Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales Blog

5 Tax Benefits of Owning a 2nd Home

Tax benefits are definitely something to keep in mind if you are considering purchasing a second home at Deep Creek Lake. I put together some of the top tax breaks that you can use.

1.) Mortgage Interest – your mortgage interest is deductible up to $750,000 in combined total mortgages.

2.) Home Improvements – you can deduct interest on a home equity or line of credit (there will be limits).

3.) Property Taxes – You can deduct your second home property taxes up to $10,000/year for all state and local taxes.

January 2020 Real Estate Rundown By Jay Ferguson

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – Mark Twain

My name is Jay Ferguson and I am one of the owners of the real estate division of Taylor Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales. I am entering my 19^th year in the real estate business here in Garrett County and at Deep Creek Lake.If you are interested, you can click here find out more about me personally and my background.

I will be writing a monthly blog post about our local real estate market, sharing & interpreting statistics and offering some insights into the market as a whole…as I see it. These are my personal thoughts and musings about the market in general and are not intended as anything more specific. And, to be clear, I am an optimistic, glass half-full kind of guy.

Lastly, every stat I reference is based on the official stats published by Bright MLS on or around the 15^th of each month. My plan is to give you straightforward stats coupled with my analysis from the front lines and let you interpret what you read in your own way.

January 2020 – Two part stats update.

I will look back on 2019 as a whole first, and then see where we ended up for the month of December 2019.

2019 turned out to be a spectacular year on several fronts, as you can see from the chart below. ALL OF THESE NUMBERS ARE IMPRESSIVE:

-Our total sold volume was up 16% to nearly $190 million dollars county-wide.

-The average sales price was up 3.82% to $348,960

-There were 516 units sold vs 487 in 2018 – that’s an increase of 5.95%. That’s the most robust year we have had in a long time!

-Days on market were lower by 4.1%

-The average list-to-sale price was 90.3%

And for those of you who are curious, there were 126 cash deals were no financing was involved. That’s close to 25% of our transactions for the year. 320 deals used conventional financing and there were approximately 50 deals that were VA, FHA or USDA financing.

Deep Creek Lake Real Estate: Why List with Us?

Deep Creek Lake real estate experts at Taylor-Made can guide you through the selling process from start to finish. You can rely on them for a successful outcome so that you are ready to make your next move. With decades of experience in the area, they know the finer points of the local market.

Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales started offering real estate services in 2014. In just a few short years, our team produced over $400 Million in sales for Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County home owners.

We want to show you that we are the best at the lake when it comes to the sale of your home. You can count on us to go the extra mile.

Partner with a Taylor-Made agent, and you will always get the highest possible service at the best competitive price.

Deep Creek Lake Real Estate Marketing

We focus our marketing efforts on where the majority of buyers are searching. Using a variety of online channels in combination with tried-and-true print pieces, your listing gets the maximum exposure possible.

Our in-house team also partners with experts in Google Ads so that we are driving qualified traffic to your listing on our site.

–Deepcreekvacations.com receives more than 1.5 million website visits annually.

-Largest Facebook business audience in the Deep Creek Lake area. We maintain a primary profile with over 45K followers along with a real estate specific profile with an audience of 7K+.

-Email marketing database with 50K+ addresses.

-Strategic purchasing of TV ads in major markets with Comcast.

Staff Photographers Capture the Highlights of Your Home

December 2019 Real Estate Rundown By Jay Ferguson

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – Mark Twain

December 2019 – We finished the month with 47 new listings, down from 48 new listings last month. There 21 fewer homes for sale right now than last month and the median price in November was $250,000. The best news of all?!?! The Wisp was able to open on December 13! As I write this, I am looking out my window at the amazing view of operational chairlifts and real human bodies skiing down the mountain!

Deep Creek Lake Celebrates 95 Years in 2020!

Deep Creek Lake celebrates its 95th anniversary of existence in 2020! Maryland’s largest freshwater lake is loved by many and has an interesting history. Deep Creek Lake encompasses about 3900 acres with ~65 miles of shoreline. This man-made lake got its start in 1925 as the result of an effort undertaken by the Youghiogheny Hydro Electric Corporation to harness the power of the Youghiogheny River. A 1300-foot-long impoundment dam was constructed to stem the flow of water. Thousands upon thousands of trees were removed from the area to be flooded and 15 miles of primary and secondary roads were relocated. It was estimated that it would take close to 6 months to fill the new reservoir, but heavy rains and snowfall quickened the process to only a couple of months.

