Deep Creek Realty - Deep Creek Lake Blog

DEEP CREEK DUNK 2013!

DEEP CREEK DUNK 2013! Some of you may be relaxing this weekend with a warm cup of joe and dunking a donut or two, but at DeepCreekLake the only dunking going on will entail a few thousand people watching a few warm hearted fund raisers plummeting in the depths of the icy lake. Ice cold purple bodies will risk all at the Deep Creek Dunk to raise money for the Special Olympics. “Lucky” for the dunkers that the air temps will be in lower 40’s but believe me when I tell you the lake temps are going to be slushy bitter cold. The chainsaws have been working this week to cut out the thick ice to create the perfect dunk zone.

Costumed dunkers consume the atmosphere trying to win the coveted costume contest. Believe me when I tell you that the creativity witnessed in some dunkers is far worth the price of admission to this super event (oh that’s right, there is no admission). Kiss, Michael Jackson, Nemo, Hank Jr, Gnomes, Clowns, and famous athletes have all made appearances at the evenT.

Uno’s and The Honi Bar will be serving up plenty of coffee and hot chocolate or your favorite drink of choice to keep you warm as a dunker or spectator. Of course, there will be plenty of food to keep you satisfied for the afternoon.

Goosebumps & Grapes, a wine tasting event & bonfire, kick-off the festivities on Friday 2/22/13 night from 6:00pm – 9:00pm at The Honi Honi Bar.

The Deep Creek Dunk’s official start time will be at 2:00pm on Saturday 2/23/2013 but people start the party mid-morning and carry on until late afternoon.

FYI… After the dunk, the next traditional event is to head to the Black Bear Tavern to watch The Davisson Brothers Band perform.

Here’s a video from a few years back to get you pumped up!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake- Winter Update

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake,

Wisp Resort is fighting the good fight, bobbing and weaving around the weather in hopes of punching out enough snow to get the resort open. They have been making snow for the last few days, shutting down snow making efforts today around 11am when the temperatures and humidity got too high. The plan was to be open by Friday, but with a warm up in the forecast next week that could all change. The cold temperatures are a necessity for making light champagne powder, but humidity also plays a valuable role in the process. If there is too much humidity, it makes a very heavy/wet/dense snow that is not great for skiing and also clogs the snowmaking machines.

If you’re looking to visit the area and rent one of our many fabulous vacation pads, visit the Facebook site below for a belated Cyber Monday booking special. Since we are just now notifying you of the special, our rental manager Shelia McCracken has agreed to honor the $100 discount if you book a home by the end of business on Thursday, November 29^th with code “belated”. Or, rather than the code, you can tell them that the Spiker Team notified you of the special. https://www.facebook.com/DeepCreekResort

Now is the time to get your tickets to Dutch’s New Year’s Eve Celebration. A portion of the proceeds will benefit HART for Animals Adoption Center Fund. Last year this was a sold out event. Bobby Nicholas provides excellent entertainment and the food is always exquisite.

Real estate sales in the Deep Creek Lake area are still faring well this time of year. Below is a link to some of the recent properties to go under contract in the last 30 days. If you’d like for us to perform a new search for listings that meet your criteria just give us a ring. Or, if you’d like to be setup on our auto email service which sends you new listings from the MLS that meet your parameters just as soon as they come on the market we would also be happy to do that, so long as we know your list of wants. http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=49750835480

The Spiker Team’s featured listing of the week is a 117’ waterfront home site in the private community of North Shore West at Thousand Acres. Gradually sloping topography makes it ideal for a walk-out lower level and the Type A dock permit allows you to have 2 power boats and 1 non-power boat at your very own private dock. Price recently reduced as an end-of-year incentive. http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=49750682190

