Cara Pearlman

By composting you will create an environment where microscopic organisms will break down the Carbon Rich "Brown" materials as well as Nitrogen Rich "Green" materials. The combination of exposure to air and water will cause the materials to decompose thus creating nutrient rich compost perfect for maintaining your lawn and/or garden.

THE PROCESS IS EASY!!

1. Select a location. Some of the key elements your compost location should have include:

• • Easy access to kitchen and Garden
  • Out of plain sight (You don't want your big brown pile to be the center of attention in your yard)
  • Must drain well
  • Can be in shade or direct sun light

1. Assuming you will not being using a bin - start your pile on the bare ground. This will allow worms and other compost friendly organisms to aerate the compost.
2. Lay twigs or Straw down first (preferably a few inches deep)
3. Add compost materials in layers - make sure to alternate one layer of dry waste with one layer of moist waste.
4. Add a Nitrogen Source (see list above OR use green manure).
5. Water the Compost Pile on occasion or rely on nature to run its course (rain). Be careful not to over water as it might bring down the temperature of the pile. The contents of the Compost pile should feel like a moist sponge not a soaking wet one.
6. Cover with a piece of plywood or plastic sheeting. This will help retain moisture and heat (two items necessary for the compost materials to break down).
7. Turn the pile every few weeks. OXYGEN is necessary.

In two months you should have finished the compost and with in 6-12 months when the contents are unrecognizable you can use the compost material for your yard work. Just in time for late spring gardening!

Other Composting Alternatives to a a big brown pile:

Enclosed bins

Semi-enclosed bins (Montgomery County provides the bins for free)

Drum or Tumbler system (most efficient for composting)

MISCELLANEOUS COMPOST FACTS:

• Don't be scared of steam rising from the pile (that's what it is supposed to do)

• Water the pile only during extended dry periods.

• Composts should not smell - if there is any scent it should be an "earthy" one

• Keep food scraps out otherwise you will end up with rodents or other pesky pests

READY TO GET STARTED - CONTACT YOUR COUNTY'S DIVISION OF SOLID WASTE...

They might offer a starter kit like Montgomery County, MD which actually offers free bins that are easy to put together.

**For Kensington residents the closest location to pick up the kit for the compost bin is in Wheaton and the address is listed below:

Midcounty Services Center
2424 Reedie Dr
Wheaton, MD 20902
240-777-8100, TDD: 240-777-8112
midcty.citizen@montgomerycountymd.gov

I have shown over 500 houses since I became a real estate agent with Long and Foster. For every 5 houses I see I notice compost piles in the back yards of these homes. I even had one in my own back yard when I purchased my house in the Parkwood neighborhood in Kensington, MD.

I had a landscaping company remove mine actually as I was unsure of what to do with it and scared that my dog would end up snooping around in it. I always thought it was for biodegradable waste and had no desire to have my puggle puppy bringing in rotten banana peels back in our cozy Cape Cod.

Recently, I received a mailer from the Montgomery County Division of Waste Services on Friday that offered some basic guidelines for composting and thought it was worth while to share.

Before you build your first compost pile, I think it is important to understand what exactly it is and the basic premise behind how it works. I have broken it down into a two part blog feature.

PART I - Define composting and the items that can go in your new compost.

WHAT IS A COMPOST PILE?

It is made from yard clippings, leaves and kitchen waste. It can be used as mulch and soil fertilizer.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF COMPOSTING?

1. Reduces your contribution to the waste stream by re-using yard and kitchen waste. SOME SOURCES SAY UP TO 30% of household waste can be diverted from the trash can to your COMPOST.
2. Improves the soil in your lawn - adds nutrients and helps clay soil drain better and sandy soil retain water.
3. Reduces the need for commercial fertilizer and it's free!
4. IT'S GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

TWO TYPES OF COMPOSTING MATERIALS

In my research, I have come across the two different types of compost material. Each one serves a different purpose. The ideal compost pile is a mix of the two: Carbon Rich "Brown" materials and Nitrogen Rich "Green" materials. The ratio should be one part Green to two part Brown. Brown materials maybe composted alone but Green may not. Too much green material can result in a "stinky pile."

CARBON RICH MATERIALS

Dry leaves

Shrub Pruning's

Straw or Hay

Pine Needles

Wood Ash

Newspaper

Shredded Paper

Cardboard

Corn Cobs

Dryer Lint

Sawdust

Wood Chips

NITROGEN RICH MATERIALS

Grass/ Green Clippings

Old Annuals

Lawn and garden weeds

Green Leaves

Flowers chopped up

Seaweed and Kelp

Coffee Grounds

Tea Leaves

Fruit and Vegetable waste

MATERIALS THAT SHOULD NOT BE USED IN YOUR COMPOST (but one would think that they could).

