All Posts by LHowe

Seven Questions To Understand ARMS

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Understanding ARMS

Here are seven questions to understand ARMS which you should ask your lender. If you’re shopping for a mortgage, you need to decide whether to choose one with a fixed or adjustable interest rate. Last year ajustable rate mortgages only accounted for 4% of mortgages in the US, but now they are as much as 10% of mortgages – a real reflection of the higher interest rates. Clearly, lots of buyers think the ARM Is a good option for home purchases in this market.

5 Tips for Carving A Pumpkin

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Celebrate Halloween at the Montgomery County Libraries

Tips for carving a pumpkin might not seem necessary – but you would be surprised how much better your pumpkin can look with these suggestions. Just remember, a jack-o-lantern is a pumpkin that has a design carved into it. Some people use pumpkin carving templates to design their pumpkins, while others decide to free-hand it and draw their own designs. There are so many pumpkin decorating ideas out there, and these pumpkin carving hacks will help you bring them to life.

Which Witch Movie Is Your Fav?

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Witch Movie Fav

Which witch movie is the best to watch in October? Here are some which might strike your fancy – so get your popcorn and your familiar – (in my house it is a black standard poodle rather than a black cat!) and curl up with a good movie! It must be the season of the witch!

Best Pumpkin Patches In Montgomery County

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Celebrate Halloween at the Montgomery County Libraries

The best pumpkin patches in Montgomery County are listed here for you to choose from! Fall is here – and Halloween will be here very soon! Fall means pumpkins for pies and jack-o-lanterns and general decorations!! Here are some of the best pumpkin patches in Montgomery County MD to go for that perfect pumpkin! Montgomery County is just north of Washington DC, so whether you live in DC or Montgomery County, these are definitely the places you want to visit!

An Association Can Block Owners From Renting – Sometimes

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Six Questions to Understand ARMS

An association can block owners from renting – Sometimes. Some homeowners’ associatons and co-op and condo boards have the authority to restrict owners from renting their property. Depending on the rules and regulations, when the homeowners’ association, coop and condo boards forbid owners from renting their units, owners may have no choice but to sell, even in a difficult market.

What is a $500000 Starter Home?

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$500,000 starter home

What is a $500000 starter home in the DC metro area? According to a front page article in the New York Times on September 25, 2022, a starter home in Denver Co in the 1990s was a two level house with three bedrooms and 1400 square feet or less. In the 1990s that starter home sold for $90,000 to $125,000. Now that home will cost approximately $500,000.

That made me wonder….. What do you get in the DC metro area for $500,000? Of course, in the DC metro area, there are lots of choices. Do you look in DC (trendy or trending)? Do you look in Montgomery County? How far out do you go into the suburbs? Do you look in Prince Georges County or perhaps you go to Northern Virginia?

For purposes of this search, I used the criteria that defined a starter home in Denver in the 1990s – a two level home with three bedrooms and less than 1400 square feet for no more than $500,000. Then I looked at the criteria without price restrictions to see what kind of house you can get with the same criteria but in a central location.

September’s Most Expensive DC Metro Homes

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September's Most expensive homes in the DC area

Which properties are September’s most expensive DC Metro Homes? Face it – everyone is curious about the most expensive homes in the DC area. Even if your budget is considerably less than $30 million, or even $5 million, it is still fun to look at the luxury homes for sale. The DC metro area has thousands of homes in Maryland, Virginia and of course, Washington, DC, but only one is the most expensive in each jurisdiction. September’s collection of the most expensive homes in the DC metro area include a stunning white contemporary overooking Battery Kemble Park, a romantic Italian palazzo in Darnestown MD, and a French provincial home to be built on ten acres that belonged to George Washington.

Here is a peak at September 2022’s most expensive homes in each area.

How to Tell a Cheap Kitchen Flip

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Cheap Kitchen Flip

You just fell in love with that house – but does it have a cheap kitchen flip? How can you tell? Here are some important things to look at as you are touring that dream home!

Things to Do With Children in the DMV

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Henry VII things to do with kids iin the DMV

Things to do with children in the DMV range from kite flying by the Washington Monument in March to a barge ride on the canal at Great Falls in the summer to sledding at Battery Kemble park in the winter! Here are a few suggestions for the late summer and fall for you to introduce your children to the greater DC metro area! Enjoy!