Stacey-Ann's Blog

It's official!  The lease has been signed and the keys are in my hands.

EOP Real Estate's Maryland office has an official home:

12053B Tech Road

Silver Spring, MD 20904

We are excited about this next step and are looking forward to opening the doors for business in late March 2010.

Tomorrow - I get to go shopping for office furniture.

I think we should plan an AR gathering there when we are fully operational.

Today I opened my mail and actually got good news.  Prince George's County agreed with my petition and has reduced the market value on my home.  This should have a significant impact on my tax liability and therefore my monthly mortgage payment.

Like many other people, my home's tax value was WAY above it's current market value and the new assessed value is much more in keeping with any potential sales value.

I have had many clients that ask me about whether this process works.

Now I can answer from personal experience.  The process actually works quite quickly.  We filed the petition in the beginning of January, a tax assessor was at our house late January and we received the decision today.

If you feel your home's assessed value is incorrect, don't be afraid to appeal it. What do you have to lose?

Yesterday my daughter and I volunteered at the College Park Community Food Bank.  The College Park Community Food Bank is headquartered at the College Park Church of the Nazarene and delivers food to local families on the 3rd Saturday of every month.  There is no cost to the families to receive the food.  This month, 85 families (family sizes that I saw ranged from 1-8 members) received food from the food bank.

The food bank accepts donations of food, money, and grocery store gift cards.  In addition, other donations (clothes, toys, household items) are accepted and made available to the participating families.

My daughter had expressed an interest in volunteering and this was a wonderful experience for her.  She felt very proud that she was able to help pack the produce and cereal in the boxes being given to the families.  She and I are planning to volunteer at the food bank regularly because it was such a positive experience for us both.

I am grateful to my broker, EOP Real Estate, for bringing this wonderful volunteer opportunity to my attention.  One of the things that attracted me to EOP was this focus on community service.  There are company community service activities planned throughout the year including:  MS Walk in April; March of Dimes walk; Angie Houtz Family Fun Day & Golf Tournament and many more.  If you would like information about our upcoming community service activities give me a call.

I read an article today about a couple in Florida who was accidentally foreclosed on by Bank of America even though they paid cash for their home.  I am horrified to think that there are people out there who have to endure the embarrasment and loss of a foreclosure when it isn't even justified.  You would think that there would be enough checks and balances in place to prevent this from happening.

In 2 minutes this morning, I was able to find 3 cases where Bank of America mistakenly foreclosed on people who had no relationship with them:

1. Couple in Florida who paid cash for their home - lost personal items and had damage to their pipes.
2. Couple in Texas who owned their home free and clear - caused them to lose food and caused mold buildup
3. Man in Kentucky - it was one of his neighbor's homes that was supposed to be repossessed

 Makes you wonder how many more cases there are out there with different banks across the country.

This is just a disgrace!

A desperate need for a mid-Winter pedicure brought me into The Hair Connoisseur's Salon & Spa in Columbia, MD yesterday. 

My experience with the nail technician (Yanique) was very relaxing and I plan to make a pedicure with her my regular treat to myself.  Before leaving, I made an appointment for next week to have my hair done.

From the moment you enter the salon you are welcomed by the pleasant staff and inviting decor.  Salon owner and stylist, Tamara Taylor, greeted me (and every other person who entered) personally and thanked us for our patronage.

Tamara is well known in the area for her precision hair cuts, customized color, and her impeccable attention to detail.  Tamara Taylor's work has been featured in Essence, Vibe Magazing, on Regis & Kelly, TV One, The Montel Williams Show and in the New York Times.  Tamara Taylor served as the personal stylist for Roberta Flack and counts Maya Angelou and Deborah Cox as past clients.

At the Hair Connoisseur's Salon & Spa clients experience the luxury and expertise associated with the many exclusive salons in the area without the budget busting prices.

