Realtor Talk

Cell phone numbers go public today....

REMINDER.... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies tomorrow and you could start to receive sales calls unsolicited.  Keep in mind you will be charged for these calls.

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone:

888-382-1222.

It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

I'm working hard, to make your move easy!

Endless summer....

With over 2,000 homes currently for sale in Howard County right now, it looks like it might be a long summer for a lot of local sellers (and Realtors). The best part about this market now, is the great deals buyers can make. With homes selling for about 8% under asking price, opportunities for great deals are all over the place. This means a home that would normally sell for $300,000 is selling for $276,000. Plus, many sellers are paying buyers closing costs, as well. Prices are down, now is the time!

If anyone out there would like to find out more about acquiring Real Estate, please give me call. We have great financing programs available, that can save you money, through our in-house mortgage company as well!

Did you know that The Beach Boys have 36 U.S. Top 40 hits, the most of any U.S. rock band? Surfs Up!

I'm working hard, to make your move easy! www.YourMoveEasy.com
Iampsfest 2008!

The Housing Crisis Is Over!

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal declared 'The Housing Crisis Is Over'! With inventory slowly shifting back to a healthy 5 months of supply, the housing market is finally on the rebound after a tough past 2 years. Interest rates are still in the low 6% range and we've seen FHA make a roaring comeback as a big player in the mortgage market. People are always are saying to me, 'Dan, how can we buy a home in Howard County? It's so expensive!', and  I usually say, 'You're right, it sure is a popular place to live.' But, the truth is, 69% of the homes sold in Howard County last month were between $200,000 and $500,000.

The deals are out there, the prices will come back strong and now is the time to get in!

"I'm working hard, to make your move easy!"

Where'd the money go?

I was talking to a lender with a pretty large bank who told me that in the coming months many lenders will be dropping most of their little-money down loan programs (Most have already dropped no-money down). She basically said if anyone wants to buy with 5% or 10% down they ought to do it now because by summer many lenders will be requiring 20% down. This, of course, will mean we'll have even less buyers for the already high number of homes we currently have for sale. So, if anybody out there is looking to do something, now is a good time.

However, it is worth pointing out that FHA is a great option right now and you only need 3% down. This is a great option for a first-time homebuyer.

FYI, in Howard County we currently have over 1900 homes for sale right now...

Open Sunday, yes, Every Sunday!

I had a "Friend" on My Space who recently contacted me on here and told me a frightening story about the Realtor her parents were currently using to sell their home. The Realtor had told the parents that they didn't like doing Open Houses and hadn't done more than two open houses in over a year of representing them. I asked my "Friend" what the Realtors was doing to EARN his "Marketing Fee" and she wasn't quite sure, not surprisingly. This was probably because the Realtor didn't present a Marketing Plan when they took the listing, and after all, wasn't doing anything proactive to sell the home (unless, you count constant prayer, finger-crossing, and hope).

First, most Realtors don't like doing Open Houses because they don't know how to do them. That's a problem. That's like being a Baseball player and saying you don't like playing in the field, you just want to bat. At Weichert, Realtors, we go through extensive training on how to properly hold a home open. It's not just what we do at the open, it's what we do beforehand and afterwards that counts as well!

I'm doing Open Houses EVERY weekend, rain or shine, because they work. I know how to do them better than most because I've been sitting in them my whole life. In fact, I just made a sale at an Open House a couple of weeks ago. Oh, and my My Space "Friend", her parents finally got their home Open twice a month now.... now, that they listed it with me!

I'm working hard, to make your move easy!

Weichert, Realtors Caton Properties New 2.0 Website! 

Open for Business!

Just wanted to let anyone know who may have a friend looking in the Montgomery County/ Silver Spring area that I will be out there holding open my really cool, totally renovated, awesomely neat, new-to-the-market listing this Sunday from 1-4 P.M. The address is 12601 Dean Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20906 and it is priced very competitively at $440,000!

I'm working hard, to make your move easy!

Weichert, Realtors Caton Properties Brand New 2.0 Website!

Mission: Possible

I’ve just returned from Atlanta, GA, where I attended the Weichert, Realtors National Convention... The insight I gained from talking to Real Estate brokers and agents from across the country was enormously beneficial. We know, at Weichert, Realtors, that we’re going to get through this market. The one thing everyone there agrees on is that now is the time to buy a home! My company is affiliated with the FASTEST growing Real Estate franchise in the U.S. In just 6 years they have gone from 0 to over 300 franchisees across this great land of ours, to compliment the 250+ company-owned offices already in existence. We have the tools to sell in this market and it excites me to be associated with such an AWESOME company. By the way, my new pic is me and company founder, Jim Weichert!

Much closer than you think "Bob"...

I was having a conversation with this friend of mine the other day. Let's just call him "Bob". "Bob" loves to tell me how hard it is to buy in this market! Of course, I know how easy it is! So, we started talking and "Bob" told me about how he really wanted to sell his home and "move-up" to buy a bigger one, but couldn't because his home had fell about 5% in value. "Bob's" home that was worth about $200,000, was now worth about $190,000, and he wanted to buy a $400,000 home. "Bob" was telling me how much harder it was going to be to buy that home with $10,000 less in his pocket. I said to "Bob" you are much closer than you think! What "Bob" didn't understand was that the $400,000 home had also fell 5% value and was now worth $380,000. He was now actually only $190,000 away from buying that home, whereas in the "Good" market he was $200,000 away. Needless to say, "Bob" is reconsidering buying this home!

Buyers Return...

It's so great that buyers are finally returning to the housing market now that loan limits have increased, FHA has become a player again for first-time home buyers, inventory has stayed steady and Sellers have been more realistic in pricing and flexibility in helping buyers! I recently did a video, that I've been getting a lot of positive feedback on, featuring 10 reasons to buy in this GREAT market... check it out if you haven't on my MySpace page and YouTube channel!

New FHA limits...

FHA has raised their loan limits in Howard County to $560,000! This will have an immediate, positive impact on housing in Howard County. It will especially help home buyers who previously had to take out costly jumbo-loan products, at a higher interest rate, to purchase a home. This could help as many as 138,000 families, who couldn't buy a home before, to now experience the American dream of home ownership! Since it's inception in 1934, FHA has become the largest insurer of mortgages in the World! In the early 1930's home ownership was around 30% in our country. Today, it is over 65% thanks to FHA. This move should help many young, first-time buyers who were afraid to buy before because of high interest-rates, have the confidence to buy now that they can get a lower interest-rate, FHA-backed mortgage.