“Around the Mill” First Friday Tonight, March 5, 2010 at Mt. Washington Mill

Don’t forget to come “mill around” at the Mt. Washington Mill tonight from 5-8 pm and get your Mill Pass Stamped to enter into the drawing for the wonderful basket of goodies from the shops!

Stop by the Mt. Washington Wine Company from 6-8 pm for their special wine tasting tonight — Frederick County’s own Black Ankle Vineyards!

The “Around the Mill” stores are: Amazing Glaze, Dogma-Life with Your Pet, Gore-Dean, Holly G Boutique, Home on the Harbor, Mt. Washington Wine Company, Starbucks and Whole Foods, and they will be offering both special discounts and refreshments this evening!

Come visit this unique area and interesting shops — you’ll find things here you won’t find anywhere else!

The Mt. Washington Mill is located near Falls Road and not far from 83 North and South in the Mt. Washington area of Baltimore at 1340 Smith Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209.

Maryland Zoo in Baltimore to Open March 13 After Delay From Major Blizzard Damage

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is ready to reopen its gates after two major blizzards caused a tremendous amount of damage to buildings and animal housing.

As I have written in multiple posts about these blizzards, the heavy snow caused damage to many homes, and hurt the Baltimore real estate market. It also has hurt Baltimore businesses and tourist attractions both with their buildings, and the fact that the damage in the zoo’s case, forced them to remain closed for an additional two weeks to repair and remove snow from walkways and the like.

The Baltimore Business Journal reports that the damage to the zoo could top $2.5 million, a hit to the attraction that is already having financial woes.

Tickets for the weekend of March 13-14 will be reduced to $5 to celebrate its’ reopening, and hopefully entice many visitors to come see the animals. Some exhibits may not be open, or they may be modified (for example, the giraffes will not be outside, but can be viewed in their inside habitat) due to the still snowy, cold & muddy conditions, or damage to the area.

After the opening weekend, ticket prices will be $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for children on weekdays, and $16 adults, $13 seniors, and $11 children on weekends.

Coming up on March 20th is the popular Samson the elephant’s SECOND birthday party from 11 am-1 pm. It is hard to believe he is now TWO!

So come on down to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore to support and help them rebuild — just by coming to visit the animals and enjoy the beautiful surroundings in Druid Hill Park.

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is located in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, 21217. The hours once open are 10 am – 4 pm. For more information, call 410-366-LION (5466).

Charm City Circulator — Free Transportation in Baltimore City

Have you heard of the free bus transportation available in Baltimore City called the Charm City Circulator?

This is a new great idea from the City of Baltimore that will run three routes and transport workers, commuters, students, visitors and the like for FREE. The busses run every 10 minutes from designated stops on the lines.

The first one up & running is the ORANGE ROUTE, which runs from Hollins Market to Harbor East. It runs around Little Italy and along Lombard Street down to the University of Maryland Baltimore right by the UMD Medical Center, and loops back around and heads back to Harbor East going down Pratt Street. It has 26 stops in all, including the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Inner Harbor, as well as the Convention Center and Camden Yards.

The Purple Route will run Penn Station to Federal Hill, and the Green Route will run run from City Hall to Johns Hopkins.

This is an exciting initiative set forth in Baltimore, and even more exciting is that the busses are DesignLine 2009 EcoSaver IV LF Hybrid Electric vehicles, which conserve gas and are good for the environment. The goal of the Circulator, per the Baltimore.org site,  is to “reduce congestion and greenhouse gas pollution by offering a convenient, reliable and eco-friendly form of public transportation.”

So, hop on the Circulator and help the environment while getting where you need to be in Downtown Baltimore quickly & efficiently.

Ryland Homes Names New Chairman and New Homes To Be Built in Baltimore County

Ryland Homes Inc., a builder who has been behind many popular communities in the Baltimore area, has named Bill Jews as its new Chairman, reports the Baltimore Business Journal.

Mr. Jews was the CEO of Maryland’s own Carefirst BlueCross BlueShield and brought it back from the point of it almost shutting its doors in 1993 to a successful company by the time he stepped down in 2006.  Jews is on a number of boards in the Maryland area, including Fortress International in Columbia, Maryland, and Camden Learning Group in Baltimore.

