What Should You Ask When Interviewing a Realtor in Maryland?

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 Today's topic is an important one if you plan on buying or selling in the Maryland area anytime soon. How can you determine whether a Realtor is any good? It's a great question that we'll try to answer here today. Here are the top 10 questions to ask to ensure you're getting what you deserve:

1. How long have you been a Realtor? Real estate isn't easy - you need to work with someone who has worked in the good times as well as the bad, so they know how to navigate the waters of any given situation. 
2. Are You Full Time? This job is hard to do on a part-time basis.
3. What areas do you cover? You want to ensure your agent is familiar with your area and your community.
4. How many homes did you sell last year? I mean YOU, not your brokerage!
5. What is your list-to-sell ratio vs. the county average? This will tell you how well your agent knows the market and how to price homes effectively.
6. How long on average does it take you to sell a home vs. the county? This number will also tell you whether they know how to price listings, as well as whether they will be able to sell your home in the amount of time you're looking for.
7. Why should I hire you? Hopefully the agent has given this some thought and can tell you what makes them unique. 
8. What is your marketing strategy? At the end of the day, you need to feel comfortable that the agent's marketing plan is going  to get your home sold. 
9. Are you a solo agent or do you work on a team? What is your responsibility, and what is your team's responsibility? If your agent is working alone, find out how much business they are doing and whether they can juggle the many different aspects of the process effectively. 
10. Can you give me some examples of your problem-solving ability? This will be a good one because it is going to catch the Realtor by surprise, and you can watch them problem-solve on the spot!

Outside of asking your Realtor questions up front, you can always Google them to see if they have a strong online presence. Their testimonials and reviews will tell you a lot about the agent! Bottom line: make sure you do your due diligence before hiring an agent! 

If you have questions about how we can help, give us a call or shoot us a quick email at any time, we would love to hear from you!

An Amazing Opportunity for 1st Time Home Buyers

There are many great Anne Arundel County area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for an in-depth overview of the selling process. You may also call me at (410) 320-6551 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

Today we are talking about a very cool program for 1st time home buyers in Maryland, and we have invited Mike Archer from First Home Mortgage to talk about it.

The program is called the Maryland Home Credit and it offers 1st time home buyers up to $2,000 in tax credit. The state of Maryland is offering a credit of up to 25% of the interest that the buyer pays over the course of the year. The credit will continue for the life of the loan so you could save as much as $60,000 over the course of a 30-yr mortgage.

This program is in its infancy. It was just released on July 1, and so far it's a helpful program that needs a little bit more exposure. The lack of promotion for a great opportunity like this is probably due to the fact that there are currently only 5 lenders that are qualified to participate in this program. If you are talking to a non-participating lender, chances are you won't hear about this incredible chance to save a substantial amount on your mortgage payments. If you are looking to purchase your first home, this definitely isn't an opportunity to let pass you by.
 

Just give us a call if you have any questions about the program and we will get you taken care of.

First Time Home Buyers in Maryland are Eligible for a $5,000 Grant

There are many great Anne Arundel County area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Value Report so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (512) 590-0850 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

I have invited a special guest today from First Home Mortgage. Mike Archer is here to explain a tremendous home loan program designed for first-time home buyers in Maryland.

Maryland Mortgage Program

This mortgage program is designed for first-time home buyers, although you can be a repeat buyer if you're purchasing in a targeted area (Baltimore areas and across the Bay Bridge). The primary benefit of this program is that Maryland will offer a $5,000 grant towards the buyer's closing costs, and it can be applied to the FHA's minimum down payment. So, it can actually apply to down payments and closing costs. 

Through this program you are able to do a conventional loan, an FHA loan, or a VA loan. Right now everyone is talking about the 3% down conventional loan, so you're getting a lower down payment option on a good loan with reduced mortgage insurance. The state of Maryland has negotiated reduced premiums for first-time Maryland home buyers. 

Within this program are many other sub-programs. I will go into detail on two of these important ones.

1. Builder Match Program: If you're buying new construction and the builder is partnered with CDA, the state will offer the $5,000 dollar grant plus an additional $2,500!
2. Disabled Veterans Program: This program is brand new, and offers disabled veterans a 3% fixed rate for 30 years, as well as the $5,000 dollar grant.

So if you know any first time home buyers or veterans that would be able to take advantage of this program, be sure to contact me. Also, if you would like to discuss Maryland real estate, please contact me at (443) 270-5093 or email me at diane@tdgmoves.com