Last month's Crofton real estate prices were a pleasant surprise when MRIS released them this morning. Even though I've been a Crofton Realtor for over 30 years, and a student of local real estate statistics as long as they've been available, I couldn't be sure what to expect in November 2008.  There's so much talk in the media about how terrible the real estate market is, but that seems to be contradicted by the amount of activity in my own office - and I know from experience that "all real estate is local." Based on MRIS statistics published this morning, any "down" in Crofton home prices is in PERCEPTION, not fact.  The truth is that the average sold price was higher last month than any November in the three previous years, as was the median sold price. What IS down is the number of... 12/10/2008

'Twas December 1, and all through the community, everyone was stirring to get ready for Christmas...       Little elves (members of the Crofton Village Garden Club) scurried around the community, decorating light poles, the Front Gate, schools and the Crofton Library with holiday wreathes.             .         The Garden Club finished in plenty of time for evening festivities in front of Crofton Country Club at 6:30, where a record-breaking crowd gathered for a sing-along, the Christmas Tree lighting and Santa's arrival on the top of a fire truck.                     You can see that my granddaughter, Megan, was pretty excited when she saw Santa atop the firetruck.  That's my husband, holding on to her so she doesn't run right over there. Then, she and her brother Matthew finally got a... 12/02/2008

Each month, between the 10th and 15th, I carefully review statistics published by our regional multiple listing service, MRIS.  I usually find that numbers mirror anecdotal information shared by local real estate professionals, but I dutifully review them for the purpose of sharing accurate information with you through my blog.   In October, I was very surprised to see a spike in the average sold price, up almost 20% from October 2007, and the median sold price, up 18.16%. Most homes which settled in October probably went under contract prior to that, so these numbers don't reflect all that occurred in the financial world in October.           The number of homes that settled in October was down over 60% from 42 in 2007 to 16 in 2008.  After the banking crisis and bailout in October, on... 11/12/2008

Linthicum Walks, tucked out of sight next to Crofton Middle School, provides a unique glimpse into Crofton area history since the 17th century, when the original land grant was made to Evan Davis in 1672 and obtained by Thomas Linthicum in 1699.  Arundel County was primarily an agricultural area and tobacco was the cash crop in the early days of this historic home, and some farming continued on the property until it was acquired by Anne Arundel County in 1977.  You may have noticed the small sign identifying the driveway for Linthicum Walks on Davidsonville Road, but you can't see the house from there.  Special events are occasionally held at the house, but it's not open to the public.  If you have any interest in local history, the Crofton Holiday House Tour may be your best opportunit... 11/09/2008

div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size:12px; color: #006600; background-color: #FEF8E9;"> The Fort Meade Homes Team | (410) 721-6694 | FortMeadeHomes@aol.com 1647 Fendall Court, Crofton, Maryland, 21114 3 BR / 1.5 BR - townhouse Crofton townhome for sale in Meadowcroft FOR SALE - By Real Estate Agent Price/Rent $234,900.00 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 1.5 Area Sq Ft 0 Lot Size 0.00 acres HOA Dues $168.00 Year Built 1977 Nearest Bases Fort Meade / NSA < 10 Miles U.S. Naval Academy < 20 Miles Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard < 20 Miles Description Just move right in...everything is done for you. Recent updates include a new HVAC system, water heater, upgraded appliances, washer & dryer and water heater plus like new carpet and fresh paint. This home features an oversized front porch/deck ar... 11/07/2008

Geez Rich, you're getting a bit anal retentive as you get older. When I voted this morning I started the stopwatch on my iPhone to see how long it was going to take. From walking in the door at my polling place, to verifying and getting a ballot, to voting, and finally leaving, the total elapsed time was 2:22.  Laughable, I brought a book with me after watching TV this morning about the long lines everywhere. Competence by the local voting officials and volunteers here in Crofton, MD is outstanding and usually underappreciated.  Thank you! I'm sure the media will be concentrating on the horror stories of people trying to vote today, because that's what they do.  The Croftons of America will be ignored completely.  Man votes in two minutes and twenty two seconds...no news there. Richard ... 11/04/2008

It's hard to believe that yesterday was Halloween, and yet the deadline for ordering poinsettia plants for the holiday season is already upon us.  Your order must be submitted to the Crofton Village Garden Club by Wednesday November 5 for delivery to Crofton on December 5 - just in time for you or your gift recipients to enjoy throughout the month and holiday season. No one will mistake these poinsettias for the ones available at local box stores or the grocery store, because their beauty and quality is distinctive.  Each Beautiful Behnke's Signature Poinsettia Plant ordered through the Garden Club comes with a foil-covered pot and each plant is wrapped in a Behnke's signature sleeve for its protection.  Behnke's poinsettias are legendary in this area for their beauty and quality.  Four... 11/01/2008

