What a picture perfect blue sky it is over Maryland today! Another sign that Spring is just around the corner .. I don't know about you but I think everything looks much more inviting and positive when the sun is out and the sky is blue ... quite possibly the reason why Spring is the most active season when it comes to Real Estate. However, if you have been thinking about selling your Silver Spring home, there is no need to wait for Spring to officially begin. The 2013 "Spring selling season" already started 2 months ago! Silver Spring Real Estate is in high demand... blue sky or not! Homes are flying off the market and many are receiving multiple offers in just a few days! Ready to sell? Please give me a call! 03/09/2013

Carlton Cleans, LLC of Silver Spring, Md is offering $25 discount on any pressure washing, roof cleaning or deck refinishing service for Spring 2013 listing season. Coupon offer expires April 15 2013.   Decks, Houses, Driveways, Roofs, Patios, and More Carlton Cleans provides quality Maryland pressure washing / power washing services and deck cleaning in Montgomery County, MD and throughout the state, including the following areas: Silver Spring, Rockville,Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Kensington, Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Darnestown. We service other areas on a case-by-case basis so please call (301-906-4446) or fill out our online request form. **We do not use a pressure washer (power washer) in deck restoration. We exclusively use scrub brushing and deck cleaners to prepare the... 03/08/2013

The Real Estate market in the Silver Spring, MD area has changed dramatically over the last few months. We jumped from one extreme to the other, from buyer's to seller's market, with only a short time of some balance in between. Buyer traffic is up by huge numbers (40% according to RISMedia) compared to a year ago. At the same time seller traffic has slowed ... and the result is a shortage of inventory.Many homes are literally flying off the market and multiple offer situations are more of a norm than an exception. When making an offer on a Silver Spring, MD area home in today's market, you got to put your best foot forward. This is not a market to low-ball or to test the seller's boundaries. Unless the home has been sitting of course - which still occurs, mostly because it was overpric... 02/27/2013

I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by a lovely couple in need of a home away from home in Silver Spring, MD. While I listened to their wants and needs I immediately thought of the Americana Finmark subdivision as the ideal location: steps from Forest Glen Metro, just 1 stop south to Downtown Silver Spring (new place of employment for one of my clients) and 1 stop north to shopping and within close proximity to local parks.The Americana Finmark condo development is a quiet community that has a great reputation. It offers several amenities (tennis court, swimming pool, playgrounds and BBQ gathering areas), is well maintained and is also lead by a management team that is approachable and on top of everything. My clients agreed and jumped at the opportunity to call a condo at Americana F... 02/25/2013

Homes and Condos for Sale in Silver Spring MD in Stonegate     Homes and Condos for Sale in Silver Spring MD in Stonegate     Silver Spring is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County. Its residents enjoy many community amenities that beautifully complement life in the Washington Metropolitan area. Our dedication to the buyers is unsurpassed in customer satisfaction. You Bring The Dream - We Bring You The House~   A Sample Of Homes For Sale Available now. . .                   GREAT HOUSE   This Unique Home is located in premium wooded cul-de-sac lot with a spectacular view. This home has it all; Breathtaking Foyer, Extra large Open floor Gourmet Kitchen, , Office, rear Sun Room, large Deck and Patio all in a Golf Course Community. Extra large Dining Room and Living room. The upper ... 02/18/2013

Looking for Single Family Detatched Homes for Sale in Silver Spring, Maryland?  There are 36 Properties in Silver Spring, Maryland with Open Houses Today.All Silver Spring Zip codes - 20901, 20902, 20903, 20904, 20905, 20906 and 20910.  Some areas included in these zip codes are 4 Corners, Wheaton, Colesville, Downtown Silver Spring, East Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Kemp Mill and more. Open houses are ususally held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm unless otherwise noted in the list of Open Houses for this weekend.  Click the link below for the list - Happy Hunting There are some Great Houses to see out there this weekend!Houses Open in Silver Spring this Weekend - Saturday & Sunday, February 16th & 17th 2013Your Dream House my not be Open this Weekend.  Not All Homes for Sale have Open Houses! D... 02/16/2013

Want something special for Valentines Day? Candy from Velati's is special and different.  Not your typical Russell Stover or Whitman's box of Candy.  The candy is make fresh right before your eyes in the little shop on the corner of Wayne and Georgia Avenues.  This is famous homemade candy with a celebrated history, from a real old fashioned candy store in Downtown Silver Spring - Velati'sVelati's specializes in caramels.  My recommendation for Valentines Day, Go for the Chocolate Covered Caramels, they are out of this world!Velati's8408 B Georgia AvenueDowntown (Corner of Georgia and Wayne Ave)Walking Distance from Silver Spring Metro Silver Spring, MD 20910(301) 578-8612       02/13/2013