Deep Creek Lake Paddleboarding/Photography in the Fall

Deep Creek Lake Paddleboarding/Photography in the Fall. I know I have been preaching the gospel of SUP-IN or paddleboarding over the summer. That passion has steamrolled into fall and has opened up limitless opportunities and experiences for me as of late. I pride myself as a passionate, amateur photographer who enjoys capturing moments that are special to me in my daily life. My camera is never more than an arm’s length from me at all times so I don’t miss any special moments. I have been itching to take my camera with me on my SUP trips but had this nightmare image of it falling in slow motion, splashing into the water forever to be lost in the depths ofDeepCreekLake. But…the problem was solved when I was cleaning out my closet and found my old go-to camera that at one time was close to state-of-the-art. This camera has now become my SUP camera. I enclosed it in a zip lock freezer bag and off I go to try and capture these wonderful experiences on the water. What I realized after a few shoots is that paddleboarding is an amazing and unique way to photograph this wonderful lake. I always go very early before work or very late after work and I can tell you that during this time of the year I almost always have the lake to myself.

As the leaves start to ripen up I have found some superb angles and vantage points around the lake to witness the fall foliage spectacle. This morning I woke up and noticed the glassy lake immediately and rushed down to launch before my shift started at Long and Foster. I had a good hour and a half pulling slowly through the calm lake literally in awe of the colors around me reflecting off this wonderful lake. I think it’s safe to safe to say that today, October 5^th, 2012, is THE PEAK of the fall foliage spectacle. I missed the opportunity to go out this morning but have many amazing memories and photographs taken from my SUP to keep me buzzing on the fall season. I wonder when the first snow fall will be and how I can utilize my wetsuit, camera and paddleboard before the lake freezes!

526 HOYES RD-5 Acres-Pond-Stream-Close to Wisp

526 HOYES RD-5 Acres-Pond-Stream-Close to Wisp. Supreme Garrett County Living! Have it all…5+ acres with your own pond and creek, a 2-story barn and outbuilding, two finished levels of living area and an ideal location 5 minutes to Deep Creek Lake and Wisp Resort. Two large stone fireplaces (one gas, one wood) make for cozy, winter nights and an efficient secondary heating system. Country living in Maryland’s most popular resort town!

If you have any questions please call Betsy Holcomb at 301-616-5022

Check out the Visual Tour:http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1041548.html

Do a real estate search: http://deepcreeklakeproperty.com/search-mls/

Deep Creek Lake-Water Level-Rule Band

Deep Creek Lake-Water Level-Rule Band. You may notice that lake elevations fluctuate throughout the year and I have a lot of potential buyer’s as well as clients who are now second home owners who need clarity on how this level is controlled. The Maryland Department of Environment oversees the “Rule Band” which determines each month the high and low level of the reservoir. For example: for the month of September the “Upper Band” level is 2459’ and the “Lower Band” level is at 2458’. The current level of the lake is 2457.5 which is just a hair under the lower band level. You can always find real time Lake levels by visiting Deep Creek Hydro to help you understand the changing lake level as well as how the Dam operates on a weekly basis.

Fall Foliage-Deep Creek Lake

Fall Foliage-Deep Creek Lake. I hear a lot of groaning about summer coming to an end, but don’t fret people; fall and winter have plenty of things to keep life on the positive. It all starts with the glasses that you look through daily to get maximum enjoyment out things. Perspective, awareness, and perception come to mind! Anyway, what I am getting at is the simpler thing in life that surround us all the time that may get lost in the everyday things that life deals to us. The fall season gets me back to the feeling nature again and the first event that takes me away is the turning of the leaves. This fall foliage spectacle does have a devoted following and rightful so. The beautiful colors that explode from these Garrett County mountains are simply mind blowing! I took a few photographs last year trying to capture the moment but really couldn’t get true definition and clarity of the experience. Long and Foster manager and master photographer Bob Carney hit a homerun last year captured a real stunner that you can see at his website Bob Carney Photography.

