August 2010 – Page 4 – Jay's Real Estate Blog

New listing: renovated waterfont cottage, type A dock

Listing # GA7418006 $569,000
179 Doc Thompson Rd

Vintage lakefront cottage on a grassy, level lot @ southern shores of Deep Creek Lake. The original cottage has been totally gutted and restored from the studs in! Modernized in virtually every way, the house overlooks a rare, undeveloped lakefront setting. Type A dock, dead-end road, storage building & a peaceful cove. Move-in condition, well-insulated (R19) for year-round use. Hot tub! Sunsets!

More details here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Deep Creek numbering docks to assist emergency providers

Officials hope system will better pinpoint incident locations
Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

— DEEP CREEK LAKE — A new feature required for docks at Deep Creek Lake could help emergency services personnel respond more quickly to situations on the lake.

In the coming months, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will distribute a sign bearing a unique number to every dock at the lake. The numbers are individual 911 addresses specific to each dock.

The addresses and signs are intended to provide landmarks for the public and emergency services to pinpoint specific locations on the lake, according to Brad Frantz, director of the county Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management.

Frantz said it’s proved difficult to determine the exact location of people who call for help from cell phones while on the lake. That forces emergency responders to waste critical minutes searching for the correct route.

“Presently, our 911 call-takers get information from such calls that display longitude and latitude,” Frantz said in a prepared statement. “While this gives us a general location … it may not be precise enough to approach the call from the correct road. This can result in delays for fire, EMS or police units.”

Each dock’s location will be plotted in the 911 center’s computer-aided dispatch equipment, which will allow emergency services to determine the fastest route to reach it.

The address numbers will be based on mileage along the lake shore, using the dam as a start and end point. That means that the numbers will reflect each dock’s specific distance from the dam.

The numbering system will be similar to the system used to assign address numbers to buildings. Each one-tenth of a mile equals 100 increments in the address number. For example, a Sand Flat Road home located exactly one mile from the road’s starting point will have an address of 1000 Sand Flat Road.

In the same way, a dock that is exactly one shore mile from the dam will have an address number of 1000.

The dock addresses have no relationship to the 911 addresses of buildings on shore.

DNR will act as the enforcement agency to ensure dock signs are displayed. That agency will also be responsible for maintaining the signs, Frantz said, including rearranging signs if a dock is moved.

The joint project between Garrett County government and DNR will cost approximately $14,000, split equally between the two entities. Garrett County’s $7,000 portion will be paid through an allocation from the state Emergency Number Systems Board’s trust fund. The fund is fed by a fee tacked onto the phone bill of every customer in the state, and the money is only used for 911-related projects.

Frantz said the timeframe for distributing the signs is tentative and based on how quickly the vendor can make them.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Gearing up to go camping – Baltimore Sun blog

A Swallow Falls & Deep Creek Lake mention 🙂

Susan Reimer – Baltimore Sun
August 19, 2010

I am not very fond of camping. And I am not very good at the principal requirements of camping: not bathing for several days, finding my way to the bathroom in the dark, cooking over an open flame and sleeping on the ground.

But if you ever go camping, you might want to have me with you. What I am missing in fire-starting, I make up for in list-writing. Go camping with me, and you will never be without something you need.

My husband’s brother, Dan, and his young family love camping, and they began to invite us empty-nesters a few years ago. Not wishing to betray our age or our sedentary lifestyle, we agreed with weak smiles.

When it became clear that this would not be the last invitation to camp — and not having had such a bad time after all — I did what I usually do when presented with a new task or activity: I researched the living daylights out of camping.

My first step was to take my reporter’s notebook and tour the campground, noting what other camping families considered essential: rope on which to hang wet clothes, for example. And I made notes of everything Jill, my brother-in-law’s capable wife, had in her camping arsenal.

On my way home from that trip to Swallow Falls near Deep Creek Lake, I found a discount store and filled my cart with just about everything on my list. (I planned to search for recommendations and bargains on the big-ticket items, such as a tent, sleeping bags, air mattresses and stove.)

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Inside the Mind of an Appraiser

Great article & video sent to me by a good friend:

by Stefanos Chen, posted Aug 12th 2010 6:37PM

First impressions are everything in real estate — a fact Paul Isolda, an appraiser with 22 years of experience, knows all too well. Isolda has seen every home staging disaster under the sun, from tacky cabinetry to dingy flooring. One discerning glance from him could mean a final appraisal worth thousands less-or more-than the price you put on your property. That’s why AOL Real Estate’s What Works Now enlisted his help to share all the dos-and countless don’ts-that go into a successful home sale.

