Sharon's Blog

LIVE & LEARN - OR at least check it out on Better Business Bureau first....

You know that gut feeling you get when if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is... Well heed the feeling and stop what you are doing and do a little research instead.

I learned this the hard way when I started to search for some health care recently.  I surfed the internet, read about NAR's REALTORS Core Health Insurance Program then filled out an application online.  Before you knew it, the phone rang and a representative from Consolidated Medical Services, LLC who was really good at getting me discounts on RX's, doctor's visits, hospital stays, wellness care... all at a great price.  I asked if they could send me the information in writing, but was assured I could cancel if I wasn't satisfied after receiving the package and having Customer Support explain how to use all the services to take advantage of the discounts.  After signing up, I knew I did the wrong thing, so I called the very next day to cancel.  To keep a long story short, each time I called the Customer Service Department said they would look into it for me and I never received a call back.  I was able to cancel with all the provider's directly, minus a processing fee which is over $200 total.  So in the spirit of Mother's Day, "Do as I say, Not as I do!", when it sounds to good to be true, it probably is and it's worth the extra step to look them up for complaints on BBB.

Sample BBB report:

There's no place like home...  You never realize how true those words are until you go out of town for a while.

Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and one day I would love to retire to a beach in Mexico, but during the beginning of February my husband and I made our annual trip up to Atlantic City for a few days of fun.  We like to celebrate our birthdays (mine is the 1^st and his is the 29^th), so we book a few nights at the Tropicana in comped rooms, take some spending money and make the ride up from Ocean City, Maryland - about 3 - 3 ½ hours drive if you don't take the Cape May - Lewes Ferry.

We always have a nice time, a few nice dinners out in the Havana Quarter, play craps a little (lose), go to the Atlantic City Boat Show (my husband is a boat broker) and then come home.  This year though, the first thing I wanted to do when I got back was go to our favorite local watering hole, the Marlin Moon Grille. 

I must say that this is the best restaurant in town (actually it is in West Ocean City in the Frances Scott Key Motel across from the Outlets).  We like to go every Friday night (if we have the $$) for Happy Hour and have to get there by 5 pm to get a seat at the bar.  They have drink discounts and some great bar food at happy hour prices.  We usually have a few cocktails and appetizers versus a full dinner, but for special occasions we will go for the fine dining - and I mean FINE (yum).  The owner Gary Beach is a fisherman, so he appreciates the freshest of ingredients, and you never go away disappointed.  The bartenders are the best and make us feel like locals (even though we have only lived here since 2000).  They know what we like to drink and will even have it ready for us when we sit down. This is such a comfortable place to go, that I even go by myself if my husband is out of town.   I guess that is what makes it like home.

So if you are ever looking a great place to visit, come to Ocean City, Maryland and check out what our town has to offer.  I might just have to change my retirement plans and stay right where I am and just visit those other countries, because there truly is no place like home.

Click here to search for listings in the Ocean City Maryland area, or go to www.sharoncurtiss.com for more area information.

With plenty of inventory to choose from, you might just find that Ocean City, Maryland Condos will make a great second home choice.  Read the full article as published in REALTY TIMES for more insight.

 Search for your second home at Delmarva Properties Online Live Realtime Search

Excerpt from REALTY TIMES article below:

CONDOS PAY OFF AS SECOND HOMES 

Buyers who purchase a condo as a second home are satisfied with their purchase, according to a recent survey conducted by Zogby International for the Foundation for Community Association Research. (Broderick Perkins, February 21, 2008, RealtyTimes.com) More Information. . .

Take a look at my listing conveniently located at the corner of Coastal Highway and 123rd St. This is a fully furnished one bedroom, one bath condo close to shopping, restaurant and the beach.  Offered at $209,900.  Go to http://www.sharoncurtiss.com to take the vritual tour.

Call or email for more area information --- 410-726-4260  Sharon A. Curtiss, REALTOR, ABR, GRI

Hileman Real Estate, Inc. 410-208-9200

Instead of giving you the numbers of homes and condos on the market, this week I thought I'd give you a way to search the Ocean City area multiple listing service "LIVE" online.  Click on this link to go directly to the site that the local REALTORS use to post their listings http://www.arismlsdpol.com/idx/searchIDX.asp?aid=A01808

If you would rather have me do the search for you, I can create a search with your specific criteria and automatically send you updates anytime a new listing comes on the market.  Just send me an email or give me a call at 410-726-4260 to let me know what you are looking for.

REMEMBER: Buying or selling a home is an involved process... You'll want to have someone experienced on your side.  If you are not currently being represented by a real estate agent, visit my website at http://www.sharoncurtiss.com/ for FREE Online Home Buying and Selling Reports, or call me at 410-726-4260 for a FREE Home Buyer's Toolkit.

Note: According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) 2006 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers: Help finding the right home, help with price negotiations, help with paperwork, help determining what comparable homes are selling for, and help determining how much they can afford are the top five things buyers want from their REALTOR®.  I am an Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and the the training to make sure you have the right representation when buying property.

