Adorable Rancher!
July 29, 2011 By
Property Type: Residential
Adorable Rancher in Hagerstown!
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6 Worth-the-Price Fix-Ups
July 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Simple and affordable do-it-yourself projects can greatly increase a home’s resale value, according to HomeGain’s annual home improvement and staging survey.
The marketing company surveyed nearly 600 real estate professionals to discover which DIY home improvement projects give sellers the biggest return for their buck. Here are six projects under $1,000 (amounts are estimated) that made the list.
- Cleaning and decluttering. Remove any personal items, unclutter countertops, organize closets and shelves, and make the home sparkling clean.
- $290 Cost
- $1,990 Return
- Brightening. Clean all windows inside and out, replace old curtains, update lighting fixtures, and remove anything that blocks light from the windows.
- $375 Cost
- $1,550 Return
- Smart staging. Rearrange furniture, bring in new accessories and furnishings to enhance rooms, incorporate artwork, and play soft music in the background.
- $550 Cost
- $2,194 Return
- Landscaping enhancements. Punch up the home’s curb appeal in the front and back yards by adding bark mulch, bushes, and flowers and ensuring current plants and grass are well-cared for and manicured.
- $540 Cost
- $1,932 return
- Repairing electrical or plumbing. Fix leaks under the sinks, remove any mildew stains, and ensure all plumbing is in good working condition. Update the home’s electrical with new wiring for modern appliances, fix any lights or outlets that don’t work, and replace old plug points with new safety fixtures.
- $535 Cost
- $1,505 Return
- Replacing or shampooing dirty carpets. Steam-clean carpets, replace any worn carpets, and repair any floor creaks.
- $647 Cost
- $1,739 Return
Excerpted from HomeGain’s 2011 Home Sale Maximizer Survey: www.homesalemaximizer.com.
Where To Pick Your Own Berries
May 26, 2011 By 1 Comment
Where To Pick Your Own Berries
written by Laura Olson on 05/25/2011
By Laura Olson
metrocurean intern
Finishing off the final jar of last year’s strawberry jam reminded me that strawberry-picking season has arrived. What could be fresher than fruit that you’ve picked yourself, straight from the field? Take a day to get out of the city and visit one of the many nearby farms that offer pick-your-own produce.
If you get carried away and pick more than you can eat, berries freeze beautifully. I love using frozen berries in fruit smoothies. Also, making freezer jam is easier than it sounds — you only need fruit, sugar and pectin. Pectin comes in a few varieties that you can pick up at the supermarket and most have easy jam-making directions on the back.
Or make a batch of Metrocurean’s Simple Strawberry Jam, meant to be stored in the fridge and eaten within a few weeks.
The following farms are all only about an hour outside of DC and offer free admission to their fields. The websites have additional information about when to pick and what is available. Always remember to call first to make sure the farm will be open and that the pickings are good. Sometimes near the end of the season the fields are picked clean.
Farms in Maryland
• Butler’s Orchard
22200 Davis Mill Rd., Germantown, Md.
301.972.3299
Just north of DC in Montgomery County, Butler’s Orchard has a great selection of pick-your-own produce including strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and more. They even have a pick-your-own flower garden. While there, be sure to check out their market which has a wider selection of fresh fruits and vegetables and local honey. Butler’s also has a bakery – great if you want to take a freshly baked berry pie home (you can even call order in advance).
• Homestead Farm
15604 Sugarland Rd., Poolesville, Md.
301.977.3761
Also in Montgomery County, Homestead Farm offers pick-your-own strawberries, blackberries and other fruit. They also have a market open daily to sell assorted, seasonal vegetables.
• Mayne’s Tree Farm
3420 Buckeystown Pike, Buckeystown, Md.
301.662.4320
Mayne’s is known for its Christmas trees, but also offers pick-your-own strawberries. A little further north of DC, Mayne’s takes you just past Sugarloaf Mountain where you can spend the rest of your day hiking.
