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Pikesville, MD Real Estate News

By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
More Than Real Estate: We Sell TrustOne of the things I love most about real estate is seeing people work together to solve a problem. Last week, I thought I was watching one of those moments unfold.My buyers found the home they wanted, completed an extensive financial package required by the co-op, and we hand-delivered everything to the board administrator. Because the buyers had upcoming international travel plans, everyone understood the importance of moving quickly. To everyone's credit, things happened remarkably fast. The financial package was reviewed almost immediately. The board even made a special accommodation by scheduling an interview before the buyers left the country. It was a wonderful example of cooperation, flexibility, and people trying to help one another. Then ever...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
 Not All Storms Come to Disrupt Your Life. Some Come to Clear Your Path.Hearing that quote, I immediately thought about real estate. Most people think of a storm as something to avoid. A canceled contract. A failed inspection. A financing problem. A buyer who changes their mind. A seller who receives disappointing news. We naturally see these moments as setbacks.But after all my years in real estate, I've learned something different. Some storms are actually clearing the path.I've had buyers devastated because they lost "the perfect house." A week later, they found a home they loved even more. I've watched inspections uncover hidden problems that would have become expensive surprises after settlement. I've seen delayed closings give families the extra time they needed to make a better d...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Open the Front Door... and See the Difference11 Slade Avenue, Unit 410Some homes feel compartmentalized. Unit 410 feels connected and a wide-open floor.From the moment you step through the front door, you're welcomed by an expansive open floor plan that allows the foyer, dining area, living room, and beautifully renovated kitchen to flow seamlessly together.  Whether you're entertaining a crowd or simply enjoying a quiet evening at home, every space feels bright, inviting, and comfortable.The stunning white kitchen is truly the heart of the home. An oversized center island provides seating, storage, and the perfect gathering place for family and friends.Just beyond the island is a built-in granite planning desk beneath a wall of windows, an ideal spot for a home office, paying bills, ho...
Comments 5
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
  AI and I Had a Tiny Argument Today This morning I was absolutely committed to getting my new listing along with photos uploaded before anything else. I knew what I was doing. AI was equally convinced I didn't. I was trying to upload photos to the MLS while keeping ChatGPT open on one screen and the MLS on the other. Sounds simple, right? Not so fast. I clicked. AI disappeared. I clicked again. AI came back...but not where I left it. I announced, "You disappeared!" AI politely replied, "No, you opened a new window."  I insisted I hadn't. AI calmly suggested another step. I may have suggested AI needed a nap. Back and forth we went like two friends trying to assemble a bicycle without reading the directions. Then it hit me. This wasn't a battle between me and artificial intelligence. It...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
 Being Right Is Not The Same as Doing RightBy Margaret Rome 7. 29. 2026One of the greatest misconceptions about real estate is that it is simply a matter of putting a house on the market, accepting an offer, signing papers, and going to settlement.If only it were that simple.Behind every successful transaction are hundreds of decisions, countless conversations, legal requirements, inspections, financing deadlines, title work, negotiations, and dozens of moments when things can go wonderfully right or terribly wrong.After more than three decades in real estate, I have come to believe there is one lesson more important than any contract clause, disclosure, or legal form.There is a difference between being legally right and doing what is morally right.Our contracts have grown from a page o...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Staying in the Home You LoveAs a Realtor, people often assume my job is helping people move. Sometimes my favorite part of the job is helping them stay. Recently I came across two inexpensive products that made me stop and smile. Neither one involves remodeling, hiring a contractor, or spending thousands of dollars. Yet both can make everyday life easier and safer.The first is a simple stair support cane.If you've had hip surgery, knee surgery, or other leg weakness, stairs can suddenly become your biggest obstacle. This clever device gives you extra support while allowing you to lead with your stronger leg. It can mean the difference between confidently using your stairs and avoiding your second floor altogether. The second is a flip-down grab bar for the bathroom.When you don't need i...
