A seemingly normal day on the Miles and Tred Avon rivers turned into sightseeing for some boaters on Sunday, July 26, who reported a large pod of about 50 to 100 dolphins frolicking about the area
Great news for Eastern Shore commuters! Maryland cuts tolls on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
If you live on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and commute to the Western Shore of if you are a traveler to Ocean City, MD and the Delaware Beaches this is fantastic news!
Source: Maryland cuts tolls on Bay Bridge, ICC and other roadways – The Washington Post
Let me tell you a story about a very unhappy home buyer. Harry Homebuyer decided he was ready to move from Columbia, Maryland to Queen Anne’s County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He wanted to downsize and was thinking a condo in a water oriented neighborhood might be perfect for him. So he called his buddy who was a Howard County Realtor and they went about setting up some homes to see.
Off they went on their search for the perfect water privileged condo. It wasn’t long before they came upon a home which Harry just loved. The condo had everything he had hoped for in a home. It had water views, a community marina, a pool, a clubhouse and even a little gym right there in the community. The condo fees were a little high and stretched his budget, but he figured that he was getting so many amenities that it would be worth it and he could just cut back on his spending a little to compensate for the high condo fee.
Harry decided he wanted to make an offer on the property so he and his Real Estate Agent got together and wrote up a great offer. After a short period of negotiation Harry and the home seller agreed to terms and Harry had a fully ratified contract on the home. They did their inspections which went well and everything moved smoothly. About 45 days later Harry went to settlement and moved into his dream home.
About a month later Harry received a letter in the mail telling him that there was a new assessment on the condo for some repair work which needed to be done throughout the entire neighborhood. This assessment was in addition to his already high condo fee and was going to go on for about 4-5 years. This was more than Harry could afford.
After struggling for about a year to make ends meet Harry realized he could no longer keep the home. He decided to put his house on the market. Unfortunately, there were many, many of his neighbors in the same situation. So many of them had been unable to pay the new fees and had actually gone to foreclosure. This dragged the home prices down to a level far below what Harry had paid for his home. Sadly, Harry also lost his home.
So what is the point of this story? If Harry had worked with an agent who was local to Queen Anne’s County and who knew the area they would have known about this special assessment and would have been able to warn Harry about it. Harry would then have had all of the facts and been able to make an informed decision. Maybe he could have negotiated a better price which would have lowered his mortgage payment to a level where the higher assessment wouldn’t have had as much impact. Maybe Harry would have looked at some of the other neighborhoods which wouldn’t have had this assessment, but still have all of the same or similar amenities. Either way, Harry wouldn’t be in the position of losing his home.
It is extremely important to make sure you have the right Realtor representation. Talk to your prospective agent and make sure they are an expert in the local Real Estate market. You will be very glad you did.
Have you ever dreamed of building a home that is exactly what you want down to every last detail? Have you ever dreamed of living in a beautiful waterfront home? If so this lot might just be perfect for you. It is a little over 1 acre of land located on the shores of Greenwood Creek in Queenstown, Maryland.
The water views are stunning and the lot offers over 3 feet of Mean Low Water. The lot faces west to give you those gorgeous sunset views. Put in a perfect pier and fish and crab right in your own backyard. Then jump on your boat and head down Greenwood Creek right into Prospect Bay and then Eastern Bay. From here it is just minutes to St. Michaels, Kent Narrows, Annapolis or anywhere else you would want to go around the Chesapeake Bay.
The lot is located in the wonderful Bennett Point Road area and there are no HOA fees! It is an easy commute from here to Annapolis, Baltimore, Washington or Easton. It is also close to fantastic schools, shopping and dining.
This lot is ready to build on already having an approved perc. Because the lot was subdivided years ago Queen Anne’s County only requires a 100 foot setback from the water unlike newly subdivided lots which require 200 feet. Come build your dream home in the Land of Pleasant Living on Maryland’s Eastern Shore!
For more information or to schedule an appointment to see and walk the lot please call me anytime at 410-490-8556.
I showed two different homes here in Queenstown, Maryland within the last few days which had been sitting on the market for a while. I think they are both great homes with fantastic potential. Both homes are large, have a great floorplan, are in very sought after neighborhoods off of Bennett Point Road and have amazing yards. So why aren’t they selling?
Let’s just say the even with all of the great attributes I previously mentioned they were both a little challenged in the paint and flooring areas. Especially the paint! In case you were wondering sponge paint was super in 1992, but not so much in 2014.
So the savvy home buyer will realize that they are getting a great deal and will only have to put in a minimal amount of money to make these cosmetic changes and will have instant equity, right? Unfortunately the answer is no. Most home buyers just can’t look past that electric blue sponge paint or 70’s era shag carpet. They will go on to the next home stating that the home is just too dated or needs too much work. The reality is that the work is minimal to make a huge difference.
What if I told you that for around a $5000- $10,000 investment in neutral paint and carpet you could potentially increase the sales price by a minimum of $50,000? It may sound a bit unrealistic, but it is true. Getting rid of dark or unusual paint, wallpaper or carpet and painting a light, neutral color and light, up to date carpet makes an enormous impact on a buyer. They will no longer see your home as dated and will be able to see all of the great features of your home and you will get it sold!
Ever since people started putting mortgages on their homes, people have been losing their homes to foreclosure. So foreclosures have always been around, but lately they are on the increase. When the housing industry collapsed a few years ago tens of thousands of homes went into foreclosure. In order not to flood the real estate market with foreclosures and thus further damage the already precarious housing market banks held onto these foreclosures. Now that the housing market has started to improve the banks are starting to release these homes into the real estate marketplace. We are seeing them come up frequently in the Kent Island and Queen Anne’s County areas of Maryland.
