Mortgage Rates Move Lower Than Last Year

Mortgage Rates Move Lower Than Last Year



May be time to think about that 2nd home at the shore.  Vacations, Rental, Investment, Retirement .. all options to consider with the current inventory and the low interest rates.  If you're curious as to what's available, call Susan Antigone - ShoreFun4U with Long and Foster.  Licensed in MD and DE.

The Secret to Investing in Real Estate as a Realtor

The Secret to Investing in Real Estate as a Realtor

Pretty woman at fagers island - ShoreFun4U in Ocean City MD

Ocean City Housing Market Data

Ocean City Housing Market Data



Susan Antigone - ShoreFun4U with Long & Foster will help you connect to your dream home if you are considering buying a home at the beach.  Selling?  I'll help you discover the value of your  home in today's market.

Moving to the MD or DE Sea Shore or anywhere ... Plan Ahead ... Remove the stress with these tips.

Planning Ahead when it Comes Time to Move

Need help moving to Ocean City MD or the DE Beach Resorts?  Contact Long & Foster - Susan Antigone-ShoreFun4U and I'll connect you with our moving service. 

Whether you are planning on moving soon — or helping someone else move, I’d like to share with you some tips on how to eliminate the stress on moving day.

1. Plan Ahead – You probably know that you are going to move at least 30 days before the actual moving date. Create a “To-Do List” of when you need to turn off the utilities, notify movers and change your mailing address.
2. Transportation – Will you depend on family and friends? Will you hire a rental truck and move yourself or do you need to hire professional movers for long distances? You will need to know how much it will cost you to move so you have time to shop around for the best price and service.
3. Get Rid of Stuff – It can be overwhelming but now is the time to go room by room to choose items that needs to be thrown away, given away, sold (garage sale or online) or donated to charity.
4. Take an Inventory – This is critical especially when hiring a moving company. You may want to list the major items, your collectibles, your expensive possessions. You may also want to take photos or video each room.
5. Label Everything – Label at least 2 sides of each box with the type of room (kitchen, master bedroom, Amy’s room) and a short list of what’s inside the box.
6. Valuable Items – Back up your computers before your move. If anything is valuable or breakable, double check to make sure it is insured. Take personal items, such as jewelry, with you.
7. Pets – Hire a pet sitter or ask someone to take care of your pets on moving day. They instinctively know that you are moving. Keep them in a safe place until you are ready to make the move.
8. Moving Day – Set aside a box of items that you may need on moving day. Hammer, screwdriver, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, bottled water, garbage bags and maybe even a change of clothes.
9. Disconnect Utilities – Create a list of utility companies, including cable and internet, who you need to notify to make sure they are turned off and where the final bill will be sent. Record the date you called and the name of the person you talked with to make sure you don’t continue to received invoices.
10. Neighbors – Say goodbye to your neighbors and let them know where you are moving to (that is, if you’d like to stay in touch). On the other side of the coin, introduce yourself to your new neighbors. They may have useful information about the community, schools and the neighborhood.

Even if you are super organized, moving can be traumatic on you, children and pets. But by being organized, I can assure you it will be less stressful and easier to get settled.

Would you please share other moving tips so I can add them to my blog?

Fannie Mae to negotiate short-sale offers directly with real estate agents | Inman News

Fannie Mae to negotiate short-sale offers directly with real estate agents | Inman News

How Google Panda 4.0 Affects Your Real Estate Website

How Google Panda 4.0 Affects Your Real Estate Website

5 Things to Know Before You Rent Out Your Home

If you’ve entertained thoughts about renting out your home, there may be a few questions you’ve already asked yourself, such as, “Is it worth hanging on to this property? How will I feel about strangers moving into my home? Will my tenants be responsible?”

Owning a rental property can require hard work, patience, and planning.  On one hand, there’s the good to consider, like the potential to increase your income and build a steady cash flow. On the other hand, being a landlord may test your ability to deal with the unexpected, like emergency home repairs or unreliable renters.

Before you hand over the keys to your home, here’s what you can do to make the rental process go smoother.

1. Research your market. Research the market in the neighborhood of your rental home to choose a rent amount that matches the local rental rates while still helping you earn a profit. Consider the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage. You might also take into consideration any new additions to the property and the age of the home. Don’t forget to factor in costs like pest control, lawn maintenance, and occasional home repairs.

2. Grace your home with curb appeal. Depending on where you live and the time of year, your home may have taken a beating from the sun, wind, rain, or snow.Without costing an arm and a leg, a power washer can work wonders on your home to give it a fresh look. Clean out the flower beds and trim shrubs and low-hanging tree branches. Giving your lawn a fresh trim, your panels a new coat of paint, or your shutters a good cleaning are all good components of curb appeal. The first impression of your home’s curb appealcan mean everything.

3. Check to see if your prospective tenant is financially responsible.  A credit check can offer insights into your applicant’s payment history and gives you a good idea if they’ll likely be a good or bad credit risk. You may also want to consider hiring a reputable company that can perform a tenant screening check on your potential occupants to find out if they’ve damaged previous rental properties or have a criminal record. You can also ask for referrals of past residences since this information won’t be included in a credit report.