The most important thing to keep top of mind, says Isolda, is to see things from the eyes of a prospective buyer who ultimately want to make a home their own. That’s why one of the most sought after features homebuyers look for is a kitchen stocked with sturdy granite counter tops — they’re simple, elegant, and allow the buyer to play with a blank canvas.

That said, not all renovations are smart ones. “If you overspend on a kitchen or bath renovation,” Isolda says, “you’re less likely to recoup that investment on the market.” Keep in mind that the value of your home is tied directly to the property value of surrounding houses. Before splurging on a major remodeling project, Isolda suggests you find out the value of comparable homes in the neighborhood, as your price will vary relative to their worth.

Surprisingly, says Isolde, “You don’t want to be the best house on the block-your neighbors are pulling your value down.” Instead, he says, “you’d actually prefer to be the worst house on the block, because then your neighbors are pulling your value up.” So before investing in that new chandelier, find out how your house ranks among your neighbors. You might just be better off investing in a new paint job, fixing a sidewalk, or re-wiring your home.

Read the full article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Be on the lookout for kids returning to schools

Cumberland Times-News

— Students will be returning to area schools within the next few days, so motorists will need to be on the lookout for them.

This will be particularly true during the morning and afternoon hours, and to be aware of increasing traffic congestion in and around schools and the neighborhoods in which they are located.

Tomorrow will be the first day for students in Mineral County, W.Va. Hampshire County, W.Va., students will return to schools on Aug. 23. Allegany County schools start Aug. 24, and Garrett County begins the new year on Aug. 25.

Just as drivers are urged to be alert, parents should tell their children about some safety tips as they head back to school. Children are unpredictable and not always mindful of traffic safety.

AAA says parents should tell their children to always obey crossing guards, look both ways each time they cross the street, use crosswalks and corners to cross the roads even when cars are not around, not to run or rush, and to remember that motorists can’t always see them.

They also need to know that they are no match for cars, which are are bigger and faster than they are,

For their part, motorists should slow down and obey the speed limits, particularly in school zones and residential neighborhoods, and be prepared to stop quickly for school buses.

The law forbids motorists from driving around stopped school buses, something that has proved fatal for children in our area.

Drivers also should avoid unnecessary distractions. It’s already illegal to text while driving in Maryland, and it soon will be illegal to talk on cell phones.

If possible, drivers also should modify their routes to avoid school zones altogether.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Price Reductions – Real Estate for Sale – Garrett County

It’s that time of year where sellers are reducing their prices to attract late summer buyers and I have a few reductions to report:

GA7364174
209 2ND ST
OAKLAND, MD 21550
Now $199,000
__________________

GA7347519
267 FIRESIDE RD
OAKLAND, MD 21550
Now $329,900
____________________

GA7381957
442 Deer Run Rd – Sky Valley
Swanton MD 21561
Now $419,500

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Local Real Estate Market Update – Garrett County

The MLS system we use in Garrett County, Metropolitan Regional Information System (MRIS), has a research tool available that displays some of our local market statistics. Click on the image below for the July 2010 report:

Some of the stats:

Closed sales is up 7.4% (YTD), 18.2% in July
Pending Sales is up 9.6% (YTD), 22.2% in July
Median Sales Price -4% (YTD), -1.4% in July
% of Original Price – 0.6%(YTD), +0.2% in July
Average Days on Market +3.8% (YTD), +49.6% July

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Gnegy says office should have ‘personal presence’

Jeffrey Alderton
Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — If elected as sheriff of Garrett County, Republican candidate Larry E. Gnegy would “maintain a personal presence in the community.”

A retired captain who served more than 27 years with the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office following five years as an Oakland City Police officer, Gnegy is a former criminal and narcotics investigator and jail administrator who worked in every aspect of the sheriff’s office operation. Following retirement in July 2007, Gnegy worked as a security consultant for several months at Garrett College prior to being appointed as a special police officer in Garrett County District Court where he currently serves as a bailiff.

