Derwood, MD 11/28/11

The unincorporated area of Derwood lies east of Rockville, southeast of Gaithersburg, southwest of Olney and northwest of greater Silver Spring.  The ZIP Code for all of Derwood is 20855.  Many neighborhoods make up Derwood and it is served by quite a few Montgomery County Public Schools.  The ICC (Route 200) runs directly through central Derwood and a number of residents were displaced and areas were affected by the construction.

The Shady Grove Metro station which opened in 1984 has helped the Derwood area to greatly expand in size also.

As you can see from the Market Statistics for the October 2011 Derwood is pulling out of this Real Estate down turn.

October 2011 Real Estate Market Statistics for 20855 Derwood, MD–

Derwood, Maryland is a quiet community in Montgomery County.  I think of it, being a Realtor, as my secret weapon.  Many locals know about Derwood – but surprisingly enough not as many as you think.  I got an inquiry from a potential client who is being transferred to this area.  They want a single-family home, 3+ bedrooms, garage, nice size yard, good schools, safe BUT most importantly walking distance or VERY CLOSE to a Metro stop.  All of this, and they can pay no more than $400,000.  Well in Montgomery County that is a very tall order.  Derwood is a charming bedroom community that fits the mold for many anxious potential home owners.

While searching on line for a home, not many of us or our clients think to type in the city of Derwood.  Who has even heard of it right?  It’s time to find out.  As a BUYERS AGENT, Derwood, MD maybe just what your client is looking for don’t miss this little known opportunity.

As a LISTING AGENT this is a bit trickier — sure you have just listed the PERFECT HOME at the PERFECT PRICE.  Yet, no one is showing it.  Marketing a home in Derwood because of its anonymity takes a bit more effort.  Just placing one of these special properties in the MRIS is not going to cut it.  MRIS is very rigid.  As Realtors we all know that entering the city in as Rockville/Derwood will not work.  I have to tell you that most of the individual websites that pull information from MRIS do allow it.  So, going to all of the individual websites and making changes to increase exposure will increase traffic.  Additional advertising MUST be done with properties in this area.   Take a little time and spending a bit of money will get the job done.  You and your clients will be smiling.

See the additional GOOD NEWS about Derwood Maryland.  I find these statistics a breath of fresh air.  What do you think?

Market data and commentary provided by Kathy Fleskes, Managing Broker, and Serena Toro of the Rockville Regional Office.

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

MyLife in Metro DC: An Old Town Theater Treat

Thanksgiving week has arrived and most of us are ready to wrap up our short workweek and enjoy a long weekend filled with turkey feasts, football and family.

If the tryptophan doesn’t leave you in a lazy nap filled coma, and you’re looking for an excuse to get out of the house this weekend (besides Black Friday deals of course), I’ve discovered a hidden gem in Old Town Alexandria.

The Old Town Theater was originally built in 1914 as the Richmond Theater and was the first permanent theater constructed in Alexandria. Over the years the theater was opened and closed a number of times for renovations and various changes. The last renovations took place in December of 2002, when the second screen was added to allow an additional movie to be seen in the theater.

I recently ventured to Old Town Theater with three friends for a “girls night out.”  Located at 815 ½  King Street, the theater is nestled between shops and restaurants, which made it easy for us to catch a bite to eat at Red Rocks before the show.

We found driving to the theater to be our best option. There is street parking all long King Street as well as the surrounding blocks that is free after 7pm.  Or if you’re up for a walk, the closest Metro stop is the Alexandria King Street Stop (Blue or Yellow Line) and is about eight blocks away from the theater.

When we visited, two first run major motion pictures were playing, one of which grossed $139.5 million this weekend alone. But don’t let this blockbuster’s presence fool you, this is not your typical AMC or Regal cinema. Old Town Theater channels a much more vintage feel, similar to the Byrd Theater in Richmond or the Lyric in Blacksburg – two of my all time favorite local theaters.

The lobby is small and the last design renovations appear to have occurred sometime in the late 1980s, but don’t let this discourage you. The snack bar is equally understated but provides the usual expected snacks as well as a small panini selection. When we arrived, we were actually directed there to purchase our tickets as that was the only cash register – a far cry from the wall of kiosks at most chain theaters.

Tickets cost a mere $9, but there is a catch.  A recent theater policy change states that you must purchase at least one beverage to accompany your ticket.  A soda is $5, beer is $6-$7 dollars and wine runs $8 a glass or $28 for a bottle.  That’s right, they serve alcohol in the theater – a pleasant surprise added to a fun and relaxing girls night out and not your usual find at the movies!

You do have the ability to purchase tickets on the Old Town Theater website, however I advise against this.  There is a $5 dollar service charge PER TICKET on the website and for that added cost you might as well at least get a soda with your ticket for the same price in the theater!

