After a relatively dismal May for Crofton Maryland real estate, I'm happy to report that things were looking up in June.  Both the average and median sold prices were up slightly from last year AND from last month! The average sold price was up just .4%, but the median sold price was up 8.48% and average list price of sold homes was up 4.07% from last year.  In fact, both the average and median sold prices were the highest in June 2008 that they've been over the 4-year period tracked in this chart:                                     While this is good news for Crofton home sellers, it could signal buyers that they missed the bottom of the market.  As predicted, buyers won't know for sure when prices have bottomed out until they start going up again.  We'll be watching carefully to see ... 07/10/2008

The Ladies of the Evening Golf League is partnering with Crofton Country Club on July 16 for a fun-filled golf outing and dinner to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Check-in for the 9-hole scramble begins at 3, with refreshments and an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets prior to the shot-gun start at 4:30 p.m.  The entry fee is $60 per person or $225 per foursome - No need to have a foursome to sign up, however, because event organizers will be happy to pair you with other golfers.   Included with your registration is your cart fee, dinner, and a goodie bag containing a golf towel, a Rally for the Cure signature pink ribbon pin, a magazine subscriptions and a few surprises.  Prizes will be awarded to the first place men's, women's and co-ed teams at the banquet w... 07/04/2008

Crofton's location is one of the reasons many people chose to live in the community.  When the traffic gods are smiling, it's less than an hour to most places residents have to go on a daily basis. With Route 50 for East-West travel and Route 3 for North-South travel, and both the D.C. and Baltimore Beltways within a half hour, it really is a commuter's heaven - if there is such a thing.  With so many people heading towards D.C., it's a bonus that the sun will be at your back, and not in your eyes, both on the way to and home from work.   A prospective Crofton resident contacted me this week to ask what the commuting time would be for her husband to downtown Washington.  That inspired me to put together this little directory for anyone relocating to the area.  The origination point for ... 07/02/2008

Crofton real estate is not what it used to be, and home sellers are struggling right now,.  Yet most Crofton homeowners remain positive, confident in the desirability of our community and their own home. Crofton is a unique place to live, so close to the two major cities of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., but it's a close-knit community with the ambiance of a small town.  Residents have a short commute to work, and they come home to their choice of two country clubs with golf courses, three pools (not counting the one at Crofton Village or the apartment complexes), and more organized activities than anyone has time to join.  American flags fly over Crofton Parkway, and the Crofton Village Green hosts free Sunday night concerts;  then, of course, there are the parades and special events... 06/21/2008

The weather is hotter than the real estate market these days.  Hopefully, the market will heat up soon.  Contact me for all your real estate needs. Gene Hammel Century 21 New Millennium 240-463-1611 http://www.genehammel.c21nm.com     06/11/2008

I know the market is supposed to be bad but there are actually still multiple offers coming in on well-priced homes.  We were showing a family a beautiful home over in the Manors Of Crofton neighborhood in Crofton last week.  It had been listed at $569,000 and they decided it was time to sell so they made a dramatic price drop to $499,900.  This was during a weekend when they held an open house and they had a ton of interest, several disclosure requests, and 2 written offers with ESCALATION CLAUSES.  Our clients decided to move on to another home as some people don't want to fight over houses in this market.  The same week I had another client out, ready to write an offer on either of her two favorites and by the time the weekend was over, both had contracts on them!  Good news for seri... 06/01/2008

When a Crofton real estate agent writes about the schools, it's usually about school rankings or test scores, new equipment or facilities, career accomplishments of teachers or academic achievements of students.  It's rarely because of their philanthropy! But then, how many public elementary schools raise over $17,000 for medical research?  That's exactly what they did at Crofton Elementary School on Duke of Kent Street this year. Their "Coins for Kids" campaign raised $3,294,43.  But their BIG fundraiser was a "Hop-A-Thon" which raised $14,000 for Cystic Fibrosis.  The community is very proud of them, and so is Governor Martin O'Malley who awarded them a Governor's Citation.   The best (or at least favorite) reward, however, was seeing Principal Donna O'Shea and Assistant Principal Co... 05/29/2008

