Pam Canova (Realtor®) Mount Airy, Md.

Kenmont Swim Club, Kensington, Maryland

I have belonged to the Kenmont Swim and Tennis Club since my children were in grade school. They are now young adults. The reason I have belonged, and continue to belong, is that it is the best deal around and is just a delightful place to spend a summer afternoon. The location is ideal, right next to the Westfield Mall, but well hidden in a copse of trees. One can take tennis lessons, play basketball, or just swim in one of the two (three if you count the baby pool) well maintained pools. The lifeguards are college students, usually sons or daughters of the members, who have the summer off and they are very well supervised. They do a great job.

The club has regular organized activities: dances, barbeques, pool parties, "raft night"; and they are well attended. The culminating activity is the potluck Labor Day picnic where one can get some really good homemade food. The Club is very child-friendly with a separate picnic and play area containing swings, jungle gyms, and tether ball. Adjacent to it is a baby pool, surrounded by trees. The clubhouse contains a ping pong table and a snack bar run by a kind older gentleman who charges next to nothing for the drinks and snacks.

The swim team is very active and successful. They practice several times a week before the pool opens. The price to join is very reasonable, considering all of the perks, and well worth the cost. Just another great feature of the lovely community of Kensington.

Lovely Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland

As a local girl who grew up in Wheaton, Maryland, I thought I knew everything about the area. One day, when I was teaching at John F. Kennedy High School in zipcode 20902, a friend asked me if I wanted to walk at Brookside Gardens during our lunch hour. I said sure, not really knowing what she was talking about. I was in for a wonderful surprise. I was soon walking on carefully manicured paths among some of the most beautiful flowers and trees I had ever seen. The planning that must have gone into these gardens is phenomenal, and they are continually evolving. There is a Japanese Tea House amid aquatic gardens. This ancient looking structure is surrounded by peaceful trees and serves as a perfect vantage point for the pond that teems with large goldfish, turtles, ducks, geese and other wildlife.

The Gardens are interspersed with tranquil fountains with carefully placed benches that serve as perfect meditation sites. A fragrance garden lives up to its name, but my favorite is the rose garden. Imagine every variety of rose possible, a veritable splendor of colors ranging from fuschia to deep scarlet, bordered by a trellis of hanging vines that one can lazily meander through on a sunny afternoon.

Then there is the Wedding Pagoda, complete with a path leading up to it, that could easily be trod by a bridal party. Naturally, this is a popular place for one of life's greatest events in any of the warmer months, and the wedding party spills out into the fragrance garden and other enticing areas of the park.

One of my favorite areas is the section that commemorates the sniper victims. This is a stone garden with plaques naming all of the victims and the communities they hailed from. There is an additional stone on which the event is explained in detail to the uninitiated observer. It is easy to observe a moment of silence or prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters who died during that tragic and senseless onslaught.

A less auspicious path is the lower one that actually is a newer section. It is surrounded by brightly colored azalea bushes and large, interesting looking aquatic plants. It has another house like structure with an Asian look, dedicated to specific individuals, like many of the benches throughout the park. I like this path because it is quieter and the house is an excellent place for meditation, with a nice view of the pond and its resident turtles and ducks.

On the lower level is a conservatory that is enclosed and open year round. The decorations usually reflect the changing seasons, particularly Christmas. The plants contained in the conservatory are breathtaking, truly amazing, and of course there is a little bridge and a waterfall, for a soothing effect. During the holiday season, the gardens are all lit up at night and creatures like reindeer are added to the delight of the smaller holiday celebrants. Seeing the gardens at night is a unique treat at that sacred and special time of the year.

Mt. Airy Md. Frederick County) Sales Market Report - Sept 2009

This is a market report on the homes for sale in the Frederick County portion of Mt. Airy, Md. The information is taken from the Metropolitan Regional Information System (MRIS) on August 23, 2009.

