Towson Rising!</h1> <article> <h1>Towson Rising!</h1> <p>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:04:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>Great article on the building boom in Towson - check it out at <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-te.co.towson31aug31,0,923648.story">http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-te.co.towson31aug31,0,923648.story</a>.</p> <p>For more information about Towson, go to <a href="http://www.TowsonHomeInfo.com">www.TowsonHomeInfo.com</a>. </p> <p>Have a great day!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Things I Think I Think - Real Estate in a Nutshell</h1> <p>Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:39:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><h1 style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 0px 0px 10px; COLOR: rgb(0,102,204); PADDING-TOP: 0px"><span class="greenline">Things I Think I Think - Real Estate in a Nutshell</span></h1> <p>RISMEDIA, August 6, 2008-Catchy title isn’t it? I must confess that I saw it the other day in my HOA newsletter and the value of it hit me immediately. That’s where the similarity ends though. The rest of the content here is absolutely original.</p> <p>So, what do I think? I think there should be more positive news in the papers than we have today. I think the press has focused so heavily on the negatives of the current housing/mortgage/credit recession that we are just beaten down psychologically.</p> <p>I think I remember the paintings of the buffalo herds on the great plain of the western U.S. in the 1870s. You know, the ones where the dense herd moves as a single, wriggling, gigantic, black mass being driven by yelping ..<span style="font-size:90%;margin-left:5px;color:#0000FF;vertical-align:baseline;"><font size="-3" color="gray">(</font><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://yaffeteam.com/blog_post.asp?post=16407">read more</a><font size="-3" color="gray">)</font></span></div> </article> <article> <h1>Additional information about Economic Recovery Bill</h1> <p>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:03:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">I did a little research regarding this first time homebuyer credit in the President’s Bill and found out a couple of interesting points</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">First, our clients who have previously owned homes before can also get the credit. It has to be 3 years since they last owned their home.</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">Second, if you have any clients that decided to purchase a <a title="" href="http://www.baltimorerentalsource.com" target="_blank">Rental</a> property first, rather than their personal residence, then they ..<span style="font-size:90%;margin-left:5px;color:#0000FF;vertical-align:baseline;"><font size="-3" color="gray">(</font><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://yaffeteam.com/blog_post.asp?post=16387">read more</a><font size="-3" color="gray">)</font></span></div> </article> <article> <h1>President Bush signs $7500 First Time Buyer Tax Credit!</h1> <p>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:42:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>President Bush has signed a bill offering first time buyers a $7500 tax credit. Here are the key points - </p> <p>Must be first time buyer that buys a home between 4/9/08 and 6/30/09.</p> <p>Single tax payer - income up to $75,000 per year. Married tax payer - income up to $150,000 per year.</p> <p>This is a tax CREDIT, not a tax deduction - Buyer would have $7500 in LESS tax obligation for the year in which the home is purchased.</p> <p>Tax credit is to be paid back over 15 years at $500 per year.</p> <p>NOW is the time to buy a home! It makes no sense to rent! Contact us today for more details!</p> <p>Have a great week! </p> <p> </p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Why hire Yaffe Real Estate?</h1> <p>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:01:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>Many people ask me...what makes your company different? Why should I hire you? Here it is, the brief 30 second speech - </p> <p>We are attorney owned (Linda Yaffe, UMD JD class of 1990) and operated since 1992. We are locally owned (Linda & Wayne live in Baltimore) and independently owned so we can set our hiring standards very high, without needing to compromise. We specialize in all aspects of real estate, including rentals and property management, which most larger companies do not handle. There are many realtors but very few Yaffe Real Estate realtors. We are highly selective and you should be too when choosing who is going to advise you with your largest financial investment. Go with experience, education and knowledge. Call us today.</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Happy August! Remember...all real estate is local.</h1> <p>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:56:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;">The sun is shining, August is here and the kids will be back in school in a few weeks. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer. I am optimistic about the real estate market in Maryland. Our main employment sectors are strong - government, healthcare and financial services are solid. We are not experiencing the foreclosure crisis to the extent of Las Vegas, Florida and California. Our housing market is steady. Remember, all real estate is local. Don't rely on national news sites for news about your local market. Go to a local specialist, contact us today. With offices in <a title="" href="http://www.owingsmillshomeinfo.com" target="_blank">Owings Mills</a> and Odenton, we can easily cover the Baltimore and Anne Arundel areas. Have a great day in the sunshine!</div> </article> <article> <h1>Happy August! We have solutions for you!</h1> <p>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:22:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>Despite all of the doom and gloom out there, we are actually very optimistic here at Yaffe Real Estate. Many of our buyers (yes, we have buyers!) are using FHA loans that are back in vogue and are quite flexible and easy to obtain. Our Sellers are pricing and staging their homes correctly and are actually selling their homes. If Sellers are not motivated to do what it takes, we encourage them to NOT put their homes on the market...and they are listening. Many of our Sellers are instead considering the Landlord option and it is working quite well for them. Yes, we gladly offer <a title="" href="http://www.baltimorerentalsource.com" target="_blank">Rental</a>, landlord and property management services. Go to <a href="http://www.BaltimoreRentalSource.com">www.BaltimoreRentalSource.com</a> for more information.