44th Annual Towsontown Spring Festival is this weekend, starting Saturday April 30 from 10am until 7pm and continuing on May 1 and 1 pm to 7pm. The Festival encompasses the entire Towson Core Business Area, the streets West of York Road and East of Bosley Avenue will be closed for the duration of the festival.  A map of the festival grounds with identifiable parking garages can by found here.  Garages are marked with a "P" for parking. The cost to park is $5.00 for the entire day. This fee is set by the county. The Towsontown Festival is the largest outdoor festival in Maryland and one of the largest on the east coast.  About 250,000 or more people attend the two day event to take in the arts and crafts of local artists, the music and the vendors.  There are over 450 vendors and in addi... 04/27/2011

What School Will My Child Go to in Baltimore County? This is a frequently asked question. One of the criteria for finding a home is the school system. In Baltimore County we have an easy look up system. Just go to www.BCPS.org. You type in the address of the home and you get the Elementary, Middle and High School. To double check the accurateness..call the Boundary Information Line at 410-887-4215. I picked up the keys to my new HomeRome listing in Dulaney Towers this evening!!                      When putting my properties  in the Multiple Listing System, more commonly called the MLS, I like to put in the schools. Now this is not written in stone so I caution you to always double check the school information ....boundary lines do change. When I typed in 17 Bellows Ct. 21204..here are ... 04/16/2011

Yesterday, I went on a listing appointment and  posted about  A Delightful Letter Carrier ..Named Jim.  The seller was only 98.5% sure  she wanted to use me. Remember, I ask two questions on a listing appointment. -First question: Are You 100% Sure  you want to sell? -Second question- Are you 100% sure you want to use me?     This home owner would not make decision without sleeping on it. This morning, as promised, a call  was received leaving the following message:   " Hi Margaret Rome...The other 1 and 1/2 percent is all taken care of ..I slept on it...I believe in you...go for it!  We will  go on this journey together to sell 17 Bellows Ct. 21204   The seller is 100% Sure...Another HomeRome listing.                                                      This interior brick and siding t... 04/13/2011

A Delightful Mailman...I Mean Letter Carrier..Named Jim.  Today on a listing appointment, I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Christopher who is the letter carrier for 17 Bellows Ct.  Dulaney Towers. That's the PC word...remember when they were called mailmen? Even Jim's uniform makes that clear.                       Jim was a delight and really enjoys what he does...working for the US Postal Service. Jim knows the neighborhood. He knows when someone is moving and he sometimes knows when someone is looking to buy. I asked permission to take his picture and by that smile, you know the answer.  As I was leaving the potential listing with the seller..we found out an interesting fact about the property. The present owner bought this home 30 years ago from a former Colt Football Player #44. A... 04/12/2011

Maryland: Internship Opportunities We hear all too often of college graduates finishing a rigorous degree program but then having trouble finding employment, especially in a down economy like that of recent times. One method of addressing this concern is with internships. With an internship, the student can gain valuable experience, learn what employers truly need, and can structure their courses accordingly. At the same time, employers can be grooming their new talent for their future expansion plans such that it is a smooth transition from college to the workforce with a minimum of training time. The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) has created a user-friendly website for both employers to showcase internship opportunities with their companies as well as for students to rev... 03/23/2011

Quilt Expo 2011 March 12-13, 201110am to 5pmGoucher College1021 Dulaney Valley RdTowson, MD 21204 Map It! Get Directions to Quilt Expo from your location.Download a campus map (requires Adobe Acrobat). EXPO 2011 is located in Building 19. The Expo showcases quilts made by guild members, ranging in style from traditional to contemporary, as well as art quilts. The Expo also features quilts and quilted items for sale, a Silent Auction, an expanded Vendors' Mall, and a number of handmade items available for sale. Tickets are available in advance on our website for $6 each or at the door for $7.  Highlights of EXPO 2011: Display of over 200 quiltsBernina 350PE Sewing Machine RaffleBuy It or Bid Quilt Auction - Preview some of the quilts!Stash to Treasure Fabric & Notion SaleBHQG's 2011 Raff... 03/06/2011