Once we entered the actual theater, we were pleasantly surprised that while the movie was selling out at many locations (Yes, if you haven’t figured me out yet, we saw Twilight – don’t judge!) there were ample seats to choose from here.  We sat near the back and even there the picture quality and sound were great.

At the end of the movie, there was no mass of people to funnel through or confusing hallways to navigate; we simply walked right out of the theater, were thanked by the two kind employees for our visit, and got in our car.  It was a welcomed change from the large theaters we usually visit and all of us agreed we’d be back for another visit to the Old Town Theater soon!

To share your favorite Old Town or Old Town Theater stories, learn more about MyLife, view pictures, videos, post comments, and suggest adventures please “like” MyLife in Metro DC on Facebook!

- Kristin

American Eats Tavern Serves a (Literal) Slice of Americana

Everyone agrees that Washington, D.C. is one of the most diverse cities in the country. The nature of this town brings together representatives from all 50 states, creating an atmosphere that integrates everyone from Oregon to Georgia.

But anywhere in this country, D.C. included, it would be difficult to find a restaurant that incorporates nearly every single facet and distinctive style of American cooking. From deep-fried Southern traditions to fresh-caught fish fries in the Northeast, almost no place runs the entire gamut of American cuisine.

And certainly, if there was such a restaurant, it wouldn’t be connected with a national museum showcasing an exhibit on the history of food in America.

Or, at least, that was the case before Jose Andres opened American Eats Tavern. Andres is one of Washington, D.C.’s most famous chefs, credited with bringing a culinary revolution to the nation’s capital. This summer, Andres closed one of his most successful restaurants, Café Atlantico, on 8^th Street NW between D and E, in Penn Quarter, to turn it into something unique, fresh and new.

What emerged is something unlike any restaurant in the area. Andres partnered with the National Archives and the restaurant coexists with an exhibit at the nearby museum documenting the government’s effect on the American diet.

But first up, the restaurant.

Andres completely revamped Café Atlantico, with fresh paint, pictures and decorations, transforming it from a hip Latin joint into an ode to Americana. Bright white walls are adorned with sculpted bronze stars and giant pictures from eras in American times, ranging from the Great Depression to the Civil Rights movement.

The menu is designed to be enjoyed in four courses, and each is an homage to the United States. It begins with a selection of oysters, which have been a culinary favorite throughout U.S. history, from pickled oysters popular at taverns in pre-revolutionary times to grilled oysters, which were consumed decadently during the early days of Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange.

Every item on the menu, from the first course to the entrées, comes with a brief history of the dish, describing where and why it was invented, making the entire meal a learning experience.

Appetizers run the gamut from the familiar to the far out. There are buffalo wings, done in the style of the bar that invented them—Anchor Bar & Grill in Buffalo— as well as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that can come topped with foie gras.

After a course of popular American soups and salads—shecrab soup, Cobb salad—comes an optional course of ketchup, or catsup. In American history, catsups were unique and varied, playing to local ingredients and seasons, very unlike the ubiquitous Heinz that dominates the national market today. Almost all the catsups come from  mid-1800s recipes  and include unexpected ingredients like gooseberries, oysters and mushrooms.

Lastly, an entrée course covers popular and delicious American dishes like braised short ribs, lobster rolls and chicken pot pie. After a long and full meal, your trip to American Eats doesn’t have to end. Digest by walking the two short blocks down 8^th Street to the National Archives.

There, you’ll encounter What’s Cooking Uncle Sam: The Government’s Effect on the American Diet, which runs until January 3, 2012. Exhibits there cover four main ways the government influences what you put in your body. The four sections are Farm, Factories, Kitchen and Table and feature photographs and documents to illustrate how the federal government has shaped what people put in the stomach throughout the course of American history. It’s a fascinating and thought-provoking collection, and only adds to the enjoyment of American Eats Tavern, making this collaboration one of the few places in the world where you can eat and learn in equal servings.

- David

Stafford County, VA Market Report – 11/14/11

New listings in our market place have just dropped to a year low!  They have dropped 19.09% since this same time last year. What does this mean?

This means that we need more good inventory on the market!  Houses that are priced right, show well and are in good locations are selling!

For example, our office just listed a beautiful home for $269,900 (which was on the higher end of an acceptable list price for the property) and it went under contract in 48 hours!  The average sales price to original list price percentage has actually increased by 1.78% to 95.3%, which is most likely due to the lack of inventory.  Remember, it has a lot to do with supply and demand!

With interest rates as low as they are, Buyers are out there!  With the lack of inventory, Buyers are having to act quicker and make better offers to secure the home of their dreams!  If inventory stays as low as it is and more Buyers continue to enter the market place, you will begin to see prices stop dropping, begin to even out, and eventually with the same scenario, begin to increase!

