Maryland: History and Great Real Estate Rolled into One by Carla L. Davis
Maryland is boasting more than just history and style these days. Local Realtors tell of sky-rocketing demand. Silver Spring Silver Spring got its name in 1840 when Elizabeth Blair (daughter of The Globe newspaper editor, Francis Preston Blair ) along with her thirsty horse, Selim, discovered a spring after which Silver Spring takes its name. Sparkling flakes of mica in the water give it the appearance of silver, notes Realtor Chuck Bailey. "Like many other communities so close to DC, home prices continue to skyrocket with low supply and high demand." He continues, "For the trailing-twelve months, the median selling price for Silver Spring homes hovered close to $410,000 (the range was from $160,000 to $1,650,000). Most homes now stay on the market less than 3 weeks. With its rich history, robust business community and great schools, it's easy to see why Silver Spring has become a great place to live." Greenbelt "Greenbelt is a planned community that offers tree-lined streets, sidewalks, walking/biking trails and many recreational opportunities including playgrounds, ball fields and a community center. Greenbelt is proud to be home to a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, says local Realtor Yolanda Muckle. "Major employment centers including the Goddard Space Center of NASA, the Department of Agriculture Research Center and the University of Maryland are located in Greenbelt. Commuters will love that The Greenbelt METRO station provides rapid rail transit to Washington and is part of the METRO RAIL system. BWI and Reagan National airports are located less than 30 minutes from Greenbelt." She adds, "Greenbelt is a planned community of single family, townhomes and condominiums. In August, 33 homes were sold ranging from $135,000-$595,000. Nearly 25 homes are currently under contract with list prices of $110,000-$499,000. Some of the subdivisions are Greenbelt Park, Greenbelt Lake, Glen Ora, Greenbrook and Charlestowne Village." Southern Maryland Realtor Carlos Gautier reports, "Southern Maryland has attracted home shoppers who are looking for the best values in home sales. These home shoppers have found that their moneys will get much more home and property, along with paying less for property taxes than most of the neighboring metro areas. Southern Maryland's market trend has been very strong for property owners." "The cost of living in Southern Maryland being lower than most all of the Metro area, affords it's residents to live a bit more comfortably. As of mid June 2005 there have been just over 2339 single family homes sold in Southern Maryland, compared to 1856 for the same time period last year. Selling at the rate of around 360 homes a month this year and 285 last year. The numbers show that the Southern Maryland area is still one of the most attractive and fastest growing markets in the DC metro area." |
