Hamilton, MD

Recently when showing a home for sale in Baltimore I came across a disturbing find in an estate sale property. The listing agent had done his research and discovered that underneath the stained, dated carpet were hardwood floors in decent shape. Rather than have the carpeting removed entirely (which would have been my suggestion to the seller), the agent pulled back a substantial part of the carpeting so potential buyers could see the hardwood underneath.

As I mentioned, I would have instructed the sellers to have the carpeting removed for two reasons – the house would show better (and most likely smell better as well). Secondly, when buyers see the existing carpet and hardwood underneath, the first thing they think of is “there’s a project,” as I can assure you, this carpeting was in such bad shape, no one would want to keep it, even if they didn’t want to expose the hardwood.

This is certainly debatable as far as sales strategies go, but what was far more disconcerting to me was how the carpet was weighted down to show the floor. The sales agent had used an engraved urn!

The top of the urn was nowhere to be found and as far as we could tell the ashes were missing as well. I have been through thousands of homes for sale in Baltimore, but I can honestly say this is the most disrespectful and appalling thing I have ever seen as an agent.

It makes you wonder what type of person could have such a disregard for their client and their possessions to have just grabbed an urn and toss it on the ground to show off the hardwood floors. Even from a sales perspective, did this agent really think that the first thing people would notice when looking in this corner of the home would be the floors or the urn? So, to those agents out there, what has been the most perturbing thing you have seen when touring properties?

Eating seasonally-grown, local food has been getting more and more coverage in the media lately, but a lot of people in Northeast Baltimore have been quietly doing just that for years now by participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) through One Straw Farm. They own "shares" of the harvest and pick up their veggies once a week, either at the Church of the Messiah in Hamilton, Zeke's Coffee in Lauraville, or at the Waverly Farmer's Market.

The Church of the Messiah likes to celebrate every CSA season by throwing an old-fashioned potluck in the fall, and this year, there will be music, too - thanks to some members of the Baltimore Songwriters Association (BSA), who will be performing at an open mike. The potluck will be held this Monday, October 6^th, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend, shareholder or not, and if you're a musician, you're invited to come and play for one of the best audiences ever: your neighbors, celebrating community and enjoying home-cooked food.

The Episcopal Church of the Messiah is located at 5801 Harford Road along the #19 MTA bus transit line, with parking available behind the church off White Avenue, and you can always visit http://www.MessiahBaltimore.org or call 410-426-0709 for more information. You will need to RSVP to ensure there is space.

For more information you can visit: http://www.messiahbaltimore.org/csa_potluck.htm

There are a number of other opportunities in Maryland for Community Supported Agriculture. This is a great way to get locally grown produce and keep your costs down while supporting our local farmers. For more information about these great opportunities you can visit the Maryland Agriculture site to find a farm in your local area.