Well, just what Crofton needed...another hamburger joint.  Actually, this one is really good.  Fresh ground beef and french fries to die for.  Limited menu consisting basically of burgers and hot dogs but they them do them both very well.  Maybe a little too well. I tried it for the first time today at lunch today and it's a keeper. Now, the irony part of the post's title.  I'm standing in line behind a guy and his significant other.  He isn't exactly slim, if you know what I mean, and he's talking to her about a new diet trick he read about on the internet.   My ears perked up because I can use all the diet tricks you can think of...as long as they don't require me to actually, go on a diet. According to him, if you drink 5 glasses of ice cold water a day, it burns up to an additional ... 10/31/2008

An on-time, hassle-free settlement would be the short and sweet answer to that question.  But that wouldn't make much of a blog post, would it?  So let me be more specific about what I expect from a title company to assure an on-time hassle-free settlement for my clients (and me).  Order the title, payoff and survey immediately after receiving a title order, so they can review the paperwork well in advance of the scheduled settlement. Promptly set up the date and time of settlement with the lender, so the lender's settlement department will be ready a day or two in advance of settlement. Review those documents when they're received, so any concerns can be addressed well in advance of the scheduled settlement. Promptly provide the title binder to the lender upon completion of this review... 10/30/2008

Fear of making a costly mistake is one of the reasons Crofton home sellers give for choosing to work with a real estate agent.  After all, who can afford to miss a single detail in this market - buyers are few and far between, and you don't want to let any get away! Whether you're selling your own home or working with a real estate agent, here are some of the mistakes home sellers sometimes make - in Crofton or Anywhere, USA:   Overlooking critical details -You must be prepared with answers to questions buyers ask, when they ask them. For example, the average utility bills or annual property taxes... how old the furnace is or when the roof was put on... which schools do neighborhood children attend or how far is it to the nearest parochial school... Failing to provide disclosures requir... 10/27/2008

Crofton Fine Art & Framing is located at 1334 Defense Highway in Gambrills, at the intersection of Routes 450 and 424.  It's a tiny little shop you could easily miss, if you weren't looking for it. "Looking for it" is something I find myself doing fairly often, however, and I highly recommend you do the same.  You'll be thanking me for introducing you to this Crofton-area business! They carry original fine art in stock as well as limited edition prints, posters, sculpture, ceramics, and even jewelry.  But their custom framing is what usually motivates my visits there.  It is done with an artist's attention to detail and with conservation in mind.  They also do restoration of photos, art and documents.  But those are such understatements, because Crofton Fine Art & Framing doesn't just ... 10/21/2008

The Fort Meade Homes Team | (410) 721-6694 | FortMeadeHomes@aol.com 1744 Ullswater Place, Crofton, Maryland, 21114 4 BR / 2.5 BR - single family Beautiful Crofton Home Available Today FOR SALE - By Real Estate Agent Price/Rent $489,900.00 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 2.5 Area Sq Ft 2,605 Lot Size 0.20 acres Year Built 1968 Nearest Bases Annapolis Naval Station < 10 Miles Fort Meade / NSA < 10 Miles Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard < 20 Miles Description Warm and welcoming single family home is located on a quiet cul de sac within walking distance of Crofton Woods elementary school. This Roxbury model features a large great room addition with cathedral ceilings and French doors leading to a private patio and yard with mature landscaping, beautifully updated kitchen opens to the breakfast room with s... 10/14/2008

            Many homeowners are worried about the values of their Crofton homes, and that certainly is understandable in this economic climate.  Let me reassure you that the "average" and "median" sold home prices in September 2008 were only slightly lower than they were in 2005.  (Probably the 2004 level, but I don't have the statistics to substantiate that.)  Most of us were not unhappy with those prices at that time. Yet homes which probably would have sold quickly in September 2005 or 2006 took many months to sell in the same month this year.  There are many reasons for this, beginning with unrealistic home sellers who (understandably) find it difficult to accept today's market conditions - i.e., lower sale prices than recent years, much more demanding home buyers, and general lack... 10/10/2008

