Looking for some things to do this weekend and next week in and around Silver Spring, Maryland? Check out some of these events! Saturday, July 30, 2011 Basic Money Management Time:  10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Spending wisely, budgeting, planning your income & expenses…whatever you call it, spending wisely is about making the most of your income, expenses, and savings. In this money management class, you will learn: how to better manage utility and other bills, spending on what your family needs, not what they want, how you can have a budget when you have no money, how to eliminate, postpone or reduce expenses, short-term solutions to emergencies, prioritizing bills (what bills should you pay first?), and spending your tax refund on things you need. Where:  30 Courthouse Square, Suite #100,... 07/29/2011

Need to Buy a House in Silver Spring, Maryland? Perhaps you just want to know what is out there for sale -- or for rent. There's a tool available to you that will allow you to look for houses, just like a realtor can. It's free and easy to use. Go here to check it out. You can enter your geographic area or city, the type of house you want (single family, townhouse or condo), the number of beds and baths you want, the features of the home (basement or central air condition) and whether it is a regular sale, a foreclosure, short sale or rental. You also can save your searches, properties you want to investigate further, schedule a showing, or get alerts when a property with your search criteria comes on the market. Once you know how much a home you want is selling for, you can get prequal... 07/29/2011

Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home You want to buy a home and you’re on the right track by doing your homework online.  There are, however, some things you may not find out about just buy picking a great house.  Here is Mistake #7 of 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home. Mistake #7 –Not Utilizing the Services of a Professional Let’s face it – there are lots of resources available to home buyers when buying your first home. There are websites available to search for properties such as Realtor.com. You can view a property before ever setting foot in the front door by use of virtual tours. You can even visualize what the home will look like by using virtual decorating services. The problem with becoming an internet-savvy home shopper is that often, new home buye... 07/26/2011

Looking for some things to do this weekend and next week in and around Silver Spring, Maryland? Check out some of these events! Friday, July 22, 2011 CEO Accelerator: Business Financing Panel Time:  9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Cost:  $75.00 This seminar panel on Business Financing will help you to identify financial opportunities that may be available to you. A panel of financial experts will discuss and answer your questions related to banking, capital & equity investments, federal loan programs, asset lending, contract financing, and more. Where:  11 W. Mt. Royal Ave, Room 233, Baltimore Contact: (410) 837-4928 ~~ Tuesday, July 26, 2011 How to Make Your Website Work For You! Time:  5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Cost:  $30.00 In this workshop, participants will learn the essentials of creating a su... 07/22/2011

Today's View - July 20, 2011 - Silver Spring Md. 20905 - Detached Homes Today there are 82 detached or semi-detached homes on the market for sale in Silver Spring, Md. 20905, commonly known as Colesville.  There are at this time 31 detached or semi-detached homes under some form of contract in this market, too.  In the last 30 days, 11 detached or semi-detached homes completed the sales process and have new owners. Two Bedroom Homes There is only one two-bedroom Cape Cod home on the market for sale at the time of this report.  The list price of this home is $59,000 and it has been on the market for nearly eleven months (325 days). Today there no two-bedroom detached or semi-detached homes under contract in the area covered by this market report.  In the last 30 days no two-bedroom homes... 07/20/2011

Today's View - July 19, 2011 - Silver Spring Md. 20906 - Detached Homes Today there are 105 detached or semi-detached homes on the market for sale in Silver Spring, Md. 20906, not including the senior citizen's community of Rossmoor.  There are at this time 79 detached or semi-detached homes under some form of contract in this market, too.  In the last 30 days, 22 detached or semi-detached homes completed the sales process and have new owners. Two bedroom homes There are three two-bedroom Cape Cod homes on the market for sale at the time of this report.  The list prices of these homes range from $179,900 to $259,000, with the average being $211,700. The days on market range from three weeks (21 days) to seven months (213 days) with the average approaching three months (85 days). Not tak... 07/19/2011

Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home You want to buy a home and you’re on the right track by doing your homework online.  There are, however, some things you may not find out about just buy picking a great house.  Here is Mistake #6 of 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home. Mistake #6 – Underestimating the Cost of Repairs Buying a home is one of the most exciting events in our lives – especially the very first home! Many first-time home buyers often get caught up in the thrill of price shopping. You know – trying to find the best deal for the least amount of money. This type of house hunting typically leads a home buyer to foreclosures, short sales, and fixer-uppers. These homes may need repairs which can sometimes be extensive – and misleading to a new home buy... 07/19/2011