There are hints of spring around Towson, Maryland, I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of the buds, green grass, and brighter days. The weather peaked in the high 50's earlier this week, but this meant the spring jackets were out, and when I picked my son up from school in Timonium, he wore just a sweatshirt. If there are any piles of snow left from the mounds we had last month, they are shrinking by the day. Parking lots have streams of water running from those last piles to the storm drains. Yards are full of mud as the snow melt has drenched the grass, ready to help it turn green and grow. The biggest "tell" is that my allergies are kicking in full strength. Even with no other indicators, I know Spring is on its' way! :) HAPPY ALMOST SPRING!   For any real estate needs in Towson, M... 03/03/2011

Credit Score Breakdown The following gives estimates as to how much weight is given to various aspects of one's credit: 1.  15% -- Length of credit history. 2.  10% -- Number and types of accounts opened recently. 3.  10% -- The mix of credit accounts, credit cards, department stores, finance companies, bank loans, etc. 4.  35% -- Record of timely payments on loans. 5.  30% -- The amount and type of outstanding debt. Credit Score Ranges 720 - 850 Excellent -- The best financing terms and represents the best score range.  720 is typically the score needed to qualify for good credit rates. 700 - 719 Very Good -- Qualifies to receive favorable financing. 675 - 699 Average -- Will qualify for most loans. 620 - 674 Sub-prime -- May qualify but will pay higher interest. 560 - 619 Risky -- Wil... 02/24/2011

Last night we had a wild Thundersnow storm in Towson and the majority of the Baltimore area. The city only saw 3-4 inches of snow, but here in Towson, we had over a foot! The sky turned bright white as lightning flashed, and my dogs hid as claps of thunder rolled through. Thundersnow is very unusual because it requires the perfect combination of warmer air closer to the ground, while cooler air comes in over top. Here are more details from Wikipedia. The storm created major travel problems, with some reporting 9 hours to do a 10 mile commute, and a large number of cars being abandoned along the sides of the road, causing huge issues for the snowplows. Thundersnow is usually accompanied by heavy snow, and that was certainly the case here. A rate of 2" per hour! The aftermath is a mess, a... 01/27/2011

The Shops at Kenilworth is a  mall in  Towson, Md. with some delightful shops and holiday displays.  It is currently the home to more than 30 stores. The mall originally opened in 1979. The mall was once home to an express location of the Maryland  Motor Vehicle Administration. This location closed on September 23, 2005, in favor of a new location elsewhere in Baltimore County. The main anchor store is Stebbins Anderson.   Perfect place to take the kids to see the enormous display of a holiday village, complete with trains.                                                                            While visiting Kenilworth, please take time to see my friends Morty and Phyllis at  Passenger Stop  which is closing and a huge Retirement Sale is going on right now. This is a great  Place to... 12/05/2010

Yes, it is true, Passenger Stop is closing and a huge Retirement Sale is going on right now. To find out more about this store please read this post from about a year ago.   The Place to Stop Before You Go This letter was received by former customers and friends this week:                                                                             Wishing Morty and Phyllis a successful store closing and a wonderful retirement. They have worked hard and long and deserve to take life a bit easier, have time to enjoy each other and the grandchildren. Please stop by and say 'hi' and wish them both well.   12/03/2010

Like many areas of the country, Baltimore saw home sales slide in September 2010 as a whole. There were a little over 1700 homes sold last month, compared to 2117 last year. Not surprisingly, much of this is attributed to the tax credit ending, as this point last year was the original deadline for settlement. Baltimore County alone saw a drop of 25.7% in number of homes sold and a price drop of 1.4%, while Baltimore City PRICES dropped 26%, and number of homes sold 17%. Two areas of Baltimore County bucked the trend, while another in between fell farther than the average. Towson real estate, specifically the 21204 zip code (which includes the West Towson and Ruxton neighborhoods), showed the average sold price up 13.38% from $357,496 last year to $405,325 last month. The one number head... 10/20/2010

Towson Commons: What Next? Towson Commons, a 325,000 square foot office and commercial development in the heart of Towson, Maryland, was auctioned on September 21 for $28.5 million. Reportedly it was the lender who bought back the property and it is expected that they will sell the property. The question then becomes one of what will happen to this prime piece of real estate. Will the building be renovated or will it be knocked down to start anew? A portion of the property currently contains a 880 space parking garage.  Parking otherwise in the Downtown Towson area is scarce, with the exception of Towson Town Mall. There is a question as to whether the property, in its current structure or in a new building would be best utilized for retail or office space or a combination of the two. W... 09/25/2010

