Love where you live.....and talk & write about it too. (Part Two ~ Catonsville, MD) In January I posted Love where you live.....and talk & write about it too. (Part One ~ Ellicott City, MD) , so this is Part Two, which is dedicated to Catonsville where I currently reside.Catonsville is where I took that first "Big Girl Step" into home ownership shortly after starting my career in Real Estate. I was not even looking for a home on the day when I found the perfect property for me. I was heading to an Open House in Catonsville to drop off paperwork to an agent I was currently in a transaction with. It was love at first sight. I put in a full priced offer with an escalation clause. (It was the start of the multiple offer frenzy)Discovering Catonsville has always been a joy. It has wonderful,... 02/04/2012

Sometimes good things come out of bad situations- Today was one of those.A chore that I have being putting off for the longest time was washing my truck. It is no fun in the winter and usually a good car wash is followed by a couple inches of snow- which I did not want.I couldn't hold out any longer, so my son and I headed to "Catonsville Car Wash" on Route 40 for a "self service wash". My junior helper did not last long so he got back in the truck to watch his movie while he waited. Soaped, washed and waxed later I was all done and on my way.....or so I hoped. The DVD player had drained the battery and the car was dead!!There were many other people there washing their car, so I asked a few if they had jumper cables. One chap found some in the back of his trunk, but refused to help me w... 01/28/2012

Private Elementary Middle School Open House near Catonsville, MD January 29,2012 Many schools host Spring and Winter Open Houses to allow prospective parents and students to see the school, get a feel for the program and meet some current faculty, staff and parents. There are two private school open houses in Catonsville, Maryland this weekend. St Agnes School  603 St Agnes Lane Catonsville, MD 21228 Sunday, January 29, 2012 10:30 to Noon St Agnes offers Catholic School education from age 3 through 8th grade.  They have approximately 300 students and are associated with St. Agnes Parish.  If you are interested in an inter-denominational Christian education than be sure to stop by the open house at: Lamb of God School 1815 Fairview Avenue in Baltimore, MD 21227 Sunday, January 29th, 2012... 01/25/2012

Catonsville, MD Home Residential Resale Statistics -- December 2011 December in Catonsville was a good one with sales volume increasing a little over 25% when compared to 2010. This is the result of both the number of units sold as well as the average sales price seeing increases. However, with almost 30% less active listings on the market than last year, homes are averaging 11 more days on the market than in December of 2010. 21228   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Marylandarea and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. (Personal tours of the area included in the service)If you are looking to successfully sell your Maryland home with a R... 01/11/2012

Happy New Year 2012 2012 has finally arrived which means that the holidays are now officially over and all the Christmas decorations need to be packed away. In my household we always have a live tree and this year to took a trip out to Gaver Tree Farm in Mount Airy with client friends to find one. We picked out and then cut down the prettiest Canaan Fir tree of all.......for a lot less than buying a tree pre cut. It was a great fun afternoon with hot chocolate, plenty of exercise, lots of laughter and a couple of great trees tied to the roof of the truck....with a little help.. The tree brightened up our home through December and also made the room smell like Christmas- (My 5 year old's words, not mine!) Now it's time to say farewell. Baltimore County trash collectors will pick up Chris... 01/01/2012

The hidden delights of the Patapsco State Park in Catonsville. Many people that know me are aware of the speed that I usually travel through life. In my past I regretfully admit that I experienced Niagara Falls for all of 6 minutes and the Grand Canyon for a whopping 15. I am embarrassed to say how fast I have sped through some of the worlds most coveted museums and national treasures! Thankfully the past 5 years a certain young man has slowed my pace down somewhat, but still I am quite an impatient person by nature. In the Metropolitan Baltimore area, heavy traffic is very common. Nothing I dislike more than being parked on I95- Usually I jump off and head through the back roads. Between Columbia/Ellicott City and Catonsville is the Patapsco Valley State Park - One of Maryland's oldes... 12/30/2011

