mdrealestateblog.com

Cell phone signals go up and down as indicated by the number of "bars" the phone shows. The more bars the stronger the signal to the cell tower, and the greatest chance of a clear call that doesn't get dropped.

My home office was good for anywhere from one to five bars. Starting today, my entire house is 5 bars...all the time.

Did AT&T increase their towers in my area. No, but I did by purchasing and installing a 3G MicroCell antenna. The antenna is connected to my router actually and propagates a cell tower signal to the antenna in my home office. Pretty simple really. Just connect it to the router, plug it in and program up to 4 AT&T mobile phone numbers on their website.

Take a look at the upper left hand corner of the picture and you'll see that I'm connected to my own MicroCell. If I walk outside, it automatically re-connects to an AT&T tower.

On this one I also bought an unlimited calling plan for $20/month. As long as the calls originate on my MicroCell, they don't count towards my cell phone plan minutes. The actual hardware was $100, with a $100 rebate if I also purchased the unlimited calling plan. No two year contract required either.

This is well worth the purchase to have 5 bars 24/7 in the house. I've been waiting for this technology to come along.

Fort George G. Meade, also home of the NSA, is the largest employer in Anne Arundel County, MD. Currently, there are approximately 36,000 employees at Ft. Meade. This number is expected to grow much larger over the next few years as a result of the 2000 Base Realignment and Closure initiative. BRAC is expected to add an additional 22,000 jobs to Ft. Meade in the coming years.

Incoming employees to the area often look for homes with a relatively short commute to Ft. Meade. The map below shows three communities with a commute that should be under fifteen minutes.

Crofton, Odenton and Severn, MD are all located in Anne Arundel County and have an excellent selection of homes for sale. Whether you're looking for a condo, townhouse or single family home, you can find many to choose from in the area surrounding Ft. Meade.

The first twenty homes are listed on the map but if you click on any you will see that there are over five hundred to choose from in these three communities alone.

I can help you with purchasing a home in Crofton, Odenton, Severn, or any other community surrounding the Ft. Meade area. 

Fox News is reporting that almost 1,300 inmates applied for, and received, the $8,000 tax credit for 1st time home buyers. One problem though...they were in jail at the time they claimed the home purchase.

You just can't make this stuff up. Heck, it's obvious they already had a home.

Here's another one you can't make up...so far, 87 IRS employees improperly received the tax credit. I like that creative wording, "improperly received the tax credit." Just goes to show you how complicated those tax returns are getting.

Selling one of the houses on the map below would be a heck of an accomplishment for me...and most other Realtors. Under the little icons on the map are homes for sale in Maryland listed for over $10 million. Today, there just happens to be 11 over 10 in Maryland.

Actually, I was kind of surprised that there are only 11 Maryland homes listed over 10 million dollars, considering the amount of waterfront properties we have in the State. 

Take a peek but don't get jealous. It's possible I could be reporting one of these sold someday ;)

If you're not already working with an agent to find a multi-million dollar property in Maryland...I can help.

Odenton, MD is a terrific destination location for buyers, in all price ranges. Uniquely located between the large employment markets of Washington, DC and Baltimore, and only minutes from the Capitol in Annapolis, MD. Odenton also houses parts of Ft. George G. Meade, the location for many relocating employees coming into the area as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure initiative, BRAC.

Odenton MD offers a range of styles, including condos, town houses and single family homes for sale. These are located in several sections including, Piney Orchard, Seven Oaks and Old Odenton. First time home buyers and move up buyers will find a decent inventory to choose from in Odenton.

Odenton MD has 196 listings for sale and they can all be viewed on the map below. The most affordable home in the Odenton inventory is a 2 br, 2 ba single family home.The most expensive home is a 4 br, 2.5 ba single family home located in Deer Run Hollow.

All the Odenton listings can be found on the map below. The first twenty are listed but clicking on any of the listings will bring up all 196. Full details can be found on all Odenton homes for sale.

If you're not already working with an agent to buy or sell a house in Odenton, MD, or the surrounding area, I can help.

Crofton, MD is a wonderful destination location for buyers, in all price ranges. Uniquely located between the large employment markets of Washington, DC and Baltimore, and only minutes from the Capitol in Annapolis, MD. Crofton is about fifteen minutes from Ft. George G. Meade, the location for many relocating as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure initiative, BRAC.

Crofton MD offers a range of styles, including condos, town houses and single family homes for sale. First time home buyers and move up buyers will find a decent inventory to choose from in Crofton.

Crofton MD has 175 listings for sale and they can all be viewed on the map below. The most affordable home in the Crofton inventory is a 2 br, 2 ba condo located in the Crofton Meadows sub-division. The most expensive home is a 6 br, 4 ba single family home located in the Walden section.

All the Crofton listings can be found on the map below. The first twenty are listed but clicking on any of the listings will bring up all 175. Full details can be found on all Crofton homes for sale.

If you're not already working with an agent to buy or sell a house in Crofton, MD, or the surrounding area, I can help.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Originally composed by Francis Bellamy, 1892.

Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114

410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web: http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail: Rich@RichSellsHomes.com

Annapolis MD Real Estate Specialist
Bowie MD Real Estate Specialist
Crofton MD Real Estate Specialist

©2009 - RichSellsHomes, All Rights Reserved

Crofton MD Market Statistics - May 2010

Crofton MD real estate had a great May, 2010, compared to May ,2009.

Sales volume increased a respectable 18.40%. At 25 units sold, that averages out to more than one every business day, just in Crofton, MD alone. Most of the sales were as expected, in the price range for first time home buyers. 

Several other indicators can help to see what's going on in the Crofton, MD real estate market. The average days on market decreased -6% year over year. The average list price for homes sold also increased +14.76%. This was unexpected since there is still a good deal of first time home buyer activity in the market now.

Another significant data point is the Average Sale Price as a % of Average List Price. Higher percentages favor sellers. This figure remained relatively stable comparing 2010 to 2009. Crofton, MD bargain basement shopping is slipping away, if it was ever really here.This indicator shows that houses are priced right and sellers are getting reluctant to make price concessions.

Most agents I talk to do see the Crofton MD real estate market getting better as the season progresses. So far, we haven't seen a huge drop off of sales since the $8,000 tax credit expired.

Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114

410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web: http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail: Rich@RichSellsHomes.com

Annapolis MD Real Estate Specialist
Bowie MD Real Estate Specialist
Crofton MD Real Estate Specialist

©2009 - RichSellsHomes, All Rights Reserved

Crofton MD tends to have a vibrant rental market for condos, townhouses and single family homes. Situated between the large Washington, DC, and Baltimore employment markets, Crofton, MD is graced with an ideal location for home buyers and renters.

With Ft. George Meade only about fifteen minutes away, there is also a significant transient military rental market in Crofton, MD.

As with many rental markets, the available inventory varys greatly from month to month. Today, June 6th, 2010, there are only seven rentals available. Two single family homes and five townhouse/condo units. Even for the robust Crofton, MD rental market, this is a very low inventory.

The map below shows all seven units. Just hover over the icon for a picture and price, click on the icon for full details.

If you're not already working with an agent, I can help. I can show you any active rental in Crofton, MD and anywhere in the surrounding area.

Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114

410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web: http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail: Rich@RichSellsHomes.com

Annapolis MD Real Estate Specialist
Bowie MD Real Estate Specialist
Crofton MD Real Estate Specialist

©2009 - RichSellsHomes, All Rights Reserved