Real Estate Information Archive

HISTORIC PORT TOBACCO offers the perfect setting for this fully upgraded home, with ample rooms for entertaining family and friends, and a gourmet kitchen that would make any chef in the house proud! It sits just seconds from popular Historic venues, that feature quaint small-town events such as the popular CRMC Wine tasting, scenic bicycle rallies and educational tours. This is a MUST SEE!!

A LIFESTYLE MOST PEOPLE DREAM ABOUT BUT RARELY EXPERIENCE! This upscale Colonial is nestled amongst the trees on 3 acres just off of a scenic country road, popular to bicyclists. It includes water access to the Port Tobacco River, making it perfect for the boat or jet ski owner! With multiple levels, and a great room bump-out, spaciousness abounds. It's loaded with upgrades, built-ins & more!!

Click here for more interior photos!

Search for Homes

The title sounds like the start of a riddle, and yet the answer is simple and can be complex.

Those of us (agents) that have been in the real estate industry for a long time all know each other.  We grew up together, attended high school and college together, our kids play together, we are friends, family, roommates, and in some cases spouses that work for different real estate brokerages.  Our local agent network is really not that large.  And we work and learn with each other, daily!

Often we all hear the same question from prospective clients; "What is the difference between real estate brokerages?" or "Why should I go with your company over XYZ National Brokerage?" When it comes down to it, what benefits do consumers have using one brokerage over another? What's the difference?  The difference is "nothing and everything".  Sorry to be so paradoxical about the answer, because it is so simple.  The difference is not in the brokerage. The difference is in the individual agent.

As agents, we choose the place where we are most comfortable hanging our hat, where the work place is inviting, nurturing and productive. I have also known real estate agents who have been affiliated with almost every local real estate brokerage at one time or another.  And the service they provided at one brokerage was no different than the service they provided at another.

It used to be that an agent would choose a brokerage over the tools it offered to make their jobs easier and more manageable, or the quality of in-house training programs. Quite frankly, now, the training is the same, and in some cases, the EXACT same. Just today I attended a class sponsored by Exit Realty, and have attended classes put on by Keller Williams, Remax, Century 21 and Coldwell Banker. The Webinar has also changed the playing field, creating an even opportunity for every agent regardless of if they are with a national franchise or an independently owned real estate brokerage.

Sometimes agents choose one company over the other because of the technological support. Again, another area where the Internet has created the same opportunities for all agents to take advantage of.  The same tools are available to every real estate brokerage regardless of if you are with Remax in Maryland or Century 21 in California. They are the same tools with a different label. 

The truth is most real estate brokerages are set up to support the agents, not the consumer.  It is the agent that makes the difference.  If a brokerage offers all kinds of marketing tools and the agent chooses or fails to utilize them, is that the brokerages fault?  Real Estate Agents are independent contractors.  They are a self contained businesses within a franchise name.Ten agents in the same brokerage are going to conduct business in ten different ways.  The important factor here is work ethic, know-how and results.

If you hire an agent with a strong work ethic, who is knowledgeable about their field, and has a track record of success, it does not matter if they are with Keller Williams Realty, Remax, Century 21 or any of the thousands of franchises, or if they have their own brand. 

Word of mouth used to be a popular method for finding a good quality agent. In Today's technology-driven world, it is fairly easy to identify who the hard-working, successful agents are.  And savvy home buyers and sellers will tell you, they "take to the net" and find out what other home buyers and sellers experiences are like by looking through feedback sites like Trulia, Zillow, Google, Yelp, Facebook,RateABIZ and dozens of others. Check out the testimonials.   No longer can an agent hide from a dissatisfied client, and likewise, when a real estate transaction has gone especially well, consumers will let you know.

The difference is as unique as the individual agent. 

Search for Homes 

Don DeHanas, Broker of DeHanas Real Estate Services in Waldorf introduced Kris Zaccarelli as the newest member of the DeHanas Team.  “I am proud and pleased that Kris has joined us.” Says DeHanas.  “Our families have known each other for years. Kris’ husband Dominic and my brother played football together in high school. The Zaccarelli’s have played a big part in the community and in the Charles County Public School system, and Kris brings the same enthusiasm to real estate that has made her successful in her previous 25 year career.”  Zaccarelli says, “I decided to affiliate with DeHanas Real Estate because of the family atmosphere, and professional work environment. DeHanas has an excellent reputation in the community, and I am excited to join them.”

