Whether you're relocating to Anne Arundel County for a second career, or trading in your current home for an "active adult" lifestyle, you have many nearby options.
You'll find that Anne Arundel County Rolls out the Red Carpet for Active Adults, and there is no shortage of options. To help narrow down the list and focus on the communities that are right for you, I suggest these five steps:
1. Select a location or area to focus your search. What do you want to be near? Work... friends or family... shopping?
2. Make a list of your "wants" - the features and amenities you would have in your next home and community if price were no object. For example, how many bedrooms and baths? Fireplace? Garage? Community facilities and activities?
3. Separate your "needs" from your "wants" by identifying the features and amenities you can't live without. Focus on "needs" first! Ask yourself, could you live without a third bedroom or fireplace? How important is a community fitness center and pool?
4. Determine your price range based on cash investment up front, monthly mortgage payment, and community fees. Do you plan to sell your home or cash in some investments? What's included in the community fee(s)?
5. What will you do about your current home? Sell it, keep it as an investment to rent out, live in it part time (if you're a "snowbird," for example).
Since I recently listed a beautiful 3-bedroom penthouse condo in the active adult community of Cedar Ridge at Piney Orchard, you can look forward to a future blog with all the details about it. In the meantime, here's a 30-second video about the community:
I just learned about a hearing that's going on right now before Anne Arundel County Council in Annapolis. Even if these bills don't affect you directly, they do affect you indirectly if you own property here.
Bill 66-08 chips away at private property ownership rights in this county, and your property could be next! It takes 50 feet off EVERY property that backs to a park or trail - without any compensation.
Bill 71-08 is a HUGE increase in Impact Fees - those are the fees that builders, developers, (their buyers... maybe you...) and homeowners building an addition to their home pay for County infrastructure improvements. In a down market, when home sellers and owners, plus the entire construction industry in this county, are suffering financially, this is no time to impose new fees.
County residents should contact the office of their council member:
Cathleen M. Vitale - District 5 (Chairman)
Assistant - Diane Jennings
44 Calvert Street, 1st Floor
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 222-1401
Email: cvitale@aacounty.org
Email: d.jennings@aacounty.orgEdward R. Reilly - District 7 (Vice Chairman)
Assistant - Joyce Maloney
44 Calvert Street, 1st Floor
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 222-1401
Email: ereilly@aacounty.org
Email: jmaloney@aacounty.orgDaryl Jones - District 1
Assistant - Linda Harris
44 Calvert Street, 1st Floor
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 222-1401
Email: daryl.jones@aacounty.org
Email: linda.harris@aacounty.orgC. Edward Middlebrooks - District 2
Assistant - Rose Brooks
44 Calvert Street, 1st Floor
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 222-1401
Email: emiddlebrooks@aacounty.org
Email: rbrooks@aacounty.orgRonald C. Dillon - District 3
Assistant - Beth Jones
44 Calvert Street, 1st Floor
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 222-1401
Email: rdillon@aacounty.org
Email: beth.jones@aacounty.orgJames Benoit - District 4
Assistant - Veronica Jagoe
44 Calvert Street, 1st Floor
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 222-1401
Email: james.benoit@aacounty.org
Email: veronica.jagoe@aacounty.orgJoshua J. Cohen - District 6
Assistant - Gail Smith
44 Calvert Street, 1st Floor
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 222-1401
Email: joshua.cohen@aacounty.org
Email: gail.smith@aacounty.org
Please do this tonight or tomorrow. Let your council member know you oppose both of these bills which negatively impact Anne Arundel County private property rights and property values. It's important!
Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
ATTENTION HOME BUYERS!
No need for you to worry about the countless details involved in finding and buying a home in Anne Arundel County, Maryland - It's MY job to handle them on your behalf.
Yet I know you have questions about what to expect, so I created this handy reference guide for you.
When you work with me, the home-buying process boils down to these 3 simple steps:
1. Pre-Purchase Consulting
2. Shopping for your Home
3. Buying your Home.
Are you ready to get started?