</p> <p>So, for us, the cup is half full, not half empty. We have many solutions available for the current real estate ..<span style="font-size:90%;margin-left:5px;color:#0000FF;vertical-align:baseline;"><font size="-3" color="gray">(</font><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://yaffeteam.com/blog_post.asp?post=15874">read more</a><font size="-3" color="gray">)</font></span></div> </article> <article> <h1>MSA scores are looking good!</h1> <p>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:06:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>MSA scores for our schools look great this year! Go to <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/k12/bal-te.md.scores18jul18,0,2709083.story">http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/k12/bal-te.md.scores18jul18,0,2709083.story</a> for more information. Many of our clients find these scores to be helpful in choosing their new neighborhoods. </p> <p>Baltimore's outlook looks great - strong test scores, strong employment market and excellent housing values. We are VERY optimistic about our region. Hope you are too!</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Hmmm...have we hit bottom?</h1> <p>Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:17:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>Many in the news are reporting that the housing market has hit bottom and things are looking up. We have had 2 quarters of slow, continued growth and things are not getting worse. Does this mean that it is time for you to buy real estate? YES! Buy now, while rates are low and before prices go up. Now is the time when you can get the most for your money. If you are a current renter, buying makes sense so you can take advantage of the tax benefits. If you are a current homeowner thinking of moving up, buying now also makes sense. Even if you "lost" money on your current home, you will make it up on the buy side. We know how to negotiate the best terms for you based on your current situation. Contact us today.</p> <p>Linda</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Happy Friday! Things are looking up!</h1> <p>Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:19:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>Despite all of the negative economic news, we actually are pretty excited about the real estate market. Low interest rates, good inventory, low unemployment - it is a great time to buy in Baltimore. Our top employers - Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland Medical Systems, T. Rowe Price, Legg Mason - are all doing well. BRAC is going to be great for the Ft. Meade area of Anne Arundel County and the Aberdeen area of Harford County. We think the local employment picture looks very bright.</p> <p>For Sellers, you need to price your homes competitively. If you can't, don't move. Stay in your home until you have some equity. Renting out your home may be an option but you still need to price the <a title="" target="_blank" href="http://www.baltimorerentalsource.com">Rental</a> competitively in order to attract a quality tenant. Talk to us about your options. We will be honest and straightforward and help you make the best decision ..<span style="font-size:90%;margin-left:5px;color:#0000FF;vertical-align:baseline;"><font size="-3" color="gray">(</font><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://yaffeteam.com/blog_post.asp?post=15214">read more</a><font size="-3" color="gray">)</font></span></div> </article> <article> <h1>We are selling homes - it is a price war and then a beauty contest!</h1> <p>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:10:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>Many people ask us "Are you selling any homes? Are you all ok?" and the answer is "YES"! We have always been very straight forward compared to other realtors. We know how to sell a home in today's market - <strong>it is a price war and then a beauty contest</strong>. First, a home has to be priced perfectly to appeal to the Buyer's logical side - there is no room for error. Second, a home has to be staged to appeal to the Buyer's emotional side. We will tell you what to do to sell your home. Too many other Realtors are afraid to upset the homeowner and tell them the truth. We believe that not only can the homeowner handle the truth...they welcome it and deserve it. Straightforward advice - that is what we are known for. Call us today to get your home SOLD, not just listed.</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>It is the best time to buy a home in years!</h1> <p>Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:48:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family:arial, geneva, lucida, sans-serif;"><p>Hello All,</p> <p>Yes, this is the best time to buy a home in years! Why? The last few years were overpriced and the next years will likely see reasonable appreciation as the major price corrections have already occurred. Once the election is over, the country will feel less drifting and focus will be on moving forward. So why wait? Let's go shopping now!</p> <p>As for Sellers, if you are just "testing the market" or you are not that motivated, please, please, please remove your home from the market. The abundance of inventory only confuses the buyers - it causes them to wait because they know there will be more homes on the market tomorrow, it causes them to lowball because so many of the homes are overpriced and it is frustrating to the truly motivated Sellers. Imagine, what if the only homes on the market were those that were priced correctly for TODAY's market (not yesterday's), were staged well and the ..<span style="font-size:90%;margin-left:5px;color:#0000FF;vertical-align:baseline;"><font size="-3" color="gray">(</font><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://yaffeteam.com/blog_post.asp?post=15020">read more</a><font size="-3" color="gray">)</font></span></div> </article> </main></body></html>