Anne Arundel County Maryland Real Estate Video Blog with Diane Donnelly: March 2014

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.

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!
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

Spring Cleaning: 4 Tips for Properly Staging Your Home!

When preparing your home for sale, keep in mind that the ultimate goals of staging are to make your home feel as large as possible, as bright and “airy” as possible and to appeal to the masses. To stage your home properly, I’ve out lined four simple steps that you can follow:

De-clutter. If you don’t need it in the home before you move, take it out! Place your extra items at a friend’s house, storage unit or P.O.D.
Neutralize your home. If you have dark walls or different colored carpet throughout your house, make the change immediately – it’s significant! This could include painting your walls tan, not white (it is too stark and too cold), and keep your carpet tan as well.
Maximize curb appeal. This means your lawn has to be mowed at all times, edge the corners of the lawn and trim the bushes back and avoid them from feeling overcrowded.
Review comparable home sales. Inventory homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood and find out what they have done to stage their homes. Apply those techniques to your home!

I have many more ideas that I would love to share with you! If you want more information or have any questions, please feel free to call or email me. Thanks and have a great day!

How to Appeal to Buyers When Pricing Your Home

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 Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. 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.

With a spring market approaching here in Annapolis, I'm going to cover a topic that's going to be important as the real estate market warms up. If you're selling your home, the most important thing you can do to sell it quickly and efficiently is to price it correctly.

Think Like a Buyer or an Appraiser When Pricing

It is not the seller who determines the value of a property. A home is only as valuable as a buyer or appraiser makes it out to be. You have to keep this in mind when pricing your home because you're not the one determining the value. Here are a few thing I suggest for you to do in the process of pricing your property. These suggestions are very similar to the process that appraisers go through when pricing a property.

Analyze the Recent Market for a Comparative Price: To get an idea of what your property might be worth, you need to look back at all the properties that sold in the last 6 months and determine how your property compares to them.

You need to take into account the size, location, and features that your home offers.

Weigh the Pros and Cons: Simply put - what does your property offer that other ones do not?

You have to remember to be honest with yourself about what your home does and does not offer, because when buyers do this with their agents, they're not going to be cutting any slack in comparing your home to others.

Mistakes to Avoid

Estimating Your Value Based on What You Owe: What you owe on your home has no relation to the price that it should be listed at. Neither the appraiser nor the buyer will consider this, and you shouldn't either.
Using the Tax Assessment for Pricing: You might be tempted to compare the value of your home to the price listed on your tax assessment, but that is not an accurate way to gauge the price of your home. Prices have changed dramatically within the last 8 years and the tax assessment is not a valid tool to determine the value of your home.
Overpricing: Do not price high and then go low. This could cost you lots of money, as buyers will not even consider your property if this happens. Find a nice, attractive value to avoid pricing yourself out of the market.

The best advice I can give you to price your home is to look at the listings for comparable properties within the last 6 months because this is what appraisers and buyers will also be doing. However, your best bet would be to consult with me to accurately gauge a price for your home. Also, if you need any assistance buying or selling real estate in Annapolis, I can be reached at (443) 270-5093 or email me at diane@tdgmoves.com

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Why Hire The Diane Donnelly Group to Sell Your Home?

The Donnelly Group Testimonials

Click to hear recent
testimonials from happy clients

Joann - "It wasn’t just a piece of property for them, they understood everything that was going on for me and provided wonderful service.”

Yvonne - "She had wonderful communication and that definitely sets them apart from the rest."

Isabel - "Diane really has the magic touch! She sold our home in 16 days when we were panic stricken to get the deal through. She calmed us down and made us feel that everything was going to be okay. Hire them, you won’t regret it!"

Randy - "The Donnelly Group is very proactive and creative in terms of putting the word out about your home. They always got back to me to answer any questions I had and did what it took to get my house sold. They’re a great team and I’d highly recommend them!"

Patricia - "Having not gone through the experience in a long time, I was very impressed with how professional, helpful, and accessible the Donnelly Group was. They’d answer calls when I had concerns and always had time for me. They were incredibly patient, informative, and reassuring. I’d recommend them to anyone!"

Carrie - "We’re actually still working with the Donnelly Group. We’re still in the process of purchasing a home through them, but in the sale of our home we met with Diane and she came over to the house and helped us find comparables. She actually sold the house for more than we intended on so we’re pretty happy with the experience."

Rodney - "I was very happy with what the Donnelly Group did for me. They went above and beyond in every aspect. The put together a nice slideshow of the home, a virtual tour, and all of that stuff so those who were looking online would get a better view of the home inside and out."

Lucas - "The entire process was very positive. My Realtor really knew the ins and outs of the real estate game. The level of service I received as a first time home buyer was just fantastic. They were really able to get an idea of what we were looking for and helped us find the right place."

Michael - "We were able to sell my home in 9 days and then they also helped me navigate the purchase of my next home without any flaws. They even sent us a professional stager and a professional photographer to help us prepare the home for sale which we really appreciated. It ended up selling for the highest price in the neighborhood!"

John - "The Donnelly Group was aces from beginning to end! We were referred to her because our previous agent wasn’t performing up to her abilities. Everything was great from beginning to end and she sold our house pretty quickly! It sold in about 7 days when the other agent had it for 3-4 months. Dianne would give her advice but we didn’t have to follow it and she always kept us informed of exactly what was going on."

Nadine - "I felt very good about the whole experience. I think they were very professional and Tricia Roe would always answer my calls and if I left her a voice mail, which I don’t think I had to, she’d immediately call me back. It was the same with emails, they were just so responsive! I was just very pleased with the whole experience!"

Tracey -"We listed my daughter’s house with them, and within two weeks it had sold. The situation was that my daughter’s husband had died, so it was a very emotional and difficult time for her. At one point we had a contract written, and the family found out that her husband had died in the home. They asked for a $15,000 reduction in the sales price because of that. Diane was very respectful and professional when she told us that information, and she was very supportive of our decision not to proceed with that contract. I would recommend Diane’s group at any time. They stayed on top of everything and did an awesome job."

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"I Specialize In These Anne Arundel County Areas..."

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

Spring Cleaning: 4 Tips for Properly Staging Your Home!

How to Appeal to Buyers When Pricing Your Home