Crofton, MD

If you're new to the Greater Crofton area, I should warn you that this community is one that Santa visits each year during the weeks before Christmas, That's right! Santa has his list, and now he'll be checking it twice as he visits Cedar Grove and the G, U, W, T, A and S sections of Crofton tonight.

It will be a busy week for Santa as he works at the North Pole all day and then heads to Crofton, in Anne Arundel County Maryland, after 7 p.m. to find out who's naughty and nice.

Tuesday - The R, J, K, H, F, E, D streets of Crofton, Layton Street, Crofton Commons, Carlyle Drive, Pleasant Meadow, Courts of Crofton, and the Orchards.

Wednesday - Nantucket, Johns Hopkins Road, Chelmsford, Charing Cross, Keswick Apts, Highlands, Seton Woods, Riedel Road and Crofton Mews.

Thursday - Hallmark Woods, Hermitage, Lavall, Cheval Trails, Lake of the Pines, Huntington Woods, Mt. Tabor Road and Woodbridge.

Friday - Chapman Farms, Walden and Crofton Meadows.

Saturday - Annapolis Preserve, Eagles Passages, Gravely, Penderbrooke, and St. Stephens Church Road.

Firemen will be polishing their truck today so they can give Santa a ride in style, and they usually sound their siren, so you'll know they're coming when they drive through your neighborhood. When you heear it, grab the kids and run to the window or go outside and wave... As they pass my house tonight, I'll try to get a picture to post here for any of you who don't believe.

P.S. - The schedule could change if the firemen have to use their truck to go fight a fire.

If relocation to Maryland is in your short-term future, you may be considering a house-hunting trip during the week between Christmas and New Year. No doubt Anne Arundel County is on your short list if your new job is anywhere in the D.C. - Baltimore Metropolitan area, including Fort Meade, Andrews Air Force Base, BWI Airport, or Annapolis.

While you're here, you may want to stay at a Bed & Breakfast in Historic Annapolis, where you can experience both history and modern-day Anne Arundel County. There are more than a dozen locations within walking distance of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Annapolis Harbour, and Eastport - not to mention the wonderful restaurants and shops. Or perhaps you'll want to try one of the Historic Inns of Annapolis - for a meal, if not to stay. And, if you're planning to be here for New Year's Eve, check out Sailing into 2009 - a celebration of the Arts and Community in downtown Annapolis.

If you plan to focus your home search in the Bowie or Crofton area, Comfort Inn and Conference Center is the closest place to stay for your house-hunting trip. It's located in Bowie, at the intersection of Rt. 50 and Rt. 3 - about 2-3 minutes from my office at Long & Foster in Crofton, 15 minutes from Annapolis

The holiday season is actually a great time to buy a home. Homes on the market are usually beautifully decorated for Christmas, so they're fun to inspect, and home-sellers are extremely motivated. If they weren't, they would have taken their homes off the market until after the first of the year.

Give me a call before you head to Maryland so I can have some relocation materials ready for you when you arrive. In the meantime, check out your Anne Arundel County Online Relocation Package and use the following links to browse through home listings at your own pace.

CROFTON HOMES FOR SALE BOWIE HOMES FOR SALE ODENTON HOMES FOR SALE

When you do come for your house-hunting trip, be sure to bring the information you'll need for loan application - names and addresses of lenders, account numbers, names and addresses of employers, and names and addresses of current landlord or mortgage company.

'Looking forward to meeting you soon!

Last month's Crofton real estate prices were a pleasant surprise when MRIS released them this morning.

Even though I've been a Crofton Realtor for over 30 years, and a student of local real estate statistics as long as they've been available, I couldn't be sure what to expect in November 2008. There's so much talk in the media about how terrible the real estate market is, but that seems to be contradicted by the amount of activity in my own office - and I know from experience that "all real estate is local."

Based on MRIS statistics published this morning, any "down" in Crofton home prices is in PERCEPTION, not fact. The truth is that the average sold price was higher last month than any November in the three previous years, as was the median sold price.