FOR SALE

There are currently a total of 57 homes on the market FOR SALE in this area. While there are several two-bedroom homes on the market, the cheapest home for sale is a three bedroom two bath on close to three quarters of an acre (.69 ac) for $179,900. While there six bedroom homes on the market, the most expensive home on the market at this time is a five bedroom five bath detached colonial home with two fireplaces and a three car garage on nearly two and a fifth acres (2.20) for $899,900. While some are new to the market within the last week and others have been on the market for over a year, the average days on market since initially listed for sale is short of six months (177 days).

There is currently a total of 23 homes in this portion of Mt. Airy Md. where an offer to purchase has been accept by the owner. The last know list prices of these homes ranged from a low of $200,000 for a three-bedroom two full bath townhouse to a high of $600,000 for a five-bedroom three full bath home with one fireplace on over five (5.05) acres of property.

Since August 22, 2009, eight homes in the community have been successfully sold. The closing prices on these homes ranged from a low of $215,000 for a three-bedroom two full bath one half bath townhome to a high of $460,000 for a four-bedroom two full bath one half bath detached colonial on over two and three quarters of property. The days on market with the last Realtor ranged from a little over a month (40 days) to just short of five months (147 days), with the average approaching three months (81 days).

FOR RENT

At the time of this report, there is a total of three detached home on the market FOR RENT in this portion of Mt Airy, Md. Two of the homes are three-bedroom two full bath homes listed at $1500 and $1750 / month. They both have been on the market for a short time with the average being just over a week (11 days). The is also a four-bedroom two full bath Rambler on over an acre (1.6 ac) of ground, which has been on the market at $1,850/ month and has only been listed for less than two weeks (9 days).

There are no homes in the area where the landlord has accepted an application to rent, but a lease not yet signed. Since August 22, 2009, one three-bedroom two bath detached home has been rented for $1900 after being on the market for less than two months (51 days). During the same time period two four-bedroom thee full bath homes have rented for $2,650 and $2,890 afte being on the market for an average of only one month (30 days).

If you or anyone you know would be interested in one of these homes, or looking for more detail on this set of homes, please get in contact with me.

Time is running short on the $8000 federal-tax credit, one must act soon.

How would you like to live in one of the top 100 cities in the U.S.? If you read the most recent issue of Money magazine, you already know that Mt. Airy is one of those cities. I knew the city I lived in was great, but I had no idea it was that great. Pre-selection critieria included size and multi-ethnicity, but other criteria focused on safety, job opportunities, education, sense of community. The article was based party on research and partly on interviews of the city's inhabitants. I always knew that I appreciated the beautiful countryside, light traffic, variety of interesting things to do, and the relatively low cost of living in Mt. Airy, but evidently there are more aspects of Mt. Airy to appreciate than I even realized. I have previously blogged on Concetta's Italian Grocer and Restaurant, the Vintage Coffee House, and the child care center, but I now feel a new ethusiasm for my local community and I am gratified that the well-respected Money Magazine agrees with my choice of home. If you are thinking of moving to this vicinity, please consider Mt. Airy. You'll be glad you did!

Mt. Airy Farmers Market

My real estate partner and I had an enjoyable time last Wednesday at the Farmer's Market in Mt. Airy held at the Municipal Parking Lot in downtown Mt. Airy. The afternoon included entertainment furnished by Ed Caballero who also owns and runs the Vintage Coffee Shop. Ed and his partner sang and played acoustic instruments to the delight of the spellbound customers. It was hard to choose between the fresh fruits and vegetables and the delectable homemade baked goods. The local high school also displayed tomatoes and other vegetables that were ready to be planted in your own garden.

Run by volunteers from Mount Airy Main Street Association, the Farmer's Market, which occurs every Wednesday from 3:30 to 6:30 should be put on your calendar as a regular event. It is a great way to connect with your neighbors and to support the local community. Mt. Airy is trying to make a comeback after the devastating fire that occurred a few years back. Several new shops are slated to join the already impressive Mt. Airy lineup. If you haven't checked it out in awhile, you should definitely come down and take a look.

For more information, and for links to other events, visit mountairymainstreet.org on the web. I got some Stayman apples that I have not been able to find anywhere else. I'm a happy camper, and I will definitely be returning.