Friday Foto – This place has gone to the dogs!

It was the 33rd Annual Spring Specialty show for the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac at the Holiday Inn in FSK. Only one kind of dog…Labs and they came in three flavors Black, Yellow and Chocolate. There were short ones, tall ones, fat ones, thin ones…young and old. And The dogs looked good too.

I was amazed at the number of dogs there were in the parking lot and how quiet it really was. I only heard a couple barks across the parking lot…And the parking lot was filled with vans, SUVs and trucks full of kennels and show dogs. You had tarps and screens stretched across windows in attempts to keep the pups cool. I have never seen so many different types of window fans either. The show is over today, but keep your calendar clear for next year. If you love labs, you’ll love this place. Plenty of vendors for your “All Lab, All the Time Gear” Checkout the clubs website for events and other happenings around Maryland. The event was neat to watch, but as for my AKC pup…he’s staying at home checking email from all his bitches.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Spring weather.

Down Payment Assistance – How do I get it?

I just listed a home in a troubled area for pricing…imagine that! All the condos around this one is heading to foreclosure and subject to third party approval, in other words, a short sale. The pre-foreclosure market is skyrocketing higher everyday. There are 163 homes listed in RealtyTrac as Pre-Foreclosure today, while there were only 48 two months ago.

So I had to come up with a strategy to help this seller maximize her sales price and make it more marketable than the lower priced counter parts. This seller knows her stuff and had already remodeled the whole unit. She completely remodeled the Bathrooms…no one else’s cooties. Updated the kitchen with ceramic tile. New carpeting throughout the rest of the condo. And of course no remodel is not complete without a fresh coat of neutral paint. This type of upgrade is almost a given in this market if you want to be competitive. And by the way, the other condos are list “as is”…which means you, the buyer does AAALLLL the repairs. Not such a good deal after all.

But we still needed one more up on our competition…more so than Closing Cost assistance. Banks look at todays market as a “Declining” or “Soft” market, which makes it harder for the average joe to secure a loan. Most banks are requiring at leasta a 5% down payment in order to swing the loan.

In comes the Down Payment assistance programs. Since most lenders have a cap on how much assistance a seller can give the buyer, buyers either have to have the extra money in their banks accounts (chances are very slim for first time home buyers.) or they need a gift from someone. This gift is usually from a relative like Mom and Dad or everyone’s favorite rich uncle. There are a few non-profit organizations that realize the not everyone has that rich uncle, but the sellers are willing to help in order to sell the house.

Two programs that I heard success are successful and easy to use are the AmeriDream and the Nehimiah Down Payment Assistance Programs. Key things about these programs the seller has to agree to it, because they make the donation to these organizations. In turn, they give the donation back to the buyer as a gift minus a nominal fee…(a new rich uncle)

At AmeriDream, our goal is helping first-time, and low and moderate income individuals and families become homeowners. AmeriDream’s Downpayment Gift Program gives buyers up to 10% of the sales price of a home for a down payment or closing costs, removing the largest barrier for many prospective homeowners.

For this home I recommended the Nehimiah Program, ordered up some signs from them along with some program flyer’s and advertised “Down Payment Assistance Available”

• Gift funds up to 6% of the final contract sales towards your downpayment and/or closing costs
• Gift funds for both first time and repeat homebuyers
(Nehemiah charges a nominal processing fee that may be paid by the seller, homebuyer, or lender.)
• Gift funds for both new construction and resale homes
• No repayment of gift money
• No income or asset limits
• No geographical restrictions

The listing is brand spanking new (literally and figuratively) so I will let you know how it goes. This is one solution I offer to help sellers attract buyers. Each home is unique…so the marketing needs to be just as unique.

Contact me today, if you are ready to put your house on the market.

Here’s a peek at this diamond in the rough.

Have a great day.

Edit: Since writing this article.  The down payment assistant programs have went away.  Contact your lender for community assistance.

Contact your Congressman to fight to get the DAP back on the books.  Right now these programs do not exsist.

Friday Foto for Fun

I had some time to kill before I had to pick up my daughter for soccer practice earlier this week. I pass by the signs on Alternate Route 40 all the time. “Washington Monument State Park” But isn’t the Monument in DC? This monument was erected long before the National Washington Monument  and, in my opinion, offers a much more pleasant experience. The entrance is across the street from the historic South Mountain Inn and right next to the Dahlgren Chapel.

The Washington Monument State Park sits along the Appalachian Trail and peacefully a top one of the high points on South Mountain. I think I found my “happy” place with this park. The views are wonderful and the history is intriguing. I can only imagine what took place on that mountain during the Civil War times. I am sure the rocks tell a story…I just haven’t heard them yet.

One thing that really draws me to this location is the fact they see Bald Eagles on a regular basis. I would love to photograph a Bald Eagle majestically flying across the ridge line. They are such an awesome species…maybe its just my patriotism that favors this bird of prey.

Have a great week…if you are looking for something to do, stop by The Washington Monument State Park.

Friday Foto for Fairy Tales

Yesterday was our friends first trip to see the Easter Bunny with their newborn baby. Of course as any proud parents, you need photos and more photos and then a few more. There wasn’t any tears or screaming at all…mom held it together pretty well.

After pictures at the FSK Mall, we headed over to Applebee’s for some grub. While we were there, in walk a few familiar faces. Not only did she get to see the Easter Bunny, she also got to see Santa. Not just one Santa but two Santas. They must of had a Tweetup, Sledup or Meetup or something. We thought we were being invaded by the Salvation Army bell ringers union. OK photo op with the working camera the Fuji s5200. (They had business cards and everything.) I knew they were the real Santa Doubles.

So when we left the restaurant…there it was — his sleigh!! …and that my friends is your Friday Foto in Frederick.

You can visit this Santa on his website MustangSanta.com. This is some serious biz. They even have their own fraternity.

Have a great weekend. (remember, he know if you’ve been bad or good.)

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