Karen Y. Copeland, M.S., Associate Broker

Don't be fooled by the beauty of the seemingly quiet Westchester at Contee Crossing Apartment complex. While the apartments are aesthetically pleasing to the eye the upkeep for the inside hallways leaves much to be desired. The cleaning crew can be seen "spot" cleaning the ceramic tile flooring every 2 months or so. Only when a complaint is made will they come out and really clean. Further, once you've made a complaint the management team does nothing and I repeat "NOTHING" to remedy the problem. We once found a used condom in the stairwell and reported it to the office. One week later the condom was still there. I went to the office and had one of the leasing representatives come with me to the stairwell where I showed them the USED condom. I was told it would be cleaned up immediately. Immediately in this complex means 3-5 days later. Also, when you sign your lease it's extremely clear what you can and cannot do on the property. However, some residents are allotted apparent preferential treatment and can do whatever they like. The majority of the residents are considerate but there are a few that aren't. Again, if you complain to management NOTHING will be done. We have been plagued with noise outside of bedroom windows in the summer months by some inconsiderate residents. You expect some noise because the weather is nice, however, after 10:00 p.m. the noise should cease. Unfortunately, there are some residents that either can't read or just don't care. I have personally witnessed people shooting cramps on the sidewalk at 3:00 a.m., men sitting on the retaining wall drinking beer, talking loudly at 1:30 a.m. You can call the police who will respond but the residents will disburse only to return once the police have left. There are residents who are in direct violation of their lease when it comes to cleaning up waste from their dog. I complained about it and management told the resident it was me that complained and it resulted in an altercation with that resident in the breeze way. Many times management was alerted to these issues and others and their response was "we can't correct things unless we are made aware". Once made aware management AGAIN does nothing to correct the problem...rather they add to it. The apartment complex is roughly at 50% capacity. It appears that as fast as leasing gets a new tenant another tenant is leaving of their own accord or they are being evicted. I haven't met a single person that has renewed their lease. I have however met quite a few residents that have also made complaints to management and now realize that it's futile. While I know it's wrong to stop paying your rent I can honestly say that I understand such drastic measures in dealing with Westchester at Contee Crossing. Management is extremely lazy. Most days the community manager can be found outside of the leasing office smoking in the garage. You can bring your issues to the leasing office but understand that NOTHING will be done to alleviate the issue. I am speaking from my own personal experience. I went over the head of the community manager (smoker in garage) to the operations manager because of the noise coming from the apartment below us. I sent two letters to this individual with no response until I sent the same two letters to her supervisor. She responded to my letters at this time but did NOTHING to address my issues with the apartment. Instead she spent most of her time explaining to me in an email that I can't break my lease. Westchester will be all smiles to get you to sign the lease for the "luxury" apartment...remember the condom in the stairwell? The community manager did listen to my concerns and actually appeared to care and want to assist. However, she lied to my face after my fourth letter regarding the same issue. My frustration level is off the charts! Too bad for me as I've signed a lease for one year and there's not much I can do about it. I have consulted with an Attorney who did advise that I am entitled to the covenant of quiet enjoyment...which I have constantly reminded management to no avail. I feel like my hands are tied and I'm royally SCREWED. Think long and hard before signing a lease with Westchester at Contee Crossing.

Many families relocating to Patuxent Naval Air Base like the convenience of living on base while others like the opportunity to become part of a local community and school system. If you are considering purchasing a home in your next relocation be sure you start the process with a knowledgeable Realtor and Lender in the area.

You want to interview Realtors that are familiar with military relocation and you want to deal with an agent that is full-time. Given the time constraints most relocated families face "Time is of the Essence." Ask for references from the prospective Realtor to talk to other military persons about their experience with them.

If you decide to purchase and you want to use your VA benefits to secure a loan you need to know that the maximum "insured" loan amount with no down payment is $417,000 NOT including the VA funding fee. You can secure an "insured" loan of $450,000 with a 5% down payment. For more information about the VA funding fee and/or your benefits please visit http://www.va.gov/.

Make sure you do you own homework - don't rely totally on the Realtor or Lender. You want to ensure that the real estate market is positive in the area you are considering. Are the market values on the rise, decline or are they stable. Your Realtor can run reports for you to review and ask questions to get a better understanding of the market.

Please feel free to visit my website at www.kcsellshomes.com. You can contact me via email kyc@mris.com or by telephone at 240-765-1339 if you have specific questions I can assist you with. I look forward to hearing from you.

Eligible for the benefit are those with specific service-connected disabilities entitling them to VA compensation for a "permanent and total disability." They may receive a grant to construct an adapted home or to modify an existing one to meet their special needs.

VA has three types of adapted housing grants available. The Specially Adapted Housing grant (SAH), currently limited to $50,000, is generally used to create a wheelchair-accessible home for those who may require such assistance for activities of daily living.

VA's Home Loan Guaranty program and the Native American Direct Loan program may also be used with the SAH benefit to purchase an adaptive home.

The Special Housing Adaptations (SHA) grant, currently limited to $10,000, is generally used to assist veterans with mobility throughout their homes due to blindness in both eyes, or the anatomical loss or loss of use of both hands or extremities below the elbow.

A third type established by the new law, the Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant, is available to eligible veterans and seriously injured active duty service members who are temporarily living or intend to temporarily live in a home owned by a family member.

While the SAH and SHA grants require ownership and title to a house, in creating TRA Congress recognized the need to allow veterans and active duty members who may not yet own homes to have access to the adaptive housing grant program.

Under TRA, veterans and service members eligible under the SAH program would be permitted to use up to $14,000, and those eligible under the SHA program would be allowed to use up to $2,000 of the maximum grant amounts. Each grant would count as one of the three grants allowed under the new program.

"The goal of all three grant programs is to provide a barrier-free living environment that offers the country's most severely injured veterans or service members a level of independent living," added Peake.

Other VA adaptive housing benefits are currently available through Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service's "Independent Living" program, the Insurance Service's Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance program, and the Veterans Health Administration's Home Improvement and Structural Alterations grant.

For more information about grants and other adaptive housing programs, contact a local VA regional office at 1-800-827-1000 or local veteran service organization. Additional program information and grant applications (VAF-26-4555) can be found at http://www.homeloans.va.gov/sah.htm.

Military families relocating to Patuxent Naval Air Base interested in purchasing a home in Saint Mary's county please give me a call. I am at your service. I can be reached via email at kyc@mris.com or my telephone at 240-765-1339. I look forward to talking with you and showing you all that Saint Mary's county has to offer.