ONLINE RELOCATION PACKAGE

If you prefer high-speed on the water, you probably prefer power boats over sail.  Then again, maybe you just don't want to have to depend on a breeze to even move on the water, to get from one place to another.

The Annual Fall Power Boat Show in Annapolis, Oct. 11-14, will offer you plenty of options - all power, and all new.

Thursday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Press/VIP Day($30)
Friday-Saturday, Oct. 12-13, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

General admission tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for children under 12.  You can order your tickets online or purchase them on-site.

Spend the day boarding and inspecting new power boats, and take advantage of the opportunity to learn about financing, insurance, electronics and anything else you could ever want to know about power-boating including:

• Power boats ranging from racers and catamarans to trawlers, houseboats and yachts
• The latest navigation technology
• Boating products, accessories, equipment and gear
• Information about services such as marinas, insurance and maintenance

Do you want to live near the water?

There are more than a thousand homes on the market in Anne Arundel County that are located on the water or with water access.  Prices range from the $200.000's to $16 million dollars - surely there's one that's right for you and your boat.  If you would like to look at some of those properties while you're in the area for the Power Boat Show, contact Margaret Woda for a list of available homes in your price range, including addresses, prices, and maps.

NOTE:  The Annual Sailboat Show takes place a week earlier at the Annapolis Harbor

If it's fall, it must be time again for (drum roll, please)...  

THE ANNUAL SAILBOAT SHOW AT THE ANNAPOLIS HARBOR - A tradition since 1970, when it opened as the first in-water sailboat show.  The boats are all new, and all "sail" - power boats will have their own exclusive show a week later. 

Annapolis is known as "Sailing Capitol of the World" - and you'll see why October 4-8, as the city is overtaken by sailors and those of us who just like to soak in the ambiance.

Boat show schedule and tickets:

• Thursday, Oct. 4 - Press/Trade/V.I.P.  (Tickets $30)
• Friday-Sunday -  Oct. 5, 6 and 7, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

You can order your tickets online, or purchase them on-site:  Adults $15 and Children under 12 $8.  Parking is available at the U.S. Naval Academy stadium, off Rowe Boulevard, with shuttle buses to downtown Annapolis.

Here's what to expect, if you've never been to this event before:

• The "hottest new racing and cruising boats"
• Boats of all sizes, ranging from dinghies and inflatables to trailerable day-sailors and yachts fit for a king
• The world's largest multi-hull displays
• How-to seminars, Thursday-Sunday
• Sailing equipment, rigging, accessories and maintenance products/services

Weekend days are when you'll really feel "electricity" in the air, but Friday and Monday are good days for serious shoppers.  In fact, we bought our first sailboat on a Monday, a small day-sailor that the vendor just didn't want to haul back home, so we got a GREAT deal.

The Sailboat Show is a no-brainer, if you're already a sailor or interested in becoming one.  But even if you're NOT, this is a fun way to spend a fall day... mingling with the sailors while you visit Annapolis restaurants, scenic Main Street, and the historic colonial sites of Maryland's state capitol.

For more information and photos of past boat shows, visit the official website of the Annapolis Boat Shows - and be sure to mark your calendar.  This is one of those things that you just won't experience in most other parts of the country, so come and enjoy!

Live near the water! 

There are 435 waterfront homes for sale in Anne Arundel County as of 9/23/07, ranging from an Annapolis condo for $275,000 to a $16 million dollar 8-year old home on 45 acres, and everything in between.  If you would like to check out some of them while you're visiting Annapolis for the Boat Show, Contact Margaret Woda for a list of homes and condos on the market, including detailed descriptions, prices and maps.

NOTE:  This is an entry in the ActiveRain Buyer Challenge - While these buyers are fictional, the facts about Crofton, Maryland, would interest most people relocating to the area.

Dear Michelle and Tom:

Welcome to Maryland!  Tom's new job at the National Security Agency sounds like an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  I'm sure that's a very competitive position and a great honor for you to be selected.  Congratulations!

It is an honor for me, as well, to help with your relocation to Maryland.  Let's get started right away by focusing on the top three reasons Crofton is a good match for you, based on the priorities Michelle mentioned in her email - location, community, and availability of affordable 4-bedroom, 2 bath homes with 1200-2400 sq. ft., within walking distance of elementary school for your two children.

1.  CROFTON IS 30 MINUTES TO EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO GO - 

You know what they say about the most important things in real estate - Location, Location, and Location.  When the traffic gods are smiling, Crofton is only about 30 minutes to NSA, Annapolis, Baltimore's I-695, D.C.'s I-495 and BWI Airport.  As an Air Force retiree, Tom, you and your family will enjoy the resources of several nearby military bases within an hour of Crofton:  The U.S. Naval Academy, Ft. Meade, Andrews AFB, National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Walter Reed, and even the Pentagon.  If you accept the job offer in D.C., Michelle, in addition to driving, you have the option of taking the MARC train from Odenton or METRO-Rail from New Carrollton.

