You have property to sell in Maryland, but it's not your "average" home.  Let's say you own a luxury multi-million dollar estate, waterfront home, apartment complex, marina, working farm, or commercial building... perhaps even a church or school in Maryland...   I'd say these all qualify as unique properties, wouldn't you?

Selling a unique property requires the real estate services of someone with access to unique buyers.  Frankly, you aren't likely to find them on the MLS or through print advertising,  

That's why I recently partnered with Ed White, the Broker-Owner of RE/MAX Vision, for selling unique properties.  Ed is not only a residential and commercial broker, he's an International Broker.   When it comes to selling unique properties, he has a huge network among real estate brokers world-wide in the 67 countries where RE/MAX offices are located, as well as locally and nationally.  His broad net reaches beyond RE/MAX, however, to many other brokerages around the world, both large and small.  He knows where and how to attract unique buyers for your unique property!

Now, if you contact me about selling your waterfront estate, marina, working farm, apartment complex or other unique property, I'll be your initial point of contact and collaborate with Ed to estimate your likely selling price and closing expenses.  We'll create an International marketing plan for your unique property and Ed will reach beyond our borders to make sure your property is exposed to qualified buyers who might never see it when you list with someone else.  And I'll be the one who creates, co-ordinates and oversees Internet marketing of your property, working to gain the maximum exposure through the world-wide web.

If you DO have one of those "average" homes,  however, don't worry...  I'm still your gal!
In fact, I LOVE doing business with you and helping you achieve your goals. 

But now I also have the resources to help anyone sell their unique properties through my partnership with an International and commercial broker.  With more than 50 years combined experience, we're uniquely qualified to find that unique buyer for you!

WORLDWIDE RE/MAX OFFICES:

Anguilla | Antigua & Barbuda | Argentina | Aruba | Australia | Austria | Bahrain | Bahamas | Belgium | Belize Bonaire | Botswana | Bulgaria | Canada | Cayman Islands | Chile | Costa Rica | Curacao | Croatia | Czech Republic | Denmark | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Estonia | Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Grenada | Guam Guatemala | Honduras | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland | Israel | Italy | Jamaica | Kuwait | Latvia | Lebanon | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malta | Mauritius | Mexico | Montenegro | Namibia | Netherlands | Nevis | New Zealand | Nicaragua | Norway | Oman | Panama | Poland | Portugal | Puerto Rico | Qatar | Romania | Saudi Arabia | Scotland | Serbia | Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | South Africa | Spain | St. Barth | St. Croix | St. John | St Kitts & Nevis | St. Maarten/St. Martin | St. Thomas | Sweden | Switzerland | Turkey | Turks & Caicos | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom | United States |U.S. Virgin Islands | Venezuela | Wales | Zambia

Crofton real estate is not what it used to be, and home sellers are struggling right now,.  Yet most Crofton homeowners remain positive, confident in the desirability of our community and their own home.

Crofton is a unique place to live, so close to the two major cities of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., but it's a close-knit community with the ambiance of a small town.  Residents have a short commute to work, and they come home to their choice of two country clubs with golf courses, three pools (not counting the one at Crofton Village or the apartment complexes), and more organized activities than anyone has time to join.  American flags fly over Crofton Parkway, and the Crofton Village Green hosts free Sunday night concerts;  then, of course, there are the parades and special events like the Tour d'Crofton bike race and Santa's arrival by fire truck each year.

When you look at this chart of real estate activity, remember the positive - it's only a matter of time 'til the pent up demand for life in our community drives Prices back up and Days on Market back down.  In the meantime, here's how it looked for Crofton Real Estate last month:

  
If you'd like to check today's interest rates, and see how they compare with last week and last month, you can find an Interest Rate Chart at Focus On Crofton.  You may also want to look for specific information about home sales in the area around your own home; you can do that by requesting a Real Estate Market Snapshot.

RELATED LINKS: 

• Previous real estate market updates for 2008, including April 2008, March 2008, February 2008, January 2008
• Find out how today's mortgage interest compares with the rates last week and last month 

This post is included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland

Do you avoid online shopping because you're concerned about the risks, or do you just cross your fingers, grit your teeth and hope for the best? 

Regardless of which category you fall into, here's a new tool to help you become a smart online shopper.  It's called the buySAFE Shopping Advisor, and it will save you from the hassles and expenses of online shopping fraud.  Even the gamblers among us will appreciate a "sure thing" - especially since this service is absolutely FREE.  (The buySAFE Shopping Advisor is now in Beta, and they really WANT our feedback so the official release in July can incorporate our suggestions, along with their world-famous buySAFE $25,000 bond guarantee and 30-day identity theft protection, which will be added at that time.)

buySAFE bonds (insures) online purchases - virtually guaranteeing the credibility of the seller after an extensive vetting process, not unlike underwriting for mortgage loans in our industry.  You could almost compare it to a pre-approval letter, except they back up their "pre-approval" with a $25,000 bond guarantee.  Unless you're planning to buy something online that costs over $25,000, that should more than protect you!   (You can get the buySAFE bond guarantee now on websites and products with the buySAFE seal.  It will be integrated wth the buySAFE Shopping Advisor when the full version is released in July.)

Here's how the buySAFE Shopping Advisor works: 

• When you do an online search for a retail product you'd like to purchase, the buySAFE seal will appear next to any merchants who have passed the rigorous buySAFE Certification Process to ensure they are trustworthy and reliable.  
• The seal is not an advertisement or a certification they can buy - the merchants have simply agreed to permit buySAFE to continuously monitor their performance in every transaction; it's almost like an independent audit.
• Assuming the merchant qualifies, buySAFE guarantees their transactions with a bond issued by them and their surety partners - insurance "big guys" like Liberty Mutual, Travelers, and ACE USA.

