Weekly Update – Page 2 – Deep Creek Lake Blog

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Home Value-Property Links

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake,

Ahh, spring skiing! There’s nothing like breezing down nicely groomed slopes in 40-50º weather with a light layer of ski wear, just enough to protect your body in the event of a tail slide! And although it’s tempting to ditch the bulky helmet – don’t do it – protect your precious noggin. Not to fear, you have until March 29^th to get in those last runs before Wisp ski operations come to a close.

Thinking of selling or upgrading this year? I want to give you your annual update on what your home is worth. I want you to be one of the few who are informed. You know the genuine value of “home and hearth,” but do you know the dollar value of your house–or how much of that value belongs to you? A number of key decisions can be more wisely made with the benefit of this knowledge. For instance, is your home adequately insured? Is your estate plan based on a realistic estimate of your home’s worth? Do you know how to measure the value of your home? A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is the only tool that provides current pricing of homes in your style in your area. With a recent CMA and knowledge of your home’s condition relative to others that have tested the market, you can know an accurate dollar amount for your home.

These are a few Spiker Team listings with recent price changes and two properties that are new to the market (one lakefront & one lake access – both with dock slips!).

Lakefront, 5 Bedrooms – Price Change

Slopefront + Water Views – Price Change

Lakefront Townhome – Dock, New Listing

Lake Access – Dock, Est. Rental, New Listing

Have a wonderful week and feel free to reach out to us!

Warm regards,

Betsy Spiker Holcomb

Note: As a member of our local Board of REALTORS, I am able to show you ALL listings regardless of the Broker representing the listing.

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Dunk-HART

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake,

We asked and she delivered! Mother Nature has been quite forthcoming with snow this season, which is well received by skiers, snowmobilers and winter enthusiasts in general. My 2-year old, Griffin (right), had his first sledding experience in the backyard. He thought it was alright but he would rather watch mommy make snowballs to toss to the dog! And my little heartbreaker, Jensen (left), just turned 8-months and has had a rough time keeping healthy this winter. Thankfully, it hasn’t stopped our adventurer from learning to crawl and stand.

There’s plenty of time to register for the 17^th Annual Deep Creek Dunk to benefit Maryland Special Olympics. The event takes place on Saturday, February 21^st at the Honi-Honi. Registration begins at 12:00 and the dunk begins at 2:00. The amount of registrants is so great that they send the dunkers in the water by groups. As a bystander, the entertainment is plentiful as it typically takes about an hour for all of the dunkers to make their way in and out of the frigid waters of Deep Creek Lake. Costumes range from trunks, bikinis, rock stars, cartoon characters and everything in between! Parking can get tight so you may want to arrive a little early and enjoy the outdoor music and pep rally that takes place beforehand. Or, walk or snowmobile by lake to the Dunk this year. Ice depth doesn’t seem to be an issue for snowmobilers considering the blast of cold temperatures we’ve had for the last several weeks. Bob and I are planning to travel there by sled. If you want to join the caravan let us know. More details.

The Spiker Team has some new, exciting listings to share with you. This link will allow you to view information, photos and tours of each. http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=61380996981

New to the Market…332 Bracken Drive/Loch Glade Sanctuary – a beautiful cedar sided home in a lake access community
New to the Market…3365 Mayhew Inn Road – a 5-bedroom contemporary home nicely appointed overlooking Hammel Glade conservation area
New to the Market…1163 Deep Creek Drive/Pinebreeze – a one-level waterfront condo with a dedicated dock slip that walks right out to the water
Price Reduced by $15K…258 Pinnacle Drive/The Pinnacle – a lovingly cared for contemporary home in a great community with a dedicated dock slip

And in honor of our furry, four-legged friends who need a home…The Work Crew is Ready to Start! We’re Raffling off a Home to Build a Home for Adoptable Pets!

Buy Your Ticket Today and you Could be the Grand Prize Winner of This Home! Plus other Cash Prizes!

One First Prize of $5,000 ● Two Second Prizes of $1,000 each ● Five Third Prizes of $500 each ● Ten-Forth Prizes of $100 each!

This beautiful Cape Cod-style home in Thurmont, Maryland could be yours for $100!!!!!