The Hair Connoisseur's Salon & Spa is located across from the Lord & Taylor parking garage at the Columbia Mall, on the first floor of the Merrill Lynch Building.

If you need to have your hair, nails, or waxing done be sure to check out the Hair Connoisseur's Salon.

 The Hair Connoisseur's Salon

10320 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 110

Columbia, MD 21043

(410) 992-4247

I have been a staunch defender of the DC region and their response following the massive snow fall that we have had this Winter.  I understand how difficult it has been for the region to cope with the weather without the necessary resources or equipment.

However, this morning, I was appalled to see the DC Mayor's behavior on NBC4.  Mayor Fenty was asked by the anchor when we could expect the snow to be removed and he laughed.  He laughed at her and basically told her that the snow would not be gone until there was warm weather.  It is obvious that this woman was not asking about the melting of the snow but instead the removal of the snow from the roads.  Where I was patient immediately following the snowfall, I do think a week later it is not unreasonable for people to expect that the roads would be clear of snow - especially the roads that are most travelled by commuters.

Her next question was about trash pick-up and again Mayor Fenty laughed at her.   It's clear from the trash I saw piled up in front of people's homes today that the lack of information on trash pick-up is widespread in the district.

To be fair, Maryland and Virginia are experiencing many of the same problems as DC in terms of road clearing, pedestrians walking in the streets, interrupted mail delivery and trash pick-up.  However, the leaders of the communities in MD and VA are not on the television acting pompous and condescending. 

Mayor Fenty showed complete disdain for the residents of DC, his constituents and for the residents of MD and VA that must use DC streets daily to get to and from work.   

I would hope that Mayor Fenty would watch this interview and be embarrassed by his behavior.  He should apologize publicly to Eun Yang and the residents of the region.  Mayor Fenty needs to be able to answer and respond to criticisms and questions in a mature manner, and stop acting like a spoiled brat.  After all, this was the job he wanted and was elected to do! 

Watch the clip and let me know what you think.

I have registrered to participate in the 2010 Walk MS in Bowie, MD. 

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Bowie Town Center

The MS walk is five miles and weaves through the neighborhoods of Bowie.  Last year we had lots of fun and raised money for a great cause.

The walk raises money for research, treatments, and programs for people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that impacts the central nervous system.  MS is very random in its course and can present a myriad of ways in different people.  For many people, MS creates difficulty with movement.

I was diagnosed with MS in 2006.  I am lucky in that I experience mild symptoms like fatigue, muscle weakness, and dizziness.  However, I am always aware that there is no way to predict what the future will hold for me or anyone else with this unpredictible disease.  My hope is that treatments will continue to improve so that people with MS can live life to the fullest.

For those of you that live locally, I would love to see you there.  We could make it the 2010 Walk MS an AR gathering, while getting some exercise and helping a worthy cause.  For those not so local please donate if you can.

Please feel free to reblog this and spread the word.

Join My Team or Donate Now

It's time to get back to work around here.  However, showing homes is like taking your life in your hands.  There is ice and snow everywhere.  With the major snows we've had this past week that could require wading through thigh high snow to get to a front door.

There is huge liability if someone falls and injures themselves because you did not shovel the driveway, walkway, or stairs of a listing.

One of your jobs as a listing agent is to ensure that the home is showable at all times, which includes clearing the paths so that people can get in and out. 

I dread what I am going to have to trudge through when my buyer and I head out tomorrow to look at vacant reo properties and short sales.

A 21 year old luger from Georgia died today while completing a practice run.  All reports indicate that it was a horrific crash and the severity was immediately evident.  The young man never regained consciousness.

It is frightening to think how quickly things can take a turn for the worse.  My heart goes out to his family who have gone from the heights of pride to the depths of grief in a matter of seconds.

I can imagine this is going to weigh heavily tonight at the games' Opening Ceremony and certainly tomorrow when the luge competition is set to get underway. 

This is just another frightening reminder that we have to treasure each day and each experience we have with the people we love.