Sandy Spring, MD

Sandy Spring Maryland is located just east of Olney. The town center is located on route 108 a few miles past the intersection with Dr. Bird Road. Sandy Spring doesn't have much of a town center, it is city close but country quiet.

Sandy Spring has a storied history that includes a prominent place in the "Underground railroad" used by slaves moving north during the 1860's. Information about the history can be found at the Sandy Spring Museum. There is also information abut the "Underground Railroad" available at the Woodlawn Manor Museum, also located in Sandy Spring. The area has several neighborhood developments and remains high on the list of those moving to the DC area while seeking the comforts of a community lifestyle not found closer to the city.

Sandy Spring Meadow is a beautiful community located off Route 108 in Sandy Spring, Maryland within a short distance from Olney, Ashton, Cloverly, White Oak and Silver Spring. The 52 unit community consists of 25 townhouses and 30 single family homes. All town homes have two bedrooms and a bath, and family homes have three or four bedrooms with 1.5 to 2 baths. The homes are spacious with wall-to-wall carpeting and washer and dryer. Ashton Manor, Ashley Manor, Ashton Preserve, Ednor Highlands, Ednor Woods, Olney Estates, Sam Rice Manor, Timberland Estates and Quail Hill are other communities located in and around Sandy Spring Maryland. All of these neighborhoods feature beautifully designed single family homes.

Location and schools...schools and location; these are two large motivating factors when people are choosing a neighborhood. Sandy Spring may be a quiet community, but it does offer easy access to Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Columbia MD and Bethesda and Rockville MD as well. The new inter-county connector has access points within minutes of Sandy Spring.

Sandy Spring is home to the Sherwood High School Warriors. Friday nights in the fall find packed bleachers for the home football games. Sherwood High School is truly a community centerpiece. Their annual musical "Rock n' Roll Revival" has been sold out annually for 40 years.

If you would prefer to avail yourself of the private schools, Our Lady of Good Counsel is right down the road on route 108. Sandy Spring Friends School is also nearby.

Sandy Spring offers location and education.

Sandy Spring Maryland is also just minutes away from one of the county's longest running summer stock programs. The Olney Theatre has been a landmark for years. I remember visiting there with my father back when Father Hartke from nearby Catholic University was involved with the theater. In addition to the summer stock, the theater offers shows year round.

Patrons usually follow up the evening with dinner at the Olney Ale House or one of the fine dining establishments located in the Fair Hill area.

Speaking of food, Sandy Spring is located close to the full range of culinary delights. The downtown area has Urban Barbeque and delightful den of sinfully good pastries located at the French Confection. The shopping center just to the east of town has Dempseys and El Andariego. Dempseys will take you back to the days when neighbors met for coffee and breakfast and shared local news and gossip. El Andariego will delight the palate of anyone seeking true Mexican or Salvadoran cuisine.

Other choices with in reasonable driving distance include Lee's Kitchen Chinese Restaurant, Rays the Classics, the Mannequin Pis and Ricciutis. There is really good food nearby.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the recreational areas located near Sandy Spring. The Triadelphia Lake and Reservoir are close by. The area is a magnet for those that enjoy a day with nature. Amateur photographers, artists, wild life enthusiast, boaters and those just wanting to get away for a day find this area a Godsend.

If you enjoy a day on the links, there are courses that meet every ones skill level. Hampshire Greens is just down the road, Northwest Park is just around the corner, Blue Mash and Laytonsville and Lake Needwood are just minutes away. The Olney Golf Park is over on Georgia Avenue and offers a full pro shop as well as a heated and lit driving range. Courses within an hours drive include Whiskey Creek and PB Dye. The fact that Montgomery County is a golfer's paradise is well known.

Sandy Spring Maryland is that rare place that combines the best of yesterday with the nuances of today. If you would like to find out more about the community or nearby areas, I work and live here and would love to share the information with you. You can use CONTACT ME or phone me at 301-509-5111

About the Author: Mr. MacArthur won the JD Power Award for customer service in 2011. Re/Max Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger offered congratulations saying "It truly reflects your professional excellence, your enthusiasm for education, your commitment to distressed sellers, your individual drive and many other qualities that serve the interests of your clients. Your effort to change lives and those people have spoken." Mr. MacArthur is licensed in the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors and the Maryland Association of Realtors. His broker is Remax Realty Centre located in Olney, Maryland. Dave Stevens, the former Assistant Secretary-FHA Commissioner shared "John is a true real estate professional who combines passion, integrity, and deep knowledge of real estate to produce outstanding results."

