This chart displays the latest data from MRIS (Metropoliant Regional Information System) for the Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877 zip code in Montgomery County, Maryland.  The slower Summer season is not the only reason pricing is meting resistence in the market, but the 25% + increase in interest rates is impacting affordability and people are making choices that don't stretch their budgets. 09/14/2013

Free Rabies Clinic for Gaithersburg Cats and Dogs, Sunday, Sept. 15th   The City of Gaithersburg will be participating in a Free Rabies Clinic for cats and dogs this Sunday, September 15, 2013, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. There is no fee for the rabies vaccinations but a City license is required and may be purchased at the clinic. The Rabies Clinic is staffed by licensed veterinarians and experienced handlers. All pets must be leashed or in carriers. City of Gaithersburg residents are reminded that a City license and a rabies vaccination is required by law for each domestic pet. The Montgomery County Animal Shelter is located at: 14645 Rothgeb Drive Rockville, MD 20850240-773-5946www.mchumane.org     Dahlia, Kentlands  IMG_9370 Photograph by Roy Kelley ... 09/13/2013

Metropolitan Ballet Theatre to move to Gaithersburg After 25 years at its Rockville, Maryland location, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre has announced plans to move to a larger facility in Gaithersburg. The nonprofit dance organization will move this spring to the new studio location at 220 Perry Parkway near the fairgrounds. The new 7,700 square foot facility will better serve the needs of 300 students. The organization puts on two major productions each year.  Currently, “Nutcracker” auditions are underway. A $15,700 grant from the City of Gaithersburg is assisting the move. Dahlia in our Kentlands home garden...     Dahlia, Kentlands  IMG_9372 Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon PowerShot G11 Camera.  Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs 09/13/2013

Median Home Sales Prices, Washington, DC Metro Area, August, 2013   Median home prices in the Washington, DC Metro Area reached the highest August level since 2007 according to RBI, RealEstate Business Intelligence. The median sale price in the Washington, DC Metro area was up 7.8% from the same month last year, an increase of $30,000. The chart included in this report shows the differences in median sale prices by jurisdiction. This might be confusing for families that are being relocated to the area. The DC Metro Area is large and local conditions may not reflect the overall market figures. There were 4,536 new home sale contracts signed in August, the highest August level since 2010. The increase in the number of contracts was driven by condo transactions. The overall inventory decli... 09/13/2013

Wegmans opens in Germantown this Sunday, September 15th   The first Wegmans store in Montgomery County, Maryland has a Grand Opening this Sunday, September 15, 2013 starting at 7 a.m. The 123,000 square foot supermarket is located at 20600 Seneca Meadows Parkway, Germantown, MD. http://newstores.wegmans.com/ Many local residents have previously shopped at the wonderful Wegmans stores in the area. The Wegmans Frederick store opened in 2011 and 20,000 people visited the store on the first day. The Frederick store has130,000 square feet. The new Wegmans Germantown is staffed by 550 employees. One of the store features is a Market Café with indoor and outdoor seating for 200. So, you may find this to be an attractive destination for lunch or dinner as well as being one of your favorite groc... 09/12/2013

Washington, DC Metro Area Housing Statistics, August, 2013   August, 2013, home sales were strong in the Washington, DC Metro Area but the inventories declined. There is a strong demand for smaller units. Condo sales drove the majority of the increases in both sales and new contracts. The overall high demand and low supply contributed to median sale price gains within the region and resulted in the highest August-level median sales price in eight years.  The median days-on-market continues to be historically low, and is now at its lowest August-level since 2005.  Rising prices and strong demand may encourage new sellers to enter the market, increasing new listings and helping to meet pent up demand. The information in this report was provided by RBI, RealEstate Business Intelligence, fo... 09/11/2013

More traffic enforcement cameras in the District of Columbia   The District of Columbia has announced the pending installation of 132 additional traffic cameras during the next few months according to an article by Lori Aratani in The Washington Post. After the installation of the new cameras, there will be a total of 223 traffic enforcement cameras in the District. DC officials always say that the purpose of the traffic enforcement camera is public safety. And, those that dive in the District can quickly verify that the cameras reduce the number of speeding drivers. Municipalities have found that traffic camera can add millions of dollars to their local funds. Aratani reports that “In fiscal 2912, traffic enforcement devices brought $84.9 million into the District’s coffers.”  With mor... 09/11/2013

