What recession? Who says that real estate is down? Penthouse condos in Baltimore are hot!

Ritz-Carlton Residences, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD

Yesterday the penthouse condominium at the Ritz-Carlton Residences on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD was sold. Well, actually it was three penthouses joined together making a 4 bedroom, 6.5 baths, six balconies, and 12,000 sq. ft.

And it sold for a mere $12.6 million. It has views of the Inner Harbor, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Camden Yards sports complex, home to the Baltimore Orioles. And who bought it? None other than Baltimore native and mega-novelist Tom Clancy.

Clancy mastered the techno-thriller genre beginning with his first novel, The Hunt for Red October in 1984, and his empire has expanded to include video and board games in addition to his many best selling novels. He lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and will keep that home, but this heart of Baltimore mansion-in-the-sky places him close to the Orioles where he can keep an eye on part-ownership investment. He has also invested in his home town by funding professorships in pediatric oncology and ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University.

Exterior and master bath, 1400 Lancaster Street

Now if you want to live in a luxury penthouse condo in downtown Baltimore, and you want great views, and you want sleek and modern, and you want it new, you could be the first to live in this unit.

Then you would be just across the harbor from Tom Clancy. But you'd better hurry before we raise the price!

Yes, you could stand on your balcony at 1400 Lancaster Street and wave to Clancy on his balcony, and for a whole lot less money.

No,Unit 1003 does not have 12,000 sq. ft., but it can be bought for $12,000,000 (you counted right – six zeroes) less, and you can still have a top floor in this contemporary condo.

That's what I call a bargain! Purchased a few years ago for $¾ of million, you can have it all for a cool $½ million. Take a look…and then... give me a call 410-530-2400.

Everywhere you turn, a great view. Slate floors, granite counters, stainless appliances.

Looking out from the kitchen, and looking in to the kitchen - beautiful in any direction.

Thanks to Mr. Clancy, penthouse condos in Baltimore are hot!

www.HomeRome.com

410-530-2400

Looking for a Dream House . . . . Look at These Homes in Baltimore City

Are you looking for a special home? Would you like something that is not a cookie cutter home from the suburbs? Are you interested in being close to the culture of a cosmopolitan city? Check out these homes which are all located within the boundaries of Baltimore City.

This is just a small taste of homes which are currently (11-19-2009) on the market in Baltimore City. You can see more about each home in the link below.

http://mrislistings.mris.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?ID=34088690926

Several months ago, I started posting local "things to do" on a budget. Highlighting free events, or at least very affordable ones. I must say, with a toddler, it's been hard to even find the time to get out and take advantage of all of the wonderful, cost effective things to do in Baltimore City....but here we go! Back to business.

WARNING...this post contains a little bit of shameless self promotion, but it is in an effort to open some eyes to a cultural gem in Little Italy, so I'll forgive myself!

Tomorrow evening, my Concert Opera company will be performing a fundraiser at the fabulous GERMANOS TRATTORIA in Baltimore's Little Italy. For $10, and a $15 food/bev minimum, you get to hear two amazing sets of operatic music, performed by our board of directors, and incredible guest artists.

Please make reservations at www.germanostrattoria.com, and be sure to tell them that you are coming for the Baltimore Concert Opera Company!

Long and Foster’s PERRY HALL Sales Office

Designated TOYS FOR TOTS Collection Site

All Long & Foster Sales Offices Will Serve As Toy Drop Off Sites For Annual Toys for Tots Campaign:

Perry Hall, Md. November 2, 2009 –Long & Foster’s Perry Hall office is proud to announce the launch of its annual toy drive to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots Campaign.

Toys may be dropped off seven days a week between 9am and 6pm weekdays and 3pm weekends, at Long & Foster’s Perry Hall office located at 8712 Belair Rd. (Belair and Silver Spring Rds., behind Wendy’s) prior to December 11, 2009.

Long & Foster’s Perry Hall office sales manager, Sharon Blough said. “We are proud to participate in The Long & Foster^® Companies 19^th annual toy drive throughout its seven-state Mid-Atlantic region and the District of Columbia in support of the U.S. Marines Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. We hope you will be generous with your donation to help less fortunate children throughout our community.”

Wes Foster, Chairman of The Long & Foster Companies said, “We take great pride in being able to once again assist this worthy cause and to help give the needy children in our communities the Christmas they deserve. For nearly two decades, Long & Foster and its affiliated businesses have remained committed to helping provide a better holiday season to children in need in the communities we serve.”