1. PRE-PURCHASE CONSULTING
Before we actually go out to look at homes, we'll invest some time together so you feel confident about the entire home-purchase process and your choice of me as your REALTOR®.
2. SHOPPING FOR YOUR HOME
Now that you've decided what you're looking for and what you can afford in a home, we can get started.
3. BUYING YOUR HOME
When you choose a home, I'll represent your best interests in negotiations and follow-up.
Whether you're relocating around the world or just moving across town, I'll handle the details so you don't have to. I consider it a privilege to help you through each of these steps so together we can create a real estate success story for you and your family!
PHOTO: Istockphoto.com
VIDEO: MWoda
3 Simple Steps to Owning a Home in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Copyright 2008. Margaret Woda. All rights reserved.
Elks Camp Barrett, in Crownsville, wil be the site for this year's Parish picnic on September 7.
Be sure to mark your calendar if you're a parishioner at Holy Family in Davidsonville, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Edgewater, or Our Lady of Sorrows in West River.
Mass begins at 11:30, followed by fun for the whole family including the camp's pool, playground, swings, basketball, volleyball, and more.
PHOTO: Istockphoto
Thinking of relocating to Crofton Maryland? Don't get it confused with Crofton Kentucky, because there's a world of difference!
En route home from Texas last week, my husband and I decided to take a 160-mile detour off our route across Kentucky to visit another Crofton, one of three in the United States (Kentucky, Maryland and Nebraska). Unfortunately, we didn't get there 'til nearly dusk so our photos aren't the greatest, but you'll see Crofton Kentucky and Crofton Maryland have very little in common.
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There's very much of a rural small-town feel to Crofton Kentucky, with a single blinking stop-light. And yet, there are 14 places of worship.
In Crofton Maryland, as you drive into the community you see the Village Green with its shops and professional offices, Crofton Country Club with its large clubhouse, Olympic-size pool and championship golf course that winds through the community, and two of the community's five places of worship - all within a block.
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Crofton Diner is located on Main Street in Crofton Kentucky, one of six dining out options listed on the town's website. A pretty impressive number, I think, for a population that numbered under 1000 people in the 2000 census.
Crofton Maryland's population, by contrast, was over 20,000 in the same census. Sly Horse Tavern, located on Crofton Maryland's Village Green, is one of our dining out options.
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Crofton Kentucky does not have a library, but it has a Post Office and Fire House in the downtown area. There are two schools, Crofton Elementary and Crofton Amish Parochial School.
In Crofton Maryland, we too have a Post Office - plus 3 elementary schools and a middle school. Pictured here is the Crofton (Maryland) Library.
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Other interesting facts:
What about leisure time, you may ask.
The only references to leisure time in Crofton Kentucky on the town's website are a link to Gordon Park - featuring tennis courts, a driving range, picnic pavilions, basketball court and an air-conditioned building - and a link to the announcement about squirrel hunting season, including a place for residents to post photos of their catches.
In case you're interested, the season opens this weekend, August 16, and runs through February 28, except November 8 and 9. (???) There is a daily limit of 6, with a possession limit of 12. The announcement includes a reminder to request permission before hunting on someone else's land and a reminder to always treat a gun as if it were loaded.
There are plenty of squirrels on Crofton Maryland's two golf courses, but no hunting allowed! In addition to golf, there is swimming, fishing, and tennis, as well as several parks and athletic fields. Commercial recreational opportunities include Skate Zone, Capital Raceway, and Crofton Go-Cart Raceway.
Not to mention we're less than a half hour from the Chesapeake Bay and its numerous tributaries for boating, fishing and beaching.
Obviously, I'm partial to Crofton Maryland - that's where I live and work. Yet I'm sure most Crofton Kentucky residents wouldn't trade their town or lifestyle for ours. The world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same things, and if every community and person looked alike.
That being said... I hope you enjoyed this little detour. It was probably the highlight of our drive home to Crofton, Maryland.