Today's View - July 18, 2011 - Silver Spring Md. 20906 - Townhouses Today there are 48 townhouses on the market for sale in Silver Spring, Md. 20906, not including the senior citizens community of Rossmoor.  While there is a two bedroom home on the market for $70,000 and a few new homes listed for around $500,000, the average list price of these homes is $274,318.  While some have just recently come on the market or returned to the market, the average time on the market is just slightly over three months (100 days).  There are 25 townhouses in this market place that are under some form of contract.  The last known list price of these homes ranges from $99,900 to $334,990, with the average being $230,218.  While some were on the market for over a year, the average period was slightly ove... 07/18/2011

Today's View - July 15, 2011 - Rossmoor Coops This is a market report for cooperative ownership (COOP) apartment in the senior citizen community of Rossmoor in Silver Spring, Md. 20906.  At the time of this report (7/15/2011) there is a total of 21 such homes on the market FOR SALE, five under contract, and another 4 that have sold in the last 60 days. One Bedroom Seven of those for sale are one bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 635 to 800 sq ft.  The current list price of these homes range from $39,500 to $49,900; with days on the market ranging from just over a week (7 days) to over five months (163 days) with the average being just short of two months (56 days). Currently there is only two homes of this configuration under contract in the community of Rossmoor, with the last k... 07/15/2011

Looking for some things to do this weekend and next week in and around Silver Spring, Maryland? Check out some of these events! Friday, July 15, 2011 Friday Live Series in Downtown Silver Spring Time:  7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Cost:  FREE Event Yo Momma's BFB Band (blues/funk) will be performing ~~ Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Red Cross Preparedness 'WHAT TO DO WHEN DISASTER HITS,' a special presentation at Springvale Terrace Time:  10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Cost:  FREE Event Do you know what to do in the event of a disaster?  Jennifer Fry from American Red Cross will be outlining the latest in what you should do now to be prepared for a natural disaster should one occur here. Where: Springvale Terrace Retirement Community, 8505 Springvale Road, Silver Spring Contact: Chuck Thornton at (301) 587-0... 07/15/2011

Summer is a time for kids to enjoy lots of fun activities. This year, 30 lucky Silver Spring children got to spend a week at the fourth annual Police Adventure Camp at Viers Mill. Run by Montgomery County police officers, this non-profit camp provided services to at-risk children and their families, according to a Gazette.net article.  Activities at the camp included sports and crafts as well as some more important life lessons. The children completed the Drug Abuse Resistance Education or D.A.R.E. program to understand the dangers of substance abuse. They also listened to guest speakers and interacted with the officers in various ways. It was quite an eclectic range of activities from making tie-dyed tee shirts to going inside the S.W.A.T. team van and meeting a bomb-sniffing police do... 07/15/2011

You want to buy a home and you’re on the right track by doing your homework online.  There are, however, some things you may not find out about just buy picking a great house.  Here is Mistake #5 of 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home. Mistake #5 – Jumping at the First House You Like You feel the tingling sensation as soon as you get out of bed the morning you’re ready to start looking for your first home. You rush through the morning routine so that you can get to your computer. It’s finally here – you’re looking for your first home. You make an appointment to tour a home and you love it! The mistake many first-time home buyers make is to choose the first home they see. Why is it a mistake to choose the first home you like? As a first-time home buyer, you don’t really know ... 07/12/2011

Looking for some things to do this weekend and next week in and around Silver Spring, Maryland? Check out some of these events! Friday, July 8, 2011 Council Member Obie Patterson Hosts Community Coffee Time:  9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Cost:  FREE Event A community coffee will be held featuring County Council Member Obie Patterson. Where: McDonald's, 5500 St. Barnabas Road, Oxon Hill Contact:  Derrick Coley at (301) 952-3860 or councildistrict8@co.pg.md.us ~~ Monday, July 11, 2011 Sandy Spring Civic Association Monthly Meeting Time:  9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. The Sandy Spring Civic Association holds its monthly meeting the second Monday of each month. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND! Where: Ross Boddy Community Center, 18529 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring Contact:  Sandy Spring Civic Association at sscac... 07/08/2011

Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home You want to buy a home and you’re on the right track by doing your homework online.  There are, however, some things you may not find out about just buy picking a great house.  Here is Mistake #4 of 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home. Mistake #4 – Not Having The House Inspected You’ve found a great house and placed an offer on it.  Before you start decorating the house in your head, your next stop should be to hire an inspector. Why is it a mistake not to have the house inspected?  You can’t see bed bugs.  You can’t always see termites.  You can’t see how long a water heater or furnace will last.  You can’t always see mold.  If you don’t have the house inspected, any repairs needed on the home are all up to you once you si... 07/05/2011

Today's View - July 3, 2011 I am constantly being asked - How is the market?   My answer today -Well, real estate is local and my local market (the senior citizen community of Rossmoor in Silver Spring, Md.) is looking up. In 2010 there were a total of 290 homes sold in my local market, based on statistics published in the Leisure World News. A check of the local Multi-Lisitng service today shows 36 homes under contract in the community and another 162 have already been sold since the first of the year.  That puts us on a pace to exceed last year, which, by the way, was above those of 2009.  Yes, the local market is looking up. If you have any questions about this report, please call me or send me an email. 07/03/2011

Looking for some things to do this weekend and next week in and around Silver Spring, Maryland? Check out some of these events! Saturday, July 2, 2011 Community Picnic Time:  Starts at 6:00 p.m. Cost:  FREE Event Music by Browningsville Band. Free food and mooonbounce. Where: Poplar Springs United Methodist Church, 915 E. Watersville Road, Mount Airy Contact:  Laura Reifsnider at laurareifsnider@msn.com ~~ Monday, July 4, 2011 Happy Independence Day!       ~~ Tuesday, July 5, 2011 BNI Silver Spring Tuesday Lunch Time:  11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. BNI is the largest business networking organization in the world. We offer members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly, business referrals. Where: Eggspectation, 923 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring Contact: Dan Roth at (301) 3... 07/01/2011

Today's View - June 29, 2011 Today there are 18 detached or semi-detached single family homes on the market for sale in senior citizens community of Rossmoor located in Silver Spring, Md. 20906.  The average list price of these homes is $256,681.  While some have just recently come on the market or returned to the market, the average time on the market is just slightly over five months (152 days). There are 12 detached or semi detached homes in this community (Rossmoor) that are under some form of contract.  The last known average list price of these homes is $206,933 with the median being $219,000.  While some were on the market for over a year, the average period was around five months as well ( 167 days). In the last 30 days 4 detached or semi-detached home in this community (Rossmoo... 06/29/2011

Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home You want to buy a home and you’re on the right track by doing your homework online.  There are, however, some things you may not find out about just buy picking a great house.  Here is Mistake #3 of 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your First Home. Mistake #3 – Believing There Is A "Perfect" House If you’re like most people when they are ready to go house hunting, you probably have a list of things you want in your new home.  Your list may include a certain number of bedrooms or bathrooms, the minimum square footage of the house, or how many cars need to fit in the garage.  Then there are the things you’d like to have such as granite countertops and brand new stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, plush carpeting throughout the hous... 06/28/2011

Last week activity in the senior citizen community of Rossmoor in Silver Spring Md. 20906 was as follows While there are currently 135 residential listing on the market for sale in the community, eight of these were new or returning to the market with a new Realtor in the last week. There is also 46 currently under some form of contract, 13 of these offers to purchase were accepted last week. In the last month 27 homes have successfully changed ownership, with ten of doing so in just the last week. If you have any questions about this report, please call me or send me an email.   06/27/2011

Today's View - June 27, 2011 Today there are a total of 3613 residential properties on the market for sales in Montgomery County, Md.  Of that count 323 are located in the Silver Spring Md. 20069 zip code., 118 of the Silver Spring count are new or returning to the market place in the last 30 days. There are a total of 2343 residential properties under some form of contract in the county as well.  In Silver Spring 20906 there is a total of 206 under some form of contract with 102 being placed there in the last 30 days. In the last 30 day 995 residential properties has successfully been sold in Montgomery County, Md.  That count includes 73 in the Silver Spring Md 20906 zip code. If you have any questions about this report, please call me or send me an email. 06/27/2011