“The sheriff is elected by the people to serve the people. The best way to do that is to maintain a personal presence in the county and to keep contact with the people in the county,” said Gnegy, who ran for sheriff in Garrett County in 2006. He said he lost the primary election by 15 votes and failed in his bid as a write-in candidate in the general election by 133 votes.

“The personal contact is something that has not been done enough in the last several terms, and it’s something we need to get back to,” he said. He also invited citizens to visit his website, www.larrygnegy.com

“We want the public to know who we are, what we are and what we can do, and make their choice for the next sheriff,” he said. If elected, Gnegy said he would name George “Butch” Zimmerman as his chief deputy. Zimmerman is a retired Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police officer with 26 years’ service and a native of Garrett County.

Gnegy also said he would work to improve the sheriff’s office relationship with Maryland State Police and allied law enforcement agencies.

The Garrett Bureau of Investigation is a “good idea” that worked much better when Maryland state troopers from McHenry worked in the unit, he said. “They had a high rate of closure of cases,” he said, indicating he would continue the GBI operation with the help of state police.

“We have some work to do in re-establishing relationships with Maryland State Police and all allied law enforcement agencies.”

He said he wants to improve morale of the officers in the sheriff’s office. “Taking care of the officers is a priority and that will help improve morale.” He said he would also look at scheduling of officers and attempt to obtain grant funds that would help improve officers’ compensation.

Gnegy also said he sees a need for improvement in media relations. “We would like the media to be an advocate rather than an adversary,” he said. Publicizing most wanted fugitives in local newspapers is another idea that Gnegy would like to implement.

If elected, he would seek to establish a fire police unit as part of the sheriff’s office, similar to Allegany County’s Fire Police, if there is enough interest in the idea.

“I think it would be a great asset to assist fire departments, traffic accident scenes and emergency situations,” said Gnegy.

As for any new hires in the office, Gnegy said he would “prefer looking for officers who are local residents who are looking for a career in law enforcement.” At the same time, Gnegy complimented the men and women who work in the sheriff’s office, calling it a “great department.”

“If elected, I will get in there and evaluate the whole program. I’m sure there are things that we can do to work things better,” he said.

Concerning the jail, Gnegy said the office will “have to work with what we have.” He also welcomed some improvements currently being made at the detention center in Oakland.

Gnegy would also like to establish an inmate work program in connection with the State Highway Administration. He said such a program existed in the past in the sheriff’s office and was successful.

Gnegy worked for six sheriffs during his career. He was hired by Sheriff John “June” Evans, who was succeeded by Frank Finch, Van Evans, Randy Sines, Dick Sanders and current sheriff Gary Berkebile, who is not seeking re-election.

Gnegy resides in Loch Lynn with his wife, Jerry.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Three seek Garrett Sheriff position

Corley wants to cooperate with state police with GBI
Jeffrey Alderton
Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — Garrett County sheriff’s candidate Robert E. Corley, a Republican who is a lieutenant in the department, said he is seeking the office “to give to the public in a more official capacity, just as I have given throughout my career.

“The sheriff’s office belongs to the people, not the sheriff, and I just hope they entrust me to manage it for them. I believe in the people of this county, and I know I can bring good things,” said Corley, who has served in the sheriff’s office for the past 15 years.

A graduate of Fairmont State College, Corley is a Maryland state-certified accident reconstruction specialist and a state-certified polygraph operator. He is also a graduate of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development School.

Corley is assigned as the assistant jail administrator in the sheriff’s office and has served in the department in various capacities, including patrol supervisor, hostage negotiator, grant manager, community services administrator and as officer in charge of the county’s sex offender registry. He has also conducted the department’s drug awarenesss and education program in Garrett County schools and in the public for the past 10 years.

If elected, Corley said he would monitor the office budget closely. “We have to really watch the finances to best benefit the sheriff’s office and, more importantly, the citizens of Garrett County.

“One thing I would eliminate that would save money is the use of off-duty vehicles for personal use. I don’t think it is effective spending to continue that policy, and it is not fair to the public.

“I would also keep intact the north and south end coverages and the town patrols, provided, of course, that the manpower is available.

“I would also like to see the Garrett Bureau of Investigation to come back into play, involving the Maryland State Police again and the state’s attorney’s office investigator. I personally believe having Maryland State Police involved combines our resources, networking and provides better service to the public.

“I also want to enhance the uniform patrol of the sheriff’s office by creating a more structured chain of command that will improve the patrol performance,” he said.