Kris is a Southern Maryland native growing up in La Plata, and then raising her own family in the same location. She is a charismatic wife, loving mother of three- and wonderful “Grammy” to her sweet granddaughter. She is ecstatic to begin her Realtor career after 25 years serving families all over Southern Maryland in her daycare business. She enjoys getting to know a family and doing everything she can to meet their needs. She looks forward to making the home buying process an exciting one. As a local Kris is able to provide excellent information on the different areas of Southern Maryland and can help match families to homes based on their expectations.  Let Kris help you find the perfect home for you and your loved ones

DeHanas Real Estate Services is owned by Rachel DeHanas and her son Don. They have been helping families move to and from Southern Maryland, Washington DC and Northern Virginia for more the 15 years, specializing in residential home sales, property management, Bank owned homes, short sales and property investment.

Search for Homes

As we pass through the New Year and all of the holiday festivities, the Real Estate Market is beginning to heat up once again. The National Association of Realtors is forecasting a 15% to 20% increase in sales, and at a time when the housing inventory is at an all time low.  One segment of inventory that has remained consistent over the past couple of years is the supply of rental property.  Fueled by a combination of investors jumping into the market and homeowners unable to sell homes due to underwater mortgages, rental properties have held their own when it comes to supply vs demand, and as a result rental pricing has remained relatively stable.

Consumers on the move have plenty of hoops to jump through when it comes to buying a home because the mortgage industry continues to tighten its prerequisites for obtaining a mortgage, and if you are contemplating purchasing a home that is a short sale or Bank-owned, you better be prepared for a long wait that statistically results in more disappointments than wins.  As a result, many prospective home buyers end up renting.  But is this the best financial choice?  Home buying just might be worth a little "hoop-jumping" for some consumers.

In most cases, because of the low mortgage rates, a home buyer will pay $500-$600 per month less for the same home that a tenant is occupying.  And with home values finally stabilizing and heading in a more positive direction, the prospect of future equity certainly out weighs paying for someone else's mortgage. 

For those interested in a better understanding of the cost of renting verses the cost of buying, I came across this link featured in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html

Of course if you have any questions regarding buying, selling, renting or investing in real estate, DeHanas Real Estate is here to help!  Call us at 301-870-1717.

Search for Homes

ST. CHARLES, Md. -- The St. Charles Companies recently announced the start of infrastructure work on Fieldside, the newest neighborhood in the St. Charles community, located near Waldorf in Charles County. Ryan Homes will be the exclusive builder within Fieldside, offering single-family homes and townhomes at prices starting from the low 200's.

Located off Piney Church Road and St. Linus Drive, the new 500-home community is within easy reach of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Stadium and adjacent to the newest Charles County high school; the state-of-the-art, St. Charles High School, now under construction. Amenities will include a community center with extensive common areas, walking paths and playgrounds.

"Fieldside combines all of the best of St. Charles in a smaller, walkable neighborhood with the top notch amenities," said St. Charles Companies CEO, Alan Shearer. "Homes in Fieldside will be aggressively priced to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers looking for a convenient suburban location with a fully developed infrastructure, mature shade trees throughout and natural features and amenities designed to enhance a sense of community."

With site work underway, Ryan Homes expects to begin home construction in January with new residents moving in by spring of 2012.

Recently featured in the Washington Post's "Where We Live" section, St. Charles is the largest population center in Charles County and is known for its diverse and abundant neighborhoods, lively retail centers, recreational opportunities and excellent schools. St. Charles is home to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Atlantic League baseball team at Regency Furniture Stadium, and has several additional new construction projects underway within its boundaries, including the new St. Charles High School and a new public library. St. Charles appeals to all ages and lifestyles and was recently named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation's top bargains for places to retire.

The St. Charles Companies includes American Community Properties Trust, The Apartments of St. Charles, American Land Development and St. Charles Community, LLC. The St. Charles Companies' lines of business include the residential and commercial development of St. Charles, a 9,100 acres planned community in Charles County, Maryland and the ownership of an apartment portfolio of approximately 3,000 units, primarily in St. Charles.

Federal Capital Partners acquired The St. Charles Companies in December 2009 through its FCP Fund I, L.P. Federal Capital Partners (FCP) is a Washington, DC based, privately held real estate investment company that has acquired interests in more than $3 billion in assets since 2003. FCP invests in multi-family and commercial assets throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, the Virginia Tidewater region and the Raleigh/Durham area and currently manages a portfolio of approximately $1.8 billion in real estate assets throughout those markets. Through its discretionary co-mingled private equity funds, FCP invests directly in core plus, value-add, opportunistic and development properties. In addition, FCP provides both equity and debt capital to real estate operating partners and is aggressively seeking office, residential (for sale and for rent), industrial and retail investments in all of its target markets.