John MacArthur receives J.D. Power Award for customer satisfaction

RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger offered congratulations saying "It truly reflects your professional excellence, your enthusiasm for education, your commitment to distressed sellers, your individual drive, and many other qualities that serve the interests of your clients. Your efforts change lives, and those people have spoken."

Home buyers and home sellers used a 1,000-point scale. Consumers used the following categories:

• Overall satisfaction
• Agent/Salesperson professionalism
• Variety of additional services
• Real estate office
• Real estate company marketing (seller survey only)

This is a market report for garden apartment in the senior citizen community of Rossmoor in Silver Spring, Md. 20906. At the time of this report (7/2/2011) there is a total of 28 such homes on the market FOR SALE, five under contract, and another 4 that have sold in the last 30 days.

One Bedroom

Four of those for sale are one bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 800 to 946 sq ft. The current list price of these homes range from $61,000 to $80,000; with days on the market ranging from just over two months (62 days) to very near a year (351 days) with the average being just short of seven months (200 days).

Currently there is only one home of this configuration under contract, with the last known list price being $63,000 and days on market being near 15 months (451 days).

There have been no such configured apartments successfully sold in the last 30 days.

Two Bedrooms

There are 16, two bedroom garden apartments on the market for sale in the Rossmoor community at this time. These homes are currently listed from $87,000 to $229,000; with the average being $128,891. The days on market range from short of two weeks (10 days) to near 15 months (451 days), with the average being a little over 4 months (139 days).

Currently there are four two bedroom garden condo apartments under contract in the community of Rossmoor. These homes were last listed for $89,528 to $$199,000; with the average being $142,507. The days are market for this set of homes ranged from slightly over a month (39 days) to just over five months (159 days), with the average being just over three months (96 days).

In the last 30 days, four two bedroom garden apartment condos have gone to closing in the community of Rossmoor. The closing prices have ranged from $90,000 to $297,000; with the median price being $94,950. The days on market ranged from two weeks (14 days) to just about ten months (303 days), with the average being nearly four months (118 days).

Three Bedrooms

Eight of the condo garden apartments for sale in the community of Rossmoor are three bedroom homes. These homes are listed from $112,900 to $325,000; with the average being $168,275. The days on market range from less than a week (4 days) to near nine months (269 days), with the average being slightly over two months (69 days).

There are no apartments of this configuration in this community of Rossmoor under contract and none have sold in the last 30 days.

If you have any questions about this report, please call me or send me an email.

Sandy Spring Museum Invites You to Meet New Friends, Share Good Times and Help the Local Community!

You are Invited...
to Volunteer at the Sandy Spring Museum
17901 Bentley Road
Sandy Spring, MD 20860
Phone 301-774-0022

Library Helpers
Special Events
Art Committee
General Volunteers
School Groups
Docents
Retail Shop
Garden Club

Check out their website at:
www.sandyspringmuseum.org

First-time home buyers have lots of hurdles to climb during the transaction that is considered the most expensive purchase you will ever make. I'm talking about buying your first home. The hurdles, though, can be overcome relatively easily by having a trained professional on your side and by knowing what's in store. To that end, here is Step 3 in "Nine Steps to Buying a Home." It is my hope that you will find valuable information in this series that will help you not only negotiate the real estate sea on which you currently find yourself but also that you will be clearer about what to expect from here.

Step 3: You'd Better Shop Around

As in many things, not all home loans are created equally. As a result, when you are ready to get pre-qualified (which we highly recommend), it will be necessary to do even more homework in shopping for the best home loan for your needs and situation.

There are different types of loans:

• Fixed Rate Mortgage - the interest rate is locked in and will not change during the life of the loan no matter the changes in current market conditions.
• Adjustable Rate Mortgage - the interest rate can increase or decrease based on current market conditions.
• FHA loan - a fixed rate mortgage loan for first-time home buyers and people with moderate to low income; guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration; lower down payment amount (typically 3%); typically a lower interest rate.
• VA loan - specifically for active military servicemen and women or their surviving spouse; typically little or no down payment required
• Balloon Mortgage - the term of the loan is typically between 5 - 7 years; at the end of the loan term, balance must be paid in full
• Interest Only Mortgage - pay only the interest on the loan for a set amount of time; once the interest only period ends, payments increase to include repaying the principle.

There are lots of variations as well as differences based on the interest rate you qualify for. When you are ready to pursue a loan, let me know and I can recommend loan officers who are good at finding the perfect loan for your needs.

Next week, we'll talk about Home Buying Options!

Emcee Arah
RE/MAX Excellence Realtor with Architectural Dimension
Serving all your Real Estate needs in MD, VA & Wash., DC