Small Town Holiday Celebration Guide

There are two small town holiday celebrations the first full weekend in December. They offer tons of fun for the entire family. Each takes place Friday and Saturday, so that gives you plenty of time to experience both! They are a short 15 minute drive from the Deep Creek Lake area too.

A Great Small Town Christmas

The Town of Oakland hosts A Great Small Town Christmas, December 6th and 7th, 2019. You can enjoy numerous free and family-friendly activities in historic downtown area. It is the perfect opportunity to shop for unique gifts too.

The kick-off is a tree lighting ceremony on Friday, December 6th. It is held at the community Christmas tree (outside B&O Museum) at 6pm. Come out and join us for sleigh rides, carols, store specials, and a special treat from Santa!

On Saturday, December 7th warm-up with Soup N’ Santa! Local non-profit organizations will hand out free soup (donations are encouraged but not required). Visit with Santa at Smoke N Mirrors Photography, from 11am-2pm. Free sleigh rides are happening from 11am-2pm along with live music and local shopping.

Black Friday Guide for Home Owners from Taylor-Made

Black Friday and Cyber Monday present an excellent opportunity for vacation rental owners. You can redecorate a room or upgrade electronics for a fraction of the regular cost.

We put together a guide with some of the best deals of the season along with retailers who typically release significant savings.

Black Friday Redecorating Opportunities

Keep an eye out for sales on furniture and bedding. If you are not sure where to start, here are a few suggestions of items that will attract and retain guests:

-Replace bedding and get a set that has matching pillow shams
-Create a sitting area in your master suite by adding a cozy chair and end table
-Don’t forget about your outdoor living space! Update resin (plastic) deck furniture with higher quality options.
-Update mattresses
-Modernize your window treatments by replacing vertical or venetian blinds with wooden blinds or curtains.

Redecorating Deals

Wayfair – Up to 80% Off!

West Elm – Buy More, Save More Event – Lighting, Furniture, Wall Art, Pillows, Rugs & More

Crate and Barrel – 20-30% Off Site Wide

November 2019 Real Estate Rundown By Jay Ferguson

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – Mark Twain

October 2019 – We finished the month with 48 new listings, down from 52 new listings last month. There 50 fewer homes for sale right now than last month and the median price in October was $210,000. People seem to get better deals in the fall with the listings that may not want to spend another winter on the market for sale. We are squarely in the off-season here at the lake right now, waiting for ski season to start and the holidays to arrive. In looking back on this stats blog that I have been writing all year, I am thankful for those of you who continue to read and follow up with the real estate market at Deep Creek Lake!

Home Staging Tips for Sellers

Whether you are trying to appeal to vacationers or buyers, these home Staging tips will help you get your home “listing ready”! The first impression your home makes means everything! It’s always a good idea to spruce up your home and prove that it’s worth every penny you’re asking.

The following are some home staging tips to draw potential buyers/vacationers to the best features and make them imagine how the home will fit their lifestyles. The way one lives in the home is very different from the way the home needs to look for showings and pictures. If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in the area, you can contact me, Betsy Spiker Holcomb, at betsy@deepcreekvacations.com or 301-616-5022.

Home Staging Tips

-Think clean and open spaces for your home – especially in the entrance or foyer. Remove any excess furniture and accessories from the entrance, to set the stage for a positive first impression.

-Remove any clutter – make sure the kitchen and bathrooms countertops are clear of all personal items. Hang fresh towels in the bathrooms.

-Temporarily remove any excess knickknacks or family photos.

-Eliminate any odors from pets and cooking in the home. Place potpourri in the bathrooms, use air freshener and deodorizer, especially with indoor pets.

-Let light in – open all blinds and curtains, turn on the lights if you know the house may be shown that day.

October 2019 Real Estate Rundown By Jay Ferguson

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – Mark Twain

September 2019 – We finished the month with 52 new listings, down from 69 new listings in August. The biggest news I report on below is the 63 total closed sales last month! Its 37% over 2018 and 31.3% from last month. Year to date sales are up to 365 homes – up 4.3% over last year. Meanwhile, the leaves are coming off of their peak in most areas and I have a fair amount piling up in my yard. The air is crisp and while it’s been frosting a few nights, it still is warming up to the low 60s on most days. Plenty of time for fall hiking, golfing and even one last boat ride. Most docks are now out of the water, but the lake is still as gorgeous as ever.