Potomac, MD

Local Open House Thefts Reported - Potomac, MD

An open house theft was reported in Potomac, Maryland, last month and similar activity has since been reported at several open houses in Alexandria, Virginia. Showing agents think a father/son team may be to blame for the stolen jewelry and other items.

The following description of the suspects in action is posted on www.nvar.com:

The elder is in his early 50s, the son in his mid-20s. Both are white, have brown hair, and are about 5' 9". The father claims to be from Columbia, Maryland, and wants to be closer to Metro. The younger house hunter wandered upstairs as the agent was talking to the father. The father called upstairs to his son and said "Make sure you take a picture of the hall -- you know how important the hall is to me." They could be driving a small silver sedan or an older model black Land Rover. They did not park in front of the house.

Showing agents are advised to always have someone on call in case of emergency and to create code words that can be used to signal that there might be trouble.

HOME OWNERS ARE ADVISED TO SECURE ALL VALUABLE PROPERTY WHILE OFFERING THEIR HOME FOR SALE.

We represent Home Buyer clients as their exclusive agents in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC and nearby counties.

POTOMAC MARYLAND HOMES FOR SALE

This morning, we received a call from a prospective buyer asking about the lower price range in Potomac, MD (zip code 20854). When we checked for available listings, we found 14 active listings in the $500-650,000 price range. It is a good time for buyers to be looking at that inventory.

Click the following URL to see the listings:
http://mrislistings.mris.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?k=1135923XDLVP&p=DE-90385147-223

There are 236 homes currently available for sale in Potomac MD 20854. The following is the total list and it may be sorted by column headers.

Click the following URL to see the listings:
http://mrislistings.mris.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?k=1135923XDLVP&p=DE-90387019-536

We represent home buyer clients as their exclusive agents in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC and nearby counties.

It is important to make the right decision in financial matters, especially when your credit history will take an immediate hit if you make the wrong one. If you are in a position of deciding between selling your home as a short sale or letting it go into foreclosure, it is critical to be aware of the differences of how either one could effect your credit.

There's Help to Prevent Foreclosure

In either case, you should examine available alternatives to spare your home and your credit. The State of Maryland is proactive about preventing future foreclosure; before making a decision check out foreclosure counseling services in Montgomery County or contact the Homeownership Preservation Foundation by telephone at 888-995-HOPE or at its website at www.995hope.org.

Maryland Governor O'Malley has launched the HOPE Initiative -- Home Owners Preserving Equity. HOPE provides access to counseling services and resources for homeowners needing to refinance. Call 1-877-462-7555 or visit www.mdhope.org for links to foreclosure counseling services.

If You Have to Make a Tough Choice...

If you home's value is less than an outstanding mortgage loan, a lender may authorize a short sale by accepting less than the amount owed. Considering the expense and the length of time involved in a foreclosure, lenders often make the decision to approve short sales. Recent revisions to Obama's Making Home Affordable program offer incentives to lenders who agree to short sales.

Both a foreclosure and a short sale will impact your credit score negatively. However, a homeowner who sells their home by a short sale will have a shorter period to credit-score recovery.

Once a short sale is completed your credit score could potentially drop 80 to 100 points. The rebound time for a credit score after a short sale is about 18 months. This is considered quick compared to the inability to get a new mortgage for three years after a foreclosure. Also, there is the 200-300 point credit score decline involved in a foreclosure.

If you are looking to purchase a home in the Montgomery County, you have other credit concerns we will discuss in a future blog. If you are ready to buy or have questions or concerns about today's real estate market, Courtney Griffiths can help you with all of your needs.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO 11705 CENTURION WAY POTOMAC, MD 20854 MLS #: MC7148165 $4,499,999 6 Bedrooms, 7 Full, 1 Half Bathrooms This spectacular villa has been featured in luxury magazines and on HGTV. Travertine floors, Venetian plaster finishes, tiled frescos of owner/artist Howard Behrens inside and out. Infinity edge lagoon pool and waterfall, 2 story great room with 26 ft banyan tree sculpture, artist studio. Every room is exquisitely finished. Additional adjacent 2-acre lot available for a total of 4 acres. Listed by Michele Petrillo WC & AN Miller Realtors, A Long & Foster Company "or call 410-224-7184

