When you sell real estate, your listings are like your children: you love them all and it’s hard to play favorites.

That being said, you can’t help but deeply appreciate the unique nature of certain homes, how special they are and confident that the next owner will feel a strong connection to the property.

This Davidsonville listing is one such home – a place where, whenever I step inside, I feel an immediate sense of calm and at-home-ness. If you’re looking for the McMansion-on-the-hill sort of thing, there are other options: 1015 Wayson isn’t even visible from the road and that, to me, is one of its greatest charms.

Sound interesting? Have a look, and if you’d like to see more, just give a call. And if you like to see more right now, here a click to the Virtual Tour for 1015 Wayson Way.

East of Loch Haven Road to the end of the Mayo Peninsula you’ll come across some of the nicest little communities in the Annapolis area – Selby on the Bay, Ponder Cove, Turkey Point, Mayo Beach and Beverly Beach, among others.

Shoreham Beach, too, where – as with so many other local maritime communities – older cottages mingle quite comfortably, thank you, with million dollar plus waterfront homes. Indeed, many of the more expensive properties ARE old cottages reincarnated.

Our newest listing – 3914 Bayside Drive, with 100′ of frontage on Ramsay Lake – began as a cottage more than half a century ago; a series of additions and improvements over the years make up the existing home, which sits on one of the largest lots in the community (a total of four 25′ by 100′ lots, side by side.)

The home was built to the owners’ tastes with custom cabinetry, features and special touches the owner likes to refer to as “hidden treasures.” Most notably – in the colder weather – is the radiant heat in the tiled floor of the central great room and kitchen. This is especially appealing for those of us who’d rather be barefoot on the beach somewhere warm. (Following this February’s weather, that’s pretty much all of us, I imagine.)

Other “hidden treasures” include a whole house sound system, venting skylights with rain sensors, extra-tall garage doors (think storage for your boat on a trailer), a summer kitchen for crab feasts or caterers, and a framed-but-unfinished suite of rooms – measuring 36′ by 36′ – over the triple garage. Depending on your needs and lifestyle, this could become a new master suite, guest or in-law suite, you name it.

Here’s a click to the Virtual Tour for 3914 Bayside. If you like what you see and want to arrange a private preview, give us a call at 410-507-7222 and we’d be happy to give you the tour. It’s a very special home with tons of appeal for anyone looking for a well-priced waterfront home in the greater Annapolis area.

We at The Moss Haedrich Team are blessed to have lots of really nice clients. Whether they find us here on our blog…on one of our other websites…or come to us as referrals, as many of our clients do, I’m convinced our clients would win all the gold if somebody held a Nice Olympics.

Which brings me to last Sunday evening, when my cell phone rang at 9:00. It was a client, and – as anyone in real estate will tell you – when a client calls you at 9:00PM on a Sunday it’s typically not to say how swell they think you are.

This client was calling to say they were locked out of their home. They had been gone for the day in Pennsylvania…their home had a couple of showings in their absence…and apparently someone had unwittingly locked the door from the garage into the house. Could I give them the lockbox code to get in?

Well, no I couldn’t because – as you may know – our lockboxes in Anne Arundel county require a special electronic key. No problem, I assured them: I’ll just update my key, drive over and open the door. I didn’t dawdle: they have young children. I once did, also, and I knew that after a long drive the novelty of sitting outside your locked house singing yet another round of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall would wear thin quickly.

I arrived, let them in, and – after exchanging a few quick regrets – was gone in about 2 minutes.

And that would have been that – all in a Realtor day’s work, you know. Except for the fact that our client stopped by our office this week, unexpectedly, to express his gratitude for driving 20 minutes to let his family in on a Sunday evening. He then handed us a gift card to our favorite restaurant.

I can’t tell you how touched we were by this expression of gratitude.

Real estate can be a demanding business. We help navigate our clients – buyers and sellers – through transactions that can be complicated, protracted and emotionally draining. Managing frayed nerves, raw emotions and disappointment come with the job.

As does – on occasion – a great big unexpected thank you.