If you're curious about Crofton Real Estate - Crofton Kentucky AND Crofton Maryland - be sure to visit www.FocusOnCrofton.com tomorrow, August 15, when I'll show a comparison of what you can buy for $280,000 in the two Croftons.
PHOTOS: Squirrel by Istockphoto; all others by MWoda
Detour to Crofton - Kentucky, not Maryland
Copyright 2008. Margaret Woda. All rights reserved.
Helping Maryland home buyers, sellers and military transferees in the Baltimore/Annapolis/D.C. triangle – specializing in Anne Arundel County and nearby Howard and Prince George's Counties.
When you live in Anne Arundel County, you can play a round of golf in Crofton, attend a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. or a ballgame at Camden Yards in Baltimore, and then go crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis - all in the same day.
Welcome to Anne Arundel County! Whether you are new to the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore - Annapolis triangle or a lifelong resident of this area, I hope you enjoy reading my blogs here on ActiveRain, Localism, and Focus On Crofton.
Topics range from real estate advice for consumers and rookie agents to real estate market studies and information about the local area, plus occasional random items.
For more information about the area, be sure to visit my Area Guide, linking you to communities and local resources, including information to help you plan outings to the monuments, museums and theaters that bring history and the arts to life for area residents and tourists alike.
Maryland home buyers, I will begin by introducing you to the friendly suburban neighborhoods of Crofton and Odenton, rural areas such as beautiful Davidsonville, and charming water-oriented communities near Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay. I will help you explore your financing options and refer you to other real estate professionals including mortgage lenders, home inspectors, and closing attorneys. If you are in the "research stage" for your next home purchase, you may want to search the MLS at your own pace, request a complimentary Relocation Guide, or read the helpful articles in my Homebuyer Guide. When you are ready to make a move, I will be ready to help you. Maryland home sellers will find easy access to recent home sale data on my website, and information in my Homeseller Guide about pricing, preparing your home for showing, creating curb appeal, and marketing your home. Talk to me to find out how the "BRAC Factor" could impact your home sale. A successful home sale involves a lot more than just finding a buyer, and we will work together to achieve your real estate goals. If you are relocating to another area - across town, across country, or anywhere in the world - I will find a well-qualified agent for you at your destination. I have truly enjoyed the privilege of sharing this journey with my clients for many years - through buyers' markets and sellers' markets, inflation and recession, war and peace. I am still passionate about being the best possible advisor and advocate for my clients, from start to finish. Nothing would please me more than the opportunity to create a Real Estate Success Story for you now, whether you are a home buyer, seller or referring agent.
Anne Arundel County and adjacent areas of Howard and Prince George's Counties are the market-areas I serve. Yet, as a native Washingtontonian, I am very familiar with the entire D.C. - Baltimore Metropolitan area. Annapolis (21401, 21403, 21409) Arnold (21012) 
Military transferees to Maryland value my first-hand experience as a Naval Officer's wife when they have questions about services for dependents at local military facilities including Fort Meade, USNA, Andrews AFB and other bases in the Washington Metropolitan area including Bolling AFB and the Pentagon. You will find several links of special interest to military families in my Crofton Area Resource Guide. I've been there, done that - when it comes to military moves -and I'll be happy to help you with everything from buying a home to finding a local hairdresser or babysitter.
Crofton (21114)
Crownsville (21032)
Davidsonville (21035)
Edgewater (21037)
Gambrills (21054)
Millersville (21108)
Odenton (21113)
Severna Park (21146)
For more information, be sure to check out Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Why RE/MAX Vision?
