Your Annapolis Real Estate Agent
Over 20+ Years Experience
Over 20 years Real Estate Experience
Annapolis, MD Metro Area
Linda Pelton is an Experienced Real Estate Agent ® for Over 20 Years
Good local schools, great municipal services, convenient public transportation - these are a small number of factors many consider when choosing where to live and which home to buy. And it’s details like these that I will always be able to provide you with. No matter your budget, I have the perfect home for you. I will be with you every step of the way, from helping you narrow your search to guiding you through the negotiation process. You deserve to own the home of your dreams, and with my help you can be a home owner.
Interested to find out more? Contact me to see how we can get you started.
Let me help you with your real estate needs!
Loan Officers, Home Builders and Title Company Contacts
I have loan officers to help you finance the home of your dream, and I have settlement company contacts ( and experience) where I can help if there are any snags with your closing settlement. I will be with you every step of the home buying experience from the moment you sign the offer, to the moment you receive your keys.
Over 20 Years In Real Estate Experience
Get The Personal Treatment With The Gold Touch
With real estate partners of lenders, title companies, builders, and law firms, I can help you with all your real estate needs. Whether you are considering selling or buying, my local reputation in the Annapolis, MD area is top notch. I've even had lawyers call ME for legal advice!
Trust in the real estate agent who knows more than just how to sell and buy homes. My real estate experience is vast and long.
As a former title company owner, I have experience with trust accounting, office management, sales quotas, and financial management.
Buyer's Guide
Many buyers are overwhelmed with where to start.
These are my 5 most FAQ's from buyers.
5 most FAQ
FROM BUYERS
Get my top 5 questions answered. Click on Buyer's help for more answers.
How do I know if I am ready to buy a home?
You are ready to buy a home when you have a reliable job (2-3 years) with a good history of paying your bills. Less than stellar credit will NOT stop you from owning a home. While it is easier to buy a home with a large down payment, there are many first time home lenders with programs to help you with a small down payment or even no down payment. I have helped VA buyers get their first new home without any down payment.
With access to lenders I am happy to help you find the right lender to help you achieve your dream of home ownership, and I am happy to go over all your options to help you buy your home.
How does a lender decide the amount of home I can purchase?
The lender considers your debt-to income ratio. This means that they compare your gross monthly income to your monthly housing expenses. Your lender wants to see your ratio at no more than 29% to 30% debt to income. Another ratio they consider is your non-housing related monthly expenses to your monthly income. This includes things such as student loans, car loans, and credit card debts to your income. A lender wants to see this ratio at no more than 41%. When determining the most amount you can afford to borrow, a lender also looks at other factors, such as cash available for your down payment, closing costs, and your credit history. Having less than stellar credit will NOT prevent you from being able to buy a home.
What is a buyer's real estate agent?
If you call a real estate agent who has a house listed for sale, that agent works for the seller. The seller pays his or her commission. So that agent will give you information, and may even sell you the house, but legally they represent the seller. Wouldn't it be better to have someone protecting YOU legally when buying your home? That's what a buyer's agent does. Although a buyer's agent still gets paid by the seller through a commission split, the buyer's agent only, legally, and ethically represents you, the buyer.
How many homes should I look at before I make a decision?
There isn't a definitive answer to this question. Each home should be seen for its individual characteristics. You should create a checklist of minimum features, and another checklist of everything you really want to make the home perfect. When you created your minimum requirement checklist, you should compare the features of the home you are looking for to the list. Also, consider whether this home you are looking at has enough room for expanding in the future. Are there enough bedrooms and bathrooms? Is the yard big enough? Do you like the floor plan? Are the appliances modern and updated, or old and outdated? Can you live with having to under go renovations? On average, most home owners look at 15 homes before deciding to purchase. It's important for you to communicate as much information as possible to me as you can think of so when we view properties I have narrowed your choices down to the best alternatives.
What is earnest money?
Earnest money is a deposit you put down when you make an offer to buy a house. Earnest money shows the seriousness of your offer, and if your offer is accepted, it becomes part of the downpayment or closing costs. If your offer is rejected, your earnest deposit is returned back to you. The earnest money is held in an escrow account by me.
