About Crofton's Old Crofton

Crofton area residents can put their natural Christmas trees, wreathes and garlands out for pick-up by Anne Arundel County on the normal recycling day.

Christmas trees: Be sure to remove the tree stand, all lights, ornaments and decorations, ornament hangers, and the tree bag. Large trees should be cut to 4' lengths so they will fit in the truck.

Wreathes and garlands: Securely tie bundled branches and garlands into lengths no more than 4 feet, diameter no more than 4 inches, and weight no more than 40 pounds. Do not use cardboard boxes because they cause a loading problem for the collectors. (Cardboard is recyclable, but should be placed out with paper, glass, metal and plastic items.) You may use 32–oz or smaller plastic bags, but please don't use metal ties. And don't forget to mark the bag with an “X” so collectors don't confuse it with trash.

If your normal trash collection day in Crofton is Monday, don't worry… Anne Arundel County will pick-up on Monday, January 2, 2012.

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Once-a-week curbside trash collection begins in June 2012 for Anne Arundel County residents. Click on the link to learn about this change.

Originally posted at FocusOnCrofton.com

A Crofton Village Christmas, the holiday home tour sponsored by Crofton Village Garden Club, will take place on Sunday, December 11, 2011.

Six Crofton area residents will open their home to the club and community at large from noon-5 p.m. Here's a sneak peak of what you can expect to see at House #1:

1563 Eton Way, Crofton, Maryland

As you step into this expanded split foyer, you may be surprised to see a dining room, rather than a living room, at the top of the stairs. There’s now a sitting area in the Kellahers’ original dining room and, on the other side of French doors, the great room. A giant handmade wreath of fresh greens hangs on the great room window overlooking the golf course, and you’ll find fresh greens with festive bows throughout this “holiday wonderland” in Old Crofton.

This year's tour includes two homes in Old Crofton, two homes in the Greens of Crofton, one in Crofton Colony, and one in Chapman Farm. A different home will be featured in this blog each week, concluding with a little history of the Chapman Farm Clubhouse (House #7) where refreshments will be served to guests by garden club members.

Tickets will be available from any member of the Crofton Village Garden Club, beginning Wednesday, October 5, or you may click on the image to contact me for tickets at $15 each.

Several new members of Crofton Village Garden Club got together in late August for an informal workshop hosted by Sunny Frank in her back yard. Sunny and Bernie Robertson shared basic information about flower preparation with the novice floral designers, and guided them through the creation of three different arrangements.

Participants paid for their flowers and containers and brought a bag lunch, so there was no cost to the club. It was a beautiful way to enjoy the calm before the storm, as Hurricane Irene headed up the coast for arrival the next day.

At least one of the participants was heard saying she had never created her own flower arrangement before, and others were grateful to learn new ideas from some of the best flower designers in the club.

If you're interested in learning about flower-arranging, gardening, community beautification, and conservation, there's no better place to learn than a local garden club - and Crofton has two of them.

Posted originally at CroftonVillageGardenClub.com.

It's National Waffle Week, September 4–10, and you might want to celebrate with Belgian Waffles at Nautilus Diner, 1709 Transportation Blvd., any day and any time. You can order “just waffles” for as little as $4.99 or served with juice, coffee/tea, and bacon, ham, sausage or scrapple for $8.89. Several other variations of waffles are available, priced between $4.99 and $8.89.

Nautilus Diner is open 6 a.m.–1 a.m., Sunday thru Thursday, and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. The Nautilus menu is 22 pages, so take a look. You're sure to find something you'd like for breakfast or any other meal.

Friendly's, at 1673 Crofton Centre, is not just for ice-cream. They offer breakfast, too. And lunch and dinner and munchies. Click on Friendly's menu to see what's available there.

There are two Bob Evans restaurants within five minutes of Crofton, one in Bowie and another in Gambrills. We've been to both, and usually choose based on our next destination. If we're headed in the Baltimore direction, we go to Bob Evans in Gambrills at 2402 Brandermill Boulevard; if we have errands in Bowie, or even if we're headed toward D.C., we'll go to the Bowie restaurant at 4308 NW Crain Hwy. Here's the Bob Evans breakfast menu, and there are links to their other menu on their website.

Four Season's Grille, at 2630 Chapel Lake Drive in The Village of Waugh Chapel, offers delightful Sunday brunch. And yes, they do have waffles.

Crofton Restaurants and Carryouts

Posted Originally at FocusOnCrofton.com

Home buyers still find Crofton an attractive place to live, and Crofton homes have continued to sell throughout the real estate downturn. The stability of the Crofton real estate market is evidenced by the fact that none of the detached homes currently on the market are either bank-owned or potential short sales, according to our regional multiple listing system.

DETACHED HOMES

There are forty-two detached homes for sale now in the 21114 zipcode, ranging in price from three homes priced just under $300,000 to an 8–year old 6–bedroom colonial in Braddock Farms at $679,900. The most expensive home on the market in “Old Crofton” is actually the $599,990 new home, which is located on the corner of Crofton Parkway and Tarrytown. The majority of homes in Crofton, however, are 20–30 years old.

Click on Crofton detached homes to view photos, prices, and other details for currently listed detached homes in the 21114 zip code. This list is automatically updated, and will always be accurate at the time you click on the link.

TOWNHOMES

Sixty-four townhomes are on the market now in Crofton, ranging from a low of $135,000 for a lower level piggy-back unit in Bancroft to a $349,999 3–level garage townhome in Walden. Three of the listed townhomes are bank-owned and nine of them are potential short-sales – a great opportunity for investors, eager to take advantage of the low prices, low interest rates, and Crofton's convenient location for renters! Four of the townhomes currently on the market are newer, i.e. less than 10 years old, but most of them are in established neighborhoods.

Click on Crofton townhomes to view photos, prices, and other details for currently listed townhomes in the 21114 zip code. This list is automatically updated, as well, and will always be accurate at the time you click on the link.

CROFTON CONDOS

There are eight “other” homes currently for sale, including two of them in the Tiers at Walden. The other six could have been identified as townhomes, as many of their neighbors were. The confusion comes from the fact that these townhomes are located within a condominium association. You will not find these homes included among the townhomes, however, so home buyers will have a harder time finding them in an MLS search.

If you'd like to check out these homes, please contact me directly.

Do you have a good real estate app for your smart phone? There are several available at the Apple iTunes store, including one from realtor.com, zillow, and Long & Foster. To view a demo of the Long & Foster app (which is similar to the others mentioned here) and to get a free VIP access code, click on L&F mobile home search (for iPhone and Android).

Online home searches are a great way to begin your home purchase, but remember… it's just one resource. There's no substitute for actually visiting property and seeing it first-hand. Contact me today to inspect your favorite online finds, and for help choosing a lender, home inspector and other professionals who will likely have a role in your home purchase.

Originally posted 8/8/11 at FocusOnCrofton.com