The tradition is that the Tuesday before Lent is a time to indulge or Fatten up before tightening belts and giving up things for Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday.  It is the Fat Tuesday associated with Mardi Gras and it is the Shrove Tuesday associated with Pancake Suppers or Pancake Day.This Tuesday February 13th is also Paczki Day, a Polish tradition of making and eating Paczki the day before Lent starts. The best place to get Paczki in Silver Spring, is at the Woodmoor Bakery/Pastry Shop in the Woodmoor Shopping Center at Four Corners.  They make the most divine, decadent Paczki anywhere in the area.  They are the filled, rolled in powdered sugar type paczki and they are GOOD.It is best to get there early - They start making them a few weeks before Paczki Day, so they should have ... 02/11/2013

HOMES FOR SALE in Silver Spring, MD $559,00011529 Daffodil Ln, Silver Spring MD 20902         $559,0001731 Briggs Chaney Rd, Silver Spring MD 20905         $569,0009313 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring MD 20901         These properties was listed as of February 11, 2013.  No guarantees can be made that these properties are still actively for sale.  Please ask your real estate professional for an updated status of these properties. 02/11/2013

The most romantic place for Dinner in Silver Spring is a small, suptuous italian restaurant called Sergios. It is intimate, quiet and dark, like a cozy cave, the wait staff are attentive, the drinks are good, the food is Real Native Italian, Generous and Excellent! (especially the veal dishes).  The atmosphere is understated thick white tablecloth elegant and romantic. Nothing beats having that warm, friendly, personal greeting from Sergio Toni, the owner, a native of Rome and now a Silver Springer.   Sergio has been involved with this restaurant since 1982 when it was Mamma Reginas.Sergios has been on the top of the list for generations of people as that special occasion place for dinner in Silver Spring.  It is usually booked well in advance of Valentines Day. This Silver Spring Resta... 02/10/2013

Looking for Single Family Detatched Homes for Sale in Silver Spring, Maryland?  There are 35 Properties in Silver Spring, Maryland with Open Houses Today.All Silver Spring Zip codes - 20901, 20902, 20903, 20904, 20905, 20906 and 20910.  Some areas included in these zip codes are Four Corners, Wheaton, Colesville, Downtown Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Kemp Mill and more. Open houses are ususally held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm unless otherwise noted in the list of Open Houses for Sunday, February 3rd, 2013.  Click the link below for the list - Happy Hunting There are some Great Homes to see out there today!                       Houses Open in Silver Spring - Sunday, February 10th, 2013Your Dream House my not be open today.  Not All Homes for Sale have Open Houses on Sundays To Search All Ho... 02/10/2013

Montgomery County, MD Shades of green and Leaves for Neighborhoods tree planting programs Free trees are available through the Montgomery County Planning Shades of Green program and those even come with a 2-year-maintenance plan. That's right - the city will water your new tree for you! The goal is to not only beautify urban areas but to support the local economy as well. According to a research done by Montgomery County Planning "trees planted in downtown retail areas draw more patrons." Of course they do! Trees provide shade from the summer heat and improve air quality. The Shades of Green program is limited to the Business Districts of Silver Spring, MD and Wheaton, MD and the subdivision of Montgomery Hills, just north of Downtown Silver Spring because these were the areas identifie... 02/07/2013

Looking for Homes for Sale in Silver Spring, Maryland?  There are 29 Properties with Open Houses Today.Zip codes are 20901, 20902, 20903, 20904, 20905, 20906 and 20910.  Some areas included in these zip codes are Four Corners, Wheaton, Colesville, Downtown Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Kemp Mill and more. Open houses are ususally held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm unless otherwise noted in the list of Open Houses for Sunday, February 3rd, 2013.  You can check out Open Houses in Silver Spring Today and still get home, to your favorite Super Bowl viewing place or party in time to for the big kick off!Click the link below for the list - Happy Hunting There are some Great Homes to see out there today!              Homes Open in Silver Spring on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3rd, 2013Not All Homes for... 02/03/2013

  "She Always Answers the Phone With a Smile", isn't that what anyone would want when the call their Realtor?  Especially when they are as busy as Andrea Bedard.   When I first started getting to know Andrea Bedard through her blog, website and photographs the very first thing that struck me was her sincerity and her heart.  She is a fabulous combination of optimist and realist, perfect for being a professional Realtor.  Her clients can all rest assured that Andrea is committed to working diligently towards achieving their real estate goals which is amply evidenced by her scores of testimonials from many satisfied clients.     Before I started reading Andrea Bedard's blog, I knew very little about the challenges that military families face with relationship to relocation, housing and fe... 02/02/2013