Farms in Virginia
• Hartland Farm and Orchard
3064 Hartland Lane, Markham, Va.
540-364-2316
Hartland Orchard is a family run pick-your-own farm just about an hour west of DC. They offer pick-your-own strawberries from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day and blueberries, raspberries and more will come later in the season.
• Hollin Farms
1410 Snowden Rd., Delaplane, Va.
540-592-3574
Hollin’s offers a large variety of pick-your-own fruit and vegetables, beginning with strawberries and including raspberries and blackberries. The farm also specializes in cattle and offers pastured, free-range natural angus beef and natural pastured pork that you can order in advance (pick up is in Stephens City, about 30 minutes away from the farm). Visit Hollin Farms‘ website for more details.
• Wegmeyer Farms
38299 Hughesville Rd., Hamilton, Va.
540-751-1782
Wegmeyer Farms offers pick-your-own strawberries and blackberries in the spring and early summer and raspberries in the fall. For the pick-your-own enthusiast, Wegmeyer’s even offers PYO Club memberships, which include priority picking, a small discount on pickings and other benefits.
Have a favorite pick-your-own farm? Let us know about it in the comments.
Laura Olson is a journalism student at American University in Washington, DC. Born and raised in Rockville, Md., she grew up learning about and loving the variety that DC has to offer. Laura enjoys cooking for friends and family at home and exploring the food scene downtown.
Where Homes Are Selling in 2 Months Or Less
May 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Daily Real Estate News | May 25, 2011 | 
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ShareWhere Homes Are Selling in 2 Months Or Less
Nationally, homes spent 95 days on the market in April, which is up 13 percent year-over-year, according to April housing data from Realtor.com of 146 markets.
But in a few markets, the median age of inventory of homes for sale was less than 60 days.
Here are the fastest-selling cities from April:
Denver
Median days on the market: 44 days
Median list price: $249,900
Oakland, Calif.
Median days on the market: 44 days
Median list price: $319,950
San Francisco
Median days on the market: 54 days
Median list price: $645,000
Washington, D.C.-Md.-Va.
Median days on the market: 57 days
Median list price: $369,900
Tulsa, Okla.
Median days on the market: 58 days
Median list price: $149,900
Bakersfield, Calif.
Median days on the market: 58 days
Median list price: $135,000
San Jose, Calif.
Median days on the market: 59 days
Median list price: $480,000
Fresno, Calif.
Median days on the market: 59 days
Median list price: $160,000
Omaha, Neb.
Median days on the market: 59 days
Median list price: $152,725
And where were homes spending the longest number of days on the market? Savannah, Ga., where the median days on the market in April was 198 days, according to Realtor.com housing data.
View the March report: 11 Cities Where Homes Sell the Fastest
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey for REALTOR® Magazine
Existing-Home Sales Rise in Most States in First Quarter
May 10, 2011 By 4 Comments
WASHINGTON (May 10, 2011)—Existing-home sales continued to recover in the first quarter, with gains recorded in 49 states and the District of Columbia, while 22% of the available metropolitan areas saw prices rise from a year ago, according to the latest survey by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
Total state existing-home sales, including single-family and condo, rose 8.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.14 million in the first quarter from 4.75 million in the fourth quarter, and are only 0.8% below a 5.18 million pace during the same period in 2010.
Also in the first quarter, the median existing single-family home price rose in 34 out of 153 metropolitan statistical areas from the first quarter of 2010, including four with double-digit increases; one was unchanged and 118 areas showed price declines.
Home prices are all over the map, said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “The reading of quarterly price data can be volatile because they are based on the types of homes that are sold during the quarter. When buyers principally purchase distressed properties in a given market, the recorded prices will be very low, which is what we’re seeing now in much of the country,” he said. “Annual price data provides a better guide about the direction of the market in those areas.”
National median home price
The national median existing single-family home price was $158,700 in the first quarter, down 4.6% from $166,400 in the first quarter of 2010. The median is where half sold for more and half sold for less. Distressed homes, typically sold at a discount of about 20%, accounted for 39% of first quarter sales, up from 36% a year earlier.