You may have read my post on April Fool's Day, April 1, titled Starting a Series of Blogs for Sellers.  I encouraged you to subscribe to Focus On Crofton so you could read each installment as it came out, whether you are a consumer or an agent.   I also promised to provide a summary at the end, here on the Maryland Real Estate Blog.  Here it is: A SOLD Sign in Your Crofton Front Yard - April 1, 2008.  A challenge to sellers to be one of those who DOES have a sold sign in their front yard. Factors That Impact the Sale of Real Estate - April 8, 2008.  Discusses factors beyond a seller's or agent's control and emphasizes the importance of addressing those which ARE within our control.   Pricing Your Crofton Home for Sale - April 14, 2008.  Pricing is both an art and a science - this post ... 05/27/2008

Crofton real estate prices are still higher than the 2005 level. And that's good news for Crofton homeowners - especially the military families based at Fort Meade, NSA, USNA, and Andrews AFB, because relocation is not optional for you when you get orders!  For many other Crofton residents, the timeframe for moving is more flexible.  The biggest issues we face, in Crofton, is the steadlily growing inventory and shrinking number of homes sold.  People often ask me, "What about BRAC?" ..."Isn't that good insurance for our housing market?"  The short answer is yes, and I think perhaps that could be one reason prices haven't fallen lower.  As to that magic number of 22,000 new jobs - well, there are a lot of counties vying for those families, who will be easily absorbed across the entire re... 05/17/2008

          While the Crofton real estate market is not what we'd like to see, there are some homes selling.  Let's take a look at the most recent month for which we have statistics from MRIS:  Crofton sales were down over 40% in March from 2007 - only 29 homes sold in the entire zipcode during the last month.  However, that's 11 more homes than sold just a month earlier, in February, so I'm not complaining. Crofton home prices held steady throughout 2007 - homes just took longer to sell than they did in 2006. Unfortunately, that's no longer true. The average sold price in March was down almost 10% for Crofton to $330,558, and the median sold price in March was down over 6% to $290,000. Meanwhile, the length of time it took for homes to sell last month was up 39% from March 2007 - to 121... 04/11/2008

These last few days we've been blessed with some above average weather, and on both occasions I've used it to walk or ride my bike around Walden and Chapman Farms in Crofton.  Both neighborhoods are phenomenal: well-kept yards and houses, clean streets and sidewalks, and Walden has golf-course views.There is just something about Chapman Farms.  A very neighborhoody feel.  Maybe because its not divided up by Reidel road and a golf course like Walden is.  Maybe it was just the nights I was out and about.But walking around Chapman Farms at dusk, as parents were bringing kids home from their various little league practices and young couples were out with their kids in strollers, or walking their dogs - you just feel something different about it.Here are some featured listings of homes for s... 04/11/2008

Relocating to Maryland?  Check out 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. More House 4 Less is more than a catchy blog title - it may be the magic formula that makes home ownership possible for you.  If you want to take advantage of this Buyers' Market to own a home or condo in Anne Arundel County, but you don't have a lot of cash on hand for down payment and closing, I have good news for you:  Downpayment and closing cost help is available through the State of Maryland's More Houses 4 Less and House Keys 4 Employees Programs. There are limits, of course, including:  Maximum income  Maximum sale price Participating employers for some programs Participating builders for some ... 04/08/2008

Crofton, Maryland, is located in Anne Arundel County, home of the U.S. Naval Academy, Fort George G. Meade, NSA, BWI, and Northrop Grumman; about 35 minutes from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Maryland. Crofton is a "community," however, and not just a subdivision or zipcode .  The distinction is in the residents who make Crofton one of Money Magazine's Top 100 Best Places to live.  One of the residents responsible for making Crofton, Maryland, the community it is today is Kaye Callahan.  As a young mom in the late 60's/early 70's, Kaye spearheaded the effort to line Crofton Parkway with flowering cherry trees and other sections of the community with Bradford Callery Pear trees.   Crofton residents have enjoyed the fruits of her efforts (or should I say "blooms" of her efforts) for four... 04/04/2008

If you're looking for a special gift for a relative, grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, etc., Express It is a great place to go. We had a Brownie Troop meeting here at Express It and it was a blast.  Express It is an art studio in the same shopping center as Christopher's Restaurant, behind the Dunkin Donuts that is on Rt. 3, across from the Crofton Gates. The girls had their meeting in the back room and there are also individual tables in the main part of the shop.  On one side is shelf after shelf of ceramic items ready to be painted and customized.  Everything from piggy banks to dishes, picture frames, figurines, a huge selection.  Some people come in and create customized dishes and serving platters to use for themselves.  Others bring their children and have them choose gift... 04/03/2008