Aside from commuting time, you'll appreciate Crofton's location for its convenience to the museums, monuments, professional sports teams, and arts venues in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis, not to mention sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.   Michelle, I know you're wondering about shopping - Annapolis Mall is just 15 minutes away, but groceries and other everyday shopping needs will be met without leaving Crofton.  Your kids will probably be glad to learn that the Atlantic Ocean is only about 2 hours east of Crofton - close enough for a day trip or weekend.  You'll find links to many of these in my Crofton Area Resource Guide.

2.  LIVING IN CROFTON IS A LOT LIKE LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN - 

It's no surprise to anyone in Crofton to see our community listed in Money Magazine's 2007 Top 100 Best Places to Live.  You'll soon see why! 

American flags fly over Crofton Parkway, mounted on light posts above the many walkers, joggers, runners and bikers that travel its 3.5 mile route.  Flowering cherry trees line some of the streets, creating a spectacular splash of spring color.  Holiday wreathes magically appear on windows, doors and light posts at the Crofton Village Green (with a little help from the Crofton Village Garden Club).  

Crofton residents enjoy many annual traditions such as Spring and Fall crafts fairs, free summer concerts on the Village Green, the Tour de Crofton bike race, Santa's arrival and Christmas tree lighting, and parades for Halloween, Armed Forces Day, and Opening Day for the youth baseball season...  There are ongoing community activities for every age and interest including organized athletics, scouts, garden clubs, civic organizations, service groups...   Recreation facilities include two golf courses, tennis courts, parks, playgrounds... There are several places of worship, small businesses, medical offices, shopping centers, restaurants and a recently-built library...  No chance of getting bored, when you live in Crofton!

And yes, your children will probably walk to elementary school from their Crofton home!  There is a middle school in Crofton, as well, but your children will have a short school bus ride due to the school being on a busy street.  (Link to Anne Arundel County Public Schools)

CROFTON PHOTOS:  Inside the Crofton Gates and Outside the Crofton Gates

3.  YES, YOU CAN AFFORD A CROFTON HOME -

While home prices are higher in the D.C. area than Little Rock, where you are now, Crofton is lower than the Travis AFB area, your duty station prior to retiring from the Air Force.   I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how low Anne Arundel County property taxes are, too - as much as $100 less per month than other nearby Maryland and Virginia counties for a home in your price range.  This difference enables you to spend more for your Crofton home while still keeping your monthly payments affordable.

I think many of those sticker-shock stories about the D.C. area are based on Northern Virginia home prices.  Crofton is a place where you can still find a detached home in the $400 thousands.  Given the nature of today's buyer's market, Michelle and Tom, it is highly likely that many of them are negotiable.

Here are three Crofton homes that I plan to show you, assuming they're still available when you arrive. 

• BEST MATCH:   1736 Trent Street- $467,950.  I think you will enjoy life in "Old Crofton", the heart of the community and its many activities, walking distance to Crofton Woods Elementary, Crofton Country Club, Crofton Swim and Tennis Club and Swann Park.  This one-level home has everything you're looking for including 4 large bedrooms, 2 baths, a famiy room with fireplace, screened porch, updated baths and kitchen, and beautiful 11,482 sq. ft. treed corner lot.
  
• BEST VALUE:   1424 Knights Bridge Turn- $449,000.  No mortgage payments for the first three months on this awesome designer-decorated home, just reduced $12,000.  This colonial style 2-story home features 4 bedroom, 2.5 baths, wood floors, upgrades everywhere, tile flooring in baths, family room with brick fireplace and slider to the patio, and a large 9,957 sq. foot treed level lot.  Crofton Woods Elementary, Crofton Country Club, Crofton Swim and Tennis Club and Swann Park are just a bike ride away.
  
• BEST PRICE:   1737 Linkwood Lane- $420,000.  This split-foyer style 4-bedroom 2 bath home, situated on a 7,176 sq. ft. lot, features a beautiful 18x36 in-ground pool and Loi pond, but just one garage.  There are lots of upgrades including recent HVAC, fireplace liner, and leafless gutters/downspouts.  Other updates include ceramic tile throughout the lower level and updated kitchens/baths.  Your children will walk to Crofton Meadows Elementary School and Crofton Library from this home.

Click on this link for a sneak preview of other homes for sale in Crofton, including photos, prices and brief descriptions.  