Though Ryland Homes is based in California, they are a pillar in the Baltimore real estate community. Their developments have won awards and have shown to be well planned.

If you would like more information on new Ryland Homes in Baltimore County, Harford County, and surrounding areas, please contact me so I can help!

More Snow on the Way for Baltimore Homeowners Already Hurting From Heavy Snow and Ice

Well, of course, the snow is hurting the entire areas, but many homeowners are already having major issues with their homes due to this heavy snow and ice damming, and it appears a major amount of heavy snow may visit us tonight through tomorrow, freezing those gutters back up and re-creating problems.

The other issue that it appears we will have is high winds, which could possibly knock out power — so sump pumps and other drainage systems in homes may not work properly.

Baltimore homeowners, if they can, need to try to knock down as much ice from their gutters as they can, to free it up for when this round begins to melt.

As I mentioned in my post last week about the possibility of more storms, this is truly hurting the Baltimore real estate market.

Buyers are having trouble envisioning yards, homes as they truly are, and neighborhoods as they really are.

The mounds of snow in front of homes on cul de sacs make it difficult to even see the home from the street. My listing at 3136 Eden Drive in Abingdon, MD, has a great location — but right now it doesn’t appear that way! The snow is mounded so high in front of the house that you can’t see how nice it looks. Its location on the cul de sac is wonderful for extra yard space, more parking directly across the way, and a sense of privacy — but you can’t tell because of the snow pile up! Their yard has beautiful landscaping and shows such a pride of ownership — but you can’t tell because of the deep snow covering the gardens and plantings.

These things that would usually create such nice curb appeal and make it feel like home to a buyer are hidden behind the wall of snow. And another 8-12″ will only hinder things further.

We hope that buyers can imagine, but as my sellers have found while searching for their next home, it is very hard to do!

Here’s hoping that March will bring a little warmer weather and a LOT less snow. Our sellers and buyers need it!

More Winter Weather On the Way for Sunday Night into Monday February 21-22 Hurts Baltimore Real Estate Market

It looks like the beginning of next week will bring us more snow or ice, possibly mixed with rain or sleet.

What does this mean for the Baltimore real estate market and Baltimore area homes?

More trouble.

In a city still in recovery mode from two blizzards last week, additional winter weather is not welcome to Baltimore homeowners.

Those gutters that I spoke about the other day, that may have been holding on may not be able to hold on much longer (if they haven’t broken or fallen already).

Those roofs with snow that I discussed are getting heavier as the snow melts. Additional snow & ice may cause them to collapse or fail.

Water that may be coming in from under the iced-over gutters will have less places to go outside of your house, and be forced back inside.

So be prepared.

If you haven’t already, shovel or rake the roofs that you may have that don’t have much of a pitch to them.

Look out for those icicles and knock down any that you are able to.

Have towels, plastic bags, duct tape, and buckets or tupperware on hand.

If you are a buyer looking for a Baltimore home right now, know that these conditions are not normal. Homes that are well maintained and don’t usually have issues may be having some. These are extraordinary circumstances and most likely not a true representation of how a home usually handles snow or other weather elements.

So now we have to sit and wait. There is nothing we can do to change the weather, all we can do is be prepared and try to help prevent problems when and where we can. Buyers and sellers need to understand that the situations we are facing are highly unusual. The Baltimore real estate market certainly has been affected by these storms, and I am hoping to see some recovery as we head into March.

Additional Home Perils From the Lasting Ice and Snow in Baltimore

As I showed condos today in the Stevenson area of Baltimore County, I was reminded of a few more issues that the snow/ice build up is causing to homes in the Baltimore area.

As the weather warms some, and the snow melts, but then nights get cold and it freezes back up, large icicles can cause lots of harm inside and out due to the ice build up in the gutters.

I briefly mentioned this in my post last week about the Ramifications of the Snowpocalypse on homes. A week later, these issues are even more prevalent and some even a bit more dangerous.

The icicles are forming long & large with extremely pointed ends. One fell to the ground as we were looking at the front of the building, and we felt very lucky that we were not underneath it. It was like a dagger.

The roof line had large icicles that were dropping water — which was forming on the sills of even a second floor unit. The weight of the ice was bowing the window sill. In this case, this would be the condominium association’s responsibility if the window leaked or the sill fell, but in a home where the exterior maintenance is your responsibility, this could be a big issue.