So what is all the fuss about Catonsville, Md for? Yesterday I wrote a post that essentially was about buyers that I am working with who have relocated to the area and have decided that they want to find a home in the Historic area of Catonsville. I want to live in Historic Catonsville, but I can't find a home!  An area that is rich in history, has lower taxes than the sister County of Howard County, enjoys great schools, lots of parklands and so much more. (Do you have an hour or so? I could talk about so many other qualities too) Year round Catonsville is the real deal. It is the best kept secret around. Not only are there some great restaurants (Another post coming soon) but there are always fun things to do. The community participation is outstanding. Residents of Catonsville look ... 12/29/2011

I want to live in Historic Catonsville, but I can't find a home!This is the lament heard lately. If you are a buyer looking to purchase a great home in the "Lower Catonsville" area ~ The Catonsville High School district, then you are probably quite frustrated at the moment. In the past few months there have been limited new listings that are priced correctly and convey the essence of Historic Catonsville.The good ones are snapped up very quickly at very near to full price...... (or at least close to it)Catonsville 21228 Current Active Listings in Lower Catonsville     There are not many distressed homes and it is considered an economically stable area.A small fact about residents in Catonsville & Oella is that they do not move as frequently as residents of neighboring areas- 45.23% of h... 12/28/2011

This is my neighbor carefully watching over his frying Turkey for his Christmas dinner. The delicious smell is being shared with the neighborhood . All photos were taken and are the property of Ellie McIntire. All Rights Reserved. This content may not be reproduced or reprinted without express written permission of Ellie McIntire or an officer of The McIntire Team.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Marylandarea and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. (Personal tours of the area included in the service)If you are looking to successfully sell your Maryland home with a Realtor who will market your property with multiple resources, call me... 12/25/2011

Every family has different traditions and in our humble home we probably do not do it "The American Way". Despite nearing 25 years years of being in the USA the traditions of my own childhood prevail.Our Christmas Day has begun. The big Guy in red obviously stopped by in the middle of the night and enjoyed the Mince Pies and gave the carrots to the Reindeer. We call him Father Christmas and although he arrives in the middle of the night, he fills a sack that sits at the bottom of the bed. The squealing 5 year old child wakes us at a respectable 6:30am........his usual wake up time........and we all head back to his bedroom to see what Father Christmas has filled his sack with.Thankfully I am blessed with such a beautiful generous child who opens his gifts and thinks of who else would li... 12/25/2011

The magic of Christmas is alive and well in our home. "Ralph", our Elf has been watching over all month to make sure that everyone has been very good. Thankfully he has only been reporting back good things.The excitement is starting to build as Christmas Day has already began in some parts of the world. So far this morning on the East Coast we have tracked Santa heading across Australasia and Asia. The wonders of technology and Google Earth enable every child to watch the progress of the Big Guy as he heads towards the USA.Check here to see where Santa is and how many gifts he has delivered. From our home to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Marylandar... 12/24/2011

Christmas Lights in and near Catonsville, Maryland There are so many great places to see Christmas lights in and around Catonsville, Maryland.  There are some places that are so over the top they become annual traditions just for the spectacle.  Baltimore's own Miracle on 34th Street in Hampden, Maryland is like that for our family.  If you are in the area and haven't been to this special Baltimore neighborhood at Christmastime, you haven't experienced the most Christmassy of Christmas Baltimore neighborhoods, Hon! You can check out more about 34th street on Margaret Rome's Blog:  Baltimore's Miracle on 34th Street  http://activerain.com/blogsview/2657924/baltimore-s-miracle-on-34th-street- The Symphony of Lights is a lovely way to spend some time oohing and ahhing over 70 larger than l... 12/23/2011

All photos were taken and are the property of Ellie McIntire. All Rights Reserved. This content may not be reproduced or reprinted without express written permission of Ellie McIntire or an officer of The McIntire Team.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Marylandarea and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. (Personal tours of the area included in the service)If you are looking to successfully sell your Maryland home with a Realtor who will market your property with multiple resources, call me for an appointment. These are the areas that I serve Buyers orSellers in the Metro Baltimore area :  Howard County, Baltimore County, Baltimore Ci... 12/23/2011