Sharon A. Curtiss, ABR, GRI

Sales Manager/REALTOR

Hileman Real Estate

410-208-9200

I came across a really good article written by Blanche Evans in REALTY TIMES that will give you a good idea when it is time to buy.  The Ocean City condo market has many great buys for the savvy buyer.  As an Accredited Buyer Representative, Ocean City REALTOR Sharon Curtiss has the experience to find the perfect Ocean City condo for you.  Whether this is your first investment or you are a seasoned investor looking for a 1031 Tax deferred exchange, I have the knowledge to make your purchase a smooth one.

Six Signs It's Time For Home Buyers To Buy as written by Blanche Evans in REALTY TIMES  January 22, 2008 

If you're waiting for signs of a housing bottom, join the club. Nobody blows a whistle and say, "It's time to buy!"

That's why market timing is an art, not a science, but you can improve your odds of buying wisely.

First, stop paying attention to the national media. Fear has sidelined buyers even in good markets, and that's exactly when you need to take advantage -- before other buyers wise up.

Second, be ready to pounce when you see the home you want.

Click here to read the full article...

Real Estate Ocean City Maryland - Buyer Market Report.

There are many condos/townhomes for sale in Ocean City, and prices have never been better! There are currently 1656 Condos For Sale in Ocean City. Condo Buyers in Ocean City are finding some of the best condos For Sale in the Ocean City area, with prices ranging from $115,000 up to $3,799,000. Why pay rent in a hotel room for $900 to $1500 per week in the summer when you can own a one bedroom condo at the beach in Ocean City for around $1100 per month and take advantage of all Ocean City has to offer year round? Ocean City REALTOR® Sharon Curtiss can help you find and buy the right condo/townhome in Ocean City with the best price and terms.

If you need help finding the right Ocean City Mortgage Lender, then Ocean City REALTOR® Sharon Curtiss can help!

Call 410-726-4260 or visit my web site at http://www.sharoncurtiss.com/ 

I have a one bedroom condo nicely furnished in the Bonnie Belle Condos at the corner of Coastal Highway and 123rd St - Ocean Block listed for $209,900.  Click this link for a virtual tour  http://www.sharoncurtiss.com/Listing/VirtualTour.aspx?ListingID=1126562

It was a long year, but we made it through.  There were 261 homes settled during 2007 according to our local MLS (ARIS).  As you can see the activity was down somewhat over 2006.  Hopefully after the election jitters subside, we will see a return to normal levels.

I keep track of what is happening in the Ocean Pines single family home market on a monthly basis.  Knowing how many homes coming on the market each month in relation to how many contracts are being written will give us a idea of whether we are in a depreciating or appreciating market.  With this information in hand, sellers and buyers can make an informed decision about where prices are headed. 

We have been seeing an increase in the number of appointments being made over the past few weeks.  Hopefully this will be the jump start we need for a successful spring selling season.

 If you are interested in specific local Ocean Pines market information, feel free to give me a call.  I will be happy to share this information with you.  Contact Sharon Curtiss, Accredited Buyer Representative at 410-726-4260. 

It all began about a year ago when I decided to leave my former broker. I had a desktop computer with no CD writer and needed a way to get my files that were stored on the companies shared drive. I didn't want to send them to my email and I know I didn't have enough floppy drives to save everything, so I decided to take the plunge and buy a flash drive.  So off I went to Staples to do my research. I purchase a 1GB PNY Attache Model, plugged it in to the USB port and saved away.

It's been a year now and I carry my flash drive with me everywhere. I am sometimes worried about what will happen if I lose it (heaven forbid), so I have now backed up the files I don't use anymore and put them on some CD's (I have since purchased a laptop with a DVD/CD RW drive). My 1GB drive is getting pretty full (I can't seem to part with some files I use daily) and I like being able to take my files with me from work to home, so I decided to tell Santa that I could use another flash drive and maybe a nice universal reader for my SmartMedia card for my Olympus Camedia D360L digital camera (circa 2000). Well Santa was very good to me and instead of buying me a universal reader, he bought me a Kingston Data Traveler Reader with 2 GB that reads a SD/MMC/MMCM and a new Kodak EasyShare C613, with a 1GB SD Card. I have some much storage space now I don't know what to do.I think my next project will be to scan all my 2007 files to pdf and save them to the new flash drive. I sure hope my first love won't be too heartbroken.

One thing about the slowdown in our area is that I have a lot of time on my hands to learn this stuff. Happy Blogging and Happy New Year!

 Sharon Curtiss

As of 12/22/07, based on the information found in the Coastal Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service (dpol), the Ocean Pines single family home market is down 49 units settled from the same period in 2006.  There are currently 277 single family homes on the market with 14 sales pending.

The average sale price is actually up a little over 1% from the same period last year to $349,852.  The list to sell ratio is down however to 95.41% from 97.04% in 2006.

There are some good buys to be found with quite a few homes on the market listed under $200,000.  While interest rates are still at historic low rates, buyers with good credit can still get some attractive financing.