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Gaithersburg, MD Real Estate News

By Roy Kelley
(Retired)
Maryland Plum Crumble Recipe 8-10 ripe plums 4-5 Tbsp. sugar Chilled cream, to serve For the crumble topping: ½ stick plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cubed 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour           A pinch of salt ¼ cup sugar A medium ovenproof dish, buttered Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put a baking sheet on the middle shelf to heat. Halve the plums and remove the pits. Cut the halves into quarters if they are very large. Toss them with the sugar and tip them into the prepared baking dish. (For a special treat, toss the uncooked plums in a little sloe gin). To make the crumble topping, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour with the salt until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Alternatively do this in a food processor. Stir in the sugar. Lightly scatter the ...
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City of Gaithersburg Police Warn Citizens of Mail Thefts   Montgomery County Police are continuing to investigate a series of thefts involving U.S. Mail that have occurred throughout the county.  The thefts occurred after victims placed their outgoing mail in their mailboxes. In many cases the mail contained checks to pay bills. The suspects have been stealing the mail, removing the checks, then altering and cashing or attempting to cash the altered checks at area banks.  Police are recommending that citizens drop important outgoing mail at local post offices or in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox. Another option to consider is not using the "flag" on your mailbox as an alert that there is mail waiting in your box.  Please report any suspicious situations, vehicles or person(s) to police ...
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By Roy Kelley
(Retired)
Herb Wreath, Longwood Gardens A Longwood Christmas is an annual event at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.  If you enjoy flowers or flower photography, you will want to visit Longwood Gardens during the holidays. This wreath is made of all natural materials and all herbs.  Those that enjoy cooking, will readily be able to identify the materials.  Those that enjoy making wreaths may good some good ideas from this one. Longwood Gardens is one of our favorite travel destinations and Dolores and I recommend that you include Longwood Gardens in your travel plans.   A Longwood Christmas Herb Wreath IMG_2408 Photograph by Roy Kelley.  Canon PowerShot G11 camera. Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs 
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Santa Claus Visited Colonial Williamsburg   Did you get a good photograph of Santa Claus? I had the good fortune to meet with Santa at the William and Mary Book Store in Colonial Williamsburg.  It always pays to have your camera in hand to capture the special moments that you will want to share. Have an outstanding year.  Be sure to resolve to spend more time with those that you love. Santa Claus in Colonial Williamsburg Copy of IMG_8710 Photograph by Roy Kelley.  Canon PowerShot G11 camera. Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
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A Longwood Christmas - An Annual Travel Destination A Longwood Christmas was the theme for the holidays at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.   This annual event gets even better each year.  If you can visit Longwood Gardens during the holiday season, plan to stay for the full day and the lighting displays at night are absolutely beautiful. With more than 1,077 acres, Longwood Garden is a place of unparalleled beauty, offering dazzling displays that elevate the artistry of Horticulture. The Conservatory is the main feature at this time of the year and you will see thousands of beautiful flowers, Christmas trees and arrangements.   A Longwood Christmas features a full schedule of daily events and performances.  Plan your next visit and take your family for an wonderful hol...
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City of Gaithersburg Crime Analysis Reports When prospective home buyers ask about crime statistics in Gaithersburg, Maryland, we refer them to the Quarterly Crime Analysis Reports that are provided by the City.  We are fortunate to live in a city that has relatively low crime rates.  This is one of the reasons that families that are relocated to the metropolitan area of Washington DC like to consider Gaithersburg for the location of their residence. 3rd Quarter 2012 (pdf file) NEW 2nd Quarter 2012 (pdf file) 1st Quarter 2012 (pdf file) 4th Quarter 2011 (pdf file) 3rd Quarter 2011 (pdf file) 2nd Quarter 2011 (pdf file) 1st Quarter 2011 (pdf file) 4th Quarter 2010 (pdf file) 3rd Quarter 2010 (pdf file) 2nd Quarter 2010 (pdf file) 1st Quarter 2010 (pdf file) 4th Quarter 2009 (pdf file) 3r...
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A reverse mortgage solution to avoid a foreclosure A referral turned our attention to the needs of a widow that owns a home in an affluent section of Montgomery County, Maryland. Since the death of her husband, she has struggled with her personal finances. Real estate taxes have increased. The cost of medications has her paying out of pocket for the portion not covered by Medicare. Home maintenance costs have been a burden and now the home needs a new heating system that she can not afford. Fortunately, the mortgage balance is low but she is now late on her mortgage payments. Her credit is now damaged and she faces a foreclosure if she does not do something. She can avoid foreclosure. The obvious option is the sale of her home to pay off the mortgage, avoid foreclosure and save her subs...