Here are other statistics for the month of October:

STAFFORD  MARKET STATS

Closed sales were up, new pending sales were way up, detached and attached units sold increased and days on market decreased by 10%!  These are all important and exciting statistics!

And please don’t let the holidays fool you!  Our market is BUSY and interesting things are happening around here!  If you are considering selling, it is time to get off the fence and consult a professional to give you advice on your individual situation!  If you are a Buyer, take advantage of these historically low interest rates and get on out there.   Now is a great time to start looking for a new place to call home!

Commentary and market stats provided by Amy Cherry-Taylor, Business Manager, Stafford Regional Office.

Search for Home in Stafford County: www.averyhess.com

Capital Fringe Festival Makes a Fall Foray

Every July, performing arts take center stage in Washington, D.C. with the much lauded Capital Fringe Festival. This year’s summer festival was a smashing success, with some of the festival’s most astounding numbers ever. Among the most impressive stats, the Capital Fringe Festival put on 637 performances and sold nearly 27,000 tickets, which raised almost $200,000 for the performing arts in D.C. The Fringe Festival, in the five years since it was founded, has raised nearly $1 million for local artists.

The festival is hosted each year by Capital Fringe, a non-profit dedicated to improving the arts community in Washington, D.C. And with the successes of the festival in recent years, they’ve expanded it, now offering a Fall session for anyone that missed the July shows.

This year’s Fall Fringe has a mix of performances, from new shows to repeats of July presentations. They are a blend of humor and levity, a balance Capital Fringe strives for, hoping to cover the broad spectrum of the art. The shows run from now until November 20^th, and all take place at the Shop at Fort Fringe, Capital Fringe’s performance space at 6^th and New York Ave in Northwest, D.C.

Currently showing is one of the more popular performances from July, “Squirrel, or The Origin of a Species”. The absurdist comedy, by Michael Merino, depicts Charles Darwin arguing about the merits of evolution with a gregarious, life-sized squirrel. The show’s last performance is Friday night at 8:15.

Sunday, November 13^th, sees a one day set from comedian Vijai Nath, a Indian-American female, whose show “Good Girls Don’t, But Indian Girls Do” describes growing up in a Hindu household in suburban Washington, D.C. Nath is a rising star in the world of comedy and just completed a tour with popular act Russell Peters.

Overlapping with Nath’s act is this July’s Fringe Festival director’s pick for artistic quality, iKilL, which uses a kabuki form of storytelling to discuss the horrors of war. iKilL runs for two days, on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

Also on Sunday is a much more lighthearted play, “Pascal’s Aquarium,” a muppet-style musical about living in confined spaces. The plays is a unique take on a decidedly human problem, with lobsters, catfish, seas turtles and piranhas a metaphor for people who live, work and play in confined areas much more than your average fish.

Kimleigh Smith’s T-O-T-A-L-L-Y, has four performances over the next week. Her one-woman story about cheerleading was a hit during the July festival and has shows on the 12^th, 13^th, 19^th and 20^th.

Closing out the Fall version of the festival is Hugo Ball: A Super Spectacular Dada Adventure. Dadaism, for non-theater buffs, was a cultural and philosophical movement in the early 1900s that set the stage for the abstract works of modern time. Hugo Ball’s take on Dadaism, is absurdist work at its best, with actors skipping across the stage, adorning themselves in massive yellow ribbons and eating Marshmallows.

It’s what Fringe Festival strives to be, anti-establishment while still culturally high-minded and is the perfect finish to a week of Fall Fringe. And it’s also your last chance to catch the Fringe performers before they close up shop for eight months.

- David

Montgomery Village, MD 11/07/11

Like much of our country the Montgomery Village Real Estate market is struggling.  The only real POSITIVE for the month of September is that the MEDIAN SOLD Price has increased.  This is a sign that change is coming.  With mortgage rates and Sale Prices at an all time low – the TIME TO BUY IS NOW!

Here are the Real Estate Statistics for Montgomery Village, Maryland for September 2011.

A number of large companies call Gaithersburg home including IBM, Lockheed Martin, MedImmune, Sodexo and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The greater Montgomery Village area encompasses many small and large communities, and housing ranges from apartments, condos, luxury townhouses and moderately priced homes; large estates on several acres and compact track homes all make up the Gaithersburg community.

Montgomery Village centers around a large man-made lake and now includes a golf club, Lakeforest Mall and smaller centers for shopping and gathering with friends.  The many houses, townhomes and apartments in Montgomery Village offer a wide array of living accommodations for residents of Montgomery County.  The Montgomery Village Athletic clubs such as volleyball, wrestling, and soccer rival any in the county and have the reputation for producing star quality athletes.  Montgomery Village is a great place to call home.

Market data and commentary provided by Kathy Fleskes, Managing Broker, and Serena Toro of the Rockville Regional Office.

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