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!
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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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.
We are in the thick of summer with the new school year still a ways away – this means more time for the kids to be bored and restless while they wait for school to start. Silver Spring Cares put together a great list to fight this with 10 ways to get your kids involved in the local community this summer!
Read some below or head on over to their site to read the full list.
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Welcome to the endless summer, Maryland! Where you’ll get 4,200 additional renditions of “I’m Bored!” Ok ok, school does start back September 4 but that seems really far away. So to help you reduce the “I’m Boreds” by 10, here are ten things your kids can do to help others this summer (with minimal supervision).
Host a food drive for Manna Food Center
Check out the Most Needed Foods list, make flyers, and let your neighbors know your kids will do porch pickup of food donations. Summer time is a lean time for food pantries so getting your neighborhood involved to bridge the summer food gap!
Paint Kindness Rocks inspired by Small Things Matter
Create kindness rocks to be abandoned and discovered by others as a Random Act of Kindness. Spread messages of love and kindness throughout your community!
Pick Up Litter on your Street for the Friends of Sligo Creek
Grab a trash bag and gloves and send your kids down your street to pick up the trash that gathers in the gutters. Trash gets washed to the creek from gutters so picking up trash along your street can help protect Sligo Creek!
Make Cards for our Senior Community Members through Silver Spring Village
Put your kids’ art skills to use and make beautiful drawings, colorings or cards to give to Silver Spring Village to distribute to their clients.
Clean out Closets for Mary’s Center
Two birds, one stone here, parents! Have your kids clean out their closets and toys and donate gently used things they no longer wear/play with to Mary’s Center for the families they serve.
Looking for housing for elderly parents or a college student? An accessory dwelling unit (also known as an in-law unit, accessory apartment and by many other names) could be right for you. These units include living spaces constructed over garages, basement apartments and even tiny backyard homes. These types of units provide environmental, life-style and financial benefits.
Did you know the Montgomery County MD Council introduced legislation on July 17 to streamline the regulations associated with constructing accessory dwelling units? Let the Council know what you think by using #MoCoTinyHousing on social media or via letter/email to the Council. You can also testify at the Council’s public hearing on September 11 at 1:30 p.m.
For more information on Zoning Text Amendment 18-07 and Bill 26-18, which is sponsored by Council members Nancy Floreen and George Leventhal and Council President Hans Riemer, see the links to the Council staff reports below.
For almost two decades, we at Go Brent have been proud to serve our neighbors in this wonderfully diverse community. Through the years of working with friends, helpers and businesspeople, we’ve forged strong and long-lasting relationships.
Below are few of our dependable community partners that can help you with a whole array of services for your home. Ranging from painting to home security, these locals will keep things running smooth.
Find a service you like below and obtain a quote today!
About Abrahams Lawn Service: Residents of Silver Spring neighborhoods recognize Abrahams’ Lawn Maintenance as the leading residential landscape company in the area for two reasons: they treat each client like they were the only client, and they complete each job with the eye for detail. Now that same great service is also available to residents of Chevy Chase, Bethesda and Northwest D.C. Learn more or get a quote.
About Backyard Bounty: One of our favorites is Edamarie Mattai, NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmers Association) certified Master Gardner and owner of Backyard Bounty, a local business dedicated to improving the environment by re-imagining the American garden. She started Backyard Bounty in 2008 and now employs a planting crew, mason, and two designers. Together they have designed and installed dozens of conservation landscapes, kitchen gardens, permeable driveways, and rain gardens throughout the DC region. Learn more or get a quote.
About B&A: Mario Pinto grew up watching his father, a skilled mason, work and began his career as a painter over 15 years ago. Mario honed his craft and a few years ago started B&A Custom Painting. From big to small, Mario does it all: kitchen and bathroom remodeling, basement finishing, drywall, painting and staining, hardwood flooring, and tile work. B&A also offers exterior services such as painting, pressure washing, and concrete work. Mario can honestly say that he has been doing this type of work for most of his life! Learn more or get a quote.
About George the Plumber: From pipe repair, to water filtration systems, to radiant floor heating, and more, Mike the Plumber does it all! (He’s come a long way from cleaning pipe fittings). Mike enjoys serving his community six days a week and maintains a high standard of customer satisfaction through his hands-on approach. His business has been built largely on all the good word-of-mouth from happy clients. Learn more or get a quote.
About Dr. Glass:Dr. Glass Window Washing is a family operated business that values quality services and good relationships with customers. Philip Bregstone started Dr. Glass Window Washing in 1978, one squeegee and one window at a time. As his business grew, Philip started to bring others on board with him so he could wash more windows but keep the signature personal touch. Learn more or get a quote.
Markham Movers
About Markham Movers: One of Go Brent Team’s strongest and most enduring local partnerships has been with Markham Movers, a family run and operated business started over 30 years ago by Papa Richard. His son Shaun joined him in 1993 and they’ve handled all GBT’s moving and staging for about 15 years. Brawny enough to move you and all your possessions from here to there, they also possess a deft touch, making them a favorite among shop owners in Kensington’s Antique Row. They serve residential and commercial clients, and offer personalized moving and packing services, too. Learn more or get a quote.
About Marzullo Construction, Inc.:Locally owned and operated by father and son team Michael and Stefano, Marzullo Construction specializes in kitchen and bathroom renovations, basement remodeling, and more. With 55 years’ experience between the two of them, the Marzullos know their stuff – if they can’t do it, it probably can’t be done! It’s no wonder these guys have so many perennial repeat customers. Learn more or get a quote.
Mike’s Hauling
About Mike’s Hauling:When you’re de-cluttering and need help, call Mike Carmody Monday through Saturday. He’ll arrive with the truck, labor and experience (20+ years) required to help you remove unwanted items from anywhere at your home or business. Mike will haul away your junk but he enjoys transporting your charitable donations as well, making trips to local organizations to donate gently used household items. Learn more or get a quote.
About Redbird Redesign: Meet Colleen Mitchell, proprietor and creative force behind RedBird ReDesign, providing design guidance for creating comfortable, beautiful and coordinated interiors – be it one room or an entire house. Colleen will work with you and what you already own, editing and adding key pieces, and updating colors to meet realistic budgets and schedules. Learn more or get a quote.
About SureFit Security:When you need peace of mind, Surefit Security are the people to call! This group of professional fully-licensed locksmiths have been providing quality service and assurance since 1962, and have called their Fenton Street location home since 1992. Surefit Security offers many services including selling, servicing and installation of locks, doors, and door-related hardware, closed circuit TV, video intercoms, telephone entry systems, and a complete line of access control systems. Questions? Stop by their shop and ask, and while you’re there, check out their display of safes, locks, and security doors and windows. Surefit offers free estimates, leasing and payment options, too. When you’re dealing with your home’s security, it’s important to have a trusted and legitimate locksmith you can rely on. Learn more or get a quote.
Go Brent is not compensated in any way for recommending our community partners. Each business is separately owned and operated. Go Brent checks all contractor licenses annually; license statuses were checked on September 1, 2017. Consumers can access most licensing information at http://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/ (choose the respective Industry/Profession on right); title agents are licensed by the Maryland Insurance Administration at http://www.mdinsurance.state.md.us.
Pictured above: Tacos, Tortas, and Tequila – Now Open!
Silver Spring continues to expand as a city with it’s community and businesses. As we’ve seen, construction has become a challenge in DTSS, but that means new businesses are opening and others are coming soon! From the upcoming restaurants to the latest fitness franchises, it was easy to come up with a quick list on a lunchtime walk.
See our map and list below of all the businesses newly opened and those coming soon to the area!