Conveniently located between Hagerstown and Frederick, Maryland
Recently remodeled
Three levels
Three bedroom/ Two Full and two half baths
One-quarter Acre with detached garage and secluded backyard
One block from Mt. St. Mary’s College
Appraised Value (10/1/2014) $236,000

$100 Ticket/Maximum tickets sold: 4,000. Check it out at www.harthomeraffle.org

Enjoy your week and call on us anytime! www.DeepCreekLakeProperty.com

Warm regards,

Betsy Spiker Holcomb

Note: As a member of our local Board of REALTORS, I am able to show you ALL listings regardless of the Broker representing the listing.

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake…Fresh Powder, Frozen Waters…Market Update

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake,

The snowfall we’ve had over the last 4 days has been absolutely beautiful. This picture doesn’t do it justice. The snow-capped, fluffy trees make driving here in the winter a real pleasure. And thankfully, our county does a great job keeping our roads clean and safe.

Our 2-year old, Griffin, is enjoying the white stuff and had his first sled riding experience. Sled riding is an activity that is very inexpensive and a load of fun! And we are definitely not lacking good hills for it either. Our next outdoor playtime might include building a snowman. Now all we need is some hot chocolate to take me back to some wonderful childhood memories:).

And another sport that is a real blast at DCL in the winter is snowmobiling. You will notice from the photo at the very top that the lake is frozen over and just about ripe for motorized sleds. Be sure to check the thickness of the ice before venturing onto it. I have seen a lot of photos and heard many stories of ice fishermen that have had great success recently. Whatever your sport, if it includes getting on the frozen waters of Deep Creek Lake consider these tips from the Department of Natural Resources: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/pdfs/DCL_icedsrguide.pdf.

PET ADOPTION EVENT SATURDAY AT THE HART ANIMAL CENTER

HART will be holding an animal adoption event on Saturday, January 31^st from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the HART Animal Center. The monthly event takes place on the last Saturday of each month. The adoption event will feature adoptable dogs and cats from the Garrett County Animal Shelter. The Center is located at 1265 Bumble Bee Road in Accident, Maryland.

If you’re thinking about getting a pet, consider adopting a rescue animal. You’ll be saving a life and greatly improving yours.

The HART for Animals adoption policy and process will be applicable during the Adoption Day events. For more information, please call 301.387.7729 or visit www.hartforanimals.org.

(This is Rosie. She is 1 ½ years old and is looking for a home. Photo courtesy of Hart for Animals.)

The Real Estate Market has been pretty active since the start of 2015. This link will show you the properties that have gone to settlement over the last 30 days. http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=61086525341 The average list to sale price ratio is creeping up a little and is now at ~93%. This is an indicator of a pretty healthy market for both buyers and sellers. And don’t be discouraged if you are looking online and do not feel like there is a good selection of homes to choose from. It’s a fairly common practice for sellers to remove their properties from the market in the winter and place them back on the market in the spring. However, I am able to still search the MLS database for listings that are withdrawn from the market and am happy to do so using your criteria.

The Spiker Team’s featured listings are 3 wonderful mountaintop properties and a Yellowstone log cabin in the central part of the lake. View photos and a tour of each by using this link. http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=61086787877

Lastly, mark your calendar for the Deep Creek Dunk being held February 21^st. Enjoy your weekend!

Greetings from DCL-Casselman-Ski-In/Out Homes

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake,

Happy New Year! Maybe 2015 will bring some fresh snow with it rather than just freezing temperatures. Be careful what I wish for, right? The cold weather we are having today makes conditions ripe for snowmaking at Wisp, though.

Looking to sightsee this winter? Take a drive to Grantsville, MD to see the historic Casselman River Bridge. While you’re there, enjoy a home cooked meal at Penn Alps and shop at Spruce Forest Artisan Village.

Stage Wisp’s Winter Concert Series has begun and takes place each Friday from 6:00-8:30 at Wispers Bar in the main lodge. The band schedule has not been released but they always have a good lineup. Check their website for more details.

If you sold real estate in 2014, here are some Tax Tips you should read 5 Tax Deductions Sellers Won’t Want to Miss. You can deduct things such as all closing costs, property taxes, improvements and points.

There are quite a few ski-in/out properties available for sale starting in the $200K range:

http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=60723640190. Whether it’s a low maintenance town home or detached family lodge you desire, there are plenty of options.