“The biggest sales increase has been in the lower price ranges, which are popular with investors and cash buyers,” Yun said. “The preponderance of sales activity at the lower end is bringing down the median price, so what we’re seeing is the result of a change in the composition of home sales.”
The volume of homes sold for $100,000 or less in the first quarter was 8.9% higher than the first quarter of 2010, creating a downward skew on the overall median price. The share of all-cash home purchases rose to 33% in the first quarter from 27% in the first quarter of 2010.
Investors accounted for 21% of first quarter transactions, up from 18% a year ago, while first-time buyers purchased 32% of homes, down from 42% in the first quarter of 2010 when a tax credit was in place. Repeat buyers accounted for a 47% market share in the first quarter, up from 40% a year earlier.
NAR President Ron Phipps said strong sales of distressed homes are exactly what the market needs. “The good news is foreclosures, which account for two-thirds of all distressed homes sold, are selling very quickly,” he said. “Short sales still take far too long to get lender approval, but it appears the inventory of distressed property is peaking and will be gradually declining next year. This means the market should slowly return to balance. We are encouraged that recent home buyers are having exceptionally low default rates.”
Condo sales
In the condo sector, metro area condominium and cooperative prices—covering changes in 53 metro areas—showed the national median existing-condo price was $152,900 in the first quarter, down 10.4% from the first quarter of 2010. Eleven metros showed increases in the median condo price from a year ago, one was unchanged, and 41 areas had declines.
Regional home sales
Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast increased 0.8% in the first quarter to a level of 800,000 but are 7.3% below the first quarter of 2010. The median existing single-family home price in the Northeast declined 5.0% to $234,100 in the first quarter from a year ago.
Existing-home sales in the Midwest rose 7.9% in the first quarter to a pace of 1.09 million but are 5.0% below a year ago. The median existing single-family home price in the Midwest fell 5.3% to $124,400 in the first quarter from the same period in 2010.
In the South, existing-home sales increased 8.5% in the first quarter to an annual rate of 1.96 million and are 2.8% higher than the first quarter of 2010. The median existing single-family home price in the South slipped 0.6% to $141,800 in the first quarter from a year earlier.
Existing-home sales in the West jumped 13.5% in the first quarter to a level of 1.29 million and are 2.1% above a year ago. The median existing single-family home price in the West fell 4.7% to $197,400 in the first quarter from the first quarter of 2010.
Source: NAR
6 Tips to Keep Your Utility Bill Lower
April 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The dog days of summer can really put the heat on electricity bills and put even the best air conditioning systems to the test.
Here are six tips to keep your utility bills down this summer:
1. An air conditioner set at 70 degrees can cost twice as much to operate as one set at 78 degrees. Raise the thermostat by 2 degrees above its normal setting. You’ll still be comfortable, and your pocketbook will thank you.
2. Set the thermostat to 80 degrees when you’ll be out of the house for several hours and lower it when you return. But don’t shut the air conditioner off; it’s less efficient to cool the house back down than to leave it set at a higher temperature.
3. A ceiling fan uses about as much energy as a 100-watt bulb, but it can make a room feel up to eight degrees cooler. In summer, blades should turn counterclockwise, pushing air downward to create a cool breeze.
4. Keeping windows closed and curtains drawn during the day can reduce cooling costs by 30%.
5. Lights, computers, and televisions all generate heat. Turn them off when they’re not in use.
6. Get your air conditioner serviced before you need to turn it on to avoid the rush in service calls made to air-conditioning repair companies on the first hot day of the year.
7. Create shade for the outdoor part of your AC unit, but keep the area around the exterior unit clear of leaves, bushes, and other obstructions to ensure adequate airflow.
8. Clean or replace the air filter monthly. Clogged, dirty filters block air flow and make a unit work much harder. A clean filter can save up to 10% on your bill.
Source: American Home Shield
Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/news/articles/8-ways-trim-your-summer-electric-bill/#ixzz1LrvsAKLk
