthly mortgage payments, thus the affordability of the house you are buying. Average rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage have been hovering around 5%, but when the government stops buying large amounts of mortgage-backed securities, rates could rise.

4. Communicate with your lender. Throughout the process, make sure you’re communicating with your lender regularly; if there’s a piece of documentation you’re asked for, get it turned in as soon as possible, said Doug Heddings, a New York-based real estate agent with Charles Rutenberg Realty. Good communication is important in making sure the loan closes on time. And think twice before pursuing a short sale if you want to make the credit deadline. That’s where someone sells a home for less than what he or she owes on a mortgage, with permission of the lender. The process can be lengthy and unpredictable because the homeowner’s lender has to approve any deal, and can be complicated when there is a second mortgage associated with the property.

5. Don’t take shortcuts. Don’t forgo any of the steps you would normally take just to make the tax credit deadline. Make sure the house is a good fit for your needs and get a home inspection. Skipping steps could cost you in the long run.

Sharon's November eNewsletter

2009-11-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

Sharon's eNewsletter

Bank owned homes in Ocean Pines, Maryland

Searching for homes for sale in Ocean City Maryland

Still on the Fence?

For Sale: 4BR/2BA Single Family House in Ocean Pines, MD, $322,350

HOME SELLING TIPS

Fielding a Lowball Purchase Offer on Your Home

Keep Your Home Sale from Falling Apart

7 Tips for Staging Your Home

Successful Home Selling

6 Tips for Choosing the Best Offer for Your Home

Keep Your Home Sale from Falling Apart

Understanding Real Estate Representation

Essential Maintenance Tips

Essential Heating System Maintenance

Save Money With an Insulation Upgrade

Chimney Maintenance for Warmth and Safety

Cleaning and Caring for Siding

Conduct Your Own Energy Audit

What's so short about a Short Sale?

5 Tips to Buying a Home on Deadline and How the Tax Credit Extension Can Help

Sharon's November eNewsletter

Tax Credits for Solar Water Heaters

Tax Credits for Replacing Heating and Cooling Systems

Tax Credits for Replacing Your Roof

Tax Credits for Adding or Replacing Insulation

Tax Credits for Replacing Windows, Doors, and Skylights