The 17 acre development with Safeway as the anchor I blogged about a few months ago is about 4 months or so away from start of construction. It will be located in Charlotte Hall, MD between Golden Beach Road and the 7-11 and across the street from the McDonalds.  Apparently, Tidewater Veterinary Hospital will be relocated about 600 yards away in a new state of the art building. Access to Tidewater Vet will move from Route 5 to Charlotte Hall Road or Golden Beach Road. I spoke to the developer this morning, Ray Mertz, about the project. Other tenants are expected to lease space soon. He said we'll start seeing signs and heavy advertising in the near future. I'll post updates like store design, additional businesses, etc... as I get them.    ---------------------------------------------... 04/23/2008

 The Southern Knights celebrated their 21st annual Coming Out car show this past weekend in Hughesville, MD. It was a spectacular show, to say the least, and there was about 450 cars on the field this year! The rain held out until the afternoon, and it made for a very nice day to get out and enjoy some of the classic muscle that was out on display! All three of us made it out for food, photos, and of course to put the old blue 1957 Thunderbird on the field as well! Here's some of the photo highlights, if you're interested, the entire roll of photos is available for you to enjoy here:Photos from the 21st Annual Southern Knights Coming Out Car Show 2008 in Hughesville, MD 04/14/2008

March saw nine new resale listings and one new construction listing. Generally, March, April and May are the months we see increased sales, contracts and activity. The resale market increased under contracts and volume appears to be steady. I think prices have come down to a point that has generated buyer interest.Market absorption has changed little and look for additional listings to come online. I know of one new subdivision that will be releasing lots in April. I'll let you know when they are released. We should see additional solds in April as the homes that went under contract in February and March are settled. Resales were priced between $264,900-$1,199,000. New Construction was priced between $359,900-$989,900. Feel free to contact me with questions.                        Inclu... 04/09/2008

February saw increased movement in both the Resale and New Construction Hughesville markets. I spoke to some of the New Construction representatives in the area over the last several weeks. I wanted to get their take on their market. They showed me accounts of increased foot traffic and interest. Some of them have started including lot premiums again and in one case I saw price increases on a couple of their models.The resale market has seen increased buyer activity as well. Showings are up and I think that can be attributed to pricing on resales coming down in recent months. The pricing appears to be at a level that has sparked buyer interest. Even with the increased under contracts and traffic, with six new resale listings and eight new construction listings, market absorption appears... 03/09/2008

I am running in the 2008 Charlottesville Marathon in Charlottesville, VA with Team Semper Fi and am raising money for injured Marines and their families. My goal is to raise at least $250. You can help by making a contribution, please use the link below to donate online quickly and securely. The donations will go to the Semper Fi Fund. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. If you prefer to make an offline donation, the link below explains how to do so. Just let me know your donation amount, so I can add it to my total. I thank you in advance for your support, and truly appreciate your generosity. Click here to Donate    My next race following Charlottesville is the Marine Corps Historic Half in Fredericksburg, VA M... 03/05/2008

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR®Hughesville, MD Real Estatehttp://www.hughesvillehomes.com/While on my long runs over the last couple of weeks or so, I've come across several "things" that have caught my eye. And as my mileage increases, I've run down new streets to get my time in. Some say I take my life in my own hands as I run down Route 231. However, I have notice cars and trucks give me plenty of room and I do stay well off away from traffic.Those of us that use it knows traffic has increased quite a bit over the years. Hughesville is the geographical center of Southern Maryland and Route 231 is a popular route between Route 4 in Calvert County and Route 5 in Charles County.Several years ago, I tried to get a large parcel for a developer client of mine. The parcel had been i... 02/11/2008

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR®Hughesville, MD Real Estatehttp://www.hughesvillehomes.com/ This month's Hughesville Market Report shows little movement in the resale and new construction market. It's should be little surprise to anyone given the time of year and current market conditions. Resales were priced between $264,900-$1,399,000. New Construction was priced between $429,900-$989,900. We've seen a few more foreclosures and short sales. While they may not represent a majority of the Hughesville market, it's probably safe to say they'll have a negative effect on prices at least in the short term. More inventory has come online with little absorption. Prices on new construction hasn't moved from last month. I took a look at trending in the resale market and compared absorptio... 02/06/2008

