THE ETHE ETHE E---WTRFRONT MONTHLY WTRFRONT MONTHLY WTRFRONT MONTHLY JAN 2012

SHOWCASE PROPERTY

OF THE MONTH

HELPFUL HINTS FOR

YOUR PROPERTY

7420 Sedwick Court

Saint Leonard, MD 20685

$699,900 4 Bed,3 Full Bath | on 2.680005 acre |

MLS #CA7666659

Before you buy a house, take the time to estimate the home's utility bills. You'll avoid surprises and identify inefficiencies ahead of time.

How do you estimate utility costs in a new home? Whether you’re moving into your first home or upgrading to a better one, there’s a lot of change to be prepared for. You’ll have a new neighborhood to negotiate, a new household routine, and new spaces to fill with family and furnishings. One change you may be unpleasantly sur-prised by, however, is a shift in your monthly utility costs. A budget-busting difference puts strain on both your resources and enjoyment of the home you’ve spent so much time to find.

Ask for the utility bills. If you’re getting serious about purchasing

a particular home, ask for a record of utility costs spanning the past

12 months. Your realtor can arrange this through the seller’s realtor,

or, in the case of a house for sale by owner, ask the seller directly

for the tally.

Get a HERS evaluation. “If you’re about to buy a home and you

want to know how much your utility bills will be and how quickly

energy efficiency improvements can pay for themselves, a HERS

rating performed by a home energy auditor is a great place to start,”

says John Milligan, owner and president of Goals2Green, an Indi-

ana-based energy auditing firm. “You can also use it as a tool to

compare with other homes you’re considering.”

...To continue reading the entire article from moneypit.com , click here

Estimating Utility Costs for a New Home

By tom Krautler

CALL KAREN TO FIND

YOUR PERFECT HOME!

410-610-8918

410-286-6932

Waterfront Retreat! Privacy on wooded 2.6 acres! Lindal

Cedar Home w/Great Waterviews of St. Leonard Creek!

Gourmet kitchen inc Viking 6 burner range/hood, Corian

counters, 2nd sink +. Hardwood flrs! Loft overlooks Great

Room! 1st Flr MBR w/waterfront deck & private bath! Sun-

room! Balcony off 3rd level!

Full deck! Community Pier/

RECENTLY SOLD

LISTINGS

Family Mortgages Help Buyers Pursue The

American Dream

By Phoebe Chongchua

LEITCHES WHARF RD

PRINCE FREDERICK $950,000

1818 HATFIELD RD

HUNTINGTOWN $950,000

4335 LITTLE FALLS RD

HUNTINGTOWN $539,400

The real estate market took a beating and many people suffered

severely but many buyers today still want to have the American

Dream and own their own home.

The problem is mortgages are hard to get and people are under-

employed, but there is a solution that's making housing a family

affair.

USA Today reported that family mortgages are growing in pop-

ularity. The chief executive, Timothy Burke of National Family

Mortgage, calls the family mortgage "an opportunity to create a

win-win".

Burke's company sets up and services intrafamily loans. The

idea is that in a time when parents of grown children are look-

ing to earn greater interest on their investment money and sim-

ultaneously their grown children are looking to buy a house at a

lower interest rate, an intrafamily loan could help both sides.

According to USA Today, more than 12 million in loans has

been financed to help families through National Family Mort-

gage. Those intrafamily loans range from an $18,500 down

payment to a refinancing for $1.17 million.

For many parents the stock market is a big risk. So the oppor-

tunity to invest in their child's mortgage is a creative solution

for both parent and child. In some cases, loans are so difficult to

get that even if buyers have 20% down, they can still be reject-

ed. Additionally, some buyers are losing out to cash buyers.

The intrafamily loans are giving some buyers a competitive

advantage by allowing them to make an all-cash offer, especial-

ly on homAccording to the National Association of Realtors

(NAR), last year, 9% of first-time homebuyers who made a

down payment had received a loan from either a friend or rela-

tive. Also in 2010, nearly 30%, of those surveyed for NAR's

annual Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, reported that they

received a gift from a friend or relative.

If you're planning to use the intrafamily mortgage, be sure to

meet with experts to help guide you through the process. As

more parents help their grown kids get into housing, the Ameri-

can dream stays alive for them. NAR found, in the same study,

that without the help, buying a home would be very difficult–

nearly 36% of first-time homebuyers needed help with a down-

payment….continue reading

KAREN TOWNE

Your “Home Towne”

Waterfront Specialist

A Few of My

Current Active Listings

4105 Riverview Court

Dunkirk, MD 20754

$600,000

2644 Sequoia Way

Prince Frederick, MD 20678

$325,000

40274 Waterview Drive

Mechanicsville, MD 20659

$649,900

3055 Holland Cliffs Road

Huntingtown, MD 20639

$1,199,900

Did you think the information in this Month's

Newsletter was insightful?

If so, "Like"

on my Facebook Page

Facebook.com/htre.WtrFront

KAREN TOWNE

CRS, GRI, ABR,

MILITARY RELOCATION

OVER 24 YEARS EXPERIENCE - OVER 1000 HOMES SOLD!

KAREN'S PARTNERS

Helping you with all your

Real Estate needs

List Your Home with Me To

Receive A FREE HOME WARRANTY

Valid through December 31, 2012

To see more of my listings, or to have automatic emails of properties that fit your criteria,

visit my website http://WtrFront.com

For More Information on the Benefits of Listing your Home with Me :

Contact me Directly on my cell: 410-610-8918

or Email: Karen@karentowne.com