My neighbor called me up and said she needed to get her nails done but her car was in the shop.  I decided I needed a break so  told her I'd drive.  She likes to go to T.P. Nails, which is a nail shop here in Crofton right next to Christopher's Restaurant.  It's on the same side of the street as Blockbuster, behind the Dunkin Donuts.  The Rt. 3 section of Crofton is pretty small so it's easy to find! Anyway, we ended up really having a nice time, enjoying being pampered getting manicures and pedicures.  The prices are really reasonable, you don't need an appointment, and the pedicures are just heavenly!  Very friendly staff as well. Afterwards since it was around lunchtime, we went next door to Christophers Restaurant, a popular Crofton restaurant. I'm really picky about my coffee.  I f... 04/03/2008

  No history of Crofton Maryland Real Estate would be complete without a chapter on Levitt and Sons.  Since 2008 is the 40th Anniversary of Levitt and Sons first homes in Crofton, I did a little memory-searching and online research about the the company for a post titled Crofton History - The Levitt Chapter.  Subsequently, I adapted that post for nearby Bowie, Maryland, where I worked for several years.   If you live or work in a community built by Levitt and Sons, you are in good company.  This prolific builder and developer broke ground on their first community in 1929 and spread its wings for forty years before selling to ITT in 1969.  Even now, the Levitt Corporation (including several subsidiaries) is still in business, in spite of the 2007 bankruptcy filing by Levitt and Sons and ... 04/03/2008

Read about Crofton Maryland Real Estate on Localism.com and FocusOnCrofton.com. Did you know that April is National...Alcohol Awareness Month Animal Cruelty Prevention Month Autism Awareness Month Car Care Month Child Abuuse Prevention Month Donate Life Month (Organ Donation) Frog Month Garden Month Guitar Month Humor Month Kite Flying Month Mathematics Education Month Sexual Assault Awareness Month Welding Month And you know what they say...April showers bring May flowers!                           ______________________________________Relocating to the Baltimore-Washington area?  Check out Your Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland.Find a Home and learn about Real Estate Market Conditions in Odenton and Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  Check out Today's Rates, use the fr... 03/31/2008

There's more to Crofton than the subdivision you find inside the front gates.  That community was the brain-child of Hamilton Crawford, a Louisiana developer who purchased the property in 1962 from the housekeeper who inherited the 1600 acres from her boss, E.L. Shaw.  A year later, Crawford announced plans to build a new community on the site, farmed for three centuries by Jesuit priests, slaves, sharecroppers and two prominent area families, the Duvalls and Chaneys. Other nearby farms sold to developers after that, and Crofton soon evolved from being a subdivision inside those landmark front gates to a postal zipcode.  The greater Crofton area now includes many subdivisions as well as churches, schools, restaurants, stores, parks and even another golf course.  In fact, since Crofton i... 03/28/2008

Crofton Maryland real estate is not just about houses - it's about the community and people.  When you live in Crofton, it's a package deal! As you drive through the front gate of "Old Crofton", located along MD Route 3 at Crawford Boulevard, you'll see Places of Worship, Crofton Country Club's Championship Golf Course, a Village Green that houses a tavern and offices for physicians, dentists and small businesses - and, of course, Crofton's beautiful homes.  Crofton is an established community with mature trees and a flag-lined street that could be a movie set for "Anywhere USA". Crofton, Maryland, is a place where residents line the streets to watch the annual Tour de Crofton bike race, shop at the Spring and Fall Crafts Fairs, walk with their kids in the annual Halloween Parade, and p... 03/27/2008

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.   Relocating to a new area always presents many other challenges besides "just" finding a home.  I understand that, after a few of my own PCS moves  - often handling everything while my husband was deployed and my family was on the opposite coast.   I relied upon that experience while creating this Relocation Package for you, trying to address issues such as commuting, schools, shopping, communities, and things to do for recreation.  There are so many other unknowns you face, and I'll do my best to help.  If finding the "right" place to worship is one of your concerns, maybe this list will get you started: PHOTO:  First Bapt... 03/16/2008