4. Plan for financial emergencies. Renting comes with its own set of unexpected emergencies. These emergencies can range from tenants suddenly vacating a property to calling you on a Sunday about a potential water heater replacement. These can be tough expenses to bear, and as a landlord, it will behoove you to keep aside funds for such situations.

5. Get appropriate insurance coverage. When renting your home to someone, there’s always the possibility that they, or one of their guests, might have an accident or damage your property. You could also experience a loss of rental income due to an unforeseen disaster. The proper insurance may cover these things along with legal fees if you end up taking your tenant to court.

For some, becoming a landlord is all about on-the-job training. It can be a challenge, but in the end renting out your extra space can help you reap financial benefits.

11 Creative and Thrifty Ideas for Night Tables

Bedside tables are the landing pad for so many of our things — cell phones, books, tissues and reading glasses, to name a few. And yet the tables themselves are rarely as varied as the stuff that goes on them. Why are we so engineered to accept a generic design of four legs and a tabletop for our bedside? This is one area of your bedroom that’s full of potential for expressing unique character. And few things pack more personality than one-of-a-kind repurposed items. So here are 11 pieces you can repurpose to create statement-making bedside tables that are sure to awaken your sleepy head.

Rikki Snyder

1. Antique shipping crates. Shipping crates paired with cinder blocks and lumber are a memory for many as makeshift college furniture. However, this crate is casual and cool. The vibrant advertisement against the bright red wood floor provides the majority of color in this otherwise fairly neutral bedroom.

XOJY

2. Industrial stools. XOJY used an old doctor’s stool to fit in a tight space between the bed and a built-in storage unit in a 620-square-foot San Francisco studio apartment.

Southern Traditions Window Fashions

3. Antique sewing machines. That antique sewing machine that may be hiding in your attic or garage can be put to good use at your bedside. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase a long-forgotten family treasure. The filigree of the metal base also adds visual interest and especially complements rustic bedrooms, like the one shown here, but also traditional and edgier contemporary bedrooms.

Toronto Interior Design Group | Yanic Simard

4. Vintage luggage. Vintage suitcases make a spectacular bedside table when stacked atop one another. The height can be varied by adding or subtracting pieces, and the luggage can also double as storage for infrequently used items. Here a handsome trio of leather suitcases combined with houndstooth-patterned throw pillows, a sisal area rug and antique car illustrations gives this room the strong and confident look of a bygone era.

A Beach Cottage

Painting dissimilar pieces of luggage a solid color unifies any color or material differences and makes their shapes appear more pronounced. The two white suitcases here create a carefree bedside table in an Australian beach-themed bedroom.

Rodriguez Studio Architecture PC

5. Tool chests. A Craftsman tool chest is possibly the most durable bedside table option. Its steel construction, glossy red enamel finish, multiple drawers for storage and heavy-duty casters are defining characteristics. It’s also one of the few bedside tables that locks.

Sarah Greenman

6. Desks. Multitasking as a writing surface as well as a beside table, a desk is another way to save space while accommodating different needs. As most desk surfaces are about 29 inches high, they make for a higher-than-average bedside table surface.

LAURA MILLER, ASID, NCIDQ: INTERIOR DESIGN

7. Architectural details. Salvaged architectural details can make lovely bedside tables. Here a lone but intricately carved wood corbel has been wall mounted underneath a window to provide a small bedside surface. While its grayish patina and form are stunning, the angled shape may also prevent some bangs and bumps in the middle of the night. As these pieces tend to be heavy, make sure there is adequate support behind the wall surface before installation.

Dreamy Whites

8. Wooden folding chairs. Folding wood chairs create an excellent bedside table and can double as seating if needed. Because they’re usually compact, folding chairs are especially useful in small bedrooms. The light green chair is a charming addition to this sweet bedroom. Not happy with the color of your existing chair? Milk or chalk paint allows for an easy color change in easygoing, pastoral hues.

Rafe Churchill: Traditional Houses

9. Miscellaneous tables. For this farmhouse designer Heide Hendricks selected a small, rustic table to serve as a bedside table. It’s a perfect fit for the simple beauty of this spare, Shaker-esque bedroom.

Hilary Walker

A turquoise antique medical table adds a touch of history to complement this rustic bed, which was made from pallets. An industrial wheeled base allows maneuverability.

Magnolia Homes

10. Hanging tables. These creative bedside table are made of galvanized steel sheet metal and hung from the ceiling at two different levels. The tables playfully reference children’s swings in this Texas farmhouse bedroom shared by two sisters.

Esther Hershcovich

11. Bicycle wheels. Perhaps the epitome of upcycling, this bicycle wheel makes a sporty, fun bedside table. Isreali designers Marie Chen Hanan and Gil Hanan say their wheel table design makes use of an old leg from a hospital machine. Meanwhile, the glass tabletop is a bit smaller than the tire, allowing the rubber to serve as a natural bumper.

When using glass as a tabletop, be sure the glass is tempered, also known as toughened. Tempered glass is about five times stronger than regular glass, and if broken, it will fall in small, chunky pieces versus sharp shards.