Between now and Dec.22, each of the company’s more than 200 sales offices throughout seven states will accept donations of new unwrapped toys for distribution to financially and/or physically disadvantaged children. Long & Foster employees at the company’s corporate headquarters in Chantilly, Va. will also participate in the annual holiday event.

Once the toys are collected and presented to area Marines, they are distributed to local churches, social welfare agencies and to less fortunate children throughout Long & Foster’s service area.

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots program began with a single campaign in 1947. Last year, 18 million toys were distributed to underprivileged children nationwide by The U.S. Marine Corps Reserves program. Long & Foster collected more than 25,000 toys which were distributed to charitable and service organizations in the communities Long & Foster serves.

About The Long & Foster ^® Companies

The Long & Foster ^® Companies is the parent company of the largest, privately owned residential real estate company in the U.S., Long & Foster® Real Estate, Inc., and is the Mid-Atlantic region’s leading provider of homeownership services. In addition to its real estate arm, The Long & Foster^® Companies consist of Prosperity Mortgage^® Company; Walker Jackson® Mortgage Corporation; Long & Foster^® Insurance Agency, Inc., and Long & Foster^® Settlement Services. The total 2008 sales volume and sales equivalents for all The Long & Foster Companies was $48.9 billion.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!

This evening my office, Long & Foster Perry Hall participated in our bi-monthly volunteer work at Oak Crest Retirement Living.  The residents of Oak Crest gather in the dining hall to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to benefit the Maryland Food Bank.  This event is one of the most fun and rewarding things I have been involved in. The residents look forward to it and so do we!

This evening we made a total of 744 sandwiches in under one hour!
These folks know their way around a PB&J!!

Here are a couple of photos of tonight's event:

From left to right:  Melissa Lockwood, Tammi Copsey (me), Sharon Blough (Manager), Pat Bomhoff, Ellen Reinhard, Arelene Del Gallo

Pat was dishing out peanut butter to the residents and ended up wearing some...

Boxes full of sandwiches...

In the top photo we are standing in front of this sign...I had to share it with everyone!

The article below is from the Oak Crest website is from March (which marked the one year anniversary of our commitment to assistance...at the time we had assisted in making 5000 sandwiches!

Oak Crest and Long & Foster Team Up for Maryland Food Bank

3/6/2009 5000 Sandwiches Made in One-Year History of Program

PARKVILLE, MD – Once a month, a dedicated group of people gathers in the Renaissance Gardens Terrace Dining Room of Oak Crest Village. Instead of watching television or going home after work, they are donating their time to make sandwiches for the homeless. 

Surrounded by dozens of loaves of bread and Ziploc bags, and equipped with a healthy dose of teamwork, the volunteers prepare more than 700 sandwiches that are sent to the Maryland Food Bank for distribution at the next day’s lunch service.

For an entire year, it has been a labor of love and fellowship between residents, staff and community volunteers. On the evening of January 14, the crew achieved a milestone of sorts. They made the 5,000th sandwich in the history of the program.

“It just goes to show you what a difference a group of people can make a little at a time,” stated Alison Krull, volunteer coordinator at Oak Crest and creator of the program. “It’s been said that ‘we can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.’ That’s what we try to accomplish every month for those served by the Maryland Food Bank.”

Along with staff and residents, Oak Crest partners with a diverse group of volunteers from the business community and youth organizations, namely the Perry Hall Office of Long and Foster (8712 Belair Road) and Boy Scout Troop #146 (Epiphany Lutheran Church).

Sharon Blough, vice president and Perry Hall branch manager for Long and Foster, leads a team of local Realtors and staff who volunteer at Oak Crest throughout the year. They were on hand for the making of the 5000th sandwich. 

“Knowing that this effort benefits people in Baltimore through the Maryland Food Bank truly makes the project meaningful,” described Blough. “Collaborating with Oak Crest has been a natural fit since our first community service project at their campus several years ago. Our employees have learned so much from their enthusiastic residents.” 

For more information about this and other activities coordinated by the Oak Crest volunteer program, please contact Alison Krull at 410-665-1000.

About Long and Foster: Located at 8721 Belair Road, the Perry Hall office of Long and Foster is the home to a dedicated team of professionals providing real estate, mortgage, title and insurance services.  For more information, please contact Long and Foster at 410-529-1900.

About Oak Crest Village: More than 2,200 people live at Oak Crest Village, an Erickson full-service retirement community that promotes a vibrant lifestyle. Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities. Headquartered near Baltimore, MD, Erickson has built an innovative network of communities that combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health.  Erickson was named by FORTUNE as being one of the Top 100 “2009 Best Companies to Work For®.”

For more information about this story, please contact Jeff Getek, public relations manager, at 410-882-3262, ext. 3189.