Rockville, Maryland Market Report – 5/17/11

Reporting on the Real Estate Market in Rockville, Maryland is not always simple.  Rockville is located in Montgomery County, spanning five zip codes.  I am beginning to see a NEW more positive Real Estate Market take shape and I have high hopes for the Spring Market.

Looking back at April 2011; Rockville runs the gamut starting with Total Sold Dollar Volume: of $2,755,000 in 20850 all the way up to $27,365,900 in 20854.

Overall the Sold Dollar Volume is down with one exception: 20853, which is up +17.79% over this time last year ($8,494,000).  This wide range can be seen throughout Rockville.  It’s all about location in Real Estate and these charts definitely reflect that.

April 2011 Real Estate Market Statistics for:  20850 Rockville, MD

April 2011 Real Estate Market Statistics for:  20851 Rockville, MD

April 2011 Real Estate Market Statistics for:  20852 Rockville, MD

April 2011 Real Estate Market Statistics for:  20853 Rockville, MD

April 2011 Real Estate Market Statistics for:  20854 Rockville/Potomac, MD

As we begin to see this NEW more positive Real Estate Market take shape in Rockville – Avery Hess, Realtors is prepared.

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND — THE FUTURE IS NOW!

A NEW office for a NEW REAL ESTATE MARKET!!  Avery Hess, Realtors is proud to announce the opening of their new Rockville Branch.  I feel honored to be part of a company that understands what agents and consumers need.

The Rockville Avery-Hess, Realtors office has a new location – 6001 Montrose Road, Suite 101.  The new set-up is bright and modern.  Bring your laptop and sit in a beautiful new workstation or utilize the two conference rooms with wall-mounted flat screen monitors for clients to view properties.

Avery-Hess Sales Associates benefit from the most progressive working environment in Real Estate. We define our business model as consumer-centric—a model that focuses the effort of our entire team on the most important part Real Estate, the CLIENT. Our entire suite of technology, products, and services has been designed in order to serve the needs of today’s Real Estate consumer.

To put it in bluntly Avery-Hess, Realtors is about getting the job done.  Getting the property SOLD, finding that perfect home, doing MORE business using the latest TECHNOLGY, generating MORE LEADS, in a NO FEE environment.  Stop by and see our new space, you may just want to stay!!

Market data and commentary provided by Kathy Fleskes, Managing Broker, Rockville Regional Office.

Search for homes in Rockville, and all of the DC Metro: www.averyhess.com

St. Sophia’s Greek Festival Brings Greece to Glover Park

Washington, DC is known for having one of the most diverse populations in the country. In fact, it’s one of the reasons people love living here. The melting pot of cultures in this city provides opportunities and experiences that some of the nation’s biggest urban areas can’t replicate.

While most of the city’s diverse cultures are well known, many residents don’t know about this area’s thriving Greek population. Once a year, though, everyone takes notice when a local church hosts their grand festival celebrating the best of Hellenic culture.

This weekend, from Friday, May 13 to Sunday, May 15, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral hosts its annual Spring Festival, which takes life in Athens and transports it across the Atlantic, right into Northwest, DC.

The beautiful cathedral rests at the intersection of Garfield and 36^th Street in Glover Park. Though the parish was established at the turn of the 20^th century, the cathedral has only been in existence since the early 1950s. However, the modest architecture harkens back to much older days.

Built by a New-York based Greek architect, the church was designed with the Byzantine cathedrals of Constantinople in mind, constructed entirely in a soft-grey stone. Also mimicking ancient design are the two towers at the entryway, with small domes at the top, and the cathedral’s main dome, which is over 80 feet high. Inside, the church pays homage to history, with intricately-designed glass mosaics, also done by Greek artists.

The church is a beauty to see anytime of the year, but the best time to go is during the yearly Greek Festival.

Every spring, the church’s large grounds transform, with tents erected and tables set up, giving anyone who wants to attend a taste of the Aegean Sea.

The experience awakens all your senses. Aromas waft throughout the open area, coming from whole lambs roasting over beds of coals. The lambs have been cooking all day and are available to eat at any time. Take a bite and experience authentic, spit-roasted lamb. The meat is both crisp and succulent, a tantalizingly delicious combination.