RE/MAX Vision is conveniently located in Crofton, Maryland - about a half hour from Baltimore to the north, Annapolis to the east, and Washington, D.C. to the west. I chose to work with this office for many of the same reasons that you might: Home sellers and buyers experience individualized attention and superior professionalism at this small locally owned RE/MAX office. Yet clients also benefit from the prominent online presence of RE/MAX.com and the market dominance of more than 121,000 outstanding RE/MAX associates in nearly 70,000 offices and 65 countries throughout the world. It would be no exaggeration for me to say, "I love RE/MAX, from it's founder and leader Dave Liniger to the agents I work with every day!" Why Margaret Woda? Margaret Woda is a household name in Anne Arundel County real estate circles, because of my thirty years in this business. But you may be looking for something more tangible, some real qualifications that help differentiate one agent from another in this tough market - evidence that the agent you choose is tech-savvy, as well as experienced in real estate. When it comes to technology, just check out my blogs here on ActiveRain, my website, my highly acclaimed blog, online property fliers posted to several real estate sites, market snapshots, real estate calculators, and single-property websites. You can communicate with me by cell phone, email, AIM, MS Messenger, text or video-conference. If a new innovation comes along, you can count on me to use it in my business, to serve my clients well, to be the best possible adviser and advocate they could find.
If you are comparison-shopping for a Maryland REALTOR based on real estate qualilfications, why not use the same criteria as the Anne Arundel County Association of REALTORS when they chose me as Distinguished Sales Associate of the Year in 1992: Professional Knowledge, Business Success, Industry Leadership, Community Involvement, and Ethical Standards of Practice. Aren't these the same qualities you're looking for in a REALTOR who represents you? I am BOTH tech-savvy AND an experienced real estate professional.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ You can read more about me on my blog, but here are a few of my professional and personal activities, both past* and present: Professional Certifications and Licenses:
REALTOR Industry Leadership:
Community Involvement:
Personal:
Again, please note those marked with an * are past activities. I include them here because I firmly believe in this quote from Miriam Wolfe:
This day is mine. It is unique. No one else in the world has one exactly like it. It is the sum of all my past experiences and and all my future potential.
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You can count on Margaret!
Crofton real estate is synonymous with your name, and I can't imagine working with any other agent. I looked at three homes with you and would have beeen happy with any of them. Then you negotiated a great price and terms for me. Thank you! Carolyn Emanuele
When people ask why I decided to get into real estate, I always tell them I was inspired by my agent. Thank you for being my agent, my mentor and my friend! Latana Garvey
You left no stone unturned to get us results when our previous agent failed, and you were so pleasant to work with. Thank you for the website and all the online marketing you did for our home. Bill and Jo Mafera
You are relentless, and I'm just glad you were on my side! Jim Morrissey
I was faced with a short-sale, and Margaret knew about a program that would save my credit and satisfy the lender. As a result, I was able to buy another home. Debbie Smalle
You helped us buy in a tough seller's market, and you got top dollar for our condo when we relocated. You're the best! Ben and Jan Bachmann
Margaret was so patient as I struggled with the decision to sell my home of 26 years. Then she sold it in just one day at full price. Betty Brooks
When my anxiety level reached a boiling point, you "stayed the course" and calmed my fears. Now I have so much to thank you for - selling my home quickly at full price so I could buy my next home, and helping me find a home for my Mom. Larkin Plato
As a RE/MAX agent myself, I had high expectations when we relocated to Maryland. You exceeded them, however, with your knowledge of things that were important to us such as commuting options and community amenities, as well as real estate. I'm so glad to have you for a friend, now that we're official Marylanders. Kathy and Mac McKee
We selected Margaret for her professionalism, thoroughness and honesty. We were not disappointed! We sold two homes and bought one with her help. Dan Stachurski
Without your help, we never could have accomplished so much in such a short time. We LOVE the house you found for. Kevin and Debbie Means
We found more than a new home and community; we found a new friend in you. We can't wait to have you over after we get settled in. Tim and Alice Spinner
Three other agents tried to sell our house. Only you had the knowledge to truly make it happen. We will always be grateful. Dan and Sue Plefka
When I refer my friends or relatives to Margaret, I can rely on her quick response, intimate knowledge of the area, and financing expertise to assure that their real estate dreams are achieved. Phylis Collins
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