If you’re relocating to Frederick Maryland within a few months, you’ll need a plan. Most likely, you’re looking on the real estate websites to see what the market is like, what the neighborhoods and communities have to offer.
We recently had the pleasure of assisting an armed services family to relocate from Pennsylvania to Frederick, Megan and Celio. As is often the case in the military, one spouse came to scout out the area. The husband was still in Afghanistan, and the wife found the home. From their internet search, to the closing, it took about 5 months.
Relocating to Frederick in 6 Months? Have A Plan
The first step you’ll take is to connect with an experienced local agent. You’d be amazed how a phone call can help you connect and establish a good rapport. We can learn a lot about you in the initial conversation, what type of home you’re looking for, your family’s needs and wants.
In that first conversation, we can refer you to a reputable local lender who will have the loan product that will best meet your needs, whether it’s a VA loan, FHA, or Conventional. We also have lenders who provide USDA loans, FHA 203K loans for fixer-uppers, or any other product you need. You’ll want to know how much you can afford and what your estimated monthly payments might be before you start looking in earnest.
Home Search Tip: Megan found that our mobile app, HomeSnap,
was a super tool to use. She found it easy to use and more accurate than many other mobile apps. While we were home shopping, she was snapping from the passenger seat as we drove through neighborhoods, getting information on the spot!
Our desktop home search site is also a great tool. It has a mobile app that works beautifully on a mobile phone or tablet as well. To search for homes remotely, you can set up any number of personalized searches with many different parameters, including price points, number of rooms, neighborhoods, zip codes, cities, subdivisions, and a lot more. It’s a very robust search tool.
The benefit of using our search tools, as opposed to sites like Zillow and Trulia, is that we can see what you’re looking at. This gives us insight to look for homes that further fit your criteria. We can often find the hidden gems that don’t “appear” to fit the usual search parameters.
Planning Your Visit to Frederick
Secondly, it would be helpful for you to start to plan the agenda for that first actual trip to the Frederick area. You may want to visit for a day or a weekend before you start looking for a home in earnest, to familiarize yourself with the community. When you’re shopping for a home, we realize that you’re shopping for a lifestyle as much as you are bricks and sticks. You’ll need to see firsthand the neighborhoods, the amenities, schools, shopping, parks and entertainment, etc.
Once you start shopping for a home with us, you’ll want to visit about 3 to 4 months before D-day, at the latest. Remember though, in this present seller’s market, most of the homes you see will be not be available when you are ready to purchase.
When you start looking in earnest, you’ll need a minimum of a couple of weeks to find a home…in our experience, it usually takes about that long if you’ve narrowed your search to a few neighborhoods. Although some have found their dream home in a weekend. If we have a deep understanding of what you’re looking for, that will give us a big headstart in finding something ideal.
Once you found it, plan on about 45 days to settle and move. In the recent few years, the Closing Disclosure laws in Maryland extended the time from contract to close about one to three weeks, depending on the details of the transaction.
While you will find a lot of useful information available on the internet, there’s nothing like seeing the neighborhoods and local life in person. An experienced local agent can narrow down the search time for you. By carefully listening to your needs, wants and interests, we know the local neighborhoods after selling real estate in central Maryland for 26+ years, and we can provide you with the information you need to make your best decision.
Getting to Know Frederick County
One of the first things you’ll want to do when relocating to Frederick County is to get to know the county. When we take someone on a tour of Frederick County, we do what we like to
call “the four corners tour“. We show people the lay of the land in the county, talk about the schools and types of neighborhoods and home styles, and commuting routes. We show how people get around for work and shopping. All the while, we’re listening intently to what you’re looking for.
We’ve been enjoying life in Frederick County for 29 years and have raised our 4 children here, as well as some fur kids along the way! Frederick County is a wonderful place.
Karen’s Ultimate Relocation Guide: Things to Do in Frederick County
An Exciting Recent Relocation Story
We were contacted by a military couple we had worked with 17 years ago! They had purchased a home in Lake Linganore, then sold the home 2 years later, moving out of country to Germany. We had lost touch with them over the years and distance.
Now, six years after retirement from the military and contract work in Germany, Veronique and the family were moving back to take a position at Fort Detrick. After a few conversations, we started looking for them. Chris filmed some houses on his Galaxy Note, uploaded them to our YouTube Channel and sent the link to Vera. After each home, Chris was able to narrow down to a home we were sure they would love.
He recorded a home in Brunswick Crossing that exactly fit the families desires. They wrote a contract from Germany, thank you Docusign! They actually showed up in person at the walk-through, five days before settlement. One item that was negotiated after the home inspection was not repaired as agreed, and we had a tense couple of days, but the homeowners came through and made the repair before settlement.
Kevin and Vera and their children are thrilled with the home, the neighborhood, and Kevin’s 25 minute commute to Fort Detrick.
The challenges of remote showings via video, communication over distance and time zones notwithstanding, it was an exciting (and nerve-wracking!) experience to help the family relocate back to the country. We realize it was challenging for the family to rely on us for that boots-on-the-ground reconnaissance that they surely would have preferred to conduct in person, but could not. Kevin and Vera were a pleasure to work with and we appreciate their trust in us.
Diligence with the Paperwork
Depending on the market we’re currently experiencing, a buyer’s strategy will vary. If it’s a seller’s market, (definitely 2019!) you’ll want to be ready to make an offer quickly, depending on the demand for the type of home and the neighborhood. During your preparation, you’ll want to get all the necessary paperwork to your lender as soon as you can. (We have a list of great local lenders) The process of loan application and qualification has gotten more complicated and lengthy in the recent years.
When you find your dream home, if you’ve taken the step of getting qualified for the loan, you’ll be in a much stronger negotiating position. The difference between being pre-qualified and actually being qualified can make your offer much more attractive in a multiple-offer scenario.
The Best Strategy Wins
Having a strategy is an important part of making an offer. Having an agent who is a trusted adviser is the first step in a winning strategy. A skilled negotiator with a thorough knowledge of how to best approach sellers in various situations will be an advantage. An experienced, skilled agent can help you get the home that is right for you, at a price and at terms that are a good value for the market.
Additional Resources:
- Negotiating with a Motivated Home Seller
- The First Rule of Negotiating – Don’t let emotions rule
- How to Handle Multiple Offers
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If you’re relocating to Frederick or Central Maryland in 6 months, have a plan! Call or email for our superior relocation service. We’ve got a great list of preferred local lenders, and use our free MLS property search, both mobile app and home search. Chris Highland: call/text 301-401-5119. .
Summer Activities in Baker Park