Fort Meade - USNA - Andrews AFB

An ActiveRain Conduit - Toolbar for Your WEB Browser

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:43:20 -0600

Just in case you've been away from Activerain a few days and missed this when it was first posted, take a look at this ActiveRain toolbar created by our own resident genius, Brad Andersohn...

Via Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain):

The ActiveRain Conduit - A Nifty Toolbar for Your Internet WEB Browser

This may be one of my coolest and greatest inventions EVER!! If you can believe that... lol~

ActiveRain members and even non-members should consider adding this toolbar to their Internet WEB Browsers. It will work with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. The toolbar gives you easy and instant access to some of the most viewed pages and important helpful tools on ActiveRain. I think you'll find it to be a very useful tool. Here's some of the features and cool stuff it has:

The ActiveRain Real Estate Network Toolbar - Will help you "Stay Connected" easily and instantly.

Access ActiveRain.com with a single click

Pull-Down menu to select from ALL Industry Affiliates

Search the AR Network for members or any topic

One Click Access to Important Member "Must Read" info

HELP Menu for Manuals, Guides, Training & Support

Easy Access to AR Features from an RSS menu

Link to Search and Sort ALL ActiveRain Blog Posts

One-Click Access to the ActiveRain Staff and Team

Live Updates, Announcements & ActiveRain Broadcasts

You can easily download the toolbar for your specific browsers and remove it just as easily if needed. Take a moment to try it out, see some things you may not have known existed, and let me know what you think? Once you download the toolbar and add it to your browser, you'll see how easy it is. Most likely, your "wheels" will start spinning and you'll be wondering how you can create a "custom toolbar" for your Site, Services, Blog, or Clients Browsers? I'll show you how, and the best part is that it's easy and FREE!

I hope you'll check it out, I'm really excited about this one... :-)

Select YOUR Browser below to Install the AR Toolbar

Download The ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for your Browser

ActiveRain University Calendar Real Estate RainCamp The ActiveRain Manual

For answers to your real estate questions about Bowie, Crofton, Davidsonville, Fort Meade, Gambrills, Odenton and other communities in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, contact Margaret Woda at Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. or simply click on a button below for information you can review online:

Using VA Financing Again - It Can Be Done!

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:48:21 -0600

Buying a home with partial VA eligibility... Yes, you can.

There's a myth among many military veterans that VA financing is a one-time privilege... i.e., if they ever used it to purchase a home in the past, VA financing is no longer an option for them when purchasing another home. That's not entirely correct.

There are some circumstances when you may be eligible to use VA financing again:

The home you purchased with a VA loan was sold and paid off in full when the buyer obtained new financing. This describes many retired military folks living in Crofton and throughout the Baltimore-Washington area.

If this is your situation, you may be able to buy a new home now with no-money down VA financing without selling your current home to restore your VA eligibility OR access current equity for a down payment on your next home.
The home you purchased with a VA loan was sold with the buyer assuming your VA loan AND substituting his/her VA eligibility for yours. This occurred often in the 80's, when interest rates sky-rocketed to more than 15% and VA buyers assumed lower-interest rate loans rather than getting a new one.

You may now be able to buy a new home with no-money down VA financing without selling your current home to restore your VA eligibility OR access current equity for a down payment on your next home.
The home you purchased with a VA loan has been paid off or re-financed, so your VA loan has been paid in full - yet you still own the property.

Even though you still own the home purchased with a VA loan, your eligibility is no longer tied up with a VA loan on that property. You may be able to use it for the purchase of another home, even if you don't sell your property to access your current equity for a down paymenet on your next home.
The VA eligibility amount has increased since you used VA financing to purchase a home. Even if you have not paid off the balance of that VA loan, you may be eligible to use the added VA eligibility to obtain another VA loan; this most likely will require a down payment on your part, but the terms could be more desirable than a Conventional loan in some cases.

Explore this option with your mortgage lender to find out exactly how much VA eligibility you may now have. My husband and I used this option several years ago, since the VA eligibility amount increased substantially between the time we purchased our first home with a VA loan and the next time we purchased with another VA loan (without selling our first home).

Since many people depend upon the equity in their current home for a down payment on another home, selling before buying is required. If you qualify for a VA loan, however, you may be able to get no-down (or little-down) VA financing on your next home - and that means you can keep your current home and convert it to a rental property.