CROFTON PHOTOS:  Homes (An online tour of the neighborhood, but these homes are not for sale)

I look forward to introducing the Snyder family to some of your future neighbors when you visit next month.  In the meantime, be sure to check out Focus on Crofton, for my blogs about Crofton News, Events, Businesses, People and Real Estate.   

A list of other real estate professionals who may have a role in your home purchase is attached, in case you want to contact them before you arrive for house hunting.   See you soon - I'm eager to meet you and get started!

Sincerely,

Margaret Woda
Associate Broker, RE/MAX Vision

P.S.  I almost forgot to mention the "BRAC Factor" - 

Thanks to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Report, 22,000 new jobs are expected in the next five years at Ft. Meade.  This is great news for your Crofton home's future property value, since there will be huge demand for a limited supply of nearby homes!

Relocating to the Baltimore-Washington area?  Check out Your Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

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ATTACHMENT -

Since you're new to the area, I'm providing you some local contacts who have served my clients well in the past - mortgage lenders, real estate and title attorneys, insurance agents and home inspectors.   Maryland law is very clear that the choice cannot be dictated by me or any home seller, including builders.  Therefore, this list is provided as a service for your convenience, and is not intended as a referral to or recommendation of these companies or individuals.

Mortgage Lenders:

• FNMC Mortgage, Chris Washburn
• Wells Fargo Mortgage, David Wilhelm
• 1st Metropolitan Mortgage, Lou Colletti

Real Estate and Title Attorneys:

• Capitol Title, Kim Williams
• Village Green Title, Ed White
• Vintage Settlement Services, Barry DesRoches

Insurance:

• Nationwide, Ed Reilly
• Allstate, Dennis Stackhouse
• State Farm, Alicia Popham

Home Inspectors:

• Amerispec, Chris Hanson
• The Home Biz, Jim Schreiber
• Showalter Property Consultants, Stephen Showalter

It sounds simple enough... Between June 14 and September 3, catch one of the 63 specially tagged stripped bass known as "Diamond Jim" to win a cash prize or any of the 60 specified species in waterways statewide to win other prizes. 

The Maryland Department of Natural Resource's 2007 Maryland Fishing Challenge is the third annual event intended to promote recreational fishing and promote Maryland as a great destination for sport fishing.  224 anglers across the state did catch citation-worthy fish in Maryland's mountain streams, the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays and the Atlantic Ocean. 

Now they are eligible for a drawing at the finale on September 22 at Sandy Point State Park to win one of two grand prizes - a 2007 Toyota Tundra 4x4 pick-up truck from Central Atlantic Toyota or a 591 Nitro boat with a 115 HP Mercury outboard and a trailer from Bass Pro Shops. 

It turns out that catching "Diamond Jim", to win a cash prize AND possibly a $5,000 diamond from Smyth Jewelers or a $5,000 merchandise certificate from Boater's World, was not so easy after all.  The 63 specially-tagged "Diamond Jim" stripped bass remain free.

Congratulations to all the anglers who qualified for the 2007 Fishing Tournament Grand Prizes.

Anyone who arrives at Sandy Springs State Park on Sept. 22 and registers by 9:30 a.m. will have a chance to win dozens of door prizes including a two-day speed boat rental, two-day pontoon boat rental, two-family fishing tours, gift cards, rods, reels, a depth finder, and other fishing equipment valued at more than $5,000, donated by Bill's Outdoor Center in Oakland. 

Live on or near the water.

If you love fishing and would like to live on or near the water, there has never been a better time to make that happen.  In Anne Arundel County alone, there are more than 400 waterfront properties on the market at this time.  For a list of waterfront, waterview, and water access properties for sale in your price range, contact Margaret Woda.  The list will include property addresses, prices, descriptions and maps.

THINKING ABOUT SELLING YOUR HOME? 

I'm sure you realize there's more to selling your home than putting a sign in the yard and showing off your home improvements to eager buyers.  Just to make sure you have all your bases covered, here are twelve questions to ask yourself before you decide to sell without a real estate agent:

1.  What are your specific measurable goals?  Be sure to write them down and prioritize them.

2.  What is today's interest rate for a home like yours?  Estimate the likely house payment for your home so you can qualify prospective buyers before allowing them into your home.

3.  Name at least ten factors that could affect the sale of your home?  Highlight/circle five that you CAN control.

4.  What price and terms will give you a competitive edge in the marketplace?  Know the addresses, prices and terms of homes currently on the market and the five most recent sales near your home; evaluate market trends for 3-6 months in your area.

5.  What will your bottom line be after the payoff and all selling expenses are paid?  Remember to add interest in arrears to your mortgage payoff amount.