Ready to learn more about the buying process? Please read my full buyer's guide.
Sellers Guide
READY TO SELL YOUR HOME?
Sell Your Home
Whether this is your first time or you’re a seasoned seller, my tools and resources will help you every step of the way. My local expertise lets me value your property right the first time. Get the best price in the shortest time and save yourself that awful headache of shopping around for the right agent. After 20+ years in the real estate industry, I can get your home sold quickly and efficiently. Contact me today for more information or to set up a meeting.
These are my 5 top seller's questions
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SELL MY HOME?
In most cases the best time to sell a home is in the Spring market in our area, which is April, May, and June. However, each home buyer's situation is different so you shouldn't limit yourself to only the most common time to sell. Sometimes listing a home in the Fall and Winter can turn out to be better, due to lower competition. Serious buyers are always looking for a home regardless of when it's listed.
SHOULD I PRICE MY HOME HIGH TO LEAVE ROOM TO NEGOTIATE?
A well priced home should sell quickly, and for close to the listing price. Over pricing your home can cause it to sit longer, and can cause problems when we lower the price to sell it. Buyers will wonder what's wrong with it that it has been sitting so long. I don't advocate under-pricing your house just to make a quick sale. It's just not good to over price it under normal market conditions.
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE HOW MUCH MY HOME IS WORTH?
The most common method of determining the value of a home is by doing a comparative market analysis. This is an in-depth evaluation of recently sold "comparable" homes in the past 6 months. This comparative market analysis considers the local neighborhood, the condition of your home, your square footage, the number of bedrooms, the number of bathrooms, kitchen upgrades, quality of your windows, the roof age, the location (cul-de-sac, street, or main road), the syle of home, and the flooring type to determine your home's sales price.
HOW IS THE REAL ESTATE MARKET NOW?
An experienced real estate professional should be able to explain the current market indicators that help help you understand the condition of the local market. These indicators are things such as the average days on market, which indicates how quickly homes are selling in your area. Another thing to examine is the average list price to sales price ratios which gives us a sense of how to negotiate. A seasoned, professional real estate agent should keep abreast of the local figures, and is what makes them better than someone who just hangs a shingle and shows homes.
Sellers & Buyers
Client Reviews
SATISFIED CLIENTS
Real Reviews
By Real Clients
Real Reviews By Real Clients
How do you know who to trust? You should trust the agent with integrity, strong negotiations strategies, and a good problem solver. See what my clients have to say about me.
“Linda represented us on the selling and buying side. She was excellent from start to finish! She quickly made things happen, gave great advice and was very knowledgeable. Highly recommend.”
“We used Linda to purchase a reverse mortgage foreclosure with a lot of strange stipulations from the selling bank. She was able to quickly navigate us through the process and get us from contract to settlement in 30 days. She is incredibly knowledgeable and very responsive. Highly recommend.”
“Linda assisted us in purchasing a short-sale property and selling. Things could not have turned out any better. She fought for us to get the price we wanted for the sale of our home, and stayed under budget on the new home. Linda made what can be a grueling process nearly seamless for us(although we know she had many obstacles to overcome on our behalf). Thank you Linda, you’re the best!”
“As a vet and a first time owner, I was overwhelmed with how to go about buying my first place. Linda took charge and found me the perfect place where I wanted to be. She made buying my home such a simple process. When others were bidding on the property I wanted to go $5k more, but she negotiated it as is and I won! She even negotiated a one year home owners warranty! I needed it only 60 days after moving in when my air conditioning quit working. Not only did I go in with no money down, but I even got a refund at the table for my down payment! It can be stressful buying your first house. I am so glad I had Linda by my side protecting me! I highly recommend her for any of your home buying needs!”
“Linda Pelton helped me navigate through a long and complicated process while selling a number of local properties. I had more than I could handle, but with her expertise, everything turned out perfect and the cash started flowing in. Thank You!”
“I found a buyer for my new home and Linda Pelton steered the client through the negotiation process and got him to agree to even more than I wanted. I’ll definitely work with her again!”
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Properties Sold
Buyer's Guide
Seller's Guide
Negotiating The Best Contracts
Contract Negotiation