We all are wishing for the warmer weather to come and this snow to melt. We do, though, need it to melt slowly to prevent flooding and more major damage to our homes.

More Snow on the Way for Towson Monday February 15-Tuesday February 16, 2010

With Monday being President’s Day, I don’t think Towson school children will be wearing their pajamas inside out hoping for another snow day. They are already off school, and have been for a week now.

We had two blizzards in one week, and now just 5 days after the last one left us, we could have another doozy on our hands.

This complicates the issues that many of us are already facing, with heavy snow melting and water coming in, the gutter system in the front of the house about to collapse (or already have), leaks because of the ice melting in gutters from underneath.

There is a possibility of around 6″ of snow due Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon now. If the storm turns, we could be lucky enough to have some of it be rain, but it looks like DC may be more likely to have this good fortune.

This means we all need to be prepared again, but luckily 6″ of snow now doesn’t seem so bad after the past two weeks, does it?

So keep your eyes and ears open for leaks and just make sure to take it easy on the roads if you are out after it begins tomorrow afternoon. The heaviest is supposed to be overnight into Tuesday, and Howard County Schools have already closed for Tuesday. I am wondering how quickly Baltimore County and City may follow.

Snowpocalypse Ramifications for Your Towson Home

Today I was reminded as to the damage that heavy snow piling up can cause to your home, so hopefully these few tips can help you to minimize problems.

• The gutters above a window may be frozen solid and the heat from inside of the house is getting the snow to begin to melt. This may cause water to come in through a crack in the window frame and cause damage. Here are a few tips to avoid further damage without taking a blowdryer to your gutters:

Supplies you’ll need: a few black 30 gallon trash bags, a roll of duct tape, pots, tupperware, or bowls, and a towel.

Open the trash bag, and duct tape it across the area where the water is dripping. Place a bowl on the ground and direct the base of the trash bag into it (making a funnel). For a larger window, you may need multiple bags and bowls.

• A client of mine had their entire gutter system fall off their house due to the weight of the ice. Not that it could have been prevented, but they need to be aware of the possibility of water going into their basement so they need to keep an eye on things with towels, buckets, etc on hand, ready to go.

• If you have a flat roof (which we do over a portion of our house), you may want to shovel if you can get to it. We were so glad to have done it, for fear of the weight of almost five feet of snow and its compacting as it melts caving the roof in.

• We also had BGE out today because our power lines were being held up/down by a small tree. First of all, all of their people were very nice and wonderful. Second, they did a great job. So make sure to check out the lines coming into your house so you don’t lose power. Luckily the tree hadn’t pulled the wires away from the house. We must call BGE to come back in the spring and get the lines restrung, because the lineman said they are hanging too low to the ground.

• Finally, check those icicles. We had ones that reached from our gutters all the way down to the snow piles. They were very thick as well. The weight very well could have broken the gutters or fallen through a bay window, so we knocked them down. So LOOK UP and be careful as you are entering and exiting buildings.

This is such an unusual amount of snow and the ice build-up is immense. Please be careful when you are out, and be very cautious and conscious with your homes.

Now let’s cross our fingers that we don’t get the heavy snow predicted for Monday in Towson and Baltimore…

Please note that these ideas and opinions are just that — ideas and opinions. I am sure there are better ways to handle some of these issues, but I was working with household items while being snowed in and unable to get out or help to get in. Some are short term solutions. Also, safety first in all cases! Be careful!

Snowpocalypse 2010 2.0 Is Crazy

Well, here we are 24 hours into the second crippling storm this week and the huge piles of snow are astounding.

I was supposed to list a great new home in Nottingham (thought of as Perry Hall or White Marsh) tomorrow, but it looks like that will be out, because the likelihood of all of us being dug out in the next 24 hours is very slim.

We have what is considered a flat roof over an addition on our house. Luckily my husband shoveled it yesterday to prevent its collapse. I have a feeling he or I will be up there tomorrow to do so again. If you have one, it is a good idea to get the heavy snow off.

We have a gas furnace, so we have been checking the carbon monoxide detector and moving it to different areas to check the levels.

The snow has gotten so high 1/2 of the back door is covered.

This is unbelievable!

I hope you are safe and warm.

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