Valerie McNeal, CDPE, CRS, GRI, IRES Certified Distressed Property Expert & Residential Specialist, International Real Estate Specialist February 2013 Real Estate Market Statistics for   Baltimore County, MD   StatisticValuesYoYMoM Total Sold Dollar Volume $93,234,588 +1.61% -2.57% Closed Sales 422 -0.71% +0.24% Median Sold Price $190,000 +4.4% 0% Avg Sold Price $220,935 +2.33% -2.8% Avg Days on Market 104 days -16.8% +15.56% Avg Sold to Orig List Ratio 91.45% +3.74% +0.11%   03/24/2013

 Another place to sign a contract in Baltimore. There have been some unusual places where I have gotten signatures on   contracts.  There have been many different restaurants, a bowling alley, houses of worship, hotel lobbies, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, front porch steps, airports, in my car, at a stadium, and today I added one more....my Lexus Dealership.                                                                                Had a really busy schedule and my car was overdue for service. Sure, I could have gotten a loaner but instead had the seller meet me at the dealership. It was actually close to her house.  Easy, quick, lots of room, privacy and no time was wasted. I've signed contracts in some strange places over the years. Where is the most unusual place yo... 01/18/2013

Born and raised in Baltimore, I am so proud of my Baltimore Ravens.  I do believe it is the perfect time for Ray Lewis to retire.  It is so great to see a legend go out with their pride and dignity.  I do believe this will not be the end of Ray Lewis's in professional sports.  I would not be surpised to see him coaching one day soon!  Thanks for many great seasons and expectionally this one!  Go Ravens lets do this. 01/04/2013

  Shattered iPhone Is Not a Pretty Picture...But Lucky Me Yesterday at one of my showings, I slipped and fell hitting the concrete with enough force to shatter my iPhone. In the condition below, the phone still worked except for the bits of glass I was getting in and on my fingers. A phone call to Gadget Guru and a quick drive to 11000 Owings Mills Blvd. How lucky... this was just a few miles from my listing. Within an hour ...my phone was as good as new. Great service, great convenience from the great guys at Gadget Guru.       Lucky me, not that I fell,  that Gadget Guru was available and open on a Saturday afternoon!Shattered iPhone Is Not a Pretty Picture...But Lucky Me   12/16/2012

Normally I write about the North Shore of Chicago, which is market I serve in my real estate practice. This is not a post about the North Shore. It’s a post about Robin Hill, my childhood home in the Greenspring Valley outside of Baltimore.  My family lived there for over thirty years. My parents bought it when I was a year old and I spent my childhood freely roaming its ten acres and the surrounding woods and fields. I loved that house and everything it represented, and I cried all the way back to Chicago the last time I saw it before it was sold. Sometimes I think the reason I ended up in real estate was because of my love affair with my family home. Later, after the people that bought it had spent months and a considerable amount of money remodeling the house, they invited all of us... 07/28/2012

SOLD ON 6/29/12 9842 Sherwood Farm Road OWINGS MILLS, MD 21117 SOLD BY MIKE KLIJANOWICZ WITH REMAX AMERICAN DREAM IN PERRY HALL, MARYLAND! FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: WWW.ISELLMDHOMES.COM or CONTACT MIKE DIRECT 410-236-3331 (CALL or TEXT)         SEARCH FOR NEW HOMES ON MIKE'S INTERACTIVE HOME SEARCH MAP JUST CLICK THE MAP BELOW! CLICK HERE OR ON THE MAP ABOVE TO USE MY STATE OF THE ART MAP BASED HOME SEARCH SYSTEM! Search for ALL of the Baltimore, Maryland area homes that are currently for sale, Search for ALL of the recently sold homes in your Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood including those listed in the MLS system and those that were never listed by real estate agents (for sale by owners, new construction, etc), Search by whatever terms you want: Baltimore, Maryland zip codes, schoo... 07/01/2012

    Out of signs! Where Do You Get Signs Made Fast in the Baltimore area?                                    At FASTSIGNS of Owings Mills...but of course!                                                                                                         Joe and Lorri Schonfeld with my beautiful new sign.   It has been a wonderfully busy week with a bunch of new listings when  I realized my sign inventory was way down..like gone. I made a call on Wednesday to  FASTSIGNS in Owings Mills. What a pleasure when the owner Lorri remembered me. I told her my dilemma. That was just music to her ears! Within 24 hours... a message came in..."Your signs are ready."  Lorri owns FASTSIGNS with hubby Joe and both were at the shop when I arrived. Using my iPad,  I invited Joe to join ActiveRain. D... 06/01/2012