What IS down is the number of homes sold in November 2008 - lower than any November in the three previous years. While that's bad news, another thing is down which is good news - The number of homes on the market for sale, Mercifully, the inventory has dropped to the lowest point in three years.

Even looking at selling prices in a year-to-date comparison,neither the average nor median sold prices in November are the lowest of 2008. The rumor that prices have crashed in Crofton are clearly inaccurate!

Yet the average selling price vs. listing price was only 92.1%, for November 2008 compared to 95.2% in 2007. What does this mean to you, the consumer?

In my opinion, it means that consumers are still listing their homes too high for today's market. Remember, a home is worth only what a willing buyer and willing seller agree - a higher listing pice will only slow down the sale.

And that's exactly what's been happening. The pace of home sales has gone up as the percentage of selling vs. listing price has gone down. In November 2008, the days on market went up 56.25%. The moral of this, my friends, is to list your home at the right price in the beginning. It will probably sell much more quickly at a more realistic price.

COMING SOON: On Thursday, December 11, I'll be publishing a chart showing Crofton real estate statistic from 2005-2008 at www.FocusOnCrofton.com. Be sure to stop by and check it out.

Source of Data: MRIS

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Find a Home and learn about Real Estate Market Conditions in Crofton and Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Check out Today's Rates and use the free Mortgage Calculator. These consumer-friendly real estate tools are provided by Margaret Woda for you to use at your own pace.

When you're ready to go from "just browsing" to "let's get serious", contact Margaret online or call/text her at 301-346-2923.

'Twas December 1, and all through the community, everyone was stirring to get ready for Christmas...

Little elves (members of the Crofton Village Garden Club) scurried around the community, decorating light poles, the Front Gate, schools and the Crofton Library with holiday wreathes.

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The Garden Club finished in plenty of time for evening festivities in front of Crofton Country Club at 6:30, where a record-breaking crowd gathered for a sing-along, the Christmas Tree lighting and Santa's arrival on the top of a fire truck.

You can see that my granddaughter, Megan, was pretty excited when she saw Santa atop the firetruck. That's my husband, holding on to her so she doesn't run right over there.

Then, she and her brother Matthew finally got a turn to sit on Santa's lap. Matthew gave Sants his wish-list first, and then Megan had her turn.

For future holiday events in and around Crofton, be sure to visit my earlier blog post, Holiday Events Beyond Fort Meade Gates.

Each month, between the 10th and 15th, I carefully review statistics published by our regional multiple listing service, MRIS. I usually find that numbers mirror anecdotal information shared by local real estate professionals, but I dutifully review them for the purpose of sharing accurate information with you through my blog.

In October, I was very surprised to see a spike in the average sold price, up almost 20% from October 2007, and the median sold price, up 18.16%.

Most homes which settled in October probably went under contract prior to that, so these numbers don't reflect all that occurred in the financial world in October.

The number of homes that settled in October was down over 60% from 42 in 2007 to 16 in 2008.

After the banking crisis and bailout in October, only 9 homes went under contract during the month, so look for "units sold" to go down in November and December.

Days on Market were actually down from last month, but up nearly 15% from the same month last year. Overall, in 2008, Days on Market have been greater than last year, except for January.

As I've mentioned in earlier Real Estate Updates, one of the things I look to for an indicator on what the future holds for real estate in Crofton is the absorption rate. With only 16 sold homes and 147 active listings in October, it looks like it would take almost 10 months for the existing inventory to be absorbed - and that's assuming no new listings for 10 months, which isn't going to happen.

The true effect of the banking crisis and the October economic bust, in general, will probably take a while to shake out. Be sure to check back between the 10th and 15th of each month for an update. And, if you prefer to see more statistics laid out in a single chart, visit FocusOnCrofton.com this weekend, when I'll be posting an update in that format.

CROFTON HOMES FOR SALE GAMBRILLS HOMES FOR SALE ODENTON HOMES FOR SALE

Source of data: MRIS
Charts: Margaret Woda