That’s just one of the many Greek treats served during the festival. Lamb gyros are dished out on home cooked pita bread, with fresh tomatoes and lettuce, as well as made-from-scratch tzatziki sauce, a blend of Greek yogurt and spices.

Be sure not to limit yourself to just the outdoor dining options.  Inside, in the basement of the church, there’s a buffet that serves more traditional Greek dishes, from spanakopita, a combination of spinach and puff pastry, to baked fish.

For dessert, there’s the super-sweet baklava, a dish similar to spanakopita, except instead of a savory filling, the puff pastries are stuffed with walnuts and honey.

Eating is far from the only thing to do at the festival. Across the grounds you’ll find booths selling hand-made Greek jewelry and artwork. On Saturday and Sunday, tours of the cathedral are given, and if you are there after five you can enjoy the live music and dancing.

For extra fun for the kids, the festival also has a moon bounce and arts and crafts set up.

Admission to the festival is free, and everything is reasonably priced, which means this weekend, there’s no excuse not to experience some of the Greek heritage right here in DC.

-David

MyLife in Metro DC: Yogato Have Some!

As promised in the last MyLife in Metro DC post, I’ve started to include “guest” writers as part of this blog to help keep you informed of ALL the fun things to do around our city.  So while I was at Gold Cup this weekend watching the races and sipping on mint juleps, Avery-Hess’s very own Stephanie Weaver got the scoop on one of the most unique yogurt shops in town.  Sounds delicious and I can’t wait to give it a try!  Thanks Stephanie!

The temperature is rising, the birds are chirping and the yogurt is churning. That’s right, springtime is here and that means ice cream and specialty yogurt stores are bustling with patrons waiting for their favorite flavors.

If you are one of those that loves to get real frozen yogurt on warm spring day, Mr. Yogato is a place worthy of a visit.

The yogurt shop is a small, narrow space located on 17th Street NW, between Q and Church Street, a few blocks from the Dupont metro station. The exterior is simple, but the sign is bright so you can’t miss it while walking down 17^th Street.

When you walk in, you’ll first notice a large billboard covered with various ways to get discounts on your yogurt purchase. One way to get a discount is to correctly answer one of the posted trivia questions, while other ways are a bit more comical.

Some examples of what you might find on the board:

“What are 7 body parts that have only three letters…5% off”

or

“Order like Edith Bunker…5% off”

The board changes often so you don’t have time to go to the library, research the answer and come back for your discount, because chances are they have already moved on to other trivia.

Feeling daring?  To get a 10% discount on your purchase, you can have your forehead branded with a stamp that reads, “Mr Yogato Stamped Me.”  But beware, while the discount is tempting, it’s real ink and will take some time to scrub off!

While there are many discount options, even if choose not to participate the prices are moderate and reasonable.  They vary depending on the size of your yogurt and how many toppings you choose.

When you are ready to order, simply choose a small, medium, or large from the Flavors of the Day (the flavors available when I went were Original Soft, Original Tangy and White Choco-Keem) and your toppings. There are an array of toppings to choose from such as strawberries, mangoes, Oreos, and Reese’s cups. There are even free toppings that include sprinkles, honey, cinnamon, sea salt, balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil.

After you grab your cup of frozen yogurt, turn to one of the three small tables they have for people to enjoy their yogurt, relax and play games. One table is dedicated to the original (1990’s) Nintendo with several games to choose from and another has karaoke if you dare. You’ll also find several board games stacked by the window sit to play if those are more to your liking.

After you finish, if you decide you are truly in love with Mr Yogato, go there for 30 days in a row and they will name a flavor after you.

After all, wouldn’t you like to go where everybody knows your name?

- Stephanie

To share your favorite frozen yogurt shop, learn more about MyLife, view pictures, videos, post comments, and suggest adventures please “like” MyLife in Metro DC on Facebook!

Montgomery County, MD 5/09/11

Buyers, if you are thinking about making a Real Estate purchase, the time to buy is NOW!  I know as a potential buyer, you may have heard this before – but I am looking at the statistics for Montgomery County, MD and these numbers are slowly improving!