      Baltimore Humane Society...Maryland Public Television ...Can You Adopt Hope? A large group of volunteers gathered in Owings Mills this evening for a fundraiser for Maryland Public TV. There was a sea of blue shirts answering phones and taking pledges for MPT. Tonight's show was The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  Each person who called in with a pledge was entitled to a thank you gift.  But each of my callers declined the gifts. They just wanted to ensure that the Mystery Night on MPT would continue.                                                                                                               The Humane Society logo on our blue shirts.                                                               ===============                                              Look to ... 03/16/2012

MPT and Baltimore Humane Society...Fundraising and the Code of Ethics Realtors® follow a Code of Ethics and so does  the Humane Society. "We believe that individuals give to the Humane Society do so for no other reason other than to help pets."                                                     Baltimore Humane Society is a private non-profit animal welfare organization serving Baltimore City, Baltimore County and the state of Maryland at large. Like most non-profits, we hold out our hands every day and ask for help from individuals and organizations that wish to support us. So what makes us different? Our fundraising efforts reflect a code of ethics that are predicated on one very simple belief: "We believe that individuals give to the Humane Society do so for no other reason other th... 03/15/2012

When:  Sunday, February 19th from 1 to 4 pm Where: 9913 Middle Mill Road, Owings Mills MD This cottage style home is actually a condominium, located in Owings Mills New Town. It was built in the 1990's and has been tastefully updated since them.  The kitchen has granite counters and travertine floors, with table space and sliding doors leading to a small deck.  The living and dining areas are expansive with soaring cathedral ceilings and glass doors leading to a deck that overlooks a protected nature preserve.   The master bath has a jetted Jacuzzi soaking tub and separate shower.  There are three additional bedrooms and two more full baths.  This includes a great space on the lower level.  The walkout basement has a large rec room with one of those additional bedrooms and bath.  The ho... 02/18/2012

                    Under Contract With a Kick Out...Sold or Is It?One of my all time favorite homes and it is under contract... contingent on the sale of the buyer's present home.                                 Wood ceilings and floors...so contemporary!                                    Gourmet Kitchen with skylight!                                                                                                                                               Indoor Swimming PoolThis is also known as a contingent contract with a kick out clause. What does that mean?          The house shows up in the  MLS (multiple listing system) ' CONT/KO'  (Contract /Kick Out). The house can still be marketed and shown to other buyers and should there be another offer without a contingency, the firs... 01/03/2012

We Had an Impromptu Open House 2301 Velvet Ridge Drive 21117    4-5 Bedrooms  3 Full Baths Drama Priced at $449,944 Since there are two scheduled appointments  at  2301 Velvet Ridge Drive 21117   we had an Impromptu Open House   This contemporary has 3 bedrooms on the main level and another master bedroom and possible 5th bedroom in the lower level. It also has 3 full baths.   These photos were taken last week in the rain...I mean  Liquid Sunshine Take a look at some of the unique features showing this home is definitely  not a Cloneonial!                                                                                                                                                                                    Wood ceilings and wood floors                                           ... 11/26/2011

  More Than How Many Bedrooms and How Many Baths! A Unique Contemporary located at  2301 Velvet Ridge Drive 21117   This contemporary has 3 bedrooms on the main level and another master bedroom and possible 5th bedroom in the lower level. It also has 3 full baths. But... this home is so much more than how many bedrooms and how many baths.   These photos were taken today and it was wet...I mean there was Liquid Sunshine or a Rainy Day         Take a look at some of the unique features showing this home is definitely  not a Cloneonial!                                                                 Wood ceilings                                                                                                                                                               Wood ceilings and woo... 11/22/2011

 9913 Middle Mill Drive...You Don't Have to Wait For An Open House!   You don't have to wait for an open house, just give me a call and we will OPEN the house to fit your schedule!              9913 Middle Mill DriveOwings Mills, MD. 211174 Bedrooms3 Full Baths$339,944MLS# BC 7708674 Moving from the big house does not mean “downsizing”..I would rather call it “right sizing” when you need a different space but not necessarily smaller. Here is that right space with over 2000 square feet on the first level and there is also a finished lower level. Just look at these soaring cathedral and tray ceilings and an abundant amount of light. This very special contemporary home is located in Owings Mills minutes from 795 and the Owings Mills Mall. One floor living with no steps, the master suite an... 11/12/2011