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Longwood Gardens Flowers: A Longwood Christmas Many travel to Longwood Gardens to experience and enjoy the Christmas exhibits during the annual display.  Without a question,  A Longwood Christmas is a very special event and Dolores and I recommend it to you and your families. As special as you will find the beauty of the Conservatory and the holiday exhibit, you will also enjoy the beauty of the thousands of flowers and plants that are on display.  Take time to visit Longwood Gardens and you will thank us for the suggestion. Please share photographs from your favorite places in the comments for this post. Be sure to keep your camera in hand to capture the special moments during the holiday season. Happy Holidays!    Happy New Year! Longwood Gardens IMG_2125 Longwood Gardens IMG_2177 Lon...
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Longwood Gardens is a special holiday travel destination Longwood Gardens is a beautiful place to visit at any time of the year.  During the holidays, A Longwood Christmas is the theme for the annual holiday display.  If you can be in the area of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania during the holidays, take your family to Longwood Gardens for a day and you will want to return for every major exhibit during the coming year. It is always a very good idea to have your camera in hand to capture the special moments that you will wish to share.  Create the memories that you will enjoy in the years to come.     Happy New Year!   Longwood Gardens IMG_2204 Longwood Gardens IMG_2141 Longwood Gardens IMG_2138 Longwood Gardens Conservatory IMG_2232 Longwood Gardens Conservatory IMG_2229 Longwood Gardens C...
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Our Christmas Tree:  A Tree of Fond Memories Dolores has decorated our Christmas tree every year of our long marriage.  Every ornament has a story and Dolores knows all of them.  Our tree is too small to hold all of our ornaments so she must be selective each years as she chooses the decorations to use. We hope you tree is full of fond memories and we extend to you our best wishes for a Very Happy New Year! Christmas Tree at Our Home IMG_2603.   Christmas Ornament on Our Home Tree IMG_2599 Christmas Ornament on Our Home Tree IMG_2600 Christmas Ornament on Our Home Tree IMG_2596 Christmas Ornament on Our Home Tree IMG_2597 Christmas Ornament on Our Home Tree IMG_2598 Christmas Ornament on Our Home Tree IMG_2595 Angel on Our Home Christmas Tree IMG_2592 Photographs by Roy Kelley using a C...
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By Roy Kelley
(Retired)
Holiday Photographs:  Kentlands We always advise home buyer clients to take walks through the neighborhoods they are considering for their home purchase.  It is a good way to see what is offered in the area and it is a good way to meet neighbors. We live and work in an ideal community in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC.  Gaithersburg is an unusual city in that it is debt free and the city provides high quality services to the residents. Our Kentlands neighborhood has a neo-traditional design that is ideal for walking.  Lighted sidewalks line both sides of the streets and the homes and gardens are lovely.  Shopping and great restaurants are within easy walking distances.  You can understand why I enjoy daily walks through Kentlands and the adjacent community of Lakelands.  Always ...
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Longwood Gardens Photographs:  A Longwood Christmas Many of us travel to Longwood Gardens to see and enjoy the annual display A Longwood Christmas.  The holiday decorations are beautiful and colorful.  At any time of the year, you will find thousands of beautiful blooms in the Conservatory.  It is a good time to visit with your camera in hand.  Take your family for a wonderful experience. Please share photographs from your favorite places in the comments for this post. Happy Holidays!  Happy New Year! A Longwood Christmas Poinsettias IMG_2400 A Longwood Christmas Poinsettias IMG_2395 A Longwood Christmas Poinsettias IMG_2399 Longwood Gardens IMG_2390 Longwood Gardens IMG_2392 Longwood Gardens IMG_2389 A Longwood Christmas IMG_2393 Longwood Gardens IMG_2385 Longwood Gardens IMG_2386 Long...
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FHA Financing For Seniors  Purchase a New Home Without Mortgage Payments Real estate professionals that focus on the housing needs of seniors in their community are offering special financing to assist seniors that may not qualify for normal mortgage financing.  Many seniors have lots of home equity in their present homes and would be able to make a large down payment on a more suitable primary residence but fail to qualify because their income is too low. The solution for some is the use of FHA reverse mortgage financing which may be used to purchase a new home.  The actual name of this financing is the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage.  The seniors that can no longer handle the stairs or do not want to be faced with the cost of maintenance of their present home often need to find a mor...
