Anne Arundel County parents, do you know about the opportunity your high school students have to display their video talents on local television?   Let me tell you, just in case they failed to mention it.

County Executive John R. Leopold announced last week the Rev Up Recycling Video Contest for Anne Arundel County high school students. "High school students are invited to promote recycling, learn about video production and have fun along the way," he said. "Many of these students know what they want to show and say but don’t have the equipment to develop their message visually."

That’s why participants will receive a new video camera and video editing software, compliments of WM Recycle America, Inc., the county’s recycling processing contractor. Their challenge will be to show why recycling is important for Anne Arundel County, and entries will be judged for originality, creativity, relevance to the theme, accuracy and potential for broad appeal. Winning videos will be broadcast on local television and posted on www.recyclemoreoften.com.

For more details, click on the Rules and Application Form for Anne Arundel County Recycling Video Contest.

If your teen submits an entry, have him or her submit it to me, as well.   I will be happy to feature their production here on ActiveRain where there's a lot of interest in videography and recycling among the 130,000+ members, not to mention visitors to this site, and I'm sure any video on this topic will be a big hit.

Submit the video by email  to mwoda@msn.com or you can drop off a
cd/dvd at my Long & Foster office, 2191 Defense Hwy., #120, Crofton, MD.

 

 

You can always count on Mike in Tucson for a great post, enhanced with an amazing photo or graphic.  Here's some really good advice from Mike for consumers (and a good reminder for buyer-agents) about waiting to buy (or not).  Advice that's worth repeating.  Read on...

 

Located on Crofton Parkway in the heart of "Old" Crofton at the top of Crawford Boulevard, you'll see the Crofton Village Green as you enter this community.

In Crofton's early days it was the scene of the Spring and Fall Craft Fairs and the annual Christmas Tree Lighting, but both events outgrew the Green as the community expanded far beyond the original triangle bounded by Routes 3, 424, and 450.

You can still catch a free summer concert at the Village Green, however, and residents frequent the many businesses ranging from Sly Horse Tavern to a variety of professional offices.

The lamps you see in the photo were gas lights when the community was built, but they were converted to electricity in the 80's.  Each year during the holiday season, they're decorated with wreathes by the Crofton Village Garden Club.

Crofton truly is a beautiful community year round - mainly because of the wonderful people who live here and bring these photos to life.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

Other posts in this series:

• First Baptist Church of Crofton
• The Village at Waugh Chapel

 

 

To learn more about Crofton, Maryland, visit FocusOnCrofton.com, a blog for and about the Crofton area by longtime resident and REALTOR Margaret Woda. 

The Village at Waugh Chapel is a favorite destination of families in the Greater Crofton Community and nearby Fort Meade for dining, shopping, and many services.

This photo was taken from the parking lot in front of Chipotle towards The Atlanta Bread Company, Robert Andrews Salon & Spa, Fuji Steak House and the Village Commons Community Center.

For a complete list of restaurants, retailers, and services, you can visit the Village at Waugh Chapel online.  There's a separate tab at the top of the homepage for each different category of businesses, so it's very easy to navigate and find whatever you're looking for.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

There's more to being a Crofton area REALTOR than selling homes.  It's sometimes necessary to be an ambassador for the Greater Crofton Community, helping newcomers to local military installations and throughout the Baltimore-Washington-Annapolis area discover the many benefits of living in Crofton and buying Crofton real estate. 

That's why I began this series of Photo-posts, which will eventually become part of Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland.

 

Earlier posts in this series:

Crofton in Photos - First Baptist Church of Crofton

 

 

When we moved to Crofton from San Diego, California, Larry was a young Navy Lieutenant, just completing four years of sea duty.  We were very excited to have some time together after several lengthy deployments, and Annapolis was only about an hour from my family.

If you're headed to Annapolis to work at the U.S. Naval Academy or the Naval Station Annapolis, you're probably just as eager as we were - and with good reason.  This is a beautiful place to work and the Annapolis area is a fun place to call home.

There is Navy housing 'in the yard" and nearby across the street, but most people live in local neighborhoods in Annapolis, Arnold, Edgewater, Crofton, Severna Park, or Davidsonvlle.

