Columbia Maryland 21045 Sales Since July 1, 2010

To find out how much your home is worth, call us at 301-785-5889 or contact us today!

Columbia Maryland 21044 Sales Since July 1, 2010

To find out how much your home is worth, call us at 301-785-5889 or contact us today!

Ellicott City Maryland 21043 Sales Since July 1, 2010

To find out how much your home is worth, call us at 301-785-5889 or contact us today!

West Friendship Maryland 21794 Sales Since July 1, 2010

To find out how much your home is worth, call us at 301-785-5889 or contact us today!

Poolesville Maryland 20837 Sales Since July 1, 2010

To find out how much your home is worth, call us at 301-785-5889 or contact us today!

Once the movers walk out the door with your worldly possessions, it’s usually a good idea to have a professional cleaning service come in and scrub your empty house from top to bottom. You want to leave it as clean and shiny as possible for the new owners. This means remembering to clean all the storage spaces, as well as the living areas.  At the final walk-through, the buyers will feel much better about their purchase if the house is spotless.

The good karma should continue all the way to settlement, and everyone will part friends!

By having seven schools in the top 100, MCPS breaks its own record of six, set in 2008. Last year, MCPS had four schools in the top 100.     The seven high schools are Richard Montgomery (33), Poolesville (59), Bethesda-Chevy Chase (63), Winston Churchill (75), Thomas Wootton (83), Walt Whitman (85), and Walter Johnson (95). The remaining MCPS high schools all finished in the top 3 percent of all schools in the nation.

MCPS is the only Maryland district with schools in the top 100.     “The Newsweek report is another confirmation that the reform efforts we have put in place the past 11 years are having a very positive impact,” said Patricia O’Neill, President of the Montgomery County Board of Education. “We have made a commitment to giving all students access to college-level work, so they are better prepared for the rigors of post-secondary classes.”    Several MCPS high schools made significant gains on the list from last year, most notably Poolesville High School, which jumped from 305th to 59th this year. The list is based upon the “Challenge Index,” developed by the Washington Post, which put out a ranking of Washington-area schools earlier this year. MCPS had five schools in the top 10 on that list.

Receiving a college ready score on an AP or IB exam has been identified as one of MCPS’ “7 Keys to College Readiness,” a series of K-12 benchmarks that lays out a pathway to college preparedness.     Students who succeed in rigorous classes, like AP, are more than three times as likely to get a bachelor’s degree than those who do not, according to college completion data.  Among MCPS students in the classes of 2001-2004, only 25 percent of those who did not take an AP exam earned a bachelor’s degree.

But among those students who took at least one AP exam, 60 percent earned a degree, and among those who scored 3 or higher on at least one exam, 76 percent earned a bachelor’s degree.    “By providing broader access to rigorous classes, we are giving our students a distinct advantage in college,” Superintendent Jerry D. Weast said. “Simply taking an AP class more than doubles a student’s chances of earning a bachelor’s degree, which leads to higher lifetime earnings and greater success in the workplace.”
The Newsweek list is the latest in a string of accolades about the performance of MCPS students:

• MCPS has the highest graduation rate among the nation’s large school districts, according to a report released by Education Week on Thursday. The MCPS graduation rate of 83.1 percent is significantly higher than the state and national rates.
• The class of 2010 has earned $232 million in college scholarships so far this year, an all-time record for the district and nearly $50 million more than last year.
• MCPS has been named one of five finalists for the $1 million Broad Prize for Urban Education, which recognizes large school districts that raised student achievement and narrowed the achievement gap.

America’s Best High Schools Rankings for All MCPS Schools

Source: Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools 2010

See frequently asked questions about the list.

Source: MCPS, http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=2783

Questions?  Give us a call.  We’re here to help!

1.  $8,000 for new buyers: This credit is equivalent to 10 percent of the purchase price of the home–although it’s capped at $8,000 and applies only to first-time home buyers and principal residences. But unlike an earlier $7,500 home buyer tax credit, This one does not have to be repaid.

2.  First time buyers defined: For the purpose of this legislation, a “first-time home buyer” is someone who hasn’t owned a principal residence for three years before buying a house. (The date of purchase is considered the day that the title is transferred.) That means if you’ve owned a vacation home–but not a principal residence–within the past three years, you would still qualify for the credit.

3.  2009 buyers only: Only those who purchase a home on or after January 1 and before December 1, 2009 are eligible for the credit. Anyone who bought a home last year won’t be able to take advantage of it.

4.  Income limits: The tax credit is subject to income limitations. Single buyers need a modified adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less to qualify for the full credit, that’s $150,000 for married couples. Those earning more than these thresholds may be eligible for reduced credits.

5.  Refundable: Because the tax credit is “refundable,” qualified buyers can take advantage of it even if they don’t have much tax liability. This tax credit will be refunded to a buyer, if his year end tax liability is less than the credit.

6.  Recapture: Buyers have to own the home for at least three years in order to capitalize on the credit. If they sell the home before then, they will have to return the credit to the government. (Exceptions will be made in certain cases, such as death or divorce.)

You must SETTLE by November 30, which means you should be under contract on your purchase by the middle of THIS MONTH!  Call me at 301-704-7973 to take advantage of this AMAZING deal from the feds.  Hurry, offer ends soon!

Go to the Google Maps page (www.Google.com/maps) then type in a desired zip code or city into the search bar.

Use the drop-down to indicate the search is for “real estate” then click on “foreclosure” to filter the results. [If you don't see the drop-down, click "show search options" next to the "search maps" button at the top of the page.]

Not only will you have a list of foreclosures, photographs and a map to each property but it’s possible to take a virtual tour of the neighborhood for many areas.

Save gas, find that foreclosure property from the comfort of your living room couch.  Then call us at 301.785.5889 to arrange a private showing.

It’s as easy as point, click, and call!  We’re here to help!