Rent

Has your rent increased 10 percent? Real estate search site Zillow believes that's how much rent values have jumped in the Baltimore metro area over the last year. The company's estimate is just that -- an estimate -- because it's trying to value what all residences in the area would rent for, whether they're listed or not. All the stats I've seen on actually rented units are heading up, but generally in the single digits . ( Another example here .) Other housing odds and ends: --How's $32 million sound for a house?

One of the many benefits of receiving that long awaited engagement ring is the ease of daily accessorizing. I have always admired the girls who can effortlessly and flawlessly pair the perfect necklace/scarf/belt with a simple outfit, instantly elevating it from boring to stylish. But as much as I compliment and admire these embellishment- savvy ladies, I don't foresee myself ever having the patience for that extra 30 seconds to latch onto my daily routine. I also have a small problem called "champagne taste on a beer budget" where almost every piece of jewelry that catches my eye is comically out of my price range.

Baltimore is a good place for recent college graduates to settle down, according to a report released Thursday by major job- and apartment-hunting websites. Charm City has the right combination of entry-level job inventory, average entry-level salary and average monthly rent to rank 10th on a list of the best cities for new grads. The list was put together by the classified websites Careerbuilder.com and Apartments.com, which used their employment and rental listings to calculate the rankings.

It's been about a year and a half since former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager and her husband, Henry, reportedly left their South Baltimore rowhouse for new digs in Manhattan. But Henry Hager still owns the Baltimore place — and the couple still enjoys a property tax break that's supposed to be available only to owner-occupants. The Hagers' tax credit this year is small: a $296.40 discount on a tax bill approaching $9,000. Still, why would they get any break as absentee owners? On Friday, a Baltimore Sun reporter knocked on the door of the Hagers' home.

Even if the rumors about the next-generation consoles not supporting used games are false, we appear to be entering a problematic stage in physical videogame media. The growing ease of digital distribution as well as mandatory online passes and DRM have made it increasingly challenging for the secondary games market. While buying and selling used games is still a perfectly viable option, it looks like publishers and consumers will begin to face a lot of the same challenges that music and movies have over the last decade and half.

Are you paying too much for rent? Getting a steal? Check out what the average renter pays. New data in from Delta Associates, an Alexandria, Va.-based real estate research firm, shows the average rental price for higher-end apartment complexes in the Baltimore region is $1,497, up 3.2 percent from this time last year. The data was described in the firm's quarterly Mid-Atlantic “Class A” Apartment Market Report.  Newer apartments with amenities in common areas make up the Class A category.

A grab bag of housing-related legislation passed in the Maryland General Assembly's recently completed session. Here are the highlights: Homestead credit penalties ( HB 1081 ): Authorizes local governments to hit people with bigger penalties if they are found to be receiving a Homestead Property Tax Credit (or credits) they don't qualify for and "willfully misrepresented facts" to get the break. The homestead credit caps big tax increases as a result of property appreciation, but it is only for primary residences.

If you, like Yvonne Wenger , are in the market for a new place -- either to buy or rent -- then pull up a chair and chat for a while. What do you want? How does that match up with what's available in your price range? Have you learned anything that others might benefit from knowing, too? Oh, and if you have to sell before you can move, how's that going? Because I'm off this week, today's post will probably be it until Monday. So talk amongst yourselves! And check out this list of resources for newcomers (and not-so-newcomers)

Here's a deal few would jump on: A chance to pay $2,000 for a $600 laptop computer, $1,200 for a $400 TV set, and nearly $2,700 for a used washing machine and dryer that only cost $935 when new. It's probably safe to say most people would run the other way as fast as possible if asked to plunk down their hard-earned cash on those terms. Yet there's a booming market for such transactions in Maryland, where so-called "rent-to-own" stores are a $67 million-a-year industry, according to a new Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition report funded by the Abell Foundation.

More Howard County residents are renting out their homes amid the slump in the housing market, local officials say, sometimes leaving a burden of unpaid fees for condo and homeowners associations. The issue has prompted the County Council to consider a bill that would require owners to show that they don't owe any outstanding fees or penalties before they are allowed to rent their properties. The bill would also allow associations to request that the county suspend or revoke existing rental licenses.