The area's largest selection of builders and eight beautiful, fully furnished models.

Clarksburg Village has been named the best-selling community in Montgomery County and the State of Maryland for the last 6 years. This master-planned neighborhood features new luxury traditional and neo-traditional single family homes, townhomes and apartments from the area’s leading homebuilders. There are great conveniences right in the community, including Harris Teeter and several restaurants and retail shops. The location can’t be beat for commuters, with I-270 around the corner and Shady Grove Metro Station. With all its amenities and conveniences, Clarksburg Village is the perfect place to call home.

The Top 10 Real Estate Tax Deductions for Homeowners

The Top 10 Real Estate Tax Deductions for Homeowners

How to Feng Shui the Bedroom - Colors and Object Placement

How to Feng Shui the Bedroom - Colors and Object Placement

Holiday Tips for Homeowners & Sellers

Sunday, November 6, 2011 Buyers are buying homes during the holidays! The calendar says November and that the holidays are here again the first snow fall may be blowing in soon you can never tell with our weather here. So if your home is currently on the market and has yet to sell or if you have just gotten orders out of the country what do you do? Rent or List? Here are some friendly tips from your community advisor.....Jamie At first inclination most sellers opt to withdraw their home from the market believing that the preoccupation with the holiday season puts few buyers in the market. While there is a grain of truth to this, sellers can be ignoring another more important situation: Any buyer looking at houses during the holidays will be VERY serious buyers. There are not many tire-kickers running around with a REALTOR® when there are dinners to plan, cookies to bake, and gifts to wrap. November, December and January showings are an opportunity for a traditional seller. Most homes that buyers visit at this time of the year are vacant. A buyer’s choices are down to model homes, empty relocation properties and foreclosures. A welcome home filled with the colorful sights, delightful sounds and wonderful aromas of the season, give a unique opportunity for those wanting to sell. Tips for Showing & Selling During the Holidays: 1.Decorate! Tastefully of course. This might not be the year that you do the Griswold display of lights as in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, but a decorated tree, candles and wreaths can add a special touch. 2.Bake and leave out Christmas Cookies. Why should Santa have all of the extra calories? 3.Make sure the fireplace is burning bright, warm and welcoming! 4.Play holiday music. Leave out the barking version of Jingle Bells and go for instrumentals or uniquely Washington D.C. and the surrounding area. 5.Shovel and salt the driveway if necessary. No one wants to spend the holidays in the emergency room with a twisted ankle. 6.Turn the heat up for showings…Let them know the furnace really works. It is such a treat after visiting vacant foreclosed homes! 7.Leave the front light on! Don’t forget it is dark out during those early evening showings. Make certain buyers and their agents are able to see their way to your front door and be able to open the lockbox.

Latching Onto Sure Things

Which trends will shape commercial real estate in the next few years? "Finding Certainty in Uncertain Times," a new collection of essays from the Urban Land Institute, pinpoints several key drivers that will shape demand and development. "We believe that these trends will continue regardless of location, which political party is in power, and how quickly the economy recovers from recession, "writes Maureen McAvey, ULI executive vice president of initiatives. Among the trends to watch:

1. Regional migration, immigration, and population growth will create a new pool of middle-class, metro-area dwelling consumers.
2. Sprawl will continue, with outer suburb areas growing three times as fast worldwide as central cities.
3. Research, high-tech, education, and medical institutions will attract more capital to cities able to leverage the funds and create a positive climate for business and entrepreneurs.
4. Green features will no longer be a "bell and whistle" but rather an essential component for both location and building performance.

What is an Echo Boomer?

What is an echo boomer, you ask or maybe you already know! Yeah, you guessed it the echo of the baby boomers are our children. And their out in force 80 million plus of them. And they are smart and buying homes. 97% are on Social Media sites and they range in age from 18-32 years old. They are falling into the statistics of the 50% of all transactions being first time homebuyers. Of that 50%, 20% are single females, 36% are 25-34 years old and 11% are our senior citizens. Prices are still down and rates are still at record lows. This is a truly great time to buy homes and invest in real estate. So contact your favorite real estate agent and let's get this economy really moving. Rent should not even be an option even so of the Mega Lenders like Wells Fargo is lending money with credit scores as low at 500 with 20% down. There is no excuse!! Buy, buy and buy! The only thing you'll regret is not doing it.

Should Cyclists be ticketed for ignoring signals in Old Towne Alexandria??

I myself love to ride my bike on the Mt. Vernon trail and stroll on into the Old Towne Alexandria area on a regular basis. The city is biker friendly and I believe it to be so. The city has done a great job with bike signage and placards except I think that it could be carried a bit further and with more detail. The bike lanes need repainting and their should be more of them in order to regulate the biking traffic and to keep them self and that of pedestrians and visitors. Our biking experiences are valued and enjoyed by many and it seems to be getting busier and busier. I agree that "we" bikers need to adhere to the rules of the road and to obey them accordingly. It would just be more helpful to take it a step further and give us our proper lanes and our own signals which would keep everyone happier and safer.