If you have not yet been setup on our automated email service through our MLS, which sends you listings that meets your parameters as they come on the market, and you wish to be, please notify us of your search criteria and we will take care of it. Enjoy your week!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Weekend Events-Real Estate Stats

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made vacations and Sales. Lights, camera, action! The snow guns are on in preparation for Wisp Resort’s official opening day – this Saturday, December 13^th. The up-and-down weather we’ve had has made it quite challenging to open but the colder temperatures this week along with the dusting of fresh snow we’re getting should make for well-groomed trails. The picture below was taken from our office window. You can see that they are also preparing a base for the snow tubing area. It is indeed time to wax your skis & snowboards and give your lungs a fresh workout in the crisp, cool air!

Deep Creek was recently featured in the Baltimore Sun. The article touched on the real estate market, the history of the area, what to do and why to visit. Another interesting tidbit I learned today from the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is that our county has had the highest increase in visitors across the state for 2012 & 2013 year, beating out Ocean City and Baltimore. http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/chesapeake-home/ph-mg-cl-deep-creek-20141119-story.html

There are a few fun things going on in the town of Oakland this weekend:

A Great Small Town Christmas:

December 12th & 13th. There will be a tree lighting ceremony on Friday, December 12th at the gazebo on 2nd Street at 6:00 pm. Come out and join us for sleigh rides, carols, a petting zoo, store specials and see Santa! Santa will be downtown until 8:00 pm. He will make an appearance at the tree lighting and will make his way to Nola’s Salon. The festivities will continue on Saturday from 11:00 am-2:00 pm. Art’s images will be taking pictures of children with Santa again this year and orders will be taken if you wish to purchase them. The Food Drive will be taking place on Second Street until noon. Brenda’s Body Shop will be performing at 10:45 am at the gazebo.

The Oakland Express:

Saturday, December 13th and 20th from 5:30-7:30pm at the Oakland B&O Museum. This is for children ages 4-8. The children are invited to come in their pajamas. They will take part in a craft, milk and cookies & meet with Santa! There is limited space for this event. Please call Michelle Ross at 301-334-2691 for reservations. We also invite parents to tour the station and enjoy some treats while your children are in the classroom (North Pole!).

Photo courtesy of G.C. Chamber of Commerce

The November Real Estate stats have been released and you can see that solds & contracts are up compared to the 5-year average and the average days on market (DOM) is down. These 3 indicators all point to a healthy climate for both buyers and sellers. 2014 is finishing up strong and what we’ve seen over the last year is an environment where sellers are getting a fair price for their properties (when compared to today’s value) and buyers have been able to negotiate to a number where they feel comfortable settling. For more detailed statistics on a particular segment of the market just shoot me an email, text or call.

Our Featured Listing is a home we recently introduced to the market in a well-established and liked community in the central part of the lake known as The Pinnacle. This contemporary home is perched on a hillside offering views of the lake as well as a Dock Slip nearby. It’s a 4-bedroom, 3 ½ bath home with a loft area overlooking the great room, bedrooms on all 3 levels, two family rooms, two fireplaces, a beautiful deck, large patio, detached garage, beautiful landscaping and a great yard! Click here to view the visual tour: http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1734802.html.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend and be sure to make plans to visit the mountains soon!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Hat & Glove Drive-Market Stats

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Hat & Glove Drive-Market Stats. Winter kickoffs here at the lake! Locals would say that last Thursday night’s light accumulation was our first official snow for the 2014 season. The Whistling Swans echo the same. They almost always arrive with the first snow and once again they didn’t disappoint. Wisp also turned on the snowguns on Saturday to blow off the dust and excite ski enthusiasts like myself!

In just a little more than a month, another year will be in the books. There’s so much to be thankful for – our health, our family, our friends, our clients, this beautiful area for which we have the privilege to call home and so much more. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life not giving ourselves the opportunity to stop and smell the roses. My children have taught me to take it all in because it doesn’t take long before they’ll be grown up and I’ll be saying “where’d that time go”? Happy Thanksgiving from The Holcomb’s!

Our local Board of Realtors takes on several community projects each year, one of them being Helping Heat the Heads and Hands. The goal is to provide hat & glove sets to the children of Garrett County. It’s easy…buy a hat & coordinating-sized gloves and enclose in a Ziploc with the size written on the outside and drop off to a collection site by December 1^st. We have a drop-off box in our Long & Foster Deep Creek Lake office located at 23789 Garrett Highway, McHenry, MD.

