After a stream of positive responses from the community, our friends at Silver Spring Cares are putting together their THIRD Casseroles for a Cause! From October 21st – 28th, Silver Spring Cares will partner once more with Shepherds Table, Interfaith Works – Carroll House Men’s Shelter, The Arc Montgomery County, and Difference Makers. to help collect delicious casseroles that will keep freezers full for many of our vulnerable neighbors in the community, especially in the upcoming winter season.
“Love to Cook? Love to Volunteer? Do Both from Home!”
What’s even more exciting is that our partner organizations have requested more casseroles! The need is even greater this year as typical donation resources are being shared with other timely issues facing our community. By filling the freezers now in October, organizations will be better situated to prepare and plan for the upcoming holiday and winter season.
Join Go Brent’s Debbie Gerald and Caliber Home Loans’ Ramez Fahmy for a free First-Time Homebuyer Seminar.
We’ll discuss the ins and outs of purchasing and financing your first home/condo. If you’ve been thinking about buying in the near future, this is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about the buying process.
When: Saturday, October 27 from 10:00-11:30AM Where: Silver Spring Civic Center in downtown Silver Spring
There is no cost or obligation, just plenty of information! Can’t attend but want to know more about the home buying process? Contact Debbie for more information.
It’s FINALLY fall! Yes, fall means back to school and moving away from the dog days of summer, but it also means crunchy apples, bright orange pumpkins, delicious treats, and crisp autumn air. We’ve gathered a list of the most fun and most entertaining fall festivals and autumnal events in the area. Take your family, go on a date, even take a stroll alone! These fun festivals have something for everyone.
The Smithsonian’s famous National Zoo hosts an amazing treat-filled event – BOO AT THE ZOO!
Come dressed up in costume ready to trick or treat at over 40 treat stations! There is candy as well as non-food items to collect as you walk around and explore the zoo. Many animal enclosures are open as well for zoo-goers. The decorations and spooky art installations make for a hilariously scary walk from station to station. Beer and food are available for purchase at the zoo as well. Come ready to say “boo!” And collect yummy treats! All ticket holders get a free treat bag to hold your goodies!
Festival Info:
When: Friday, October 19th, Saturday, October 20th & Sunday, October 21st from 5:00 – 8:00pm
Address: Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute 3001 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20008
Cost: $20/per person for FONZ members, $30/per person for non-FONZ members
Parking Pass: $15, or you can take METRO at the regular commuter cost of the trip
Come down on a Sunday afternoon to Veterans Plaza for the Silver Spring Fall Fair! You can taste yummy fall cookies, sip on hot chocolate or apple cider while your kiddos decorate pumpkins! Walk around, meet your neighbors, look at local arts & crafts vendors and celebrate FALL!
Festival Info:
When: Sunday, October 21st from 1:00– 6:00pm
Where: Veteran’s Plaza – Downtown Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD 20910
Bring your kids to Brookside Gardens for a fun pumpkin-filled evening! Children can dress up in their Halloween costume, march through the gardens in a costume parade and paint pumpkins. There are also pumpkin treats to try all while listening to award-winning storyteller Gary Lloyd present “Pumpkin Tales for the Young” telling tales that are more funny than scary.
Join in the Halloween fun at Pumpkin Rock n’ Roll – a full-blown Halloween extravaganza. Participate in a costume parade and enjoy family-friendly attractions including live musical performances, food trucks, inflatable rides and slides, and a hay maze. Don’t miss the main event: The Pumpkin Roll, a derby race of Halloween pumpkins-turned-boxcars.
Located in upper Montgomery County, Butler’s 38th Annual Pumpkin Festival is the place to be on the weekends in October! Families will certainly enjoy this festival with kids! There are so many activities and fun stations, that everyone will have done something they loved by the end of the day. Check out the straw pyramid, pumpkin coach rides, a combine slide, pedal tractors and even get your face painted! There are lots of food vendors to tackle all your fall-food cravings as well!
Festival Info:
When: Weekends in October (13th-14th, 20th-21st & 27th-28th)
Where: Butler’s Orchard 22222 Davis Mill Road Germantown, MD 20876
Cost: $12/per person CASH ONLY AT THE GATE* (children 24 months & younger free)
*You can use a credit/debit card if you buy tickets at the market
The Gaver Farm Fall Fun Festival has so many activities you will have to pack it all in to get everything done! They have everything from pumpkin picking and corn mazes to duck races and a petting zoo. New this season are cool jump pillows for kids. Take a weekend to enjoy the farm air and activities at Gaver!
Festival Info:
When: Open Now thru November 4 from 10:00am-6:00pm daily
Where: Gaver Farm 5501 Detrick Road, Mount Airy, MD 21771
Cost: $13.50 per person weekends, $9 per person weekdays, kids 2 & under free.
Come enjoy this beautiful farm for their fall festival! They have a corn maze, hay rides and pumpkin- activities galore! Come enjoy fall with arts and crafts and farm-hand activities that the family and kids will love. While enjoying the festival, pick out some pumpkins to buy for your porch or house! They have a large selection. There are many other activities and events that you can purchase separately at the farm as well like punkin’ chunkin’, pumpkin painting and scarecrow making!
Missing Middle Housing are residential structures such as bungalows, duplexes, triplexes, etc. — dwellings that have have become quite uncommon for developers over the last 70 years. The Montgomery County Planning Department recently presented their Missing Middle Housing Study to the Planning Board on Sept 20, 2018, a study addressing the absence of MMH structures within Montgomery County and their case to revive them within the county’s current housing needs.
The study also recognizes the challenges that should arise if missing middle housing were to be developed within the county’s current housing state but also presents the positive potential it would have for the county’s increasing population, as well as the opportunities it would have for those residents who seek more affordable housing options.
“I wish we had zoning that would encourage highest and best use for housing; we can’t fix our workforce housing shortage without zoning changes,” says Liz Brent. “Who are we to determine when development stops? Are we really prepared to say to the people who fight our fires, provide our emergency services, work in our restaurants, and teach our children that we don’t care how far they have to travel to get to their jobs?”
From the Montgomery County Planning Department’s Press Release:
“It’s clear from the study that, currently, the smaller developers who could create most of the Missing Middle housing types are finding it difficult to do that here,” says Paul Mortensen, a senior urban designer in the Planning Director’s office, who co-authored the report. “The study indicates ways we can streamline the development process for these housing types because the needs of the county are changing and there is a huge market demand for this type of adaptable housing.”
Are you ready to find your dream home? Let Go Brent be your guide! [wolf_spacer height=”16″]
If you’ve decided to embark on your home buying journey, it’s time to schedule a free consultation with a Go Brent agent. Once we have a sense of your ideal home, we’ll ensure you’re aware of the best available properties in your desired area, price range, and location.
As well-connected experts, we’ll be in touch with other agents and may learn of new listings before they hit the market. And yes, while home searches on the internet can be fun, it can also be a time suck for you. Let us work on your behalf – we’ll send you on-going property and neighborhood updates, plus offer you flexibility for scheduling appointments.
Then when you find “the one,” you can count on our strong command of the sales contract; we’ll prepare a solid offer, minimize your risk, and negotiate on your behalf.
This year, we’ve worked with 50 clients who have purchased homes in Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Kensington, Rockville, Potomac, and Gaithersburg. We’ve helped first-time homebuyers, clients purchasing larger “move-up” homes, as well as clients who are downsizing. And if you are thinking of simultaneously buying a new home and selling your current home, we can assist with that too.
When you choose Go Brent, you’ll work with a full-time agent with an unrivaled command of the local market.
Want to know more? Learn more about our team or contact us to schedule your free consultation!
We have real estate pricing stats with data through mid-year 2018. The stats cover the past ten years of home sales. We have stats available for zip codes in Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and Kensington. Some zip codes show that home prices are near, or exceed, where we were at the top of the market.
We’re happy to share this data with you! Fill out the form below to request your copy.
— Our staging strategy has been honed over the last 15+ years and focuses on transforming a property into a welcoming, enticing space to attract the largest pool of potential buyers thereby resulting in a quicker sale for the highest possible price for our sellers!
Over the past decade, we’ve built a substantial inventory of furniture, rugs, books and general décor to lend to clients. Years of experience arranging furniture in all types of homes, plus a retail background in home furnishings and décor merchandising, gives a strong base of knowledge.
Our complimentary service includes furniture, décor as well as the labor! This represents a significant cost savings for sellers.
We also work with clients to evaluate existing furniture placement and assist with a plan to declutter and depersonalize the home prior to listing for sale.
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With just a few weeks of summer left, we thought we’d share what’s captured our interest and kept us busy, aside from real estate. From books to podcasts, here’s what we’re into this summer…how about you?
Our friends over at Silver Spring Cares have partnered up with McGinty’s Public House in Downtown Silver Spring, putting together their very first Random Acts of Kindness Summer Challenge catered toward all kids (0-12) to promote acts of kindness in our community. The Kindness Challenge is an easy five-step process and once completed, they can get a FREE kids meal at McGinty’s from August 27th – August 31st!
“Do kind things and get a free meal.”
Read some of the post below and head over to their site to challenge your kids to participate!
Here at Silver Spring Cares, we believe that that kindness is contagious. In fact, we know it to be a fact. It’s science!
We also happen to believe that with a little effort, we can make our community the kindest place to live.
That’s why we partnered up with our super kind friends at McGinty’s Public House to create our very first Random Acts of Kindness Summer Challenge! This month we’re challenging you (kids ages 0 – 12) to show off just how kind our community can be. Complete the challenge and then join us at McGinty’s anytime between Monday, August 27th – Friday, August 31st and get a FREE kids meal! Yes, it’s that easy. Do kind things and get a free meal. What?! Amazeballs.
With the first half of the year in the books, we took a look at the number of single family and town homes listed in close-in Silver Spring and Takoma Park. The numbers below represent homes that were listed in 2018 year-to-date compared with listings for the same period in 2017.
Listings in 20910 and 20912 are both down significantly this year, 18% and 12% respectively; while the number of listings in 20901 and 20902 are about the same this year compared to last.
20910
2018: 169 2017: 205
20912
2018: 94 2017: 107
20901
2018: 311 2017: 303
20902
2018: 312 2017: 297
There is no crystal ball in real estate; the market ebbs and flows based on interest rates, buyer/seller motivation, and other factors. So, while we can’t predict exactly what will happen in the second half of the year, meeting with an agent to discuss the particulars of your situation is best. Go Brent agents are experienced and savvy; we’ve navigated the local market for years and we’ve been top agents inside the Beltway since 2008.
Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation today. We consult with both buyers and sellers. Many times we work with clients months, or even years, in advance of making a decision. Regardless of your timeframe, we look forward to helping you plan for what’s next!