]]> http://annapolishomedigest.com/2010/02/27/when-clients-go-above-and-beyond/feed/ 0 http://annapolishomedigest.com/2010/01/09/annapolis-real-estate-2010-ten-trends-and-predictions/ http://annapolishomedigest.com/2010/01/09/annapolis-real-estate-2010-ten-trends-and-predictions/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:37:05 +0000 Ken http://annapolishomedigest.com/?p=589 Wondering What the Annapolis Real Estate Market is Going to Do in 2010? So Are We

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” – Yogi Berra

I’ve spent the last couple of hours – more time than I should have – reading what every blogger and apparent expert thinks the real estate market is going to do in 2010. Some of it is rosy, like stabilizing prices and strong sales. Some it much less so: predictions of many more foreclosures and higher interest rates.

I have no idea whether or not they’re right: most of these things happen WAY above my pay grade. But we – The Moss Haedrich Team - do have our boots in the trenches selling real estate here in the Annapolis area. We notice things, we see trends, so we thought perhaps you’d like to hear about some of the trends we’ve spotted for 2010.

1. Sellers doing less costly improvements. And why not? Why put five grand into replacing kitchen cabinets when a fresh coat of paint will spiff them up just fine? We just listed a home where the seller did just that. They look beautiful. It’s still crucial to make a home look fab prior to a sale. But sellers are getting smart about where they put their dollars in these equity-squeezed times.

2. An early spring market. Maybe because we’re already so busy. Unless we get some terrible weather in the next couple of months, it should be a very active first quarter. First-time and buy-up buyers can get their tax credits if they have a contract by April, so the early rush is on.

3. Buyers getting started earlier with their searches. Each month we talk to about 150 new potential home buyers. It’s not unusual to hear that they’re still 12+ months out on a purchase. They’re researching the market thoroughly, watching home sales and figuring our where the value is. Today’s home buyer is very well educated and they’re using the internet – and Realtors – to help get the information they need.

4. Speaking of Realtors, they’ll continue to be fewer of them – here in Anne Arundel county and everywhere else. The real estate business has changed dramatically in the last few years. It’s become more competitive, technology-driven, and there’s little room for those who haven’t kept up. More and more part timers and dabblers are getting our of the business altogether.

5. The home office is king. Our buyers want them, often two of them. Makes sense: the Great Recession has found more and more people starting businesses and working from home. If you’re selling a home, stage an extra bedroom as a sleek home office.

6. Excellent deals in new construction. We can’t believe what some of the spec and model homes are selling for in the Annapolis area. These subdivisions are dying for occupancy; they’re making great deals and throwing in all sorts of upgrades to get you in. Our new construction buyers are some of the happiest buyers out there.

7. Incredible deals at the high end of the market. This is the slowest segment of the market. Many of these homes have been sitting on the market for more than a year. The prices have nowhere to go but down.

8. First floor master suites and elevators. A lot of today’s baby boomers don’t spring up the steps the way we used to. First floor masters and elevators are hot with many of our buyers.

9. In-law suites. Another sign of the recession: combined households. We just sold a home in Edgewater that had a very large in-law suite, complete with kitchen, bedroom, living room and home office. Potential buyers flocked to see it.

10. Less infatuation among buyers for short sales. Short sale buyers often think they’re going to get a steal. Quite often, they’re getting nothing but frustration. It can takes months to get an answer from a bank about an offer. Buyers are getting fed up.

They’ve actually done surveys to get the public’s opinion about how real estate agents measure up against other professionals. The results, I have to tell you, are not pretty if you’re one of us: in the public’s eye, we rank right up there with used car salesmen.

In our defense, being a Realtor is not an easy job. The hours and demands are many. Still, there’s no excuse for certain behaviors, as I mention here. Have a look, and let me know what you think.

That’s the question everyone wants to know the answer to: has the market stabilized? Realtors hear it all the time, but any Realtor who pretends to know the answer is probably telling you something you want to hear.

Which is not to say there’s no reason for optimism both nationally and locally.

The Case-Shiller Home Price Indices released on July 28th showed home values up in 15 of its 20 tracked US markets – the first period of broad growth in home prices in 34 months. (Though on a year-over-year basis, home prices nationally are still down 17%.)

By comparison, the average home sale price in Anne Arundel County during the last 12 months is down 10.82%. That stings, but it’s a far sight better than the national average. And more good news: compared to July of ‘08, July ‘09 saw 491 homes sold in our county – an increase of nearly 20%.

People without jobs or in fear of losing one don’t typically buy homes. Here in Anne Arundel County we’ve seen a jobless rate increase of 2.8% since June of last year. But at 6.9% we are still below the national unemployment rate of 9.4% – yet another plus for the Annapolis real estate market.