This strategy worked for many home buyers during the Buyer's Market of the early 80's, and it could work for you today.

You owe it to yourself to find out for sure whether or not you qualify to use your VA Eligibility again, if any of the situations outlined above describe you. It's probably the best way I know for you to take advantage of today's $6500 tax credit (until April 30) and Buyer's Market pricing.

If you're located in Crofton MD or anywhere in the Baltimore-Washington area and you are active-duty, honorably discharged, or retired military, you can contact me for referral to a VA loan expert who can help you determine your home financing options.

A Lazy Sunday Morning in Annapolis MD

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:03:04 -0600

These photos were taken during a lazy Sunday morning stroll in beautiful downtown historic Annapolis, Maryland...

Boat owners love to dock in the Annapolis Harbour, where passers-by
can admire their boats. This area is known as "Ego Alley".

"Ego Alley" ends here at the City Dock where you'll usually find
tourists feeding the ducks or snapping photos.

Annapolis Real Estate, December '09:

Real estate activity in Annapolis (21401) was up an impressive 68% to 37 sold/settled properties last month from the previous year (December '08). An analysis of Days on Market provided more good news - only 120 days, which was down over 18% from a year ago. Home prices held relatively steady in Annapolis during this period while dropping throughout much of the region: Median price went up slightly (.13%) and average sold price went down only about 10%.

Visit the Annapolis page of MDisFun.org for more information about this beautiful city, or contact me anytime for a list of homes for sale in the Annapolis area.

Levitt and Sons - Did They Build Your Community?

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:46:10 -0500

No history of Crofton Maryland Real Estate would be complete without a chapter on Levitt and Sons. Since 2008 is the 40th Anniversary of Levitt and Sons first homes in Crofton, I did a little memory-searching and online research about the the company for a post titled Crofton History - The Levitt Chapter. Subsequently, I adapted that post for nearby Bowie, Maryland, where I worked for several years.

If you live or work in a community built by Levitt and Sons, you are in good company. This prolific builder and developer broke ground on their first community in 1929 and spread its wings for forty years before selling to ITT in 1969. Even now, the Levitt Corporation (including several subsidiaries) is still in business, in spite of the 2007 bankruptcy filing by Levitt and Sons and 37 subsidiaries.

If a Levitt Community is located in your market, you may enjoy learning some background of the company and maybe even your own community on www.LevittownBeyond.com, where the left navigation bar features as much information as the main content. Some of the other sources I found for information include the Time Magazine article about William Levitt as One of the Top 100 Most Important People of the Century and a "history" page on the Levitt Corporation website. American Dream Houses, All in a Row was a look at Levitt's architecture, but I did not use it as a source for my post.

I think you'll particularly enjoy reading the lyrics of Malvina Reynolds Little Boxes, knowing it was a social commentary on cookie-cutter houses and communities in the 60's. Many fans associated Pete Seeger's 1963 "Top Single" recording of Little Boxes with Levitt homes and communities rather than the Dale City, California neighborhood that inspired Reynolds. If you saw the 2005 movie The Californians, you heard Keith Carradine perform this song.

Since being a Local Expert is important to you, you'll want to check out these websites if there's a Levitt community in your market.

Wouldn't it be neat if ActiveRain could be one of the most comprehensive resources for information about Levitt communities when the media marks Levitt's 80th anniversary in 2009? If you write a post about the Levitt Community in your market (no excuses for not doing so, now that you have all these links), I'll add it to this list:

Some Levitt communities throughout history:

Levittown, New York - 1940's

Levittown, Pennsylvania - 1950's

Levitttown, New Jersey - 1950's

Belair at Bowie, Maryland - 1960's

Levittown de Puerto Rico - 1960's

Crofton, Maryland - 1970's

Levitt Homes in Creekwood, Georgia - 1970's

Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland

Belair at Bowie - A Levitt and Sons Community

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:28:14 -0500

Relocating to the Washington-Baltimore area from another part of the country? You may notice that many Bowie homes are similar to other neighborhoods in Maryland including nearby Crofton, Largo, Laurel, Columbia and Wheaton.

In fact, Belair at Bowie may resemble a place you previously lived in New York or New Jersey, Virginia or Pennsylvania - literally hundreds of communities, with many of the same floorplans and architectural designs, were built in hundreds of communities by Levitt and Sons. In fact, the company is still in business as Levitt Corporation, 36 years after the family company was sold.