On the Real Estate front, the numbers for October 2014 show that demand is up and supply is down. Our Sold & Contracts/Pending Sales are up versus the same time last year and Inventory is down. It’s pretty typical to see inventory go down in the fall/winter and back up again in the spring/summer.

These 15 properties have had a price reduction in the last 30 days. And our Featured Listing is a contemporary home at Deep Creek Lake in McHenry that is in the heart of it all. The price has been reduced by $14K to $275,000. This is a lot of house for the $, complete with a garage! Please check our website for additional real estate information or email me with questions. Enjoy the upcoming holiday with your family!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Preparation for Winter-Halloween Calendar

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake…In Preparation for Winter…Halloween Calendar. In Preparation for Winter…Halloween Calendar. It’s pumpkin season and Griffin and Jensen couldn’t be more excited:)! If you are looking for a neat place to shop for pumpkins visit Klotz Farm near the Schoolhouse Earth gift shop on Route 42/Friendsville Road just outside of McHenry.

As the leaves and temperatures begin to fall, it’s time we start thinking of ways to ensure that winter doesn’t take a toll on our homes or pocketbooks! Here are some tips that may help:

1) Clean Your Gutters – this will help prevent the build-up of ice on your roof.

2) Check For Leaks – seal up any drafty areas to save on heating costs.

3) Insulate Pipes – by insulating your water pipes and hot water heater you can save on your water heating costs.

4) Check Your Furnace Filter – because your furnace will be getting a lot of exercise soon, you will want to change out you filter to help your furnace run more efficiently.

5) Trim Trees – look around your yard to check for limbs that could potentially fall and hit your home, your car or a power line.

6) Prep Your Snowblower – make sure it starts and is filled with gas and that you have a few snow shovels on hand.

7) Clean Your Chimney – before you use your fireplace each year it’s a good idea to have it cleaned to eliminate fire risks.

8) Check Your Iceguard – if you have electric strips on your roof that help prevent ice damming, plug them in to make sure they work.

9) Plowing – if you hire out your plowing, I’ve found it easiest to be on a set schedule with your contractor so they know to plow when we receive 4 or so inches of snow at a time.

10) Set the Temperature – sometimes vacant homes will be completely winterized with little to no heat. While this will save on heating costs, it doesn’t bode well for real estate showings. It’s hard to get that warm, cozy feeling in a cold home!

11) Drain Your Pipes – should you choose to turn off the water and take this step, be sure to properly drain them to eliminate the risk for frozen/busted pipes. And, if your home is on the market you should place a note on each toilet so that no one attempts to use them while previewing your home.

The Spiker Team has a great new lake view home for sale on over 3 acres atop Wisp Mountain. A lot size of this kind with a terrific water view is hard to come by. We also have a double lot in North Camp @ Wisp with easy access to the slopes (walking distance) that is bank owned and has been reduced by another $20K! We are happy to field any of your real estate or DCL area oriented questions 301-616-5022, www.DeepCreekLakeProperty.com. http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=59916082134

The community has quite a few activities for the kids (and adults) this Halloween season (flyers below). Trunk-or-Treat seems like a fun idea that gets the parents and the children involved. Then, Wisp is hosting a Wicked Wine Tasting to benefit Garrett Mentors on October 30^th. And The Black Bear Tavern always hosts a rockin’ Halloween Costume Party which will be held on Saturday, November 1^st. Happy Halloween!

Greetings from DCL-Autumn Glory Festival-Featured Listings

Greetings from DCL-Autumn Glory Festival-Featured Listings. Autumn is in full bloom here at the lake, setting the scene for perfect festival colors for the weekend. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Garrett County was voted one of the Top 10 Towns for Leaf Peeping. Take a short drive and see it for yourself!

The picture below was taken from our back yard last year just a little later in the month but it is still reminiscent of how beautiful the area is this time of year (as well as the kidsJ, Griffin is our oldest child – now 22 months with our manager’s granddaughter). You just can’t paint a backdrop more spectacular than this with the water and surrounding mountains.

