Carol Wills

Now's the time to enjoy some great ski skiing, snowshoeing, cross country or ice fishing! Check out the cardboard box derby down Bear Claw Tubing Park - make your own and join in on the fun!

Carol Wills and Sam Housley

There's so much to do this month in Garrett County. Still plenty of snow to ski and board, the tubing park continues to attract just about every age, and there are decisions to be made about whether to go ice fishing or fly fishing. Plus the shops at the lake and in downtown Oakland are bustling with winter sales getting ready for their spring lines.

One of the highlights of March is the 6^th Annual Beachin' Weekend at Wisp Resort, March 21-22, 2009. Break out the swimsuit and flip-flops to really get in the spirit of things! In addition to music and games, one of our favorite events is the Cardboard Box Derby on the slopes of Bear Claw Snow Tubing Park on Saturday, March 21. This wacky cardboard box sled race benefits the Deep Creek Lion's Club blind skier program as well as other local programs. Go to our Community page at http://www.deepcreeklakemd.com/ for more information.

Long & Foster agent, Ed King, Lion's Club member and emcee of the Cardboard Box Derby

Check out our website at http://www.deepcreekresort.com/ for March specials like Rent 2 Nights & Purchase a Multi-Day Lift Ticket and Get the 3^rd Night's stay and 3^rd day lift ticket free! Going ice or fly fishing instead (or shopping, snowshoeing, or whatever you feel)? The Rent 2 Nights & Get the 3^rd Free! Either way you can't lose! Some restrictions apply. Please visit our website or call for details.

Visit our website at http://www.deepcreekresort.com/ for places to shop, dine and snow play. You may just want to live here! Long & Foster Real Estate has some great properties available which I'd love to show you!

Register Now for Boating Courses

Deep Creek Lake is so much fun in the summer as well as the winter! Boating on the lake is an enjoyable experience for the whole family especially when you are comfortable with the Maryland boating safety laws. Maryland requires that all persons born on or after July 1, 1972, must have in their possession a certificate of boating safety education to operate a numbered or documented vessel (including personal watercraft) legally on Maryland's public waters. Those under 16 years of age may not operate a personal watercraft (PWC) under any conditions. The Maryland Natural Resources Police Safety Education Division suggests that boaters attend a Maryland basic boating class. There are several ways to obtain a certificate. Garrett College offers a one-day Maryland Basic Boating Course from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm on May 16, June 13 & 27, July 11, and August 1 & 22. The cost is $30 for Garrett County residents, $33 for other Maryland residents and $36 for other state residents. Maryland seniors over 60 are free. Preregistration is required by calling 301.387.3069. Basic courses may also be taken online at your leisure. The cost of the online course is $24.50, but only after you have passed the exam! Visit the Department of Natural Resources website at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/safety/basiccourse.html. The Maryland Natural Resources Police Safety Education Division has also created the Maryland Basic Boating Equivalency Examination. The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions designed to measure comprehension in regard to information contained in the textbook. A score of 80% is required to pass the examination. Failure to pass the examination after two attempts will require a student to attend a Boating Safety Education class in order to obtain the Certificate of Boating Safety Education. Visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/safety/basicexam.html for more information.

Boaters may obtain a copy of the Boat Maryland textbook, the textbook used in all boating safety classes, by contacting (410) 643-8502. After studying the material contained in the textbook, please contact the appropriate person from the information below to schedule a date and time to take the exam.

Boating safety is everyone's responsibility!

Your Peace of Mind

In addition to finding you the best retreat to fit your personal lifestyle, our goal at Long & Foster is to bring you the total home ownership experience. We've been in the business of buying and selling homes for over 40 years and have built a reputation on understanding the needs of our clients and customers. It's one of the reasons why Long & Foster REALTORS ®, the largest privately owned real estate firm in America, is ranked as the top independently owned company for 2008 and is consistently ranked as one of the top five real estate agencies in the U.S. It's no surprise that we are also number one in volume in western Maryland.