  Market Update for Upper Catonsville. So what is UPPER CATONSVILLE? It's the area North of Rt 40. Still 21228, but newer homes compared to the historic homes of "Lower Catonsville". Currently 40 homes on the market. Only 2 foreclosures and 8 short sales.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Marylandarea and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. (Personal tours of the area included in the service)If you are looking to successfully sell your Maryland home with a Realtor who will market your property with multiple resources, call me for an appointment. These are the areas that I serve Buyers orSellers in the Metro Baltimore area :  Howard Cou... 12/23/2011

As we plan and prepare for the holidays, shop and bake, wrap and write Christmas cards, it's easy to forget that there is so much outside our little bubble. I imagine many of us have made donations to charities, bought gifts for "Toys for Tots" or even sponsored a family, which is what we did at  Keller Williams Realty Centre of Greater Howard County. many of us  make our contribution and then we focus on our own festivities.Spare a thought for the brave men and women of our armed forces who are not afforded the simple joy of spending the holidays with their family because they are thousands of miles away serving our country.This past weekend Troop 884 of the Girl Scouts of America headed to BWI airport to hand out care packages and girl scout cookies to military personal heading to Afg... 12/22/2011

All photos were taken and are the property of Ellie McIntire. All Rights Reserved. This content may not be reproduced or reprinted without express written permission of Ellie McIntire or an officer of The McIntire Team.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you are planning to move to the Central Marylandarea and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer, I can help. (Personal tours of the area included in the service)If you are looking to successfully sell your Maryland home with a Realtor who will market your property with multiple resources, call me for an appointment. These are the areas that I serve Buyers orSellers in the Metro Baltimore area :  Howard County, Baltimore County, Baltimore Ci... 12/10/2011

The Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department Santa Detail.From December 9th till December 23rd there will be a lot of noise and lights around Arbutus and Catonsville as Santa Clause makes his pre-Christmas rounds in the area with the Arbutus Volunteer Fire department and entourage. This is the schedule.My son always gets excited when our evening arrives. We get together with neighbors and listen to the parade as it makes it's way closer to us. The noise is deafening as sometimes 6-8 vehicles are all full blast with lights and sirens. Santa waves to all from atop the head fire truck and the "elves" give out candy canes.The Santa Detail is a yearly delight for many local children and especially those who like Fire trucks. The Arbutus Fire Department generously give their personal time to bring j... 12/08/2011

For as long as I can remember from childhood to present day, there has always been an Advent Calendar to count down the days of December until Christmas Eve arrives. An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of  Advent in anticipation of ChristmasWhat a delight it was to wake up every morning and open another window and enjoy a delicious piece of Cadbury's chocolate (albeit not the most nutritious start to the day!)- it was another day closer to Christmas.As an adult it has always symbolized the traditions that I had as a child, so even before my son there was always the usual countdown. Christmas really becomes real with an Advent Calendar.Now, as the Mother of a 5 year old who is consumed with the sparkle of the season, one would think I wou... 12/06/2011

Catonsville Residential Home Resale Statistics - October 2011 October sales in Catonsville were very similar to that of 2010, increasing by .72%. However, homes sold on average for more than $35,000 less than last year. The key was in the number of units sold, 37 versus 32, and the fact that homes stayed on the market a whopping 42 days less than the did last year, a difference of 33%.    Catonsville 11/26/2011

There is a rumble in Catonsville, Maryland today and it's not another earthquake or a hurricane. It may well be from outer space as the "Catonsville Comets" the Catonsville High School Varsity Football team, are smokin' hot off of a historical "first unbeaten season" and bring the first play-off game to "The 'Ville". It seems just yesterday that the season was starting, but the leaves are falling and there is a chill in the air. (10-0) Catonsville take on Paint Branch (8-2) at home today, 11-11-11 at 7pm. The successful teams will have an opportunity to play at M&T Bank Stadium, home to the Baltimore Ravens, in December. From the Catonsville Patch:   Outlook: Catonsville coach Rich Hambor concedes that Paint Branch as a team is bigger than his Comets. But, if Catonsville has proved anyt... 11/11/2011