For more information about buying, selling or renting in St Charles, contact DeHanas Real Estate Services at 800-842-0190 or go to www.dehanas.com.

This real estate prediction might just be the easiest one yet; If the world ends on December 21, 2012, I predict we will see an end to the housing crisis.  Or if there are any impending disasters, Nevada real estate could see property values sky-rocket, as most of the western part of the State becomes Pacific coast water-front.

Sorry to joke about a matter that has plagued us for more than 4 years now. Humor will keep us sane.

 There just doesn’t appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel. The real estate market remains sluggish, and indications are that we will continue to see much of the same.  With the failure of a budget decision by the “Super Committee”, investors and potential home buyers will continue to be reluctant to jump into any kind of spending.  Consumer confidence is on a roller coaster.

Freddie and Fannie are in a panic, and on the verge of going broke. And lending giant, Bank of America seems to be in a death spiral. I have heard rumblings that they might be getting out of the mortgage lending business all together. With all of the recent negative press and plunging stock values, I am certain that Warren Buffet is having a few restless nights lately. 

In 2012, there will be plenty of “good deals” to be had by qualified home buyers. Short sales will remain popular for the next 8 to 10 years. The Charfin Institute, a National educational firm specializing in training real estate professionals on how to help their clients avoid Foreclosure, says that Bank owned properties will see a decline in inventory, while short sales will increase.  A short sale is where a homeowners’ mortgage company will allow the sale of a home where the value of the home is less than the amount owed. As a result, the average real estate transaction will take about 4 months. Buyers and sellers will need a great deal of patience.

Additionally, look for a change in the way we live.  There is an increase of multiple families and extended families living under one roof. And homeowners will be living in the same house for much longer than they did a few years ago.  Without the ability to create fast equity, most homeowners will not be able to pick up on a whim and move.  I predict a return to neighborhood values, where you get to know your neighbors and socialize with them again.

One thing is for sure; there will still be home buyers and there will still be home sellers. As you go into 2012 whether you are moving to another State, or preparing for the end of days, planning ahead is the key to surviving this maze of uncertainty. 

The most recent statistics by the National Association of Realtors will make any current home seller and real estate professional very jittery!

If you were a holding out from joining the real estate double dip club…this new data will 1000% convince you.

* Contracts signed to buy existing homes dropped off a cliff down month over month by 11.6%.  This means that the number of homes expected to close..the best predictor of the future health of the real estate market…are showing very dire signs.

* Year over Year (April 2010 vs April 2011) pending home sales are down 26.5%.

* No surprise with the huge decrease in pending home sales…Fannie Mae backed nearly 20 Billion dollars in few mortgages. Again, fewer home sales…fewer mortgages needed.

* HFA Mortgages delinquencies hit an all time high of 7.5%. That isn’t a huge surprised because most of their loans were originated during the boom.

A number of economists had predicted a double dip in home sales, and now the data supports those predictions.  The forecast is for the double dip in home values to run its course through 2011.  We are expected to see a break from this bad news in the Spring of 2012.

What does this mean for the real estate market?  We will continue to see short sales and bank foreclosures dominate the market, which of course translates into great deals for investors and home buyers.  In Southern Maryland, where there is an inventory shortage of available rental properties, the market is hot to scoop up homes that have mortgages significantly lower than what the same home rents for.

If you or someone you know is thinking about buying or selling a home, or if you are just looking for more information about the current real estate market, call us at 301-870-1717 or e-mail [email protected].

Sales of previously owned homes fell back 0.8 percent in April, according to a new report just released by the National Association of Realtors. The trade group says an unexpected recovery should be expected and notes that existing-home sales have risen in six of the last nine months. The share of distressed home sales also dropped last month, accounting for 37 percent of total sales volume, down from 40 percent in March.

Contrary to this report, my office has actually seen a consistant increase in traffic since the first of the year.  Additionally, we have seen a rise in new short sale listings. Alarmingly, many are homeowners who purchased within the past 1-2 years asking for short sale assistance, further contributing to the inventory of distressed properties.

If you know of someone who owes more on their home than it is worth, and are experiencing a hardship causing them to fall behind in their mortgage payments, please have them call me at 301-870-1717 x106. There are alternatives to Foreclosure.

Southern Maryland Market Watch