Comments 7
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
AI Didn't Just Save Me Time. It Gave Me Time Back.People often ask me why I'm so enthusiastic about AI.They expect me to talk about technology.Instead, I talk about time.For most of my career, there was never enough of it.There were contracts to write, phone calls to return, listings to prepare, appointments to keep, emails to answer, and somehow, I still wanted to write a daily blog, prepare a weekly radio show, and enjoy dinner with friends.Something usually had to give. Then AI quietly entered my life. Not with fanfare. Not with complicated technology. It simply started helping me organize my thoughts.One conversation led to another. Before long, I wasn't wondering what to write. I was having conversations, sharing ideas, and watching them become articles, radio topics, and marketing...
Comments 5
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Office Chair Does Double Duty When my back was out, I was having groceries delivered but leaving them outside was not going to work. They would call when at the house, and I would roll my office chair to the door and have them pile the bags directly on the chair. No extra work for them. A big help for me. Then roll the chair into the kitchen and unload into the refrigerator. The height was right, no bending, and so easy.This also works when having other packages delivered like a case of copy paper.                                                                     My daughter, when I do things like this, calls it Margaret Smart ™️
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
 On yesterday's ActiveRain Zoom, and because of my enthusiasm, someone made this comment: "Margaret should share how she uses AI."That made me smile. I'm certainly not an AI teacher, and I'm not trying to convince anyone to use it. I'm simply sharing what it has done for me.Every morning, before I even get out of bed, ideas start flowing. Sometimes it's a beautiful memory. Sometimes it's a real estate story. Sometimes it's something funny. Sometimes it's a lesson I learned years ago. Sometimes it's copy for a new listing. Sometimes it's a topic for my radio show. And I don't have to worry about running out of time, pauses, interruptions or repeating myself.  Before AI, many of those ideas disappeared before I had time to write them down.Now I simply talk without interruptions. Too early...
Comments 7
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Are We Ever Too Old for Gold Stars?                               Do you remember the gold star chart hanging on the refrigerator? Eat your vegetables. Gold star. Use the potty. Gold star. Be good in the grocery store. Maybe you even earned a lollipop. Sit quietly through dinner at a restaurant. There might be an extra scoop of ice cream waiting for you. I don't think the gold stars ever disappeared. They just changed. In school, we worked for good grades, perfect attendance, honor roll, trophies, ribbons, and being chosen for special activities.  At work, there was Employee of the Month, sales contests, plaques, reserved parking spaces, and recognition in the company newsletter. Then I entered real estate. My first week in the business I listed a house. The office celebrated with a hug...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
From Fax Machines to AI... What an Amazing Ride!When I first got into real estate, I thought the fax machine was a huge time saver.Our contracts were handwritten or typed. We needed copies for the buyer, seller, agents, title, and lender. Remember carbon paper..." press hard, it's cheap carbon.'' The copy machine looked like it needed its own instruction manual. Everything seemed complicated, and yet every new piece of technology promised to make life just a little bit easier. Not sure what order the pager came in.There was the bag phone. Remember those? It felt like carrying a suitcase just so you "thought" you could make a phone call. Next came the Palm Pilot. My daughter looked at me and said, "No way will you ever use that." Challenge accepted.  I remember taking a trip and making i...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
 Vacant and Accessible3 bedrooms, 2 baths at 11 Slade #308Some homes simply check boxes. Others quietly change lives. Welcome to 11 Slade Avenue, Unit 308, where comfort and accessibility come together in a practical home. Please note that 308 is unfurnished. Vacant space staged with furnitureThe open living and dining room shown above is a design idea. The left is using the existing carpet and painted wall. The one on the right uses light carpet and furnishings for the same vacant space.  Remember, paint and carpet are easy and affordable. The other features not so much! Enjoy a beautifully appointed kosher kitchen featuring granite countertops, warm wood cabinetry, two concealed dishwashers, one on each side of the stainless sink. KitchenAid appliances and abundant storage. A wall of ...
Comments 4
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Looking for the right Real Estate Professional Anywhere in the Country? Start With Someone You Trust. People often ask me,"Do you know a good Realtor in...?"The answer is almost always yes.For nearly 20 years of my career, I've had conversations with real estate professionals from across the country almost every day.  Through those conversations, friendships have formed, reputations have been earned, and I've built a nationwide network of professionals I'm comfortable recommending.So, if you're moving to another state, or your children, parents, friends, or coworkers are, start with me.Just tell me the state, city, or town ZIP codeThen give me a little time to make some phone calls.Whenever possible, I'll connect you with someone I know personally. If I don't know the right person in th...
