Baltimore Real Estate Video Blog with Lee Tessier

How to Make an Informed Decision When Buying

There are many great Baltimore area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (410) 638-9555 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, our buyer specialist Julie Munchel joins us to share a little about herself and what she does to help clients!

Julie has been on the team for five years and has been in the business for 13 years. She has experience in all areas of real estate, but her expertise is in helping buyers find the perfect home.

Julie believes sitting down with the buyer and having an in-depth conversation is a very important thing to do before beginning the home search. A lot of times, believe it or not, the two people who are looking to get a home together are not on the same page - they don't even know what the other one wants! That's why Julie loves to meet with her clients before she begins showing homes. It gives her a chance to discover their wants and needs so that she can be as helpful as possible to them.

An important thing Julie communicates with buyers during that first meeting is that she is only one part of the team that is working to accomplish the client's buying goals. There are several admins who are always available, even when Julie is not, to answer questions, set up appointments, and take care of paperwork when needed.

Julie's goal is to save her clients time by finding out exactly what they want and then finding homes that meet those criteria. That first meeting typically results in a smooth and successful buying process, which is what everyone involved wants. The biggest value in using a buyer specialist like Julie is the experience she brings to the table to get the job done right and in a reasonable amount of time!

Buying a home is a huge financial decision; Julie understands this and will act as your expert advisor so that you make an informed move. If you would like to learn more about how Julie can help you buy or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, please don't hesitate to reach out to us! We would love to hear from you!

Baltimore Real Estate Market Update

Today, I want to give you a quick market update. You may have noticed a lot of new construction signs out there. New construction is coming back, and lots are going for sale all over Harford County.

There has been pent-up demand for building over the last few years, and that's finally coming to fruition. The sweet spot of the market for new construction is in the high $400,000s. New construction, single-family homes with four bedrooms and a two-car garage is a particularly busy section of the market. In certain school districts, the demand for these homes is even higher.

In all of Harford County, there are about 240 active and under contract homes. Through the summer, we've seen a bit of a slowdown on showings. That should pick back up now that kids are back in school and vacation time is over.

If you have any questions, please give us a call or send us an email. We'd be happy to help you!

How Do the New TRID Guidelines Affect You?

Today, I want to touch on some big changes coming to the industry that were supposed to begin August 1.

The new lending guidelines, or TRID, have been pushed back to October 3. Some forms are merging to be more consumer-friendly, and there is one form that is altogether new. These guidelines were put forward by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in order to make the closing process easier.

There will be a transition period once TRID goes into effect in October. The biggest changes are on the banking side, as there will be a lot more disclosure that will be done up front as you're going through the lending process. This will make it a bit easier on you, as you will not have a bunch of forms put in front of you that you might not understand.

These changes are all based on loan applications submitted after October 3. If you put a contract on a house after October 3, you'll have to abide by these new regulations, whereas if you write a contract application in late September, you will abide by current regulations. Once the changes go into effect you will have to get your documents to the settlement company at least three days prior to settlement, so there will no longer be last-minute document exchanges.

If you would like more information about these changes, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to hear from you!

What's Going on in the Baltimore Market

I want to take the time today to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July weekend! I know a lot of you have Friday off and a long weekend ahead, and we hope you have a safe and fun-filled celebration. With that said, I want to give you a quick update on the Baltimore market.

Prices are pretty flat in our area year over year, but sales are up 25% in Baltimore County and just over 30% in Harford County. The higher end market is still pretty slow, but the market generally has been pretty hot compared to 2014. There's a shortage of homes in the $200,000K-$300,000K range, so if you have a home in that range, you may benefit by listing soon.

If you have any questions about our market, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, feel free to reach out to us at any time. We're always here to help!

Thanks, and have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Have You RSVP'd to Our Client Appreciation Party?

As a thank you to all of our loyal clients, we want to invite you to our annual movie event! This year we are very excited to treat you to a screening of Jurassic World at Loews Movie Theater White Marsh on Saturday, June 13.

In addition to treating you to one of the year's most anticipated blockbusters, we are going to have tons of freebies and other prizes for you to win as well. Movie tickets, popcorn, food, and beverages will be provided by our team as a thank you to all of our loyal customers.

On Saturday, June 13, meet us at the theater between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m., where we will have a complimentary breakfast for you. After that, you can test your movie knowledge with trivia from 9:30 to 9:45 a.m. Prizes will be given away!

RSVP soon, because space is limited. Let us know how many people will be attending with you by giving us a call or sending us an email!

In addition to all the above, we will also be drawing for a few extra special prizes, including a flat screen TV and a $400 Visa Gift Card. There are multiple ways for you to enter to win the gift card, here they are:

1. Schedule a time with us to do a video testimonial. To set one up, just contact Melanie in our office at (410) 638-9555 or send her an email at Melanie@leetessier.com

2. Pick two out of three of these sites, and complete a few reviews of our team online:

Zillow:

1. http://www.zillow.com/profile/Lee-Tessier-Team/

2. Click Write a Review (gray box)

3. Complete Form

4. Click Submit Review

Yelp:

1. http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-lee-tessier-team-bel-air-2

2. Click Write a Review (red box)

3. Complete form

4. Click Post

Trulia:

1. http://www.trulia.com/profile/lee-tessier-team-agent-bel-air-md-862782/reviews

2. Click Write a Review (orange box)

3. Select Service Provided

4. Complete form

5. Click Sign up & Post

If you have any questions for us, or want to RSVP to the event, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

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About

Lee is a 37-year native of Baltimore and has a great passion for Real Estate. Having worked in the sales industry for more than 25 years, and with 80% of his business from referrals, he is known for following through and getting the job done. To prove it, he guarantees that if he doesn't get your home sold, he'll buy it. His goal is to ease the stress of your buying and selling experience by accompanying you through every step of the process.

Lee has successfully served over 500 families in the last six years, and believes that any time is the right time to buy or sell if you have a skilled professional to serve you. He values education and devotes his time to keeping up with industry trends by regularly attending industry conferences, and has obtained a number of professional designations. Whether it's marketing, writing contracts, managing short sales, or negotiating complicated contracts, Lee is your guy.

January 2018 will mark 12 years in the real estate business for Lee. In those 12 years Lee and his team have successfully helped over 2,400 people buy and sell their homes, so you are guaranteed to be working with an experienced Realtor. At the Lee Tessier Team, we always put our clients first and never chase a commission. If you are interested in learning more, feel free to check out our mobile-friendly site at LeeTesser.com /">LeeTesser.com

Lee Tessier
Tessier Real Estate
2225 Old Emmorton Road
Suite 207
Bel Air, MD 21015
Office: 410-638-9555
Lee@LeeTessier.com

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