Eight or so years ago, a few stink bugs found their way from someplace in their native Asia to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Now they are reproducing like mad and are finding their way into homes in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. They've also been reported in Oregon.
They are ugly little guys, and they are hard to get rid of. They have no predators here, and if a bird, bat or some other bug-eating creature tries to make a meal out of one, well, they let out a nasty rancid almond smell that is totally unappetizing.
If you have them in your house and you try to swat them, yes, they emit a nasty odor that makes you hesitate to swat their buddies when you meet up.
It's a problem this time of year because they like to come inside to get away from the cold. Once they start nesting in your house, it could get, well, stinky.
The experts do not recommend pesticides until they can figure out what to use and when to use it for effectiveness. So what's a squeamish homeowner to do with these unwelcome visitors? They suggest vacuuming them up (be sure you use a vacuum cleaner with a bag) and take the whole thing outside to empty it out.
You can help keep them outside by going nuts with a caulk gun and putting weatherstripping all over the place - covering cracks that they can crawl through. They also find their ways in through attic vents.
We're seeing some in northern Montgomery County, and I'm hoping they find some way to stop the spread to points south, like my back yard!
I didn't have an Open House scheduled for Sunday. And I got most of my to do list for the next few days checked off in time for my Saturday night 
date, including writin the Week in Review and getting it posted as a draft. So when the urge to see an ocean struck my sweetie and I during dinner, we decided a quick trip to the Atlantic was in order.
After a cloudy Saturday, Sunday so Sunday morning, we climbed into his Boxster and headed east with the top down.
The ride to the beach takes you across the Bay Bridge and on through Easton, MD, and then south and east to Ocean City. We passed this country church just outside of Easton.
And we arrived early afternoon.
Somewhere in the middle of the Bay Bridge, I realized that I'd forgotten to bring my laptop and we might not get home in time to post the Week in Review. So I pulled out my I-Phone, and just before the battery crapped out, I managed to change it from draft to Members Only! Long Live Technology!
Of course, it's off season, although since it's a 3-day weekend, there were a fair number of people there.
There was this guy trying to catch a few fish.
And during our walk down the beach, we saw a bunch of gulls who were trying to catch a whole school of fish.
Then there were a bunch of great kites in front of a great kite store on the boardwalk.
The kite store also sold butterfly chairs and happy birds.
Then we had a dinner of steamer clams and lobster at a place in Rehobeth called "Claws", put the top up and drove home.
OK, it's not like Jon Zolsky who can walk out his front door in Daytona Beach and see ocean. But it's nice to know that if we have an urge to see surf, that even though it's not a couple of minutes away, it is just a couple of hours away.
Chevy Chase isn’t just a goofy guy who used to be on Saturday Night Live. In the early 1900’s it became one of Washington’s early street car communities.
Many of the early homes were built from kits purchased from Sears Roebuck and transported on trolley flat cars. The contractor would load everything from the flat bed to a wagon and then to the building lot.
There are also many of the Washington area cliché houses in Chevy Chase, center hall brick colonials. These came later, typically in the 1930’s.
The architecture in Chevy Chase is pretty eclectic. There are homes in all sizes and shapes and styles, and while many have been added onto and renovated, others are close to their original condition. This can make it pretty interested when we do a competitive market analysis for a client.
There are currently 38 homes for sale in Chevy Chase, with prices ranging from a lot of $598,000 to a high of $1,895,000. To see these listings, you may click here.
While the trolley are now in a museum, Chevy Chase does have a Metro stop at the Friendship Heights station. The neighborhood public schools have a good reputation, and from most of the neighborhood, it's an easy walk to restaurants shopping, and the Avalon Theater. So, if you are thinking about a move to Washington, Chevy Chase might be a good neighborhood to consider.
© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certianly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment. The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.
© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certianly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment. The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.
Pat Kennedy, author of "The Irreverent Guide to Real Estate", has been selling homes in the Washington, DC area for over 25 years. She's licensed in DC, Maryland & Virginia
Washington, DC is the seat of government for the United States, and most visitors see the White House, the Supreme Court and the Capitol. But in these days with heightened security, it's usually just the outsides of these buildings from a tour bus!
They may also see a lot of the monuments, those to Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson.
And they often miss my Washington and that of the half-million people who make our nation's capital their homes.
Some of us work for the government, some for law firms that practice before various federal agencies, others are teachers, fire fighters and real estate agents!
Our neighborhoods are full of history! There are houses where presidents slept or died. Sometimes a tour of a newly listed home will include the rooms that were used to hide escaping slaves along the Underground Railroad.
Like visitors to Washington, the locals visit the fabulous museums and galleries. We also know where to find the work of talented local artists.
Visitors often enjoy productions at the National Theater and Kennedy Center. We also support local groups, including Wooley Mammoth, Arena Stage, The Studio Theater, and other theaters that have made Washington second only to New York as a provider of paying jobs to stage actors!
And the by-product of any serious unrest anywhere in the world is often a group of immigrants who come to open fabulous restaurants serving their local cuisine!
On the Washington, DC "Home Page" for Active Rain, I have begun a series I'm calling My Secret Washington. I've also posted photos and information about our neighborhoods, restaurants, the Zoo, and other things I hope you will find useful.
And, here is Washington, they throw a huge fireworks demonstration on the Mall at the drop of a hat - not just the 4th of July!
With our energetic new mayor, Adrian Fenty, the city is becoming more that a fun place to visit - it's becoming a wonderful place to live!
Whether your thing is a luxury condo overlooking the Potomac River or a house in horse country in Virginia or Maryland, you'll be able to find the perfect place!
In Washington, DC and its close-in suburbs, we have gone from a white-hot real estate market to one that is balanced. It's a great time to buy - there are fewer bidding wars, and you don't have to offer sellers your first-born child to have your offer accepted. And, it's a good time to sell, because while the market has slowed, prices in most neighborhoods have not substantially fallen.
As you head out into some of the suburban markets, prices have softened, and there are some wonderful opportunities for buyers. Not only are bidding wars extremely rare, but the sellers will usually be really glad to see someone interested in their property, and there is a lot of negotiating going on.
People relocating to the nation's capital are often floored by housing prices - yes, I do carry smelling salts in my glove compartment! The prices are balanced out by great employment opportunities and by the fun factor of life in Washington.
Pat Kennedy wrote the book on real estate, The Irreverent Guide to Real Estate.
And she gives a copy to her buyers so they'll know what to expect during the transactions.
Pat gives great advice and makes her points with stories that are often hilarious or occasionally pathetic. And she works to make the process fun - for herself and for her clients.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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