So, has the Annapolis real estate market stabilized?

I think we can be guardedly encouraged by the data, so long as we don’t forget that all real estate markets are local – often down to the micro (street) level…and that home values will always reflect that.

Too, we have to accept the fact that it’s impossible to predict how events that play out on the national and world stage will impact our local market.

Data, market trends, statistics – these are important tools we use to guide buyers and sellers who work with us at The Moss Haedrich Team, to help them make good decisions.

For Most of Us, Real Estate Transactions Engage Not Just the Head, But the Heart, Too

“Waiting for the market to stabilize” makes sense, but trying to time the real estate market – like trying to time any market – is risky and may come with a price.

Sure, you don’t have to make that move to San Diego. But what have you gained if you wait 5 years to sell, hoping for the market to recover, only to miss the first 5 years of your grandchild’s life? Or – what if you wait to buy a home until prices slide a little lower, only to find yourself able to afford less home because interest rates have taken a jump?

These are all pieces of the real estate puzzle that need to be factored in when you’re considering a move.

If you’re confused about whether or not this is a good time to make a real estate move, give us a call. We’ll sit down with you, listen to your story and help you to sort things out so you can decide what makes sense for you. No pressure, no obligation. I can be reached at 410-507-7222 or by email at KenHaedrich@gmail.com.

People often ask us how we’ve managed to sell so many homes in this very tough market.

It’s simple: we know how to price a home and make it look irresistible. And we know the sorts of things buyers need to hear.

Here’s a video of one script we use that’s proven to be quite effective. Enjoy. And if you’d like to hear about the other tools we use to get your home sold, just give me a call at 410-507-7222. We’d love to show you how we can help.

We parted ways with a seller client recently.

These things are never easy, though there was a time when it would have been much harder than it was: the longer you’re in this business, the more you realize you simply can’t help everyone.

Ours was much pretty much a straightforward case of an overpriced listing in a range that is VERY price sensitive. Miss the mark by a little bit and you won’t get showings. Or you’ll get them, but only from a clever agent who’s out to demonstrate the value of ANOTHER home to her buyer client (we do this all the time with our own buyers.)

Miss it by a lot, and the silence of the market will be deafening. Which is precisely what was happening.

It’s perplexing how, even with the market correction and the economy on unstable footing, homeowners will cling to the hope of a sales price that they “could have gotten” – or a neighbor did get – three years ago.

That Market No Longer Exists

Today’s market is buyer driven and ruthlessly value focused. The buyer pool is smaller, money is tighter and neither buyers  - nor their agents – will so much glance at a home if it’s not priced to sell and in excellent condition. Make an offer on an overpriced home? Why bother, when you can make a better offer on one that’s priced to sell?

What sellers don’t often realize is that even if – by some strange fluke – a buyer WAS willing to pay more than market value for their home, no lender is going to finance it if the home does not appraise. And you can rest assured that it will not.

I wish it would have worked out with these sellers, I really do. But real estate agents are marketers and market experts, not miracle workers. We analyze market data for our clients, present and discuss their options and – ultimately – trust that the facts will guide our clients to do the right thing. For the most part, that’s the way it works out. Occasionally, it does not.

You – or someone you know – has a home for sale and you’re wondering why it’s just languishing there on the real estate vine while other homes are being plucked off like ripe fruit by willing buyers.

There might be any number of reasons why, and it’s time you identified them and got your home IN – not just ON – the market. Maybe watching this video will help.

If you have any questions at all about Annapolis area real estate, or would like to offer feedback about this video or any post on this blog, feel free to call me, Ken Haedrich, at 410-507-7222. Or send me an email at kenhaedrich@gmail.com. Thanks for watching.

(To view the video, click on the link that immediately follows, then click on the video’s play button.)

Are you selling your Annapolis home, or at least thinking about it? If so, I’ll bet you’re wondering about open houses…whether or not they work (something I’ll talk about in an upcoming video)…and the dreaded Nosey Neighbors.

Frankly, you needn’t be concerned – at least that’s what we tell our sellers. Watch this video to find out why.

If you want to talk to me – Ken Haedrich – about the nosey neighbors, selling a home or buying one in the Annapolis area, just call me at 410-507-7222 or email me at KenHaedrich@gmail.com. We have a great team and we’d love to help you.

(To watch the video, click on the highlighted link that immediately follows, then click the video’s play button.)