Total Sold Volume for last month is up 1.83% over this time last year and up 66.39% from February.  With the Average Sold Price up 15.55% to $450,671, I can’t see prices dropping back down anytime soon.

The bottom of the Real Estate Market in Montgomery County has come and gone.  If you are one of those savvy buyers waiting for just the right time – I would have to say the time is now!

Looking for some fun outdoor activities to do this spring in Montgomery County?

One of my favorite places to explore, on a beautiful spring day in Montgomery County, is Brookside Gardens. Take a leisurely drive out Georgia Avenue to Wheaton to visit the Brookside Gardens.

Once there you will experience a magical visit filled with award winning gardens that take up 50 acres in Wheaton Regional Park.

A variety of educational programs for both adults and children are offered at Brookside Gardens.  The adult programs include lectures, guided walks, bus trips and workshops while the children’s programs include story times, hands-on activities, educational games, classes and summer camps. 

Admission to Brookside Gardens is free.  Can’t ask for more than that!

Market data and commentary provided by Kathy Fleskes, Managing Broker, Rockville Regional Office.

Search for homes in Montgomery County, and all of the DC Metro: www.averyhess.com

Turtle Park Provides the Perfect Play Day

The calendar has finally flipped to May, and another school year is almost complete.

While that means endless days of fun for children, it can cause a headache for parents who are in charge of finding endless activities to keep their kids entertained.

There’s the local pool of course, but even that can get old.

Kids always want to do something new and fun. For children in the 2-10 range, a trip to the playground might make their day.

If you are going to take them to a playground, why not take them to one of the area’s best, a hidden gem?

Way up in Northwest, DC, between Cleveland Park and Van Ness, is Friendship Recreation Center. Tucked away in a corner of the center, on the intersection of Van Ness and 45^th Streets, is Friendship Turtle Park. The park is popular among locals and it is easy to see why.

The park sits on a quiet street block, with very little traffic. Even so, the large space is surrounded entirely by hedges, eliminating noise and increasing privacy. To make things even better, the area is filled with leafy trees that provide lots of shade. There are also numerous benches to sit on while your children run and play.

While it’s a nice place for adults to go, it’s even better for young kids. The park is filled with playground equipment for a wide range of ages.

To begin with, there’s the gigantic sandbox. Turtle Park gets its name from this massive sandbox. Inside it sits a giant brown turtle with footholds for kids to climb to the top. The 20’ x 20’ box is always stocked with toys, from shovels to scoop to buckets to build.

The sandbox is just one aspect of the park. Turtle Park also has slides for children of all ages, from short metal ones to much higher plastic-enclosed tubes that are over ten feet in the air.

Throughout the park are wooden structures for children to climb all over. One giant fort has a tire ramp that kids must navigate to climb to the top. Another mimics a train and has small tunnels to climb through to get from car to car.

If you’ve never been to Turtle Park, then you are in luck. The time to experience it is coming right up.

On Saturday, May 14^th, the Friends of Turtle Park are hosting their annual May Fair. This is the 14^th straight year they’ve thrown the May Fair, and it’s quite the party for adults and kids alike.

The May Fair is full of fun family events that include a moon bounce, a dunk tank, pony rides, face painting a bake sale and a silent auction.

The Fair raises money for the park, with all proceeds used to fund the endless events hosted at Turtle Park.  From the recently held Easter Egg Festival to the Halloween Festival to winter story time, there’s always something going on at Turtle Park.

So whether you go for the May Fair or any other time, Turtle Park will keep kids satisfied in these coming summer months.

-David

Warren County/Front Royal Market Report – 5/4/11

The housing recovery doesn’t appear to have taken hold just yet in Warren County.  For sellers, this means that prices are declining and houses are staying on the market longer. But in contrast, the good news for buyers is that interest rates are still favorable and houses are very affordable.

The numbers below indicate a decline from the previous year as well as the previous month this year.

While the current market seems to be declining, the number of units sold and the number of pending contracts have improved from the previous month.

Some people are recognizing the opportunity that this market condition allows for savvy buyers to find the right home. Now is still a wonderful time to find the home that is just right for you.

Market data and commentary provided by Charlie Carroll, Managing Broker, Avery-Hess, Realtors.

Search for Homes in Warren County, and all the DC Metro: www.averyhess.com