Book Recommendation:  Nightwalkers by P.T. Deutermann   In previous blogs, I recommended Darkside (2002) and Pacific Glory (2011)  by P.T. Deutermann. Darkside is a suspense novel in the setting of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Pacific Glory is a novel that follows naval officer friends, from their Naval Academy days, during their World War II experience in the Pacific. The author is a 1963 graduate of the Naval Academy and a retired Navy Captain. I just finished reading another book by P.T. Deutermann, Nightwalkers (2009), a Cam Richter novel in a North Carolina setting. This, too, is an excellent book that I suggest for your reading list. Dolores and I both plan to read more of Deutermann's books. Deutermann has three series of novels, The Cam Richter Novels, Thrillers and... 09/10/2013

She died almost nine months ago! An unexpected real estate settlement issue   A local title company shared this incident at a recent settlement. The sellers, a gentleman and his wife, arrived for the settlement on their home. The wife stated that the name on the settlement statement was incorrect. The closing attorney did a quick check of the title notes and explained that the property was titled in the name of the man and another woman’s name that was referenced as his wife. When told of this, the new wife said “She died almost nine months ago!” The husband had remarried and thought the new wife would automatically be on the deed. He was very upset when the attorney asked him for a death certificate for his late wife. The closing attorney, of course, needed to make sure that the previo... 09/09/2013

Will they recognize you from your profile pictures?   I have enjoyed the positive experience of having strangers recognize me from my photographs in real estate marketing materials or from Facebook. Will people recognize you in the grocery store or when you are meeting for the first time to offer your services? As the seasons change, it is a good time for fresh profile photographs for our blogs, websites and social media sites. Yes, change your photographs if they were not taken this year, or if you have changed your hair style or eye glasses. You may look ten years younger in your profile picture but that will have a negative impact when you meet new people. Profile photographs are not the place for pictures of pets, children or other unidentified persons. I have seen profile photograp... 09/09/2013

Amazonia Exhibit at the National Zoo   The National Zoo, in Washington, DC, is one of our favorite places to visit. We usually go in the morning and plan to have lunch at the zoo and spend most of the day touring and photographing the exhibits. If you plan to visit for the first time, our advice is that you will not be able to see everything in one day. The Amazonia Exhibit is one of the largest at the National Zoo. It has been open since 1992. The exhibit includes a 15,000 square foot rainforest habitat and a 55,000 gallon aquarium for the display of Amazon River fish. Within the high dome of the Amazonia Exhibit, visitors will see hundreds of species of plants and trees. The habitat is the home for dozens of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects that are typical ... 09/09/2013

A Favorite Travel Destination – Longwood Gardens   If you enjoy gardens and beautiful flowers, Longwood Gardens is a travel destination you should consider. Longwood Gardens is located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, just west of Wilmington, Delaware.  This is about 121 miles from our home in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Dolores and I are annual members of Longwood Gardens and try to visit for all of the major exhibits during the year. Yes, you can visit at any time of the year because they have a very large conservatory that has thousands of flowers and plants even when the weather is very cold. We take hundreds of photograph during each visit and also enjoy having lunch in The Café. By the way, this is mushroom country and you will want to try the excellent mushroom soup that is always av... 09/08/2013

Short Sale Market in Montgomery County Maryland - Active and SOLD Short Sales are still available in Montgomery County Virginia.  In Montgomery County Maryland, there are:    1,536 Single Family Detached homes for sale with an average list price of $943,879.    73 Single Family Detached SHORT SALE listings with an average list price of $489,914.    Since July 1, 2013, 65 Short Sale listings have SOLD with an average list price of $394,291. EXAMPLES of homes for sale in Montgomery County MD. $935,000 8011 WARFIELD RD 4 Bedrooms 4 full 1 half Baths MLS# MC8052516 GAITHERSBURG Zip: 20882 Subdivision: GOSHEN ESTATES Status: ACTIVE ? Listing Agency:Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Multiple Photos|Virtual Tour|PropertyWizard™|Email     $925,000 25110 HIGHLAND MANOR CT 5 Bedrooms 4 full 3 half ... 09/07/2013