Few current Bowie residents are old enough to remember Pete Seeger's hit recording in 1963, Little Boxes, but you may get a kick out of reading the lyrics of Little Boxes. Lots of fans thought of Levitt homes when they heard it, but composer Malvina Reynolds' inspiration was actually Dale City, California. By the way, it was performed more recently in the 2005 movie, The Californians, in case it sounds familiar and you're not old enough to remember Pete Seeger.

Okay, Bowie, here's some history about the developer and builder who gave you Belair at Bowie:

Levitt and Sons was established in 1929 by the son of immigrants, real estate attorney Abraham Levitt and his sons William, as President, and Alfred, as Chief Architect and Planner. They started construction the same year on their first community at Rockville Centre, New York, and expanded to several other states over the next four decades.

From the Levitt Corporation website:

William Levitt anticipated a pent-up demand for housing after World War II, and the company started acquiring land while he was still serving in the Pacific with the Seabees, the U.S. Navy's construction unit. The company came up with a design for a basic house, together with a way to reduce construction procedures to 26 steps. This process, together with their mechanical and technical innovations, revolutionized the home-building industry.

Levitt actually created an assembly line to build houses on the site, using men and equipment much as they do in the auto industry. The essential difference between Detroit's methods and Levitt's was that auto makers moved materials past a waiting line of men in a factory, whereas the Levitt system moved the workmen from house site to house site past a waiting line of material in the field. Thus, in an industry notorious for wasted time, motion and material, the company introduced previously unheard-of logistics, timing and efficiency.

William took over the company in 1954 and continued to operate it until 1972, even after selling the company to ITT in 1968 and ITT's subsequent loss of the company in 1971 due to an anti-trust ruling.

Levitt homes were built in Bowie from 1960 to the mid 1970's

Over the years, Levitt companies established a modular home building subsidiary, expanded overseas, and changed hands several times. The Levitt Corporation and many of its subsidiaries are still in business today, even after the 2007 bankruptcy filing by Levitt and Sons, LLC and 37 subsidiaries. While Bill Levitt did return to the building industry in the late 70's, he was barred by the courts from using his own name, a trademark of the company he sold.

Levitt homes sold for less than $20,000, back in the day, and you can see the line which wrapped around the block on opening day when you visit LevittownBeyond.com. This website also displays a copy of the original renderings for Belair at Bowie.

Bowie Homes for Sale today are priced from the $200,000's to the $400,000's, depending on the degree to which they've been added to, updated and upgraded. Here are some of the home styles available in Bowie (scroll your mouse over the photo to see the model name):

Ardsley - 4-bedroom cape cod style

Buckingham - 3-bedroom ranch

Cambridge - 3 bedroom 2-story colonial style

Canterbury -2-bedroom townhome

Devon - expanded 3-bedroom ranch style

Dorset -3-bedroom townhome

Enfield -3-bedroom townhome

Gibbon- 3-bedroom townhome

Gladstone - 4-bedroom 2-story colonial style

Jamestown -2-bedroom one-level townhome

Roxbury - 4-bedroom colonial

Severn / Susquehanna - 4-bedroom colonial

Tred Avon - 4-bedroom "California-style" rancher

Wicomico - 3-bedroom rancher

RELATED LINKS:

Top 3 Reasons to Buy a Home in Bowie, Maryland
Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland
Find out how today's mortgage interest compares with the rates last week and last month

How to Find Out About School Snow Days in Anne Arundel County Maryland

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:34:44 -0600

No need to turn on the TV or radio any more to find out if Anne Arundel County schools are closing, opening late, or dismissing early when it snows. Just look for a text message or email.

That's how easy it is for parents and kids in 2010.

Just register on SchoolsOut.com to receive an email notice (free) or text message ($19.95/yr) and you'll never again have to camp out in front of the TV watching school notices crawl across the bottom of your screen.

The service is available for both Anne Arundel and Prince George's County public schools, and a number of private schools and day care facilities in Maryland, as well as schools in 20+ other states.

A Commuting Guide for Northrop Grumman Newbies

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:22:15 -0600

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.

Relocating to Northrop Grumman? If you're trying to decide where to live, let me help by giving you some idea of what to expect for your morning and evening commute.

