Jay Hancock recently wrote a neat article in the Baltimore Sun that I thought deserved a post.
Google recently announced a project on its blog, which outlines a plan to build “ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States.” Installing optical figer carrying a gigabit of data per second to the doorsteps of at least 50,000 homes and businesses, Google would move data nearly a hundred times faster than that broadband normally allows. Sounds awesome? It gets better. Google would pay for it all, …

Media sources were buzzing yesterday with the news that the Goldseker Foundation has granted $435,000 to a select group of Baltimore city schools. However, the grants came with some interesting stipulations: the money must be used in partnership with their surrounding neighborhoods. These joint grants serve to improve not only schools, but the community as a whole.
The Goldseker Foundation intends to build healthy neighborhoods from the inside out by improving educational standards and serving the children of the neighborhoods. Better educational standards raises property values, and the grants are expected …

Sorry for the lack of posts lately – I’ve been out investigating! When I’m experiencing the winter blues (only exacerbated by further snow), warm places with caffeine always make my life more possible. So, I set out to assemble a list of favorite spots around Charm City.
The culture of the coffee house has lost many of its adherents to the fast-paced, corporate cut-and-dry chains of Starbucks and Caribou. But in the Baltimore area, indy coffee shops are striking back. All the Fells Point folks are probably looking a little smug …

Today, as a reward for reading this blog, CondoDomain is offering you the awesome deal of $25 for $50 worth of sips and savories at the (awesome) restaurant Ryleigh’s Oyster.
Sound like a scam? Actually, it’s the work of the super-saver website Groupon, one of my all-time favorite city secrets.
Group discounts have been a fixture at most commercial events for some time, but the website Groupon has updated this concept of “collective buying power.” Groupon offers a “daily deal” of 50%-90% off restaurants, classes, events, and other fun stuff for over …

Brand new Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake addressed the city yesterday in her first state of the city address since her election, as reported by The Daily Record last night. Her mainly economic speech focused on the budget woes of Baltimore (the city has accumulated a $120 million budget deficit). Most notably, she stated that the deficit is in fact equal to a 36-cent raise in the property tax – however, she pledged to avoid raising the property tax in Baltimore, telling City Council that “if we work together, we can pledge …

Next time you and your neighbors are ranting about the snow (which we all know will be going on for at least the next month), you’ll have a new number to toss out: $830 million.
Yes, that mountainous amount is what the state Department of Business and Economic Development has roughly estimated the cost of the snowstorms to be for the Maryland economy. Ouch.
You may ask, as I did: How is that possible? Well, as reported by the Baltimore Sun, there are multiple factors to be considered. And while calculating the …

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan is outlining some budgetary plans which could potentially stimulate the national economy and neighborhoods in the Baltimore area.  The budget has already been backed by President Obama when it was announced in May 2009. Relevant to the Baltimore area is the recent launch of HUD’s new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC).
(For those who are unaware of this U.S. Department, HUD is the nation’s housing agency responsible for sustaining homeownership, promoting economic and community development, enforcing fair housing law, …

If you’re looking to buy in the super-luxury market in Baltimore, you’re in luck – the Ritz-Carlton has avoided its debt crisis.
RXR Realty, the developer for the beautiful new Ritz-Carlton on the Inner Harbor, recently announced that it has secured a $176 million loan to refinance the project, as reported by the Baltimore Sun just yesterday. This step will allot RXR a three-year extension to market the many unsold units. In fact, only 23 of the 190 units have been sold since its opening (most famously to novelist Tom Clancy).
The …

Although the numbers have looked good regarding the current condition of the Baltimore real estate market, the blizzard may end up reigning in the advances made since December. With more wintry weather predicted for Monday and Tuesday (please, don’t shoot the messenger), and piles of snow still looming in backyards and parking lots, a serious appraisal of the snow’s effect on the Baltimore real estate market is under way.
First of all, as the Business Journal reported earlier today, progress on new construction and renovation projects has been significantly slowed, driving …

A couple recent reports offer further encouragement concerning the real estate market in Baltimore!
1. The Baltimore Sun recently reported that “more homes were sold last month – and for more money on average – than a year earlier in the Baltimore metro area.”
Metropolitan Regional Information systems released the numbers Wednesday, and it’s good news. Home sales are up 9% from last January: about 1,100 were sold, and the average sale price increased by just over 2 percent at $272,000. Furthermore, “average buyers last month got homes for about 11 percent …

Foreclosures drop in January, but the future could hold trouble. Clearly, the best news in this market is that this is the perfect atmosphere for first-time home buyers. Obama will even send you a check for your purchase – and so will we.

Getting tired of the big city, but don’t want to completely lose the urban connection? Check out the recent development Summit Crossing in Gaithersburg for the best of both worlds.