Home owners trapped by high mortgage balances   Today’s issue of The Washington Post includes an article titled “Many still underwater despite rising prices.”  This article, by reporter Kathy Orton, provides some very interesting housing statistics from RealtyTrac. Home prices are definitely rising in Maryland and multiple contract competition is common in some areas that include Montgomery County. However, home buyers face an inventory shortage that limits the selection that would be preferred by many purchasers. One of the reasons for the lower than normal inventory of houses for sale is that over 350,000 Maryland home owners still owe substantially more on their mortgages than the current market value of their homes. RealtyTrac is quoted as classifying 25% of Maryland mortgages as “d... 09/07/2013

What in the world is an arapaima? A big fish story   The answer to this question may be found at the Amazonia Exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.  Arapaima are among the largest freshwater fish in the world and several may be seen in the 55,000 gallon aquarium in the Amazonia Exhibit. Individual arapaima are typically six to seven feet long but can reach eight feet or more. The scales are large and the mouth is turned up because they feed at the surface of the water. These fish are found in the Amazon in South America. The arapaima is a predator and they eat chopped fish along with a prepared diet at the National Zoo. Arapaima are very unfishlike in that they are air breathers that stay submerged for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. This tendency to stay at the surface makes them ... 09/07/2013

Kentlands Gaithersburg MD Homes For Sale    With so many Maryland real estate options to choose from, you need a truly experienced and professional agent to help you make the best real estate decisions.  You've come to the right place.  I'm the local expert and I'm ready to put my experience to work for you.    One of  the hottest growing areas in Maryland today is the Kentlands in the city of Gaithersburg    Check the video about the Kentklands today.     You've come to the right place to find your dream home in Maryland. . Whether you're looking for an estate, an executive home, a luxury condo, a retirement community, or a historic home in Montgomery and Frederick Counties. . We can help you.   Latest Listings in The Kentlands Gaithersburg $689,900 ▼ 341 LITTLE QUARRY ROAD, Gaithersb... 09/06/2013

Sharing memories of long ago Save those family pictures   Blame this blog on Clarksville real estate professional  Debbie Reynolds.  Debbie got many of us thinking about past moments that we could share in blogs. Recently, one of my younger sisters, Lynne Kelley, emailed some old family photographs to Dolores. Lynne and her family live near Chicago. She is the designated family historian. The group of photographs included a couple of pictures of me that were taken when I was very young. The photograph in this blog had a note on the back “four and a half years old”. You are too young to relate to this time frame but that age would indicate that the photograph was taken early in 1942. It was wartime and we lived in a community that has a strong military orientation. The white house in the... 09/05/2013

Book Recommendation:  Pacific Glory by P.T. Deutermann   Just days ago, I recommended Darkside (2002) by P.T. Deutermann. This is a suspense novel in the setting of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The author is a 1963 graduate of the Naval Academy and a retired Navy Captain. I just finished reading another book by P.T. Deutermann, Pacific Glory (2011), a novel that follows naval officer friends during their World War II experience in the Pacific. This, too, is an excellent book that I suggest for your reading list. Dolores and I both plan to read more of Deutermann's books. Please share your favorite book discoveries. I try to read at least one novel each week for personal pleasure. Books by P.T. Deutermann The Ops Officers Manual (1980) Scorpion in the Sea (1992) Edge of Hono... 09/03/2013

Toll violators facing stiff penalties in Maryland   The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) now has approval for additional collection methods when dealing with overdue highway tolls. The new law is to be fully implemented in October. Previous violators are being allowed an opportunity to pay their toll balances without penalty before the start of the new enforcement procedures. Electronic tolling is replacing the traditional toll collection booths as video camera record the license plates of toll road users. Many area residents take advantage of the automatic billing provided by the E-ZPass system which is used in several states. Vehicles that are not equipped for E-ZPass are billed based on their vehicle registration. Under the new law, vehicle owners that do not pay their bill w... 09/02/2013

Book Recommendation:  Darkside by P.T. Deutermann   I just finished Darkside (2002) by P.T, Deutermann and recommend it for your reading list. This is a suspense novel and the story takes place at the Naval Academy. The author is a 1963 graduate of the Naval Academy and a retired Navy Captain. I think you will enjoy Deutermann’s books. One of my personal goals is to read at least one novel each week and this is a practice that I recommend to you. Now is a good time to work on your fall and winter reading list. Please share information on the great authors that you discover. Books by P.T. Deutermann The Ops Officers Manual (1980) Scorpion in the Sea (1992) Edge of Honor (1994) Official Privilege (1995) Sweepers (1997) Zero Option (1999) Train Man (1999) Hunting Season (2001) Darkside (20... 09/01/2013