No matter where you live in the area, you probably won't need a map or a GPS to get to work the first day, unlike most commuters in the Baltimore-Washington area. That's because Northrop Grumman is located near Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), so directional signs are clearly posted on all the major highways in the area. The hardest part of your new commute may be between your driveway and the main road.

Then, just follow the signs to BWI from I-95, MD- 295 (Baltimore Washington Parkway), I-695 (the Baltimore Beltway), I-495 (the Washington Beltway) or I-97 (between Annapolis and Baltimore). As you approach the airport, follow signs to the Hotel District, which has grown around the Northrop Grumman site in recent years.

Northrop Grumman is between Baltimore and Washington (much closer to Baltimore), so it's likely you will commute in the opposite direction of most people and have minimal rush-hour traffic. And THAT is good news for you, since rush-hour is NOT a pleasant experience for many of your new neighbors.

Keep in mind that Howard and Montgomery County commuters to Northrop Grumman are traveling West-East, and they WILL have the sun in their eyes, morning and night, every day the sun shines, as long as you live there and work at Northrop Grumman. You won't face this commuting issue if you live in Anne Arundel County.

Here are the commuting times and distances from Baltimore City and some Anne Arundel County communities where you may consider living:

COMMUTING GUIDE for NORTHROP GRUMMAN 1580-A West Nursery Road., Linthicum Heights, MD
Annapolis	31 minutes	26.34 mi.
Baltimore City	16 minutes	11.47 mi.
Brooklyn Park	12 minutes	6.81 mi.
Crofton	26 minutes	18.51 mi.
Crownsville	21 minutes	17.32 mi.
Davidsonville	30 minutes	28.18 mi.
Gambrills	21 minutes	16.95 mi.
Hanover	9 minutes	6.37 mi.
Jessup	9 minutes	6.37 mi.
Millersville	15 minutes	10.43 mi.
Odenton	21 minutes	12.02 mi.
Pasadena	23 minutes	15.25 mi.
Severna Park	23 minutes	15.49 mi.
Approximate time & distance, depending on traffic

There are other communities within 30 minutes of Northrop Grumman, as well, but these will be a good startng place for your home search. As a native of the area, I know the greater Baltimore-Washington area like the back of my hand and can answer your questions or show you homes in Montgomery, Howard, and Baltimore Counties, as well as Anne Arundel County.

By the way, Northrop Grumman does have some other locations in Anne Arundel County - in Millersville and Annapolis. I would be happy to provide you with cmmuting info for those locations. Just ask.

Wherever you choose to live, let me be one of the first to say Welcome to Northrop Grumman.

Are You Making a List and Checking it Twice?

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:49:06 -0600

'Gonna find out who’s naughty and nice… Santa Claus is coming to town. La la la la la, la la la lah!

This little cutie was ready with her Christmas wish-list for Santa when I snapped this photo at Annapolis Mall last year.

Will you be ready with a wish-list for buying a home in the Crofton area when we get together in 2010?

Before our first appointment, I suggest you do a little daydreaming and write down every feature and quality you want in a home (as if price were no object). Then start at the top and identify the must-have (or required) items by highlighting them or marking them with a check-mark or star. I call this your “wants and needs” list.

For example, you may want 4 bedrooms, but could live with 3 if everything else about the home is perfect. Or you want a fenced yard but you’re willing to install a fence yourself if you like everything else about the home. In these examples, bedroom #4 and fenced yard are wants, not needs. Knowing both your wants and needs will help me find homes to show you and help you verify that the home you fall in love with meets all of your needs (required features and qualities).

Why not start by looking around your current home and identifying the things you like about it. Now ask yourself what would make it better… If it were bigger? Sunnier? Had a fireplace? On a day like today, I'll bet you're wishing for a garage so you don't have to shovel out your car after the next big snowstorm!

Remember to include practical items on your wish-list, as well - the amount of desired monthly payment, how much cash you want to invest, moving date, or special incentives. The tax credit extension and expansion would be a good example because it creates a deadline for you to enter into a contract and settle.

Remember, making a list and checking it twice is not just for children at Christmas time… it’s also for you when you’re ready to buy a Crofton area home. It will help you stay on track and help me help you!

