The Real Property Guy

10/23/2026

Most Maryland buyers don't know this: the standard contract says the home is sold "as is" unless the contract says otherwise.
That doesn't mean you're stuck. It means your protection has to be written in.
The home inspection is not automatic. In the standard Maryland contract, you only get a way out after the inspection if the buyer and seller agree to it, and it gets added as an extra page called an addendum. The contract even has a spot where you initial one of two choices: "Inspection Addenda Attached" or "Inspections Declined."
So if you want to be able to walk away or ask for repairs when the report comes back bad, make sure that addendum is attached before you sign. You can also ask the seller for the disclosure statement, which is the form where they tell you what they know about the home.
Writing an offer soon? Call me before you sign and I'll walk you through that page.
Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/22/2026

You do not need 20% down to buy a home. That's a myth, and it keeps a lot of good buyers waiting for no reason.
Here are the lowest down payments for the most common loans:
Conventional loan: 3% down
FHA loan: 3.5% down
VA loan (veterans and eligible service members): 0% down
USDA loan (certain rural and suburban areas): 0% down
On a $350,000 home, 3% is $10,500. 3.5% is $12,250. 20% would be $70,000.
Keep in mind, putting less down usually means mortgage insurance, which adds to your monthly payment. So it's a trade. The main thing is knowing your real options before you decide to wait. Maryland also has programs that help some buyers with down payment and closing costs, and a good lender can tell you if you qualify.
Know someone who's house hunting? Send this to them.
Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/21/2026

Did you know the white marble steps on Baltimore rowhouses came from a quarry right here in Cockeysville?
It's called Beaver Dam Quarry. It supplied the marble for both Washington Monuments, the one in Baltimore and the one in D.C. It's also estimated to have supplied about 60% of the marble steps in the city.
The last stone was cut in 1934. Then the quarry flooded, and it later turned into a swimming hole.
So next time you walk past a rowhouse with those bright white steps, you're looking at a piece of Baltimore County.
Save this for your next walk downtown. I love this stuff about where we live.
Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/20/2026

Most agents I know who stall out aren't short on skill. They're short on hours.
You can only be at one showing, one closing, or one listing appointment at a time. Meanwhile the marketing, the paperwork, and the follow-up keep piling up.
That's the wall a lot of solo agents hit. A team doesn't make it disappear. What it gives you is structure, someone holding you accountable, and marketing you don't have to build from scratch every time.
The Real Property Guy Team at RE/MAX Components is adding agents in Maryland and Pennsylvania. I'd rather tell you honestly whether it's a fit than oversell it.
Where are you stuck right now: time, systems, or support?
Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/19/2026

Myth: "Let's price it high and we can always come down later."
Here's what really happens. The first couple of weeks are when the most buyers see your home, and the ones with saved searches are watching for it. If the price is off, they move on. Then the listing sits, and a price cut a month later reads as "something's wrong with it."
I'd rather give you the number I actually believe at the listing appointment than the one that wins me the listing. Priced right from day one, you get the best shot at the best offer.
Thinking about selling? Ask me what your home would really sell for. What's your biggest worry about pricing it?
Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/18/2026

In 2009, my wife and I started house hunting. It didn't take long to notice a pattern. Some of the agents we met were working for their own paycheck, not for us.
So I did something about it. I took the coursework at CCBC, got my license, and bought our house myself.
That's why I still work the way I do. Straight answers. Honest talk about price. No pressure. If something isn't in your best interest, I'll tell you, even when it costs me.
What's the best thing an agent ever did for you?
Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/17/2026

$415,000 with a 5.75% assumable loan. New loans are running above 7%.
That's 2807 Town View Circle in Snader's Summit, New Windsor. It's a 2022 townhome with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2,320 square feet, a finished walkout lower level, and a 2-car garage. The price just came down from $420,000.
Here's why the loan matters. A buyer who qualifies can take over the seller's existing rate instead of getting a new one. On a purchase this size, that can change the monthly payment a lot.
Keep in mind it takes lender approval, and not every buyer will qualify. If you want to know whether this fits you, message me and I'll run the numbers.
Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/16/2026

Earnest money is not a fee. It's your money, and it goes toward your purchase.
Here's where it goes:
1. You put it down after the seller accepts your offer. It's held in escrow, usually by the title company or a broker's escrow account. Not by the seller.
2. If the deal moves along, it's applied to your down payment or closing costs at settlement.
3. If you cancel for a reason your contract protects, like inspection or financing, you generally get it back.
4. If you walk away outside those protections, the seller may be able to keep it.
The main thing is the deadlines in your contract. They decide which of those happens. Miss one and a refundable deposit can stop being refundable. Every contract is different, so read yours.
Before you write the check, have your agent walk you through every date. Mine do.
Did anyone explain earnest money to you before you made an offer?
Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/15/2026

In the military, I spent months of my free time building a boat out of cardboard and duct tape for a regatta.

I did it differently than the other teams. I went with a bigger platform, a double-V hull, so more people could row. More people means more power. It held six full-grown adults.

We lost the race. 😄

But that boat stayed afloat all night, long enough that kids were using it as a diving platform. I still can't believe it.

Here's what I learned. If you do something the right way, even cardboard will float for a very long time.

I couldn't have rowed that boat alone. A home sale takes an agent, a lender, an inspector, and a title company all pulling the same way. When they do, you move. When they don't, you go in circles.

What's the strangest thing you ever built that actually worked?

Image is a rendering of the boat.

Adam Bolshaw, The Real Property Guy Team with RE/MAX Components
Office: 410-893-1199 | Cell: 410-916-7886
adam-bolshaw.remax.com | [email protected]

10/10/2026