Fair Market Value

An appraiser hired by the city will begin inspections of homes in Wagner's Point next week, according to a letter received by property owners this week.Residents of the heavily industrial South Baltimore neighborhood have asked the city and the petrochemical industry to pay for relocating them.The city says it will contribute by taking 90 homes in the neighborhood under eminent domain, providing a fair market value for each house, and using the resulting space for an expansion of a sewage-treatment plant.

The Orioles continue to examine their remaining options for a spring training home, with Vero Beach, Fla., apparently becoming their most likely destination if they are forced to vacate their current facility. Indian River County administrator Joe Baird told the Vero Beach Press Journal on Wednesday that he has crafted a draft agreement with a team that would replace the Los Angeles Dodgers, though a spokesman would not confirm or deny a report that the Orioles are negotiating with Baird.

The Carroll County Farm Service Agency reminds landowners that all foreign people who have bought or sold agricultural land in Maryland are required to report the transaction to the agency within 90 days.To avoid federal penalties and fines, foreign owners of U.S. agricultural land must report their holdings, acquisitions, dispositions, leases of 10 years or more and land-use changes."The report is required by the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, which is still in effect," said Kelly Hereth, county executive director.

Members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants are answering readers' tax questions before the April 17 filing deadline. During Hurricane Floyd in September, three large trees in my yard were uprooted. It cost me about $450 to get these trees properly taken down. Is that a deductible item? This type of occurrence is called a "casualty loss." Non-business casualty losses, minus $100 per loss, are deductible to the extent they exceed 10 percent of your adjusted gross income in the year of loss.

The Autism Society of America is taking bids on eBay until Dec. 4 for an all-inclusive package to the 2006 Masters, which will be held April 3-9. The ASA Masters Package includes two badges good for entrance to the four rounds of play in addition to accommodations, airfare and golf equipment. Champion long-driver Art Sellinger, President of Long Drivers of America (LDA), and his wife, Chelly, donated the 2006 Masters Golf Package. The Sellingers, who have a son with autism, and LDA are longtime ASA supporters.

...C SAN DIEGO -- Sacramento Kings owner Jim Thomas and team president Rick Benner met yesterday with unsigned first-round draft choice Walt Williams and attorney Len Elmore, but no agreement was reached.The meeting was held in a downtown Baltimore hotel that served as a median point for the Kings' executives, who were inNew York for league meetings, and Williams and Elmore, two former Maryland Terrapins who reside in the Washington, D.C., area.The Kings did not change their offer, believing their seven-year, $15.2 million proposal to Williams represents fair market value.

MOST PEOPLE who ask me for advice on buying a computer have a queasy feeling about the whole business. Basically, they're worried about spending a couple of grand for a machine that will be obsolete in a couple of years.They're right -- in a way. Computers are improving so quickly that today's state-of-the-art screamer will be yesterday's PC before you know it.But this doesn't mean a 2-year-old computer is obsolete. The Pentium 133 that I use is still quite serviceable after two years. And a computer you buy today will do whatever it's capable of doing until it dies of old age. In fact, my friend Jeff is still flogging a PC that I gave up on in 1987 because something better came along.

When a seller wrongfully refuses to settle as required by his real estate contract, the buyer has a choice of remedies. The buyer can sue for monetary damages to recover the money he has lost on the transaction. Or he can sue for specific performance to have a court order the seller to settle for the property and for damages caused by the delay in obtaining performance of the contract. Which remedy the buyer chooses depends on the circumstances. It often takes months or even years for a specific performance action to be tried in court.

Families in the Allwood I community east of Baltimore-Washington International Airport will no longer have to shake and rattle each time planes begin to roll.Thanks to a federal grant, six more homes, and eventually the rest of the community, will soon be reinforced with concrete slabs, new insulation, drywall, and siding, caulking and weather stripping that will help keep their windows and doors in place.The $1.24 million from the Federal Aviation Administration will be added to state money that has been set aside to give neighbors of the airport peace.

Dear Mr. Azrael, My father assisted my husband and myself in purchasing our house in [Baltimore] City and consequently, his name/signature is on the mortgage and every other piece of paper associated with the purchase. He has asked me to remove his name from the deed for liability reasons. I do not know how to do this or where to begin. Would you be able to shed any light on this issue? Heidi Busch-Gallanar Baltimore Dear Ms. Busch-Gallanar, Removing your father's name from the deed is easy.