Crofton MD Calendar of Events for December 2009

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:42:39 -0600

Crofton Maryland residents will be very busy in December 2009. Just take a look at this full schedule:

1	World Aids Day
2	Book Club – Crofton Library, 7 p.m. Crofton Kiwanis, 7:30 p.m.
4	Holiday Shop – Crofton Woods Elementary MORE
5	Snowflake Tea – Belair Mansion, 4 p.m. Crofton Poinsettia Sale Delivery Holly Jolly Workshop – Crofton Elementary MORE Craft Fair – Crofton Meadows Elementary MORE Happy Birthday Walt Disney (1901)
6	Belair Mansion by Candlelight – 4:30-7:30 p.m. Wreathe-making Workshop – Homestead Gardens, 11 a.m. Happy Birthday Ira Gershwin (1896)
7	Pearl Harbor Day (1941)
8	Greater Crofton Council – 7 p.m. MORE Band & Strings Concert – Crofton Elementary MORE Mock Interviews – Arundel H.S.
9	Crofton Kiwanis – 7:30 p.m. Moms ‘n Tots – 10:45 a.m. MORE Winter Concert – Crofton Meadows Elementary MORE
10	Happy Birthday Emily Dickinson (1830)
11	Hanukkah begins at sunset
12	Babies in Bloom – Crofton Library, 10 a.m. Bow-Making Workshop – Homestead Gardens, 11 a.m. Kids Kandlelight at Belair Mansion – 4-7 p.m.
13	Breakfast with Santa – California Pizza Kitchen, 10 a.m.
14	Crofton Civic Association Board – 7 p.m.
15	Choral Concert – Crofton Woods Elementary MORE Choral Concert – Crofton Elementary MORE
16	Hooray for the Holidays – Crofton Library, 2 p.m. Crofton Kiwanis, 730 p.m. Multi-Chamber Networking Breakfast – 7:30 a.m. MORE Moms ‘n Tots – 10:45 a.m. MORE Happy Birthday Beethoven (1770)
17	Women in Business Luncheon – 12 Noon MORE Report Cards – Anne Arundel County Public Schools
20	Happy Birthday Steve Woda (1968)
21	First Day of Winter
22	Band & Strings Concert – Crofton Woods Elementary MORE
24	Schools Close until January 4, 2010
25	Happy Birthday Jesus - Christmas
26	Kwanza begins
28	Chocolate Day
29	Flat Sneaks – Crofton Library, 2 p.m.
31	New Years Eave

Please let me know if you or your organization would like an event or occasion mentioned on any monthly calendar for Focus On Crofton.

Crofton Maryland Gardeners Honor Wounded Soldiers

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:07:41 -0600

It's a November tradition for the Crofton Village Garden Club to make patriotic-themed floral arrangements for wounded soldiers and other patients. Each member makes two or three of them so we'll be sure to have enough for all 120 patients at the VA Rehab and Extended Care Facility in Baltimore, Maryland.

This is a very easy and inexpensive activity that your garden club, scout troop, office or other organization could easily duplicate, following the steps in this brief video. With 40 participants, it can be accomplished in an hour or less.

Please join us in thanking our wounded veterans in November and throughout the year.

The Buyer's Market Challenge for Home Sellers

Wed, 28 May 2008 06:07:34 -0500

You may have read my post on April Fool's Day, April 1, titled Starting a Series of Blogs for Sellers. I encouraged you to subscribe to Focus On Crofton so you could read each installment as it came out, whether you are a consumer or an agent.

I also promised to provide a summary at the end, here on the Maryland Real Estate Blog. Here it is:

A SOLD Sign in Your Crofton Front Yard - April 1, 2008. A challenge to sellers to be one of those who DOES have a sold sign in their front yard.
Factors That Impact the Sale of Real Estate - April 8, 2008. Discusses factors beyond a seller's or agent's control and emphasizes the importance of addressing those which ARE within our control.
Pricing Your Crofton Home for Sale - April 14, 2008. Pricing is both an art and a science - this post explains.
Five Things Crofton Home Sellers Must Do - April 21, 2008. Find out what home sellers must do, both inside and out, to make sure their home is ready to sell in this Buyer's Market.
Crofton Home Buyers Want to See Your Home - April 28, 2008. Scheduling appointments and providing access to your home is one thing. But there's more. Find out what this broker and agent do to make sure home buyers see your home at its best.
One Big Secret for Effectively Marketing Your Crofton Home - May 5, 2008. Find out why most real estate marketing doesn't work.
Negotiating Skills Are Essential for Crofton Home Sellers - May 12, 2008. Find out when negotiating begins and when it ends - it may not be when you expect.
How Important Is Your Real Estate Agent? - May 19, 2008. In a nutshell - VERY important, since sellers rely on their listing agent to advise and advocate for them at each step in the home selling process.