So are foreclosures a good deal for you? That really depends on your financial position and the condition of the home. Sometimes the owners of the house are very, very angry that they are loosing their home and decide to take it out on the house. Sometimes the owner simply was in a bad financial situation and the house has been severely neglected for a long period of time. In the best case scenario there is little if any damage, but be aware that it generally takes at least a year from the time the foreclosure process is started until it hits the market so the house will have been vacant for an extended period of time.
There are a number of things to know before considering a foreclosure. Probably one of the most important is that in most cases if there is damage to the home the banks are not going to fix it. So make sure you have the funds available for any repairs. The best thing you can do is to have a home inspection on the property. Even though the bank is unlikely to make any repairs at least you will know what you are getting into before it’s entirely your problem. If the home inspection was to turn up something you can’t afford to fix or even something you simply don’t want to deal with you can always walk away and your only financial exposure would have been paying for the home inspection.
Lastly, if you find a foreclosure and it is a great deal, in good condition or at least in a condition you can afford to fix don’t hesitate to make an offer and get it under contract. Foreclosures tend to go pretty quickly when they are priced correctly and if you hesitate even for a few days I guarantee you someone else will have already bought it. If you see a foreclosure you are interested in purchasing contact your Real Estate Agent immediately and they will be able to walk you through the entire process from viewing the home, to the online bid process and all of the requirements specific to the bank or whatever lending institution is holding the foreclosure. To search for available foreclosures in your area “click here”
If you are considering buying a house on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Cloverfields is a neighborhood you may want to consider. Cloverfields is located adjacent to historic Stevensville in Queen Anne’s County Maryland. It is close to the Cross Island Trail, Love Point Park, schools, shopping, restaurants, and churches and provides one of the quickest and easiest accesses to Route 50 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Cloverfields is bordered by the lovely Chester River giving the neighborhood the largest community beach on Kent Island which the residents enjoy tremendously. There is also a boat ramp and community marina for all of your boating and water activity needs. Located near the mouth of the river you are just a very short boat ride to the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis, Rock Hall, Chestertown or even Baltimore.
When buyers come to me looking for a home where they can enjoy all the experiences of living on the Eastern Shore I always tell people is that you just can’t beat Cloverfields for its amenities. There is a neighborhood pool where they even have their own swim team. There is also a club house and a playground. And the Home Owners Association fee is CHEAP at less than $15 a month for all of this! There is no community where there are more amenities for such a great price than you will find at Cloverfields.
When you are looking at homes for sale in Cloverfields you will notice there is a wide selection of types, sizes and styles of single family homes. Here you can find everything from your perfect starter home all the way up to really large homes and everything in between.
One last thing to mention is the wonderful community feel you will find in Cloverfields. The neighborhood has several community events each year to bring the neighbors together. Some of these are beach parties, parades and a community end of summer crab feast.
So when considering a move to the Eastern Shore of Maryland don’t forget to take a look at Cloverfields when doing your home search. You won’t be disappointed.
West Prospect Plantation or Prospect Bay as it is called by the locals and residents is the premier waterfront golf course community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The is not your typical “cookie cutter” neighborhood. It is made up of gorgeous and architecturally diverse both waterfront and non waterfront homes.
As you enter Prospect Bay you will cross a picturesque bridge as you pass a light house. At the head of the neighborhood sits a lovely clubhouse which features a full service restaurant and meeting rooms where many community events are held. This wonderful neighborhood also features a private community pool, tennis courts, playgrounds and golf pro shop. There is an 18 hole golf course which winds its way thru the neighborhood and is enjoyed by many of the residents.
For the water and boating enthusiast you will find a community marina, boat launch, beach and water access. You can enjoy the stunning sunset views of Eastern Bay. The marina and boat launch give quick and easy access directly into Eastern Bay and then on to the Chesapeake Bay and St. Michaels. The community has many activities which cater to everyone from children to retirees. You can choose to learn to play golf or tennis. Your children can join the Prospect Bay Swim Team or participate in any of the seasonal activities like the Halloween Spookout, Breakfast with Santa, Friday Night Movie Night and so much more. There are book clubs, garden clubs and card games and much more for the adults.So come check it out if you are looking for the premier lifestyle community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. If you are looking for homes in Prospect Bay make sure you search West Prospect Plantation or search for homes in Grasonville in the 21638 zip code to make sure you don’t miss any of these great homes. If you would like to view available homes in Prospect Bay “click here” 
I was on a listing appointment yesterday for a beautiful waterfront lot. During the appointment the subject of how to price the lot was discussed at length. The sellers wanted to price the lot at a price which I considered to be too high. I explained to the sellers that the price has to make sense to a buyer. What I mean by this is that you have to factor in the price of the lot, the construction of the home itself, well and septic installation, permits, etc. When you add all of those together are the costs at or below the cost of what the buyer would spend on a preexisting home? If it is significantly higher it just isn’t going to be a financially wise decision for the buyer.
The fact is that you can often get a better deal if you buy an existing home. You don’t have to factor in all of the additional expenses to build a home. That being said, if you find the lot which is ideal for you and it is at a price point which would still allow you to build your dream home it is definitely something to consider. Many people find that there is nothing more satisfying than visualizing their dream home and making that dream a reality with a home which is exactly what they want and one in which no one else has ever lived. So certainly don’t rule out this option. Just make sure you are getting a good deal by having your agent look up recent home sales to determine the value of homes in the area. If those homes are selling at or near what your expenses to build will be go for it!
Hello and welcome to my blog. I am an industry leading communicator about Real Estate related content, marketing and services. I have one goal and that is to provide the most valuable expertise, guidance and direction throughout the entire home buying and selling process to ensure the client has a pleasurable experience in which they feel all of their needs have been listened to and met.
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