In this issue of Tips from the Pros, WelGuard shares valuable information about the cold weather and your well.

Or, If the well is outside during the winter, why doesn’t the water freeze?

Cold conditions generally shorten the lives and usage of mechanical and electrical equipment used outside.  This generally includes all of the dozens of man made parts that make up a well.  But the answer to the question of cold affecting well performance is no – there is very little affect.

Cold has no apparent negative affect on the equipment and well, in part because the well is sealed/enclosed on the outside. Your well cap and casing serve as a bit of “insulation”, and this stops the cold air and rain from getting into the well, even when it is freezing cold outside.

The lateral p...

December Calendar of Events

Lots of activities and holiday events are happening in December around Baltimore. Get the scoop on what’s happening and where.

Image: Allevents.in

The Tipsy Bee (Adult Spelling Bee) Tuesday, December 4, 8:00-9:30 pm at Old Major, 900 South Carey Street, Baltimore.

Image: Allevents.in

47th annual Downtown Partnership Monument Lighting, Thursday, December 6, 5:00-8:00 pm at the Washington Monument, 699 N. Charles Street, Baltimore.

Image: Allevents.in

Holiday Pet & Family Portraits Waverly Ace Hardware, December 8, 601 Homestead Street, Baltimore, 10 am.

Image: Maryland Fire Museum

Fire Museum of Maryland Holiday Train Garden, Open December 2, 9, 16, 27-30 ate the Fire Museum of Maryland, 1301 York Rd., Lutherville, MD 21093.

Image: Miracle on 34th Stree...

Everyone loves Thanksgiving dinner, all the games on tv and a long weekend, but there are some interesting facts that you might not know about this holiday. Check out this month’s Item of Value and read the full story about Thanksgiving and its traditions we all love. Football, balloon animals and Pilgrims are a part of the holiday, but how did all of the customs that we take for granted get started?

Click here to get the full e-report.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home, contact Gigi today!
Oh by the way, I’m never too busy for any of your referrals.

Home mortgage rates

Thanks to Mark Hines of Fidelity Bank for this episode of Tips from the Pros about mortgages.

As most of you know FHLB (Federal Home Loan Bank) grant program ran out of funds in early October. The date funds will be available again for us to use is January 14, 2019. Fidelity Bank Mortgage again has $1,000,000 to use for its borrowers/buyers. Currently Baltimore County SELP still has funds and certainly MMP or the Maryland Mortgage Program.

More buyers are electing to build a new home as the inventory of existing homes is low. Fidelity Bank offers a 1 time close construction loan as well as the HomeStyle and FHA 203k renovation loans.

We are seeing less seller help on contracts and usually multiple offers resulting in a big win for sellers.

As always feel free to u...

Thanks to Tom Benisch of State Farm for this episode of Tips from the Pros on creating an evacuation plan.

Getting out and making sure everyone is safe: That’s the crux of a fire evacuation plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated; in fact, simpler is better — and fast is key. Create your own plan and follow these practice reminders so you can act immediately if there’s a fire in your home.

Make a plan

1. Sketch a map of your house.
2. Draw two escape routes from each room — one out a door, one out a window.
3. Designate and “star” a meeting spot a safe distance from the house (for example, the mailbox across the street).
4. Hang the plan where everyone can see it regularly.

Practice fire evacuation — exactly as you’d do it in real time

1. Sound the smoke alarm.
2. Leave everything ...

Thanks to Clean Sweep for this episode of Tips from the Pros about proactive chimney sweeping.

See what clients are saying

Meet Katie and Chris Peitsch

What do you love most about your new home?

All the extra space! Moving from a townhouse to a single family home, basically doubled the square footage of our house. The large master suite is a nice perk too.

If you could sum up your experience in one word what would that be?  Why?

Fast. We only toured two houses before making an offer. The online tools Gigi gave us helped us to narrow down our search as we already knew the area we wanted to live in. Selling our townhouse was also surprisingly fast, we had an offer within a week. Again, the tools and suggestions Gigi and her team gave us about getting our house ready to sell made the process easier...