We provide services that go beyond the exchange of real estate. We can help with your mortgage, title, and insurance with on-premise professionals from Prosperity Mortgage, RGS Title LLC and independent agents through Long & Foster Insurance. Our resort rental management office will assess your home and provide you with income projections if you plan to put your home in Long & Foster's Resort Rental program.

We want to make every part of your buying and selling experience as simple as possible. Our website offers up-to-date listings of all properties in Garrett County, western Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Please visit our website at http://www.deepcreeklakemd.com/.

Simply put, Long & Foster REALTORS^® offer you a total buying and selling experience that no one else in our area can deliver. With the strength of the Long & Foster brand and our in-house services, we hope to provide you with the peace of mind and confidence you are looking for in a real estate company.

This Month's Recipe:

Beer Braised Corn Beef with Red Potatoes & Carrots

1 (3-pound) corned beef brisket

4 garlic cloves, smashed

2 large shallots, peeled and halved

2 tablespoons pickling spice

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

2 (12-ounce) bottles beer (not light)

1/2 cup Irish whiskey

6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

6 red potatoes, cut into 2-inch dice

4 sprigs fresh dill

Kale leaves, for plating

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Put the corned beef into a large roasting pan (preferably with a lid). Add the garlic, shallots, pickling spice, caraway seeds, beer and whiskey. Cover and place in the oven. Braise 3 hours, turning the meat once. At the end of the 3 hours, add the carrots, potatoes and dill. Cover again and place back in the oven for an additional 2 hours. Remove from the oven. Line a platter with kale leaves, place the corned beef in the center and mound the carrots and potatoes around it. Serve immediately.

Our new Silver Ridge project is off to a start and over the next few weeks you will see some nice changes. These Craftman Stlye homes are being offered at an extraordinary price and are an extraordinary value! With approx. 2,400 sq.ft., 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, these are Single Family homes with the grounds being Condo. This way you have the best of both worlds. The developers were smart in their design and know the value of not having to do yard work , so that you can play more often. We will be holding 3 homes open this weekend, February 21st from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. So stop in and say hello to Sam Housley. He is never to busy to talk with you. We are excited to offer this community to you!

This is truly luxury living at its best and all surrounded by natures beauty and Deep Creek Lake.
This Hotel condominium offers a refreshingly different lifestyle for today's homeowner. From the moment you step into the main lobby you will know this is something special. The expansive lobby is warm and inviting with its wood-beamed cathedral ceilings, handsome leather furnishings and 3 massive stone fireplaces.
Walk around and you will discover little tuck aways where you can kick back and relax. All the units have been professionally decorated with high end furnishings and accessories. The units are well designed for today's lifestyle.You will feel pampered with no lawns to mow and daily maid service. This is one stop living at its finest with an on site restaurant, fitness center and marina.
You can bring your own boat and take advantage of the one year boat valet service or you can rent a boat. This complex was recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the finest places to stay at Deep Creek Lake. With the White Water Course, Adventure Sports Center, Lakeside Club, golf, Fort Run and the expansion of the Wisp Resort you have an all season play ground at your finger tips.

Unit 313A is now being offered for sale. Offered for $299,000. This unit sleeps up to 6 and is a Studio with a Loft. It has wonderful lake views and we feel it is the best priced unit on the market. Please let us know if you would like additional photos of this home.

Long & Foster, Resort Seminars 2009, will be starting soon!!

With Spring right around the corner, our Resort Seminars at Long and Foster, Deep Creek Lake, will be starting once again. They were a hugh succes last year and we actually had buyers that attended, buy second homes.

We cover topics such as Rental Income Opportunities, Different Types of Ownership, Market Updates and we have a question and answer session. We will have a schedule out soon. These seminars are hosted by many of the agents in our office. Sam and I will let you know when we are hosting a seminar, as soon as our schedules are released.

In the meantime if you would like us to send you some brochures or have questions, give us a call or send us an email. We welcome the opportunity to be of help.

Carol Wills and Sam Housley