MD Title Company waives fees for military homebuyers

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:49:04 -0500

Active duty military personnel buying a home in Maryland are NOT taken for granted by Capitol Title, with offices in Annapolis Crofton, Dunkirk, Ellicott City, Ocean City, Rockville, Severna Park, and Suitland.

Inspired by Joe Long's blog that I read earlier this morning, about an article he saw at a title company, I looked around the reception area this morning before a settlement and found a flier about the company's "FREEdom" Program. I'm so proud to do business with a company that has a policy like this, I just have to share:

In recognition of the hardships experienced by today's brave young troops and their families, Capitol Title waives all of their settlement fees to active duty military. This includes fees for title exam, doc prep and conducting settlement.

If you've ever seen my ads on MilitaryAvenue.com, and clicked through on the Military Reward, you'll see that I provide up to $1000 credit at settlement for warranty and closing costs for active duty military. (My husband is retired military, so I appreciate the sacrifices of military families, as well as the service members themselves.) I'm proud to support Fisher House at Andrews AFB and Operation Christmas Stocking, providing holiday gift bags to deployed troops.

Whether you're deployed or stationed stateside at Ft. Meade, Andrews AFB, the Pentagon, NSA, or USNA... I can help you find and buy a home using your VA benefits, and Capitol Title will join me in thanking you for your service by saving you money at settlement.

Crofton Real Estate - Tee it up!

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:49:26 -0500

Your real estate connection for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, Northrop Grumman, BWI and the U.S. Naval Academy

CROFTON MD 21114

My dad always said that a golf course is the best place to raise children, and I have to echo his sentiment. A child who runs home from school to get his golf clubs and practice is not hanging out in an alley experimenting with drugs. An adolescent or teen who plays 18 or 36 holes of golf a day, virtually from dawn 'til dark, is too tired to stay out late at night drinking. A child who plays golf develops life skills such as goal-setting, discipline, self-motivation, and learning from mistakes and disappointments.

Living in Crofton provided my children the opportunity to play golf every day that weather permitted, and my sons took full advantage of that. They competed locally, regionally and nationally - and went to college on golf scholarships. We never had to worry about them... we knew where to find them, because we often played golf with them or watched them play. Their younger sister learned the game, too (although she didn't compete growing up), but she certainly enjoys golf as an adult.

Living in Crofton, your children probably will be a bike ride or walk away from the course at Crofton Country Club or Walden. It's a lifestyle that you and they can both enjoy. But I should warn you...

Bring your long game with you when you tee it up at Crofton Country Club.

It's a Par 72 course that plays 7211 yards from the Championship tees, 6782 from the Blues, 6297 from the White, 6004 from the Golds and 5529 from the Reds. With a course rating of 74 and slope rating of 136, it plays tough as well as long. The home-lined fairways, particularly on the front nine, and three water hazards (two creeks and the pond on #12) demand accuracy as well as length from both tees and fairways.

Crofton Country Club's 18-hole course, designed by Ed Ault and built in 1964, has bent green fairways and greens. With sandy soil, drainage is excellent, and the course is open year-round.

Nearby Walden Golf Club is more friendly to weekend and juniorgolfers with a shorter game, playing just 6504 yards f

rom the Professional tees, 6312 from the Blues, 5947 from the Whites, 5335 from the Golds and 4384 from the Reds. It is a Par 71 course, with a 72.1 course rating and 132 slope rating. Water hazards come into play on fifteen holes.

Designed by Lindsey Irvin in 1990, townhomes and detached homes have grown up around and along Walden Golf Club ever since. The course features sloped greens of bent grass, and the fairways are winter rye.

For more information about golf in Crofton, contact:

Crofton Country Club -1691 Crofton Pkwy, Crofton, MD 21114, Phone (410)721-3111
Walden Golf Club - 1500 Riedel Rd, Crofton, MD 21114, Phone (410)721-8268

For information about living in a home overlooking one of these golf courses, contact Margaret Woda - Long & Foster REALTORS, (410) 451-6245 or cell/text (301) 346-2923.