Meat

Bones

Fish Scraps

Perennial weeds

Diseased Plants

Pet Manures (only for composts that will be used on food crops)

Rinds or Peels of fruit that may have pesticide or herbicide residue

Oils

Part II will highlight the "mechanics" behind a compost and how to set one up yourself.

Another month and the overall number of available Single Family homes in Montgomery County is down 6.3% from last year this time. Though this is discouraging to many buyers...especially those that are trying to settle by November 30^th to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit, the good news is that there has been an increase in the number of homes going under contract (37.8%) as well as those that are settling (6.9 %).

This is great news for Sellers! Inventory is at a historic low as well as interest rates. This creates more demand than ever for your home. There are more buyers in the lower Montgomery County market than there are homes to buy! Shockingly, I have seen good homes staged and priced well sell in 2 days!!!

Existing home sales are on the upward trend across the county with a 9.4% increase from September 2008 and specifically here in Montgomery County we are above the National average (up 11.8% from last year). With a solid economy in our area, new job projections, limited inventory and favorable buying incentives like low interest rates and a tax credit, if you are contemplating selling your home, NOW IS THE TIME!!

**All stats are according to NAR (National Association of Realtors) and GCAAR (Greater Capitol Area Association of Realtors).

To more information: View GCAAR's report for Montgomery County Single Family Statistics

Well the good news is that we finally have word from our corporate client that they have scheduled the personal property eviction for November 14^th. This event is what we at the Rozansky Realty Group have been waiting more than 6 months for and unfortunately for the Seller the property values in this particular subdivision have decreased even more over this period of time.

Four years ago, when these homes were originally built they sold for over $1.8 million. Currently there are a few listings available in the immediate area listed from $1.3 million to $1.4 million.

Four years from now, I would expect the market value or these homes to higher, so I decided to take a personal tour (and wanted to see how it looked after sitting empty for so long). I was out running errands with my husband and we were in the area so we decided to go in together. Pleasantly surprised by the space and condition my husband was entranced by the property - working his brain to determine how we could submit a low offer (as every one else thinks you do with foreclosures) and buy this HUGE house (almost 7000 sq ft on three levels).

As I saw the wheels turning in his head I got caught up in his frenzy...it was beautiful and it could be a great deal...BUT then caught myself getting caught up and realized that for several reasons this what not an option and we both needed to float back down to the real world:

1. We can't afford a million dollar house let alone one around 1,200,000- 1,400,000...
2. We just got married in February of 2009 and have no immediate plans for children. We have an adorable puppy, but otherwise have no need for 5 out of the 6 bedrooms!
3. We don't have furniture to fill 7000 sq ft of living space (let alone half that much).
4. We probably couldn't afford the utility bills let alone the TAXES - which need to be appealed (House was assessed this year for $1,741,750 and annual property taxes are approximately $18,000).

So obviously I won't be buying it but what about you? After seeing it, I'm convinced that it is a great opportunity for the right buyer.

We should have a list price mid to end November. I will post the list price once we get it, but feel free to contact me cara.pearlman@gmail.com if you have any questions in the interim.

On June 25^th I listed 10008 Sorrel Ave, Potomac, MD 20854. We were originally listed at 1,099,900 - which I must disclose that both the sellers as well as I felt was a very fair price. The house needed some updating but overall showed very well and the sellers made it very accessible for buyers to see. 

We were listed for 3 weeks and had on average 12 showings each week but NO OFFERS. I had numerous other agents that work a lot in this particular market of Potomac Village. We reduced it $50,000 and low and behold ...we had lots of calls for property disclosures and offers were registered.

Now - there are two items I find extremely interesting thing about this situation:

•1.       We were on the market for almost 40 days before we received one offer...but once we received one offer all of this major interest came forward. Rather than buyers being turned off by the multiple offers it seemed to make them more interested in it! We ended up with 8 offers just a few days later!

•2.       ALL OF THE OFFERS WERE between 950,000 and 980,000. There were no recent comps to support this price - if there were then it would all make more sense.

My clients, as with almost all Sellers, felt that their home was worth over a million dollars but at minimum they stated after the initial offer came in that they would not take a dime less than one million. I fought tooth and nail to get them "their number".

We countered one offer and the Buyers wanted to wait a week to see what else came on the market so we withdrew our counter...we countered another offer and the buyers disappeared for 48 hours. Their agent couldn't even find them so we withdrew that counter as well.  

Finally - the Buyers from the initial contract we countered came back and submitted an offer that was less than a million but my clients were so nervous about losing out again that they accepted this time as the rest of the terms were appealing enough.

As fate would have it - once we were completely ratified... I received two phone calls from two different agents stating that each of their clients wanted to buy my listing on Sorrel so desperately that they would pay at least 1 million! Unfortunately at that point it was too late.

 We settled last week and everyone walked away happy...except the Buyers that didn't buy the house of course!  Subsequently - no new homes have come up in the same price range in the Potomac Village area.