Happy Days are Here Again
The days are getting longer, the trees are budding and the real estate market is booming! It's as if it happened overnight, just a moment ago lenders were not lending and there was not a buyer in sight. Now we have the exact opposite problem, no one is selling! This topsy turvy market has still got people a bit off kilter and once you sell, you may end up with the same problem others are finding, where are we going to go? It's a legitimate concern, especially if you are buying and selling under $500,000. You can't put an offer in on a house if yours is not at least under contract, because you are competing with 2 or 3 other buyers that do not have a house to sell. The best advice that I can offer is, have a plan B. Nobody wants to move twice but it is certainly a better option than being forced into buying a house that you do not love and having to suffer through for the next 5-10 years. You can ask the buyers for a long close or best case scenario, do a rent back until you find your replacement property. But if that is not an option you may need to put your things in storage and go into an apartment or (gasp) move in with Mom and Dad, for what is hopefully a short period. But please! please! do not buy a house that you do not love just so you don't have to move twice. I can guarantee you that if you do not love the house on closing day, it's only going to go down hill from there. If you are thinking about selling, March and April are the two busiest months in real estate, it's time to jump in so give me a call, I've got buyers that need someplace to go!
What I Love About the Tri-Town Area by Jenni Lovins
Last week, an out of town client asked me what I love about living in Frederick and specifically what I love about my neighborhood. I didn’t have to think about my answer very long; I love where we live. We don’t have the biggest, newest house, but I love our home, and it’s perfect for our family. Every neighborhood in the Tri-Town area has something great and unique to offer.
I grew up in the country. Well, not really too country, but we didn’t have sidewalks, neighborhood kids to play with or a park within walking distance. We had horses, cows and hay stacks to climb on. My sisters and I would signal for the truck drivers to give us a friendly honk as we waited for the school bus every morning. I learned how to ride my bike on our long gravel driveway. My mom had to drive us to our friends’ neighborhoods to go trick-or-treating. As a child, I wanted so bad to have neighbor kids to play with.
When my husband and I were looking for our first home, we wanted a place where our kids would have other kids to play with. I had this image in my head of all the kids playing and growing up together, backyard barbeques, kids playing basketball in the driveway and our son finding his true love in the cute little girl across the street. When we found our home, it was the best house our Realtor had shown us! We were sold! It was brand new and we could make it all ours! I loved so much about this neighborhood. I love that we have a park right across the street. We moved in when our son was just six months old and how he loved those baby swings! We would walk to the park at least twice a day when it was nice out. When he became a big brother, he was eager to push his baby brother in the baby swing and show him how to do everything else at the park. A few years later we spent a whole morning “saving worms” after the overnight rain had left so many stranded on the sidewalks all around the park. Now that they’re older, the boys still love climbing the evergreens and playing “groundies” and freeze tag with the neighborhood kids. (Good, free entertainment is pretty valuable for that “Mom, I’m bored” we hear throughout the summer). We also have a huge soccer park about two blocks away. We’ve had a few seasons of tee-ball and football practices there, and it’s perfect for kids to play while mom or dad jogs the perimeter. I love that one of my neighbors is a police officer. Actually, drive around our neighborhood on any given evening and you’ll see four police cars parked in front of their homes. I hope it equates to less crime, and it makes us feel a little safer. I love that along with protecting our property values our HOA also puts on events for the neighborhood. At least once every summer we go to a movie night in the soccer park. They’ve also thrown a few summer kickoff events that included bounce houses, pony rides, fire trucks, enormous hot dogs and good, loud music!
I know that fun, caring people are really what make a community a great place to live. Of course everyone wants good neighbors, (and we did get that cute little girl across the street). There has been so much growth and change in the Tri Town area since we moved here nine years ago and we’ve gained so many great neighbors. We’ve also gained a fantastic church and a delicious Mexican food restaurant in walking distance. I would love if you would share a favorite thing about your neighborhood; what attracted you to that specific community and what you enjoy most about it today? Your input may just help me find you the perfect neighbor, or new neighborhood someday!