Comments 5
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
The Perfect House… Until One Signature Changed Everything After nearly a year of searching, my buyer finally found the perfect home, only to lose it because of one signature she’d made months earlier.She owned her own business and needed a private entrance where clients could come without walking through her home. She wanted a garage, a lower level, some land, a location that wasn’t too close to neighbors, and a road that would always be accessible, even in bad weather. At the same time, I was working with a rehabber.Without saying anything about my buyer, I kept making suggestions during the renovation.“What if we add a door from the garage that leads to the backyard?” “What if that deck connects to stairs down to the lower level?” “What if the lower level has a full bath, a studio, an...
Comments 8
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Would You Go Shopping Without Your Wallet?I have a question for you.Would you fill your grocery cart with steaks, ice cream, fresh fruit, cookies, flowers, and everything else that catches your eye... if you knew you left your wallet at home? Of course not. You'd probably check your purse before you even grabbed a shopping cart.So why do so many home buyers spend weeks looking at houses before finding out what they can actually afford? It's the same thing. You fall in love with the "gourmet kitchen" house. You picture Thanksgiving around the dining room table.  Then... reality checks out before you do. "Oops... you're approved for less." Talk about putting all the groceries back on the shelf.Getting pre-approved isn't the boring part of buying a home, no, it's the smart part. It tells y...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
What My Mom Taught Me About Alzheimer’s… and What Every Real Estate Professional Should Know I had planned to participate in the Zoom roundtable discussion about Alzheimer’s today. Unfortunately, technology had other plans. My internet was down due to a power outage and kept dropping; my phone kept disconnecting, and I never made it into the conversation.So instead, I decided to write the post I wish I could have shared.  This isn’t written by a medical expert. It’s written as a daughter. Looking back, I realize that my family was probably among the last to recognize that something was changing with my mom. Maybe we didn’t want to believe it. Maybe the changes were so gradual that they seemed easy to explain away. Today, I can look back and smile at some of the memories. At the time, ho...
Comments 9
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
The "House Account"... One Simple Habit That Can Open the Front Door One of the calls on my radio show this past Sunday came from a parent who wanted to help his son buy a home. His concern was one I hear all the time. "Everything they look at is too expensive."My answer surprised him.Before you even start looking at houses, don't ask me what neighborhood you can afford. Don't ask me how many bedrooms you can get. Don't even ask me to show you a house.First, sit down with a trusted lender and find out one very important number...What monthly payment fits comfortably into your budget?Once you know that number, you have a roadmap.Then I shared something I've been suggesting to first-time buyers for years.I call it your House Account.Open a separate savings account and name it "House Accou...
Comments 6
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
One Home... So Many Ways to Live 6507 Shelrick Place. 21209 Balto ERUV kosher kitchenMDBC2166970Let furniture define the living space, not the room's name.One of my favorite things about showing a home is watching different buyers see completely different possibilities. The same room that one family calls a dining room becomes a music room for another. A home office today may become a nursery tomorrow. A quiet reading area can easily transform into a holiday gathering place. There is rarely just one "right" way to live in a home.That's exactly what I love about my newest listing at 6507 Shelrick Place. This home was designed with flexibility in mind. With five bedrooms, two primary suites, soaring ceilings, beautiful hardwood floors, and a huge open kitchen, living, and dining area, the...
Comments 7
By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Professional Agents Keep the Transaction TogetherSome of the most important work in real estate never appears in the listing photos, the brochure, or the closing statement. It happens in the phone calls, texts, emails, and conversations where two professional agents decide to work together, stay calm, and keep the transaction moving forward.A buyer wants to buy. A seller wants to sell.Our job is to help make that happen.That sounds simple enough, but anyone who has been in this business for more than five minutes knows there are a lot of moving parts. Showings. Inspections. Repairs. Lenders. Appraisals. Schedules. Paperwork. Emotions. Deadlines. Surprises. And sometimes a surprise that arrives just when you thought you had enough surprises already.The issue is not whether there will be ...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
Happy 4th of July   
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