Concerning the sheriff’s office relationship with Maryland State Police, Corley said, “I can promise to make an effort to build a positive relationship with Maryland State Police. We will be more than willing to share our resources with them whenever they are needed. I’d like to see a good, positive relationship between the sheriff’s office and Maryland State Police.”

Corley also said he wants to have a “good working relationship” with the media.

“I have spent the last 10 years as the public education liaison for the sheriff’s office and have spent most of my career talking to the public. I will continue to do that. It’s a very useful tool in keeping the public informed and educated. I will also continue to serve on drug and alcohol awareness and education committees.”

Corley said he intends to attend town and county meetings at least once a month — “not only to hear the issues from the officials but to hear the citizens attending those meetings. I intend to work with the county commissioners to build a more positive working relationship.

“I’m not in it for one term. This is a commitment to the citizens as well as the sheriff’s office. I have 15 years invested in a 25-year career and if I don’t meet the expectation of the citizens in four years they will elect a new sheriff and I will have lost everything I’ve worked for. But if I am elected and do meet their expectations and do stand behind my commitments, they will re-elect me.”

As for his mentors, Corley said retired Sheriff Dick Sanders and current Sheriff Gary Berkebile are among them.

“I have never worked for a finer individual than Dick Sanders. The public loved him, and he was a very public person as sheriff. I was hired by him in 1995, and he recognized my ability to talk with people and put me in a position that allowed me to build positive relationships with the citizens of the county.

“Sheriff Berkebile promoted me to the rank of lieutenant and also continued to allow me to advance in my career. Sheriff Berkebile has also had a positive influence on me throughout my career, and he supports me in my bid to be elected sheriff.”

Corley and wife Sharon are the parents of two daughters, Madison, 13, and Sydney, 9. The family resides in Oakland.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Autumn Glory set for Oct. 6-10

For the Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland Times-News

— MCHENRY — The 43rd anniversary of Autumn Glory will be celebrated in Garrett County with two large parades, concerts, band competitions, art exhibits, antique and craft shows and much more from Oct. 6 to 10.

Known for scenic Deep Creek Lake and Maryland’s only ski resort, Wisp Resort, Garrett County is also home to the annual Autumn Glory Festival, a five-day celebration of autumn that celebrates the beauty of the local fall foliage. From Wednesday through Sunday, the area offers a wide variety of things to do indoors or outdoors.

The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Autumn Glory kickoff dinner, featuring live musical entertainment and recognition of the annual Autumn Glory Golden Ambassador, will kick off the festival on Oct. 6.

Thursday features the Oktoberfest dinner and concert by the Oom-Pah band and a fireman’s parade. The week continues with historic area tours, antique and craft shows, fine arts exhibits, both swing and oldies dances, farmers’ market, 5-K walk, storytelling and book festival, musical concerts, dogsled events, a quilt show, corn maze, art glass exhibits, outdoor adventures, shopping specials and a wide variety of other activities.

The Official Maryland State Banjo Championship, Friday at 7 p.m., features Banjo contestants of all ages competing for top honors.

Oct. 9 offers musical entertainment at the Front Page Stage, on Second Street near the Post Office and on the Box Car at the train station. The Grand Feature Parade begins at 1 p.m. Clowns, floats, bands and plenty of sidewalk vendors increase the festival atmosphere. That day also will feature the Western Maryland Tournament of Bands at 6 p.m, .with high school field show competition, as well as the State Fiddle Championship and Mandolin Contest at 7 p.m.

Antique and craft shows continue Sunday, joined by the Autumn Glory Festival car show and a no-hands sundae eating contest at Lakeside Creamery.

For more details about Autumn Glory, visit www.autumngloryfestival.com or contact the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce at 301-387-4386.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Month: August 2010

New listing: renovated waterfont cottage, type A dock

Deep Creek numbering docks to assist emergency providers

Gearing up to go camping – Baltimore Sun blog

Inside the Mind of an Appraiser

Be on the lookout for kids returning to schools

Price Reductions – Real Estate for Sale – Garrett County

Local Real Estate Market Update – Garrett County

Gnegy says office should have ‘personal presence’

Three seek Garrett Sheriff position

Autumn Glory set for Oct. 6-10

My Location

Deep Creek Media

Stay Connected