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR®Hughesville, MD Real Estatehttp://www.hughesvillehomes.com/ If you are considering planting a vineyard, or you have just recently done so, you will benefit from the information provided in this educational one-day workshop. This seminar is a good overview of what is involved with getting a commercial vineyard started in Maryland, and is part one of a two-part series.“There has been tremendous interest in the wine grape production throughout the Southern Maryland region. In fact, many growers have or are considering establishing vineyards”, said Ben Beale, of Maryland Cooperative Extension, the organization responsible for coordinating the workshop. “However, successfully establishing a grape vineyard requires keen management and attention to detail... 02/01/2008

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR®Hughesville, MD Real Estatehttp://www.hughesvillehomes.com/ As part of a 17 acre center being developed by Ray Mertz of Manekin, LLC, Safeway Inc. plans to open a grocery store in Charlotte Hall, MD. Construction is expected to begin in about six months. So far, no other tenants have leased space, but that should change as the date for construction nears. I'll post more information as I learn it. This looks like good news for the area residents of Hughesville, Charlotte Hall and Mechanicsville. It gives us another choice to shop for groceries closer to home than Waldorf, Prince Frederick or California. Safeway has a strong National Brand and should help attract additional quality products and services. 01/15/2008

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR®Hughesville, MD Real Estatehttp://www.hughesvillehomes.com/ Charles County planning officials agreed to postpone a public hearing on the proposed rezoning of 150 acres in Hughesville, MD when they learned that Chaney Enterprises Inc. did not have a traffic study or fiscal analysis done to support the proposal. The rescheduled meeting is February 11, 2008 at 7pm in the County Commissioner’s Meeting Room of the Charles County Government Building, La Plata, Maryland.Chaney is asking Charles County to rezone the parcel, located on Route 231 east of the Hughesville Post Office and west of the Brookleigh Woods subdivision, from agricultural conservation⁄village residential to heavy industrial. Chaney’s rezoning application is in the event they need to re... 01/13/2008

PLAY BALL!!! Registration for the spring 2008 baseball season will be held at the Hughesville Firehouse and Mechanicsville Firehouse according to the schedule below. The registration form can be completed and printed online. Go to Hughesville Baseball Association website for registration forms and specific registration information.    There will be two registration dates at the Hughesville Firehouse:    Saturday, January 19 from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm    Wednesday, January 23 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm        There will be two registration dates at the Mechanicsville Firehouse:    Saturday, January 26 from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm    Wednesday, January 30 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm 01/10/2008

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR (r)Hughesville, MD Real Estatewww.hughesvillehomes.com I just came across this article from the Maryland Independent. I certainly hope they bring commuter rail to the region. I would expect a stop somewhere in Hughesville. Have you seen the sign off of Route 5 just north of the Harley Davidson Dealership? Maryland Independent by Alan BrodyState transportation analysts will explore whether development of commuter rail service between Washington D.C. and St. Mary’s County is viable, Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari announced Tuesday.Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D-St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles), a longtime advocate for Southern Maryland rail transit, lobbied for the study, which will examine potential operating scenarios and station locations, the challe... 01/09/2008

I am running in the 2008 Myrtle Beach Marathon with Team Semper Fi and am raising money for injured Marines, Sailors and their families. My goal is to raise at least $1,000. I'm asking you to help by making a contribution. Please use the link below to donate online quickly and securely. The donations will go to the Semper Fi Fund. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.If you prefer to make an offline donation, the link below explains how to do so. Just let me know your donation amount, so I can add it to my total. I thank you in advance for your support, and truly appreciate your generosity. Please let as many people as you can about this site and encourage them to donate as well. You can make a difference in 2008!C... 01/08/2008

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR (r)Hughesville, MD Real Estatewww.hughesvillehomes.com As stated in last month's Hughesville Market Report and as expected, the opening of Ole Field Estates in November has put additional inventory online in December. Resales were priced between $329,000-$1,399,000. New Construction was priced between $429,000-$989,000. We haven't seen a lot of price pressure from foreclosures and short sales. A few neighborhoods have seen more than others and expect downward price pressure in those micro-markets. I've seen several in the month of December.If you are listing on the spring, watch prices of new construction from November into January for trending. Resales may take a cue depending on the performance of some of the new construction neighborhoods. We'll... 01/07/2008

    I recently found the perfect property for one of my clients that had been searching for that elusive parcel of land that was Perked, and ready to go.  I met him in October ff 2007 and he told me that he had been searching since 2003 for just a couple of acres that was ready to build on.     Unfortunately, everything he found was tied up by a builder, and he wanted his dad to build his house for him. I think he had seen every lot that had come up for sale in the county for the past 4 years.  So my team and I went to work trying to find a property that accurately fit his criteria.  Low and behold, the AUCTION listing came up.      My client loved it!  The process was simple; there were 4 lots that a builder was liquidating. We met our buyer at the site the morning of the auction, and... 12/21/2007

  It's been a looong week..... so here's something utterly random and fuzzy, too!  Her name is Piper, and she's a rescued shelter rat!  She's a little mouthy when dinner's due, but she's a completely adorable, well mannered mutt!  C'mon, how can you not smile when you see a pup as cute as this!  Not only that, but she plays well with other dogs, so she gets to enjoy lots of trips to the dog park! She came from the tri-county animal shelter in Hughesville, MD, and if you are interested in finding a great family pet, I highly recommend you look there and the Humane Society of Waldorf, as well!   12/14/2007

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR (r)Hughesville, MD Real Estatewww.hughesvillehomes.com The Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, Company 2 have published the 2007 Santa Run Schedule. This is a fun event for children and parents alike.Santa's coming and his elves have finished the schedule. Santa will arrive with a parade of fire trucks and ambulances at locations listed on Company 2's website between the hours of 6:30pm and 9:00pm each night.Santa wants everyone to have a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Parents are reminded that it will be dark outside and difficult for Santa and his helpers to see everyone clearly. Please hold the children tight until the fire trucks stop moving. Santa also wants to tell everyone that he can not get to every street because o... 12/11/2007

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR (r)Hughesville, MD Real Estatewww.hughesvillehomes.com I've been following an interesting subject that affects the quality of life for residents of Hughesville and Southern Maryland. The subject is the addition of Commuter rail cars on existing CSX rail lines. This is an excellent opportunity to provide a valuable service to the residents of Hughesville and all of Southern Maryland. Maryland Senator Roy Dyson has been trying for years to get some traction on this issue and it appears we may have some. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer apparently contacted Governer Martin O'Malley and Transportation Secretary Porcari to urge them to include Southern Maryland in MARC Train plans. Following are excerpts from an October 1, 2007 article in St. Mary's To... 12/04/2007

Craig W. Barrett, Hughesville, REALTOR (r)Hughesville, MD Real Estatewww.hughesvillehomes.com November saw several changes in the Hughesville market. Most notable was additional inventory through an increase of new construction. The newest subdivision is Ole Field Estate on Route 231 next to Old Field Chapel. It is a Marrick, Inc. community.Average Days on Market increased two days from 92 to 94. We've seen some fairly stable conditions in Hughesville recently.The number of homes for sale in Hughesville is 99, of those 38 are resale. There were six homes that went under contract in November and of those two were resale.Six homes went under contract in November and of the six, two were resale.The number of sold homes in Hughesville is two, one in Brookleigh Woods and the other in Lake Ja... 12/03/2007

Saturday, December 1, 9am - 4pm Auction 11:30am - 4pm (Note the time change from previous years) Auction Preview and Silent Auction Thursday, November 29, 7pm - 10pm  St. Mary's Catholic School 13735 Notre Dame Place Bryantown, MD 20617 Click here for a map Plan to join us for our 31st Annual Christmas Bazaar and Auction on Saturday, December 1  Handmade Christmas Crafts, Christmas Wreaths, floral items, and baked goods will be available.    Many items of value such as jewelry, vacations, sporting event tickets, furniture... Will be auctioned to the highest bidder. Come early as it is a popular event and is attended well. Plan to also take advantage of the Auction Preview Thursday, November 29 from 7pm - 10pm. Thursday's event is adult only, please. Wine and hor’dourves will be served,... 11/26/2007