Now In: Howard Behrens' Biography I feel a tremendous amount of excitement facing a new canvas. This energy comes from the thrill of transforming it into a recollection of my travels to the world's most beautiful and romantic places. As an Expressionist, I paint fast while the passion for the painting is very strong. For me, the paint is the subject matter just as much as the image. I love the juicy chunks of color that I can translate to canvas with my palette knife." --Howard Behrens
Shooting references in Venice, Italy.For the past 25 years, Howard Behrens, the world's most renowned palette knife artist, has had a romance with the sun. From the idyllic lakes of Italy to the intimate gardens of New England, the artist has danced with her, chased her, seen her in her many different moods. Behrens' motivation comes from his strong passion to capture the "essence" of the places he visits around the world. The artist has been influenced by Monet, Van Gogh and Nicola Simbari, the Italian palette knife artist. Behrens attempts to express his love for the radiance of the sun's gifts - shadow, light, color, and the subtle nuances of these elements. Many years ago, Behrens learned that the only way he can really achieve what he feels in his paintings is to create them using a palette knife for its boldness and control of color instead of a brush.
Sketching light and shadow. Using the palette knife, Behrens captures not only the softness of clouds, but also the boldness of mountains, the vibrancy of flowers, and the strength of water. Behrens moves the palette knife furiously as he applies deep, rich color in many layers to achieve dimension and mood. Behrens' skill with this instrument has earned him recognition as America's leading palette knife artist. Behrens is also a classicist in his approach to composition so that there is plenty of room for the eye to rest and the imagination to wander, touring distant horizons around the world taking in crystal coves, wispy palms, pink villas, and stunning overlooks in the artist's paintings of these exotic places. Traveling is like an aphrodisiac in Behrens' romance with the sun. During his travels, he has seen the way the ever-changing kaleidoscope of light and shadow changes how a place looks and feels from hour to hour. Often, the artist sits and waits for these moods to present themselves to him. Behrens says the sun has taught him to be patient, to observe, and to play. The artist says his excitement continues to peak as he plans each new trip - whether it's a return to a place he has painted over and over or whether it's a new adventure in a land unknown. Behrens has had over 150 one-man shows from coast-to-coast since becoming a professional artist in 1980. His works have been on the covers of many art publications and he has been the featured subject of numerous magazines and newspapers. After visiting Giverny, France, last year, the artist created a "Tribute to Monet" series that was exhibited at the Embassy of France in Washington, D. C. As an official artist for the 2002 Winter Olympics, Behrens' painting, "In Motion," was featured at the games. The artist's works are owned by numerous, well-known collectors and are in the permanent collections of many museums. The most recent Behrens' collectors are former President George Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush. Behrens and his wife, Judi, travel the world - Italy, Bermuda, Mexico, across America - to many of their favorite places filled with gardens, inns, vistas, and villas. Celebrate romance with Behrens, a poet sculpting paint on canvases that are alive with color, and join him on a romance with the sun that will never end. Though born in Chicago, he is a longtime resident of the Washington, D. C. area. He holds a Bachelors and a Masters Degree in Fine Art from the University of Maryland. The artist's works are published and distributed as limited editions by Behrens International Group, LLC

To visit Howard's Official Website go to:

http://www.howardbehrens.com/default.aspx

Even if you work in DC and love it, you may not want to live in this pricey, condo-dominated area. Your vision for your life may include some green grass and a little distance between where you live and where you work. If you set your sites on the Inner Ring suburbs of DC in Montgomery County, you can have it all.

Montgomery County is home to the three cities of Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Takoma Park, 12 towns including Kensington, Chevy Chase, and Somerset, four villages, including Chevy Chase, Section 3 and Section 5, North Chevy Chase, four Special Tax districts, including Friendship Heights, and dozens of unincorporated areas like Bethesda , Potomac , and Germantown. This mix of entities, each with its own personality, is governed by a County Executive/County Council.

Located north of the District and south of Baltimore, Montgomery County is well connected to the central city with three passenger rail systems, buses, and highways. The county is the 8^th most affluent in the county, with a median household income of $91,440, yet median housing prices are about $100,000 less than in DC.

Don't yet the high income scare you away, though; since the 1970's Montgomery County has actively tried to incorporate affordable housing into the mix with a Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) zoning plan. Developers who include more than a minimum number of MPDU's in their plans are allowed to make their developments more dense. In return for allowing them to build more homes and increase revenues, the neighborhoods are potentially more socioeconomically mixed.

An average home in Montgomery Counts is $397,320, about 17% less than year ago. Homes are on the market for an average of 97 days - more than in the core (80 days) but also more plentiful. The area has a 12.2 month stock of homes as compared to only a 5.5 month stock of homes in the District.

Whether you are a first time homebuyer in hot pursuit of the &8,000 tax credit or a seasoned buyer looking for high end amenities, Montgomery County could be the site of your next home. It's time to talk to Realtor® Courtney Griffiths. She specializes in working with first time buyers and can help you find an affordable home in Potomac or other fine cities in Montgomery County.