You can just click on the links above to see homes in those areas and get a preliminary idea of property currently on the market.  Or, if you'd like to narrow down your search - for example, a community with waterfront amenities or a narrow price range- you can perform an "advanced search" and sign up for a free subscription to receive listing updates as new properties come on the market.

 

We quickly fell in love with this area and got involved in everything from sailing lessons and weekend sailing cruises with other junior officer families to worshiping at the Naval Academy Chapel.  We picnicked on the grounds to watch fireworks on July 4 and the Blue Angels fly-overs during Commissioning Week.

 

Larry's tour at the USNA was a wonderful time in our lives, and I'm quite sure that most Naval Officers enjoy duty there.  I can tell you with some certainty that their families like living in this area!

 

 

 

 

 

RELATED LINKS:

U.S. Naval Academy Calendars

U.S. Naval Academy Public Affairs

Facts & Frequently Asked Questions

 

It's Sunday morning, and some of my neighbors will gather at one of the many places of worship in our community.

First Baptist Church of Crofton, located on Crofton Parkway, is the first House of Worship you see when you drive into the communty via Clubhouse Gate Rd.

If memory serves me correctly, the architecture is modeled after Bruton Parish Church in Historic Williamsburg.  Built in 1968 with the help of Crofton developer Hamilton Crawford, it is located at the heart of the community near the Crofton Village Green and Crofton Country Club Clubhouse.

There's a very informative church website, and I encourage you to visit it for more information.  You'll find the Church history, its schedule, ministries, Sunday School and even the Pastor's blog.

 

There are many other places of worship in the Crofton area, as well, and I'll be featuring them someday soon:

Bell Branch Seventh Day Adventist Church * Community United Methodist Church * Faith Community Church * First Baptist Church of Crofton * Harvest Assembly of God * Middle Atlantic Community Church * Nevey Shalom - The Jewish Congregation of Belair * Prince of Peace Presbyterian Church * St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church * St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Crofton * St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.

Additionally, military personnel who live in the Crofton area often prefer to attend services or Mass at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel or on post at one of the churches at Fort Meade.

 

In 2009, I'll be taking time each Sunday to "Focus on Crofton" (which also happens to be the name of my community and real estate blog) and feature one of my many Crofton photos on Localism.com.

If relocation to the D.C. - Baltimore area is in your plans for the coming months, I hope these photos will show you what a beautiful place Crofton is to live. We'd love to have you become a homeowner in our community, and I'll work very hard to help you find the right neighborhood and right home if you choose me as your agent.

 

Savvy Crofton and Odenton renters are resolving to buy a home in 2009.

With prices and interest rates at their lowest point in recent years, it's hard to imagine any reason for renting other than unresolved credit issues.

If you haven't yet made a commitment to buy a home in 2009, here are my Top Ten Reasons for doing it now:

1.  Pride of Ownership - You can decorate and landscape according to your own taste, on your own schedule.

2.  Control of Your Own Destiny - No worries about the landlord renewing your lease or raising the rent.

3.  Tax Benefits - Tax deductions for all interest and property taxes included in your mortgage payment, significantly reducing your effective monthly payment.  And don't forget about the $7,500 tax credit on your 2009 federal income taxes return, provided you close before July 1, 2009.

4.  More Options - Take advantage of the huge inventory of homes on the market now.

5,  Less Competition - With a large inventory of homes and small number of buyers, chances are good that you won't find yourself in a bidding war for your dream home.

6. Stability - Home ownership indicates to your boss and people you supervise at work that you are here to stay.

7. Flexible home sellers - Motivated home sellers are making huge concessions in this market, including closing cost help, price adjustments, and inclusions.

8. Minimal down payment - FHA loans require only 3.5% down and permit you to accept closing cost help from the seller.

9. Rare opportunity - A unique market in which you have a rare opportunity to purchase your choice of bank-owned homes at bargain prices.

10.Low interest rate - In the 5% range for the first time in decades!

There is no shortage of rental apartments in Crofton and Odenton, as well as some privately owned homes for rent - yet it is hard to justify renting in a buyers' market.  By definition, that means that economic conditions are more favorable to buyers than it is to sellers.

Contact me today to learn about the home buying process.  I'll listen to your wants and needs, and work with you as long as it takes to find the right home and community for you.

 

SEARCH CROFTON HOMES FOR SALE

SEARCH ODENTON HOMES FOR SALE

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _