It's a November tradition for the Crofton Village Garden Club to make patriotic-themed floral arrangements for wounded soldiers and other patients. Each member makes two or three of them so we'll be sure to have enough for all 120 patients at the VA Rehab and Extended Care Facility in Baltimore, Maryland.

This is a very easy and inexpensive activity that your garden club, scout troop, office or other organization could easily duplicate, following the steps in this brief video. With 40 participants, it can be accomplished in an hour or less.

Please join us in thanking our wounded veterans in November and throughout the year.

Why is it that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources went to great lengths to drain the pond on private property west of Route 3 in Crofton a few years ago when a Northern Snakehead fish was discovered there?  (National Geographic News)

The answer depends somewhat on who you ask, but one common denominator in any conversation about this is the pond's proximity to the Little Patuxent River, just 75 feet from the pond.  Officials and biologists were worried that this "air-breathing, land-crawling, voracious predator" would invade the state's river system and even reach the Chesapeake Bay, causing irreparable harm.

However, Maryland Department of the Environment apparently isn't concerned about the impact of development on this site, so close to the Little Patuxent River.  In fact, they have issued a permit for a big box store there.  I guess they don't anticipate that development of this wetland will impact the environment as negatively as that 24-inch long fish; that pollution and runoff to the Little Patuxent River, affecting the state river system and even the Chesapeake Bay, will not be a problem.  Go figure! 

I wonder, then, why this property was included in the Patuxent Greenway System established to protect “important” lands"  If its location within the bounds of a designated State Scenic River in the critical area doesn't protect this property, can any land in Maryland be protected from a future covered in concrete?

These beautiful wildflowers were photographed at the site where the pond is located and the permit has been issued:

For more about this, please read Will This Maryland Wetland Soon Become Concrete? - Part I.

Crofton residents have successfully opposed the owner of this property and his various development schemes in the area for over 20 years.  Unfortunately, this time he has succeeded in getting this critical permit from the government agency charged with responsibility for protecting our environment.

The Greater Crofton Council is an excellent resource for updates about this and other matters of local concern, so be sure to bookmark their website and check it often.

Look for Part III of this series next week on the Maryland Real Estate Blog.

PHOTO:  Kathryn Para

Recycle all things Halloween.  Yes, even your perishables!

I wrote a post for the Crofton Village Garden Club website about this time last year that was a brief "how-to" for re-purposing one's Halloween pumpkin.  I was reminded of that today in a conversation with a colleague about this very topic.

So before you throw away or put away all things Halloween, let me share this with you:

PUMPKIN:

Turn your pumpkin into a decorative container for a fall flower arrangement:

• Cut the top off your pumpkin and set it aside.
• Scoop out the inside of your pumpkin and discard it (or set it aside for making pumpkin pie, pudding, muffins or soup).
• Place an autumn arrangement of flowers, grasses and leaves in a plastic or glass container into your pumpkin.

It's as simple as that!

Wouldn't the arrangment in the photo look beautiful on your dining table or sideboard? 

Home sellers take note because this would be a nice touch to help buyers fall in love with your home.

CANDY:

Who says you have to eat Halloween candy from now until you're sick of it, however long that might be?  Here are a few ideas you might consider:

• Melt those chocolate bars in a double boiler, a fondue pot, or over a low heat on your stove.  Use them as topping on an ice cream sundae, or perhaps as a fondue sauce for dipping fruit, marshmallows, or cake-squares.  Hmm, hmmm, good!
• Crush those hard candies and fruit-flavored Lifesavers, and sprinkle them in the windows of gingerbread house parts before you bake them.  The candies will melt and create a stained-glass look for your gingerbread house.  (Yes, I have done this!)
• Cut up candies and nuts (candy corn, for example) and store it in a plastic bag until you need some candy sprinkles for ice cream, cookies or cake... or maybe substitute them for chocolate chips the next time you bake cookies.

Recycling doesn't just have to be about newspapers, bottles and cans.

'Would love to have your ideas, too, so please add them in your comments.

(Photos:  istockphoto.com)

For the next few weeks, I'm going to share with you weekly photos of the wetlands on the west side of Route 3 in Crofton, Maryland.  Enjoy them while you can because the property owner has somehow managed to obtain a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment to develop this natural wetlands area into a site for a big-box store. 

Community residents and activists successfully drove Walmart away and assumed the issue was dead.  Little did we know that the permit process continued.  Even if we had known it, who could have imagined that our state Department of the Environment would allow development of this 20-acre parcel along the Little Patuxent River.

It is, after all, within the bounds of a designated State Scenic River, in the critical area, and it is a part of the Patuxent Greenway System established to protect “important” lands. 

Many thanks to Dick Lahn for this description of the area and to Kathryn Para for her photo.  More information and more photos will follow over the next 4-6 weeks.

By the way, if you click through to this Letter to the Editor by Dick Lahn, you will see his two photos of this area 30-40 years ago, when it was known as Walch's Grove.  The difference between then and now really is mind-boggling - but not as much as it will be if this area is paved over in concrete for future generations.

Will This Maryland Wetland Soon Become Concrete - Part II

Wanna find a good definition or description of "absorption rate"? Don't Google it, Activerain it.

Wanna know how to write a real estate business plan? - Don't Google it, Activerain it.

Wanna know what the word "kaizen" means? - don't Google it, Activerain it.

There is no end to the information you will find on Activerain, is there?  That's why I usually check Activerain even before I do a Google search.

Wanna find an agent for your referral in N.C.?  Check Activerain first, even before your company directory.

Wanna learn more about SEO (or simply find out what that acronym means)?  Do an Activerain search and read, read, read.  No need to sign up for that expensive class.

Looking for marketing ideas? - Learn about Postlets, V-flyers, Real Estate Shows, and hundreds of other ideas on Activerain.  You'll find other agents sharing the tools they use - some of them are free!

Never written a market study?  Get lots of ideas from those posted on Activerain by agents who do them every month (or every week).

Short sales have you frustrated?  Find articles and even short sale coaches on Activerain.

Activerain has everything any real estate professional could want to know... and then some.  That's why I Activerain (the verb) first when I'm looking for anything real estate.  I Google and Yahoo and Bing for other things.

P.S. - Did I mention that you'll make lots of friends around the country on Activerain who share your vision, your goals, your values...  and prospective clients will find you online and want to do business with you?  It makes you wanna dance in the rain!

P.P.S - This is an unsolicited testimonial.  You'll find lots of those on Activerain.

Long and Foster agents in Crofton, Maryland, jumped into action when I told them about Operation Christmas Stocking, just five days ago.

There were so many bags and boxes of goodies in my office, two days later, that I could barely make a path to my desk.  Yesterday, several agents and family members showed up to fill 101 holiday gift bags!

Toiletries, toys, playing cards, puzzle books and pencils, notepaper and pens, candy and lots of other things overflowed the holiday gift bags, along with a hand-wrtten Christmas card to say "thank you" to the gift bag recipient.

I'd like to say "thank you" to my office for responding so quickly and generously.  You're amazing!

Crofton Maryland homeowners want to know, “Is the real estate market stabilizing in Crofton?”  Using statistics from the five most recent years, I’ll do my best to answer that for you.

Good news:

• More homes sold/settled during September 2009 in Crofton, Maryland, than September of the two most recent years, although we’re nowhere near the number of the bubble year 2006. 
  
• More good news:  “Days on Market” are down almost 15% from the same month last year, and
  
• Both the average and median prices are up slightly from September a year ago.

My daughter-in-law, Christine, prepared this chart so we can see a five-year trend in all the areas tracked by Metropolitan Regional Information Services (MRIS).  I think this expanded look at the Crofton real estate market is necessary to get a true picture of any trends occurring in the Crofton Maryland real estate market:

Not all Crofton real estate news is good, however:

• The number of new non-contingent contracts last month was lower than any September in recent memory – 17 in 2009 vs. 32 in 2006.
  
• The sold price, as a percentage of list price, is down – also the lowest it’s been any September during a 5–year period.
  
• The number of new listings is nearly double the number of new contracts.  Until these numbers are more balanced, we can't realistically expect a stable real estate market. 

Looking at all these numbers, that last bullet point is the one things that best answers the question, “Is the real estate market stabilizing in Crofton?”  As long as new listings outnumber new non-contingent contracts, we will have a supply and demand problem in Crofton Maryland real estate. 

Right now, if you divide the number of September listings (155) by the number of new non-contingent contracts (17), you will see a 9+ month absorption rate.  The scariest thing about that may be the fact that we don’t know how home values may change during that 9+ month period – they could go down.  For that reason, I encourage anyone putting their home on the market now to be aggressive in pricing their home so it sells sooner rather than later.

This chart and my commentary are based on figures for the entire 21114 zipcode.  If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in the near future, you will want information that’s specific to your neighborhood, or at least to the type of home (detached vs. townhome, for example). 

Contact me any time for this information or, if you prefer, you can request a MARKET SNAPSHOT online.

P.S.  Thanks, Christine, for preparing this chart of Crofton Maryland real estate statistics for September 2009.

It's not too late for you and your office to participate in Operation Christmas Stocking, the nationwide mega-effort to provide Christmas stockings or gift bags to deployed troops.  However, time is getting short, since they have to be received in the Salt Lake City warehouse BEFORE NOVEMBER 1.

Just purchase some stockings or holiday gift bags at your local dollar store and ask other agents, lenders, closing attorneys, and even past clients to drop off goodies for filling them.  Items don't need to be expensive. We found it efficient to have only about 3 or 4 people actually stuffing the bags, or dividing into teams might be a good option if enough people are participating in the stuffing effort.

Here are some ideas for filling the bags:

Hard candy, socks, games, toileties (toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, sunscreen, hand cream, etc), yo-yo, playing cards, harmonica, inflatable beach ball, hand sanitizer, pen, paperback books, puzzles, bug spray, chapstick, etc.

Shipping is free, as long as the budget holds out.  Here are the shipping instructions.

For more information, visit Operation Christmas Stocking - and get started today.  If you're anywhere near Crofton, Maryland, I could use your help.  Call me at 410-721-1500 for more information.

PHOTO:  Melissa Slye stuffing holiday gift bags for the troops in October 2008.

Have you ever heard that question, while showing property?  If so, chances are good that you didn't know the answer.

That purple thing, my friends, is a trap for Emerald Ash Borer.  Which leads to the next question... what's an Emerald Ash Borer? (And tell me again, why do I care?)

Emerald Ash Borer is an exotic beetle from Asia that attacks ash trees. It has killed many millions of ash trees in Maryland, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and recently it's been found in Virginia, West Virginia and other states.

This invasive species of insect was the topic of a horticulture presentation made at my garden club meeting last week by Dick Bean, an Entomologist with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. 

I'll be the first to admit that lectures are not my favorite programs... I much prefer flower arranging workshops and field trips to interesting places (like the one to Mount Vernon in June).  BUT I always learn something when an expert like Dick speaks at one of our monthly meetings, and this was no exception.  In fact, I was glad to learn about these traps in case a client does ask me about them someday, because they have been placed by the Maryland Department of Agriculture along roadsides and in neighborhoods in Anne Arundel, Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties.

These purple traps are three-dimensional triangles or prisms made out of thin, corrugated, purple plastic that has been coated with non-toxic glue on all three sides. They are about 24 inches long and hang vertically in an ash tree or are secured to the trunk of a tree.  The traps are baited with a lure (Manuka oil) to increase the attractiveness of these traps to beetles. They are not toxic, but they are very very sticky.  If you find one on the ground, you should call local authorities (In Maryland, the number is 1-800-342-2507) rather than pick it up yourself.

You can re-assure your prospective buyers that:

1.  These traps will not harm people, pets, or wildlife (BUT the non-toxic glue can be extremely sticky and messy.)

2.  The presence of "that purple thing" does not indicate any tree in the yard, or even the neighborhood, is affected.

Photo at left shows trees that have been affected by the Emerald Ash Borer.

Here's how the trap works (just so you can sound like a know-it-all when your buyer asks):

During adult emergence of these beetles, they fly around ash trees, nibbling on leaves and looking for a mate. If an one lands on a purple trap, it will get stuck in the glue. In the fall, crews will return to trap sites to collect samples and remove the traps.  Any insects collected from the traps will be cleaned and sent to the USDA identifier for verification, which will be communicated to the appropriate State plant regulatory official.

Maryland agents (and their clients) can learn the latest about the spread of this invasive species of insect on the MD Dept. of Agriculture website.  I'm sure there is information on othe state websites, as well.

You just never know what you're going to learn on Activerain, do you?  I'll bet it never occurred to you this morning when you woke up that you'd be learning about purple things hanging in trees.  But you'll be glad you did read this if a client ever says to you "What's that purple thing in the tree?"

The real estate market showed quite an improvement last month in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, compared to September 2008.  The number of homes sold and settled was UP almost 25% and the "Days on Market" went down over 11%.

I don't believe this is the beginning of a market trend for homeowners who are waiting for the market to turn before they sell, however.  More likely, it is a temporary "bubble" that has been stimulated by the federal government's $8,000 tax credit (due to expire next month) and the huge inventory of bank-owned properties and short sales being picked up by investors at bargain prices and then flipped for profit (still at bargain sale prices) after some improvements. These properties continued to drive DOWN both the average (-13.95%) and median (-9.38%) sold prices in Anne Arundel County in September 2009.

There was quite a shift in the type of financing buyers used last month, compared to a year ago, with the number of Conventional loans remaining steady, but a lot more FHA and VA loans, and nearly three times as many cash purchases as a year ago.  I suspect most of those cash purchases were probably made by speculators, not owner-occupant homebuyers.

Source:  MRIS

Compare these numbers to buyers' financing choices in Anne Arundel County during the same month last year:  FHA (140), VA (41), Conventional (153), Cash (13), Assumption (31), and Other (10).  FHA has grown exponentially as the financing of choice - probably due to the disproportionate number of first-time home buyers pulled into the market-place by the temporary $8,000 tax credit.

If the tax credit legislation expires, as scheduled on November 30, it will be interesting to track financing for another year.

My crystal ball:  I consider the greatest predictor of future real estate trends to be the comings and goings in the market... New listings coming on the market each month vs. listings going under contract.  In September 2009, there were 810 new listings in Anne Arundel County, Maryland - more than double the 379 non-contingent home sales.  Even if you add in the 170 contingent home sales for a total of 549, the inventory is still growing at a much greater rate than homes are selling.

This is one of the prime measures of a "Buyer's Market" - i.e., when market conditions favor home buyers, rather than home sellers.  With 4038 homes on the market throughout the county in a single month, 482 going to settlement, and 549 combined contingent and non-contingent new contracts - buyers clearly have the upper hand.  In a nutshell, they have options... many options.  If one seller won't meet their terms, chances are the next one will.

So yes... things are better, in that the number of homes sold and settled went up nearly 25% last month over the same month last year, and the "Days on Market" went down.  BUT let's not start celebrating quite yet.