Crofton, MD residents can join their friends and neighbors at the Crofton Civic Association on January 17, 2012 at the Crofton Elementary School. The meeting will start at 7:30 with the appropriate Pledge of Allegiance.

The AGENDA for the meeting will include:

• President’s Message – Steve Grimaud
• Presentation of the FY 2013 Budget
• Other business
• Citizen comments

If you like how Crofton is being managed, or if you have some recommendations for change, come on down to the Annual Meeting and let your voice be heard. Looks like the recommended budget for FY2013 is $1,350,882.

Hope to see you there.

Snow date is January 23, 2012

The Crofton MD rental market remains strong, and has been strong since the beginning of the year. This is primarily due to the fact that many of the employees coming into Ft. Meade, as a result of BRAC, are renting, rather than purchasing.

This has put continued pressure on the rental market in the entire area. As a result of the low inventory, you’re also seeing pretty heady prices as well. Today, rental prices range from $1,400/month for a 2 br, 1 ba condo, all the way to $3,200/month for a 5 br, 4 ba single family detached house.

The link below points to all of the current active Crofton, MD rentals, today October 26, 2011.

Crofton MD Rentals

If you’re looking to rent a home in Crofton, MD, or the surrounding area…give Rich a call at 443-995-9595.

I can tell you that Crofton REALTORS® are trying to figure out what’s going on with the real estate market in the last two months. No, we don’t always have the answers. After a great start to the year, the market seems to have stalled, especially when viewed by the declining market in August and September sales in zip code 21114.
With interest rates still very low for qualified buyers, and prices in Crofton now at an affordable rate, throw sellers willing to negotiate into the mix, and you’ll understand why the market activity numbers are puzzling. September was down -33% from September of last year, and down 24% over August 2011. What’s going on?
If I had to put my finger on it, I would say that buyers are fearful of the economy in general. Buying a house is going to be one of the largest financial transaction they’re going to make in their lifetime, and the general economic malaise that has been suffocating the country is still here. Crofton, MD, and several other communities, are being affected by larger economic issues. Those too will pass.
One positive indicator is pending contracts. While they aren’t trending up, they aren’t trending down either. From the looks of it, we’ll be sliding sideways in market activity as we go into the Fall and Winter months.
As you know, when sales goes down, other indicators take a hit as well. The median price is down slightly, and the average days on the market has jumped. These indicators generally track pretty closely with sales.
Buyers, I hope you can see an opportunity to get into a great Crofton, MD house before competing buyers make the connection.

If you’re not working with an agent, and would like to get into a great Crofton, MD home…call Rich at 443-995-9595.

This Sunday, October 2, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Crofton Maryland, the annual ceremony of Blessing of Pets will happen. This ceremony is associated with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic saint, held on October 4th.

The blessing will occur, rain or shine, after the 11 AM mass, at the back of the church. All participants are encouraged to bring along a pet food donation, which will be given to the ASPCA.

Dogs, cats, birds, hamsters…bring them all. The lineup and sprinkling of holy water will occur outside, at the rear of the church.

The actual Blessing in honor of St. Francis goes like this:

“Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You call forth fish in the sea, birds in the air, and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always preach you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.”

Wikipedia defines Evolution as the change over time in one or more inherited traits found in populations of individuals.

When I woke up this morning I swear that I’m growing gills on both sides of my neck. Evolving to better handle the weather we’ve had here in Crofton, MD. Unfortunately, some basements around here have evolved too…into indoor pools.

I can’t remember the last time we didn’t have a rainy day here. Oh yeah…it was the day we had the earthquake a couple of weeks ago. Sunny, clear with just a hint of ground movement.

Finally, late this afternoon a giant orange orb finally peeked through the clouds. Someone mentioned that they remember it’s called the Sun. Go figure, they actually have a name for that thing.

Crofton residents…my iPhone tells me that big orange orb will be back out again tomorrow, Saturday. Enjoy it while it lasts, because it looks like it goes back into hiding again Sunday.

No small community likes to lose a business that has been an anchor for so many years. Last year, the local Blockbuster store, located at Rt. 3 and Cronson Blvd., closed its doors. Long time employees were let go, and a valuable space, and tax resource, was left empty.

A couple of months ago, construction activity started, and new signs were up and running at the location.Advance Auto Parts, a large corporate business, opened a branch in Crofton. Officially called, Store 8849, it’s now a favorite of many Crofton residents.

Admittedly, not everyone who goes into Advance Auto is doing their own car repairs, there is also a large selection of cleaning products, and accessories. You don’t need to be a mechanic to love Advance Auto Parts.

Advance Auto Parts
1268 Rt. 3 S
Crofton, MD 21114
410-451-7201

WELCOME TO CROFTON!