This experience made me think about the similarities with the real estate business. Some agents will get a listing and forget about their client. Don't fall into that trap! Lack of attention will damage your brand and ruin a business. I have never heard someone complain that they were given too much attention.  Make your clients a priority throughout the entire home buying and selling process.

“When is the best time of the year to buy a home?” is probably the most frequently asked question that I receive. There are many factors to consider when answering this question. Do you want to best deal? Do you want to make the move the easiest for your family? Do you mind doing a little work to the property? In Central Maryland, where I primarily work in selling residential real estate, I consider myself an expert at answering this question.

It is my opinion that buying a home in November, December, January, or February provides the greatest opportunity for the best deal. Usually, if someone is selling in that timeframe, they are selling for a reason, intimating a sense of urgency.  Who really wants to move during the holidays and cold weather, anyway?  Estate sales, divorce sales, short sales, and REOs (bank owned properties) can be good options during this time. These properties often require work and the inventory can be light in comparison to the Spring but offer the best potential value.  Bottom line… if you are willing to make compromises, you could end up with the best deals!

Frank Davis Jr.

About Frank Davis Jr.

Frank Davis Jr. is a Mega Agent and Co-Owner/Founder of Keller Williams Select Realtors in Ellicott City, Maryland – selling residential real estate in Central Maryland. Licensed since 1999 and coming from a construction background, Frank has worked on countless rehab projects, short sales, REO’s and multi-million dollar deals!!

Frank@TheDavisTeam.com

Bistro Blanc Restaurant • 3800 Ten Oaks Road • Glenelg, MD 21737

Keller Williams offices in Ellicott City, Columbia, Baltimore City and Baltimore County as well as several Lender offices have teamed up to assist Open Door Baltimore  with their work of empowering individuals & families in the poorest neighborhoods of Baltimore.

Open Door Baltimore provides: food, clothing, counseling, employment training and assistance, as well as many other services by working with other not-for-profit services that also operate in East Baltimore.

Activities for the day will include assisting:

• At an area Elementary School
• At a local food pantry
• At a thrift clothing distribution center,
• Preparing the new expanded Open Door Baltimore (ODB) office space for occupancy,
• Moving ODB office equipment and furniture to the new space,
• Construction of expanded food pantry,
• Setting up of computers,
• Cleaning up around the community,
• Sorting, organizing, and distributing the donated items,
• Work on ODB promotional pieces and website, and MORE!

In addition to the activities on May 13, we have committed to collecting donations of

Food & Hygiene Items
New or Gently Used Work Clothes
School Supplies.

We will have a lot of volunteers, but we can always use more.  What we REALLY need are donations of the items mentioned above.  Keller Williams Select Realtors is located at 3290 N. Ridge Rd. Ellicott City, MD 21043 which is right next to the Wal Mart in Ellicott City. 

We would love for you to make a donation when you are in the area. 

If you have any questions, please email frank@thedavisteam.com. 

Thanks and have a great day!

If you have not owned a home in three years, you qualify as a first time home buyer. If you buy a home after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009, you qualify for this credit. Call your friends who just bought a home since April 9th and tell them they may take $7,500 off their tax bill if they qualify. It has to be your principal residence, so rentals do not count.

The tax credit is 10% of the cost of the home, up to a maximum of $7,500. This is not an additional deduction that lowers the amount of income to be taxed, it is a tax credit. In other words, you take $7,500 off your tax bill. But there is a catch; the credit you receive now is actually an interest-free loan that must be repaid.

The loan has no interest, and will be paid back over 15 years. You get the credit on your 2008 taxes, but you start paying it back on your 2010 taxes that are due in 2011, so you get at least two years without a payment. You pay back 6.67% of the credit each year, so for a $7,500 credit the payment is $502.50 per year. If you stay put for 15 years, you pay it off with no interest.

What happens if you sell the house? You pay the balance back at the closing. So, you get $7,500 now, and pay the rest of it back if you make money on the sale of your house. What happens if you do not make enough money when you sell your house? They forgive the rest of the debt.

Other restrictions stipulate that you have to buy your first house in three years before July 1, 2009, not have super high income, not use bond financing and buy anywhere in the US.

If you'd like to learn more about this program, please call me!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.