Welcome to Northrop Grumman in Maryland

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:13:54 -0600

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.

Welcome to Anne Arundel County and congratulations on your new job at Northrup Grumman.

You may be joining about 500 other engineering, electrical design and technical professionals relocating to Maryland this year, including many from other Northrup Grumman divisions in Colorado and California that are being consolidated into the new Space and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems Division.

Or, if Northrop Grumman Corporation's KC-30 Tanker aircraft is selected by the U.S. Air Force, you may fill one of the additional 2,800 jobs that will generate economic activity exceeding $225 million annually in Maryland.

In fact, you could be relocating to Northrop Grumman's main facility in Linthicum Heights or the Information Assurance (IA) team's new headquarters in Millersville. Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems is one of Maryland's largest employers and most of the jobs are located right here in Anne Arundel County.

If your Northrop Grumman job brings you to this area in 2008, you will be in the first wave of 22,000 new jobs near Fort Meade resulting from the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). As one of the early arrivals, you will be able to snap up a home while the market is favorable to buyers and possibly profit from the tightening demand as thousands more relocate to the area between now and 2011.

If you have never lived on the East Coast, you can look forward to travelling I-95 through fifteen states, exploring small towns and major cities from Maine to Florida, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Savannah, and Miami.

When the traffic gods are smiling, you'll be just two hours from the Atlantic Ocean at Ocean City, Maryland, and Rehobeth Beach, Delaware; major amusement parks such as Six Flags in Maryland, Hershey Park in Pennsylvania and Kings Dominion in Virginia; and historical cities such as Williamsburg, Virginia, and Annapolis, Maryland.

Anne Arundel County residents live less than an hour from D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis - they can literally spend a day sailing on the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis in the morning, cheering for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in the afternoon, and attending a concert at the Kennedy Center in the evening.

If your job requires travel or you enjoy travelling for vacations, you will love the convenience to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, less than a half hour from Northrop Grumman and anywhere in Anne Arundel County. You can pick up the MARC train at BWI, as well, if you prefer rail travel to D.C., Baltimore, New York City and beyond.

As you begin to gather information for your relocation, please visit my Resource Guide which provides links to schools, transportation, recreation, governments, medical facilities, and a Visitor's Guide (at the bottom of the page) connecting you to the many monuments and museums that bring history and the arts to life for area residents, as well as tourists. You can learn about communities and search online for homes at your own pace and read my local real estate blog, Focus On Crofton. You can even sign up for a free subscription to receive daily notices of new listings that match your search criteria and use my real estate calculator to estimate your monthly payment.

When you're ready to visit the area and get started with your home and community search, please contact me.

Northrop Grumman is a "$32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide." To all of us in Anne Arundel County, Northrop Grumman is a valued neighbor, and we look forward to welcoming you and your family personally.

RELATED LINKS: (not included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundl County)

Hermitage - An Upscale Community Near Crofton

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:15:48 -0500

As you leave Crofton and head east on Route 450 towards Annapolis, you'll spot this entrance into the community of Hermitage - a community of 62 custom-built homes on spacious lots.

You can see from these photos that Hermitage is not a "one size fits all" community... in fact you'll find homes and settings for every taste, from colonials to ranchers, tudors to contemporary, and wooded to open space. Yet it's not a hodge-podge, either, because the homes are far apart on winding and sloping roads that seamlessly take you past one home to the next.

There are no homes on the market now in Hermitage and no recent sales to report - in fact, the last sale/settlement in the community was January 2008 ($810,000). There is one home under contract, however, and it sold in just seven days. This is a stable community where people buy a home with the intention of staying! (Homes in the photos are not for sale.)

The location of Hermitage is ideal for anyone commuting to D.C. or Baltimore, since it's easily accessible to Route 50 (to D.C.) or Route 3 and I-97 (to Baltimore), depending on which way you turn at nearby Davidsonville Road (Rt. 424). It's a neighborhood that homebuyers select for that convenience, as well as its proximity to Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay. The U.S. Naval Academy, Fort Meade, and Andrews Air Force Base are all within 30 minutes, as well.

Check out the homes in Hermitage and other upscale communities near Crofton. This is a GREAT time for current residents to move up without leaving the area and for relocating homebuyers to capitalize on a market that may make "upscale" more affordable for you than it would have been a few years ago.