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Safety Reminders for Gaithersburg Businesses   In an effort to keep businesses, employees and customers safe, the police department would like to offer the following tips:  Ensure adequate exterior lighting  Installation of video surveillance cameras that cover both the entrance and exit doors  Always secure doors immediately after closing and keep them closed  Keep alert at all times, checking for loiterers or people watching your business  Greet each customer and make eye contact with them  Never restrict the view from either inside or outside your business with signs or window displays  Keep a minimal amount of cash on hand and never count money in public view  Mark doorways with proper height markings, minimum cash and safe policies  Always report suspicious activity to the police b...
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Kentlands Community Home Inspections     A uniform review of all of the homes in Kentlands, by an outside vendor, is tentatively scheduled for January and February,  2013.  The inspectors will be required to wear identification and they will not enter private property.  They will performing the review from public property. Management performs informal inspections of the community on a year-round basis, but the Board of Code Compliance (BOCC) hopes that bi-annual uniform reviews will offer the most equitable review of the community.  It is a good time  to make note of any maintenance items on your home, and remedy them if possible, prior to the start of the inspections in order to avoid the never-wanted violation notice.  Non-compliant notices to be sent out in March.   The Kentlands Cit...
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Gaithersburg City Curbside Tree Recycling Please recycle your holiday trees as part of the City of Gaithersburg's weekly recycling program. Simply put the tree out curbside on Thursday, our recycling day, and it will be collected by the City contractor. Please note these helpful reminders: Trees must be in their natural state. Remove all decorations, including tinsel and angel hair. Be sure there is no metal attached to the tree. Do not wrap trees in plastic. Place the tree curbside next to your green recycling bin. Artificial trees will not be recycled. Trees with root balls will not be recycled. Trees will only be picked up from your residence. Do not take the trees to other sites such as schools or public buildings. For more information on tree recycling or other services contact 301...
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By Roy Kelley
(Retired)
Saturday Flea Market in Gaithersburg   A new outdoor Flea Market will be open every Saturday at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut Street, Gaithersburg, Maryland. All vendors selling antiques, crafts, collectibles, books, household items, art, jewelry, tools, perfume, tools, clothing, electronics and other new/used items are welcome to set-up. The vendor fee is $25 for a 20' wide space. The space is deep enough to park car or van. Vendors bring own tables, chairs and tents. Vendor set-up starts at 7am. This market is located at the Perry Parkway end of the fairgrounds across from the Hilton Hotel. Shoppers are admitted free. For additional information call (301) 649-1915 or view www.johnsonshows.com Poinsettia, Longwood Gardens IMG_0125 Photograph by Roy Kelley using a Canon...
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By Roy Kelley
(Retired)
Kentlands Winter Weather Reminders    If you hear about a possible snow forecast, please do not park on streets marked with "Snow Emergency Routes". If you are parked on a Snow Emergency Route within the community, you are at risk of being towed by the City of Gaithersburg.   Parking in the alleys is not permitted.In order to keep access to snow plows unhindered, any cars parked in the alleys will be towed. City law requires that you shovel the sidewalks abutting your property within 12 hours of the last snowfall.   In the event of inclement weather and the Clubhouse is closed during business hours, please call 301-948-2071, ext. 106. Messages will be monitored. This message was provided by Kentlands Citizens Assembly and is posted on ActiveRain as a community service.  Character counts...
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Changing One's Domicile -- More Complicated Than You Think You might think that changing one's domicile would be a simple thing to do. However, if you think you are going to fool the IRS with living half the time in one state and half the time in another state, think again. The IRS has had plenty of experience with people who try to mix the advantages of living in two different states. So what must be done to change one's domicile? It can vary from state to state, so it probably would be helpful to start with a definition of domicile. Black's Law Dictionary defines domicile as: "The place at which a person has been physically present and that the person regards as home; a person's true, fixed, principal, and permanent home, to which that person intends to return and remain even though c...
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Gaithersburg and Audubon Receive Award for Stream Restoration   The State of Maryland recently announced that the City of Gaithersburg and the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) have been awarded a $71,628 grant from the Governor’s Stream Restoration Challenge.  The funds will be used to plant five acres of trees along Muddy Branch to improve water quality on this important stream, which flows through Gaithersburg into the Potomac River.  The City of Gaithersburg will provide the technical expertise and guide the planning, planting, monitoring, and maintenance of the trees, the in-kind value of which is estimated at $39,000.  ANS will use the project as a teaching tool to engage Gaithersburg High School students, including members of the school’s ESOL Environmental Service Club.  The Mud...
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