If you're looking at a map of the D.C.-Baltimore area and feeling a bit overwhelmed, I understand.  Even after growing up in the Maryland suburbs of D.C. and graduating from college in D.C., Larry and I were unfamiliar with this immediate area when Larry got orders to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. My grandmother told us that choosing a community would be easy, if we would take the time to answer these questions: What do you want to be near?  What are you looking for in a community? What is your price range for a home? Our answers led us to CROFTON, MARYLAND - and chances are it will be a good place for you to start your home search, too, for the same reasons. 1.  CROFTON IS 30 MINUTES TO EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO GO -  You know what they say about the three most important things in real ... 10/09/2008

The Fort Meade Homes Team | (410) 721-6694 | FortMeadeHomes@aol.com 1830 Hyman Lane, Crofton, Maryland, 21114 5 BR / 3.5 BR - single family Beautiful Home With In Law Suite Available For Rent FOR RENT - By Real Estate Agent Price/Rent $2,400.00 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 3.5 Area Sq Ft 2,474 Lot Size 0.17 acres Year Built 1992 Nearest Bases Fort Meade / NSA < 10 Miles Annapolis Naval Station < 10 Miles Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard < 20 Miles Description Lots of room inside and out! This well cared for 3-level colonial nestled in the Manors of Crofton area features four spacious BRs upstairs and a huge 5th bedroom in the fully finished basement with in-law suite and w/o to "all weather" double deck. Country kitchen, bright sunroom addition, separate dining room with French doors to deck. A tru... 09/14/2008

Thinking of relocating to Crofton Maryland?  Don't get it confused with Crofton Kentucky, because there's a world of difference!  En route home from Texas last week, my husband and I decided to take a 160-mile detour off our route across Kentucky to visit another Crofton, one of three in the United States (Kentucky, Maryland and Nebraska).  Unfortunately, we didn't get there 'til nearly dusk so our photos aren't the greatest, but you'll see Crofton Kentucky and Crofton Maryland have very little in common.                  ______________________________________ There's very much of a rural small-town feel to Crofton Kentucky, with a single blinking stop-light.  And yet, there are 14 places of worship. In Crofton Maryland, as you drive into the community you see the Village Green with its... 08/14/2008

If your Crofton home is pictured in this video about Curb Appeal, you have just won a $25 gift card to Homestead Gardens in Davidsonvlle. Just contact me before August 20, and I'll deliver it to your home. The homes of winners will be recognized for their curb appeal in a blog appearing at Focus On Crofton later this month.       This video is based on the presentation I made to Crofton Village Garden Club in May.  I hope you enjoy your home's "moment of fame" and your $25 gift card - just in time to pick up some beautiful fall mums at Homestead Gardens!   Copyright 2008.  Margaret Woda.  All rights reserved.  "Is Your Crofton Home in this Video?"   08/12/2008

Crofton Maryland Real Estate real estate sales were down almost 40% in July from the same month last year, based on dollar volume.  The number of units sold was down about 37%.  Of course, that means the "average sold price" was down in July, too, by 3.9% from the same month last year.  Ironically, the "median sold price" was actually up by 3.15%. While that's not much of a drop from July last year to this, the average sold price fell almost $30,000 from last month and the median sold price by more than 42% since June.  But don't panic... This does not mean the value of any one house has dropped by the same percentage - it means more lower-priced homes are selling than higher-priced homes, which affects both the average and median sold prices. If you're a Crofton homeowner, thinking of... 08/11/2008

If you're facing relocation to the Washington, D.C. area...  If you're a current Maryland homeowner contemplating another home purchase... Choosing where to live may seem overwhelming in such a vast area!  The first step is probably to choose between living in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. - and that choice may be easier for you after reading Education Weekly's 12th Annual Quality Counts report. MARYLAND SCHOOLS ARE RANKED #3 IN THE NATION! Only three states earned a "B" in this report:  Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.  Under the leadership of Maryland's State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick, Maryland has climbed from 25th in 2006 to 3rd in 2008.  The District of Columbia is on the opposite end of the chart, ranking last with a D-, while Virginia is ranked #5 with a B-. Thi... 07/15/2008

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.   Crofton Library is arguably the heart of the community. Located at the intersection of Reidel Road and Aberdeen Drive, it is easily accessible to every neighborhood in Crofton, and walkable for many of them. I remember a time when libraries were little more than a musty-smelling old building with poorly lit rows of books that could be borrowed for two weeks.  Geeky-types sat at large tables, surrounded by piles of books - doing research, I guess.  Well, that does NOT describe Crofton Library. This is a beautiful newish facility with tall ceilings and a wall of windows.  Scheduled activities take place often, ranging from B... 07/10/2008