Wednesday, October 8^th kicks off the 47^th Annual Autumn Glory Festival. You can access the event brochure from this hyperlink. The spotlight activities include the Fireman’s Parade, Heritage Craft Fest, Antique Show, Fiddle & Banjo Championships, Grand Feature Parade, Tournament of Bands, Car Show and Pumpkin Festival. There’s something for everyone! Once you attend you will keep coming again for years to come.

The Spiker Team’s Featured Listings for the week are a newly listed cape cod-style home on almost 2 acres for $199,900. And, 4 of our properties have had price adjustments recently, including a log home with acreage, a ski-in/out townhome, a great starter home in Oakland and a perfect retirement home in the central lake area. http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=59690426643

If you make your way to the lake this weekend and have questions about real estate or area information in general please feel free to give us a call 301-616-5022. Enjoy your week!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Art and Wine Festival

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Art and Wine Festival. It’s hard to believe that Labor Day has come and gone. This also means that some of our ice cream shops will be closing up for the year or going to fall hours. It was only right that Griffin get one ice cream cone of his own before the season endedJ. And believe it or not, Jensen has been in the real estate business since day 6 of his life. He’s a seasoned veteran now, using a smartphone and all, at the ripe ole age of 11 weeks!

Boating on the lake after Labor Day can be a real reward for very little traffic and still good water temperatures. The lakefront restaurants will not pull their docks until after Autumn Glory so there’s plenty of time to dine by boat.

Coming up this weekend…the Deep Creek Lake Art & Wine Festival. Details can be found on their website and below. This is a wonderful event that benefits two great organizations – HART for Animals and GLAF (Garrett Lakes Arts Festival).

Date: September 5, 2014 – September 7, 2014

Website: www.deepcreekwinefest.com

Event Description: The festival includes wine, regional artists, children’s area, silent auction, live music and lots more!

Friday: Wine Pairing Dinners at Participating Restaurants

Saturday: Art & Wine Festival Noon – 6 pm. Rain or Shine. Garrett County Fairgrounds

Sunday: Sunday brunch at area restaurants

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Art and Wine Festival

Also, be sure to mark your calendar for the 2014 World Championships Canoe/Slalom Race from September 17-21 at ASCI & the 47^th Annual Autumn Glory Festival from October 8-12 in Oakland.

The Betsy Spiker Holcomb Team’s featured Listings are: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=59209301005, all of which have had wonderful price reductions in the last week. And, here are the other properties from the MLS that have recently incurred a price change: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=59209329875.

The seasons are about to change, making it an opportune time to seek out a property that meets your needs before our inventory decreases for the winter. Let us know if we can answer any questions you have. Enjoy your week!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4^th of July to You and Your Family! We’ll keep it short and sweet this week. Below are some events taking place this week/weekend and our featured homes for sale.

Where liberty dwells, there is my country. ~Benjamin Franklin

Our 18-month old, Griffin, is enthralled with the American flag. In fact, we can’t get it away from him, even at bedtime. He’s one patriotic boy!

This calendar can be found at www.visitdeepcreek.com. A few events to point out that I’m familiar with and enjoy…on Wednesday, July 2^nd the Stage Wisp Music Series kicks off…on Thursday, July 3^rd catch the fireworks at Broadford Lake Park…on Friday, July 4^th the fireworks display over Deep Creek Lake in McHenry…on Saturday, July 5^th the Boat Parade.
The Spiker Team’s featured listings for the week are a beautiful custom waterfront home just reduced by $50K to $939K; an established rental home in The Pinnacle community with a dock slip that was also just reduced to $549K; new listing – an aggressively priced slopeside Villages of Wisp townhome for $217,500; new listing – contemporary home in Silver Tree Landing with lake access for $475,000: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=58346570329.

Happy and safe Independence Day! Please reach out to us for any of your real estate/Deep Creek Lake needs.

Category: Weekly Update

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Home Value-Property Links

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Dunk-HART

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake…Fresh Powder, Frozen Waters…Market Update

Greetings from DCL-Casselman-Ski-In/Out Homes

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Weekend Events-Real Estate Stats

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Hat & Glove Drive-Market Stats

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Preparation for Winter-Halloween Calendar

Greetings from DCL-Autumn Glory Festival-Featured Listings

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Art and Wine Festival

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Happy Independence Day!

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