How do I know this is legit?  Easy... buySAFE is my son's company!  (Well, his plus a partner and some investors...)  I've watched buySAFE grow from a class project while Steve was an MBA student at Wharton to a multi-million dollar company that has bonded over 15 million online purchases in the past five years.  Impressed?  I am, even if I do bring some maternal pride to this endorsement. 

Steve and buySAFE virtually created this new insurance product and, as far as I know, they're the only company with it.  They began with eBay auctions and soon added online retailers to their client database; you can look for that buySAFE seal anywhere you shop online to protect yourself from online fraud - if you don't see it, move on.  How else can you know for sure that Gucci purse, Rolex watch, or Flip video camera you buy online isn't a knock-off?  How can you know someone won't take your money and then NOT send the item?

Be sure to install the buySAFE Shopping Advisor now, before you leave this blog and forget about it.  It's free, and the next time you go shopping online, you'll be glad you have it!

Remember, this is the Beta version, and they want consumer feedback.  Just click on the link of the buySAFE Shopping Advisor to make your suggestions.  If the Beta version is installed on your computer, you will automatically receive the full version when it is released next month.  At that time, the $25,000 buySAFE bond guarantee and one-month free identity theft protection will be included.

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Find a Home and learn about Real Estate Market Conditions in Crofton and Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  Check out Today's Rates, use the free Mortgage Calculator, and watch a brief video about the Power of RE/MAX.  These consumer-friendly real estate tools are provided by Margaret Woda for you to use at your own pace. 

When you're ready to go from "just browsing" to "let's get serious", contact Margaret online or call her at RE/MAX Vision in Crofton Maryland. 410-451-1900        

Do you suffer from Paraskavedekatriaphobia?  Perhaps you do, without realizing it's the term for fear of Friday the 13th.  There's a lot of it going around today!

According to Wikipedia, the term is derived from the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή), meaning Friday, and dekatreís (δεκατρείς), meaning thirteen, attached to phobía (φοβία), meaning fear.  This superstition has roots as far back as 1307, with the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday October 13, 1307, and it became widespread in many cultures during the 20th century. 

Millions of people are paralyzed by fear today (up to 21 million in the United States alone) and won't travel, do business or - in some cases - even get out of bed.

Friday the 13th falls in any month that begins with a Sunday.  It happens only once this year, but it will occur three times in 2009 - February, March and November.

Here's what's happening today, Friday, June 13, 2008:

• The 2008 Tamil block-buster film Dasavatharam will be released in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA and UK.
• Friday the Thirteenth, a gathering for motorcycle enthusiasts held in the Canadian beach town of Port Dover, Ontario is held every Friday the 13th.
• The Happening will be released.
• The first TV special on iCarly, "iCarly Saves TV" will be aired.
• The Incredible Hulk will be released. 
• Microsoft's Zune music player will be released.

Please comment if you have a settlement, a listing appointment, or a showing scheduled today, and let us know how it goes.  To Karen - my apprentice in the Makeover2Takeover Contest - maybe we should re-think our plans to submit this week's entry today.  Just kidding!

For more about Friday, the 13th, check out David Emery's report on About.com.

For a list of things to do in the Crofton Maryland area today, visit Focus On Crofton.

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Note:  Free Horror Wallpaper on HorrorStew.com is the source of this graphic, used in part. 

This is your LUCKY day, if you're looking for someone to help you with real estate in Maryland.  Contact Margaret Woda, RE/MAX Vision (mwoda@remax.net) at 410-451-1900.

LEVERAGE is a word that real estate agents and other experts throw around, and prospective buyers smile and nod.  But do they really "get"it?  I don't think so, and that's why I put together a hand-out several years ago, featuring these charts (along with a prominent disclaimer that they are for illustration purposes only and not a prediction or guarantee). 

In today's market, as real estate values are going down and prospective buyers are wondering if $10,000 invested in a home is really a good idea, I think it's more important than ever to explain leverage - and to put it in the context of 10 years.  All the narrative that follows is not in the handout, it is how I explain it, as we go over these charts and a third one illustrating a rent/own comparison.

While I have no crystal ball, and certainly can't make any predictions or guarantees, most people agree that real estate goes in cycles - with ups and downs in the market.  Over a 10-year period, measuring from start to finish, it's reasonable to anticipate that real estate values will go up, even though there may be some downs during the intervening years - such as we're experiencing right now.

For the sake of this example, let's use 5% as the average appreciation or inflation rate, and assume the same appreciation rate for $10,000 invested in a home compared to $10,000 plopped into a savings account.

Since it is the asset which appreciates (not the cash investment itself), the $10,000 invested in a home has the potential for much higher return, based upon compounding of the asset's value.

Naysayers will point out this doesn't take into account the cost of selling that home before you can realize any return on investment. 

That's true, but it also doesn't take into account the equity growth through 10 years of mortgage payments;  if you're going to count the cost of sale, you gotta count the equity growth, as well. 

You could carry this to another step, comparing the cost of owning vs. the cost of renting, but I'll save that for another day.  I actually do use the three charts together on a single page.

So much of today's training for real estate agents is based upon the use of technology for marketing. 

In the "old days" we relied more upon hard-core knowledge such as this - solid information shared with consumers.  The handout I copied this from was created on an old-fashioned typewriter, and the only graphical interest was red headings - possible because I had a super-upgraded typewriter with two colors of ribbon.  Yet it got the job done, because it was information that consumers wanted. 

May I suggest that today's consumers are more educated and detail-oriented than ever, and they "get" the power of leverage when it is explained to them.  It could be the very thing that gives someone the confidence to buy a home instead of renting. 

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For more information about Leverage and all things real estate, contact Margaret Woda, RE/MAX Vision.  (mwoda@remax.net)