Baltimore County: Waste Wood as Energy Source Baltimore County is working to evaluate the potential to use waste wood as a renewable source of energy for heating and cooling County buildings.The Department of Environmental Protection & Resource Management(DEPRM), with the support of the Office of Sustainability, has entered a contract with the Maryland Environmental Service (MES) to determine whether a sustainable supply of waste wood exists that can be used for buildings such as schools and public works operations facilities. The County is contributing up to $50,000 to the project, which will leverage $50,000 from a USDA Forest Service grant to MES. The project also involves technical support from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources - Forest Service.Using waste wood for energy... 09/01/2010

Towson, Maryland was named one of the top 25 affluent cities for singles to live in by CNNMoney last week. Towson came in at #14. This was based on income per single household in the cities, and the rate of singles to families. Towson's median family income is $102,302 with 34.5% of the households being individuals. To live in Towson is to live in convenience, and many choose it for its' proximity to both Baltimore City, the Towson area colleges, and ease for travel to both the 695 Beltway and Interstate 95. Located in Towson is the Towson Town Center, with a multitude of new higher end stores and restaurants, plus multiple smaller shopping centers nearby. Thursdays showcase the Towson Farmer's Market, and Fridays are the Towson Feet on the Street block parties all summer long. Contact ... 07/28/2010

It was July, 2005, the headline of the Baltimore Sun read "AREA HOME PRICES HIT RECORD".  And, there I was in the photo heading down the front stairs of a beautiful home in Roland Park in Baltimore which I had just shown to my clients. The article quoted 3 agents.  I was one of them.  The whole point of the article was so that the media could ask the question: When is the Real Estate Bubble going to Burst?  One of the other agents was quoted in the story as saying, "Its a phenomenal increase and there really seems to be no end in sight".  Well, I guess he was wrong.  For my part of the article, I said that there seemed to be something happening with buyers that Summer of 2005 and that they were no longer willing to jump on any available listing but were being a lot more hesitant in thei... 06/18/2010

Baltimore's Transportation Future You have a chance to give your input as to what you would like in the transportation infrastructure of the Greater Baltimore region. Do you want more and better roads with better synchronization of the traffic lights? Are you interested in less vehicular traffic and more mass transit such as light rail, street cars, subways, and the like? Or, are you are interested in a healthy means of transport such that you would like to see more safe pathways for bicylces or just for walking or jogging. You may wish to consider attending one of the workshops shown below to share your vision of the future of transportation. 04/28/2010

43rd Annual Towsontown Spring Festival is this weekend, May 1 and 2 from 10am until 7pm on May 1 and 1 pm to 7pm on May 2.  The Festival encompasses the entire Towson Core Business Area, the streets West of York Road and East of Bosley Avenue will be closed for the duration of the festival.  A map of the festival grounds with identifiable parking garages can by found here.  Garages are marked with a "P" for parking. The cost to park is $4.00 for the entire day. This fee is set by the county. The Towsontown Festival is the largest outdoor festival in Maryland and one of the largest on the east coast.  About 250,000 or more people attend the two day event to take in the arts and crafts of local artists, the music and the vendors.  There are over 450 vendors and in addition there are 4 sta... 04/28/2010

This past week after a meeting at the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors(GBBR) I planned on meeting a fellow broker for lunch.  We decided to meet just minutes from GBBR at the The Shops at Kenilworth in Towson, MD. There you can find The Passenger Stop  which owned by a special couple, Phyllis and Mort Blankman. I first met Phyllis at A NAWBO meeting (National Association of Women Business Owners) and later sold her home and helped her purchase a condo. Take a look at page 151-153 in my book Real Estate the Rome Way and you can see the"thank you" note written by Phyllis and Mort.  These days, I love to stop in and see what she and Mort have in their travel store. This place has everything for your travel needs…yes, everything except for the tickets! You could easily plan your way arou... 02/23/2010

That's a hot tub under there. (I think).   Dude, Where's my Car?   Anyone see my table? I seem to have misplaced it. -------------------------------- I am certain there will be many snow photos from the Mid-Atlantic region posted today. Here in Towson, Maryland we got around 30" of snow. We are about 1/3 dug out, hoping the plow comes by the street today so we can maybe venture out tomorrow. The demonstrate the magnitude of the storm (Lovingly called Snowpocalypse 2010), I am including a few shots of my yard. Unfortunately, we hear that Tuesday into Wednesday may bring us another 6-10" of snow, which alone would cause issues here -- but on top of this could be crippling! Enjoy your (hopefully) warm weather! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------... 02/06/2010