How to Buy a Home With Propane and/or Oil Tanks

When you buy a home, you need to know everything about the propane and oil tanks. Who owns them? Have they been tested recently?

When buying a home in the Baltimore area, you need to be aware of propane tanks and oil tanks.

As a buyer, you need to know who owns these tanks and whether they've been tested. Always ask your agent who owns the tank; they can talk to the listing agent and find out.

If you have a smaller tank, it's likely just used for cooking. If you're looking at a home that uses propane for everything (cooking, hot water, and heat) then you'll likely have a much larger tank. In that case, it will likely be a 500- or 1,000-gallon tank. These tanks can either be above or below ground.

You really want to be careful with these tanks and be sure that the home seller owns them. If not, hopefully they'll have information about the company that owns the tanks. Make sure you clarify this at the settlement table.

Heating oil is used for hot water and heat. Usually, you'll have a 275-gallon tank in the basement or outside. Larger homes might even have an underground tank that's 500 or 1,000 gallons. I definitely recommend having these tanks tested. If they haven't been tested in the last five years, let the listing agent know that you wish to have them tested. You don't want to move into a house with contaminated dirt.

One thing you don't want is to move into a home with contaminated tanks.

I hope this information is helpful to you as you look for your next home. If you have any questions for us, don't hesitate to give us a call. We'd be happy to help.

How Rising Rates Impact the Baltimore Market

The market is really heating up thanks to rising interest rates and the start of the new year. If you were on the fence about buying or selling, you might want to come down. Here's why.

Happy New Year! We're already getting to the point where things are picking up in the Baltimore real estate market due to rising interest rates from December and the Fed saying they will go up in the next two quarters. We were lucky to see rates below 3% as we're now approaching 4.5%, and I think we'll be in the 5% range before the end of the year.

This has already started pushing some buyers off the fence and into the market to buy a home before rates go up again. With the holidays being over, we're already starting to see more showings and sales. If you're thinking about selling, reach out to us soon to get an appointment set up. There are also many 'coming soon' houses that will be on the market this time of year, and we're expecting a very busy spring due to the rise in rates.

Basically, a 1% rate increase raises the cost of a house by 10%. If you could afford a $350,000 house and rates went up 1%, you would only be able to afford a $315,000 house. Rates don't always change based on the stock market, but rather the bond market. If you see interest rates starting to tick up, don't be surprised. It's also predicted that in 2018, we'll see two or three more increases in rates.

A 1% rate increase raises the cost of a house by 10%.

If you have any questions about the market, interest rates, or your home's value, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to helping you.