This is  our favorite Sushi restaurant located in the "Pink Shopping Center" in Owings Mills.  Whenever we go, we are always treated with the the same warm welcome. Right away we are seated and brought a plate of hot towels to freshen up. I would hope we make our clients feel as welcome!   Sushi Ya is located at  9616 Reisterstown Rd, Owings Mills, MD 21117. This is a local Japanese restaurant that has a comfortable feeling, delightful service and wonderful sushi. The meals are not only delicious but are gourmet artwork....beautiful to look at. Here are a couple of dishes before they were quickly eaten and immensely enjoyed.                                                                                         We enjoy going to Sushi Ya with good friends. It is very convenient to my wo... 11/03/2011

OWINGS MILLS CONDO FOR SALE - NEW LISTING BY MIKE KLIJANOWICZ INTRODUCING 4404 SILVERBROOK LANE UNIT E303 OWINGS MILLS, MD 21117   IMMACULATE PENTHOUSE UNIT! FEATURES: NEW GRANITE COUNTERS,NEW APPLIANCES,NEW HEAT PUMP,NEW HOT WATER HEATER,UPGRADED WOOD LAMINATE FLRS ALL THRUOUT,NEW CERAMIC TILED FLR IN KITCH & BATH,LRG MASTER BEDRM W/WALK-IN CLOSET & ACCESS TO FULL BATH,VIEW OF TREES FROM EVERY WINDOW & PRIVATE BALCONY,SOARING CATHEDRAL CEILINGS,WOOD BURNING FIREPLACE,2 COMMUNITY POOLS,TENNIS CRTS,BBQ AREA,PLAYGROUND & MORE!        CLICK HERE OR ON THE MAP ABOVE TO USE MY STATE OF THE ART MAP BASED HOME SEARCH SYSTEM!  Search for ALL of the homes that are currently for sale, Search for ALL of the recently sold homes in your neighborhood including those listed in the MLS system and those... 10/30/2011

  That's what you serve at a Baltimore HomeRome Party in Baltimore!                                                   Trays of sandwiches  with an assortment of turkey, corned beef, rare roast beef ....the other tray with salads... tuna, egg and whitefish.                                                 Thanks  Suburban House and Lidia for your special attention making the food look so pretty. Everything was delicious. And we enjoyed  this special gift from Joe and Mark...a lovely tray of coddies!                                       No party complete without  dessert......                                                      No party is complete without  dessert and....Debbie Did Cupcakes                                                  That's what you serve at a HomeRome Party!      ... 10/29/2011

  We Had An Open House Party and Look Who Came. It was a  colorful fall day, in Baltimore, with a bit of liquid sunshine. That did not stop the brightness inside this gorgeous Weston home at 9913 Middle Mill Drive Owings Mills, MD. 21117. Each person who walked in was  impressed... with the size, the lay out, the creative use of space, the two car garage, the luxury master bedroom suite, the one floor convenience, the man cave area and the perfect  kitchen where everyone wanted to congregate. Lucky that this gourmet space holds a  crowd.                                                                                                We had a wonderful turnout!  Not bad for rainy 'humpday' at lunch time. So Who came?  Margaret Rome Holds Another Successful AR Open House! ActiveRainers came... 10/27/2011

Margaret Rome Holds Another Successful AR Open House! What a beautiful day it was at 9913 Middle Mill Road in  Owings Mills, Maryland.  This spacious rancher really is a lovely home in a great neighborhood.   What a home for the right buyer!  This huge single family home with a fully finished basement is in a condo community so you'll have no outside maintenance!  Single Family living with all the plusses of condo living! What could be better? There was plenty of room for all the folks that attended, and I couldn't believe how big it was inside!Here's a sample of this fabulous Home Rome property!   Of course it was wonderful to see Pat Kennedy there.  I loved talking with her about Real Estate in Washington DC and it's Maryland suburbs.  A Realtor with Evers and Co. she really loves wha... 10/27/2011

When one ActiveRain member lists another ActiveRainer's property...that calls for an ActiveRain Party!                                                          By now you know that I have  Pat Kennedy's  mother's  home for sale in Baltimore. I have known Pat through ActiveRain for many years. When it was time to sell the home where her late mother lived...Pat called me to list this  beautiful home. And it is the perfect place to entertain and that is what we will do... have a party at  9913 Middle Mill Drive Owings Mills, MD. 21117.   You might recall that I am known as Realtor Magazine's Open House Master  and it was just a year and a half ago that we had our  First Active Rain Open House Gathering When one ActiveRain member lists another ActiveRainer's property...that calls for anothe... 10/25/2011