6.  What five factors must you address to prepare your home for showing and selling?   If you need help from professional contractors, be sure to make arrangements well in advance of putting your property on the market.

7.  How will buyers gain access to your property when you are not home?  Buyers want to see your home at THEIR convenience, not yours. 

B.  How will qualified buyers know your home is for sale?  Name at least ten methods of gaining exposure for your home?  Highlight/circle those you plan to implement and establish a marketing budget.

9.  Who will handle incoming buyer inquiries?  Showings? Follow-up? Negotiating?  Have security safeguards in place when showing your home to strangers.

10. Name at least ten conditions that must be satisfied between contract and settlement.  Finding a buyer is only the beginning, so try to anticipate problems before they arise.  Getting your sale to settlement is the real challenge of any home sale.  

11. Name five essential steps you will address to prepare your home for sale.  Delegate assignments to family members for last-minute preparations prior to showings.

12. How does the Federal Fair Housing Act affect you and your home sale?  Know the seven protected classes and which housing is covered under the Act.  (Be aware that Fair Housing "testers" sometimes masquerade as prospective home buyers to catch violators.)

BONUS QUESTION:

If your home does not sell in the first thirty days, will you cancel your plans and stay in your current home?  If "not selling" is an option, determine your Plan B in advance.  If you must sell, lower pricing is your likely solution.

SCORING:

• If you answer fewer than 8 - You need professional help!
• If you answer 9-11 - You're ready to get started, but you need Margaret's help
• If you answer all 12 - You're a real estate pro!  Have you ever considered a career in real estate?

Woda's Words of Wisdom is a series based on these 12 questions.  Look for it at FocusOnCrofton.com and Localism.com.

Copyright 2007.  All rights reserved.  Margaret Woda  (If you would like permission to use this in your business, just ask!)

Take a look at this seating chart for Comcast Center, the basketball arena at University of Maryland.  You'll notice a lot of pretty colors, each representing a more or less desirable section for seating, a wide range of prices, and different expectations.

It's a little like the real estate arena, don't you think?  Consumers can reserve a seat in the "purple"section at a lower price, knowing before they step foot into Comcast that they saved a lot of money over those people who are sitting court-side to watch the very same basketball game.  The question is this:  "Where's YOUR agent... front row or nosebleed section?  It's important to know so your expectations are realistic.

If you want to the best possible experience in today's real estate market, I have a seat reserved for you in the V.I.P. section.  If you "just" want to see the game, and you don't mind sitting in a discount or limited view seat, you can probably find scalpers in the parking lot who are more than willing to sell you a ticket.  But don't expect to have the same view of the game or to savor the experience quite as much.  Your choice of seats at this game will make a difference!

'Hope you enjoyed my tongue-in-cheek analogy.  Please contact me for more information about what you can expect as one of my clients.

Your real estate connection for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, Northrop Grumman, BWI and the U.S. Naval Academy 

When our now-grown children were in elementary and middle school, we bought seasons tickets to University of Maryland football games, hoping they would have so much fun they would want to go to UMD.  We knew that in-state tuition would make college more affordable for us and them some day, and they would be more likely to graduate without college loans by going there rather than an out-of-state college or university.

The results of our long-term efforts:  two out of three became Terps.  The third had an athletic scholarship to an out-of state school.  Our outings to Terps games provided hours of family time we all enjoyed for years... in fact, my husband and I still hold seasons tickets and continue going, even though our "kids" are grown and long-gone.

Now there is another way to expose your children to Maryland athletics, the Junior Terps Club.  As Junior Terps, they will receive:

• An Official Junior Terps Membership Card.
• An E-Birthday Card from Testudo.
• Four issues of the Junior Terps Tales E-Newsletter each year.
• Special giveways, including T-shirts (while supplies last), at special Junior Terps Club Events for each of the following sports: Field Hockey, Volleyball, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Women's Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Men's Lacrosse, and Women's Lacrosse.
• Free tickets to designated home games for men and women's soccer, men and women's lacrosse home game, a baseball home game, a women's basketball home game

I think it's worth checking out if you prefer the idea of in-state over out-of-state or private university tuition.  For more information you can just email jrterps@umd.edu or call 301-314-7162.  It's FREE, so why not?

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Relocating to the Baltimore-Washington area?  Check out Your Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

Find a Home and learn about Real Estate Market Conditions in Odenton and Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  Check out Today's Rates, use the free Mortgage Calculator, and watch a brief video about the Power of RE/MAX.  These consumer-friendly real estate tools are provided by Margaret Woda for you to use at your own pace. 

When you're ready to go from "just browsing" to "let's get serious", contact Margaret online or call her at RE/MAX Vision in Crofton Maryland. 410-451-1900