Home Sale Statistics for the 20905 zip-code of Silver Spring, MD172 properties sold during 2012 in the 20905 zip-code of Silver Spring, MD. The average sold price was $416,225 and the average sold-to-list price ratio was 96.9%. The average days-on-market for all properties was just under 100 days, a number that has been holding steady. Compared to 2011 the average sold price for all properties was slightly higher (1%) but still significantly below 2010. Detached single-family homes had an average sold price of $437,708 - about a 2% increase - and $466,647 for standard sales only.   There are only a handful of townhouse communities in 20905 Silver Spring, MD (North Sherwood Forest, Fairland Farms, Stonegate and Oak Springs) and no condo developments. 15 of the 172 sales were townhouses -... 02/02/2013

My Dog Charlie's second favorite place to be (next to his own home) is CleverDog.  When my dog comes home from Doggie Day Care he is happy and tired.  He can be with other dogs in a pack or he can play with them.  He gets walked every few hours and the staff plays with him.  The place is clean and very spacious.  They have the dogs separated by personality and size. One of the best things they have is a live NANNY CAM or Doggie Cam.  You can log on anytime and see how your pup is doing, even if it's the middle of the night during boarding.  They are open from 7AM - 7PM on weekdays, 10AM - 5PM and are closed on Sundays.  You can also board your dog or have your dog groomed at Cleverdog.  I can vouch for their excellent grooming  I hate having to leave Charlie in Jail (I mean, in his crat... 01/31/2013

48 Newer Condominiums  (Condos aged 7 years or less) were Sold in Downtown Silver Spring, MD in 2012.  Statistics are taken from the Metropolitan Regional Information Services for Realtors. 19 - 1 Bedroom Condos were SOLD - The average List (Asking) Price for a One Bedroom was $249,470 and the Average SOLD Price was $245,733.  The average time a one bedroom took to sell (get a contract) was 76 DaysLowest 1 Bedroom Sale 2012 - $158,500 (an MPDU unit in the Cresent)Highest 1 Bedroom Sale - $340,000 (a Unit in the Silverton) 25 - 2 Bedroom Condos were SOLD - The average List (Asking) Price for a two Bedroom was $337,056 and the Average SOLD Price was $331,030.  The average time on the market for a Two Bedroom was 46 Days Lowest 2 Bedroom Sale in 2012 - $240,000 (Unit in the Aurora) Highest... 01/30/2013

Average Home Prices in the 20901 zip-code of Silver Spring, MD 365 properties sold during 2012 in the 20901 zip-code of Silver Spring, Md which is an increase of 33 over 2011. All properties sold for an average of $362,810 after an average of 74 days on the market. The average sales price for 2012 is above the average for 2011 but below 2010. Detached single-family homes only: of the 365 properties 306 were detached homes which sold for an average price of $385,260. The vast majority were standard sales with an average price of $402,980.   Distressed Sales The chart below shows that the number of distressed sales has been decreasing which is, of course, a good thing. There can be a number of reasons, for example: borrowers were able to work-out a solution with their lender, borrowers pr... 01/29/2013

Today’s View – January 25, 2013 -Rossmoor CO-OP This is a market report for cooperative ownership (CO-OP) apartments in the senior citizen community of Rossmoor in Silver Spring, Md.20906. This is a 610 acre gated community at the northern edge of Silver Spring. At the time of this report (1/25/2013) there are a total of seven such homes on the market FOR SALE, two under contract, and another two that have sold in the last 30 days. One Bedroom Currently there is no one bedroom homes of this type on the market for sale.  There is also no one bedroom cooperative homes under any form of contract. One one-bedroom cooperative has sold in the community in the last thirty days. This home,  635 sq. ft. in size; sold for $38,000 after being on the market of just over a month (34 days). Two Bedro... 01/28/2013

Today’s View – January 25, 2013 – Rossmoor – Patio Homes This is a market report for patio homes in the senior citizen community of Rossmoor in Silver Spring, Md. 20906.  This is a 610 acre gated community at the northern edge of Silver Spring.  At the time of this report there is a total of 14 such homes on the market FOR SALE, five are under some form of under contract, and another two that have sold in the last thirty days. Two Bedrooms There are ten two-bedroom patio homes in Rossmoor for sale at this time. These homes range in price from a low of $179,900 to $380,000, with the median being $222,000.  The days on market for these homes ranges from nearly two weeks (13 days) to a little over five months (157 days) with the average approaching three months (75 days).    One two-bedroo... 01/28/2013