Leaves here in early September are starting to slowly turn having locals believing we are going to see the fall foliage event a bit early. I can tell definitively that last year they peaked a few days before our Autumn Glory Parade which is held October 10th-14th. My guess, for all its worth, is we will see the prime peak in late September through the first week or so of October. That forecast should be spot on because I; looked up into the heart on the clouds, licked my finger, held it in the wind, then waved at a passing groundhog. I hope to see you here enjoy the changing season and don’t be afraid to call me for a real time update of the fall foliage status. Bob Holcomb 240-321-5335.

Deep Creek Lake-Wakeboarding

Deep Creek Lake-Wakeboarding. As summer winds down and the kids start to get back to school, there is still time to enjoy one of my favorite summer sports without the mid-summer traffic normally on the lake. The boats on the lake become a little more sporadic helping in producing optimum wakeboard conditions which are no wake and pure glass. There is nothing more exciting than getting up on a wakeboard and having the perfect mirror lake reflecting the mountains off the water while doing 20 or so miles per hour. You don’t have to bust big airs to feel the stoke of wakeboarding. Just kick back with your friends and family and enjoy the experience. I often hear people saying, “Wow, I can’t believe summer is over already” or “summer flies by faster and faster each year as you get older”. Make it a priority to enjoy every moment you can with your family and friends in this gift of life that we are all fortunately given. Take my advice and put wakeboarding on your list of to-do’s in late summer, and find the treasures of memories that are awaiting you and your family.

36 Stockslager Rd-Lakefront Home-Site

Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor

36 Stockslager Rd-Lakefront Home-Site. Beautiful lakefront homesite with incredible sunsets, deep water and close to the dam. This lot offers 100′ of lakefront and a Type A Dock permit. Public water and sewer available in the near future.Don’t miss your opportunity to build your dream home on this exceptional homesite

Call Betsy Holcomb with any questions about real estate here at Deep Creek Lake at 301-616-5022 or email her at Betsy.Holcomb@LNF.com

Check out the visual tour for this home-site: http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-655639.html

Perform a search yourself and call with questions: http://deepcreeklakeproperty.com/search-mls/

Rememeber, we can help your with any property regardless of the real estate company representing it.

PONTOON TOUR ON DEEP CREEK LAKE!

Are you seriously considering buying property on Deep Creek Lake? If you are, The Spiker Team at Long and Foster in conjunction with Deep Creek Marina have something that may be of interest to you. On August 4, 2010 at 12pm we will be hosting a Pontoon Boat Tour with lunch provided around Deep Creek Lake to give you a view on the lake through our eyes and show you the many different personalities the lake has to offer. We will start out in the North end of the lake close to Wisp Resort & shopping and continue toward the South end of the lake to what is perceived as the “quiet” end of the lake.

Join us for lunch and learn about the unique areas around Deep Creek Lake and view some of the truly spectacular lakefront and lakeview properties from the water. Just shoot an email to betsy.spiker@lnf.com with your contact information below and we will contact you with the details.

We look forward to having you join us for a fun and informational cruise on the lake. Please include the words “pontoon tour” in the subject line and let us know how many people will be in your group. Seating is limited so reserve your spot today.

Real Estate information from Deep Creek Lake

We’ve made it through the first 36-48” we received at Deep Creek Lake this weekend and now we’re bearing down for the next 12-20” coming tonight and tomorrow. Having been housebound for a day, I was able to catch up on some market tidbits and interesting facts recently released by The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR®).

NAR® has recently released a book that outlines the buying habits of the previous year, 2009. What we have believed over the past year is now official…90% of buyers use the internet to search for real estate. Although these statistics are geared toward a primary residence homebuyer rather than a second homebuyer, the tactics are still the same for any buyer. This information is helpful in ‘moving with the market’ and adapting your business plan to meet the wishes of your target market.

47% of recent homebuyers were first-time.
21% of recent homebuyers were single women.
Typical homebuyer searched for 12 weeks and saw 12 homes before buying.
Recent sellers sold their home for 95% of asking price and 60% had reduced the price at least once.
42% of recent sellers offered incentives in terms of warranties and closing help.
Sources recent buyers used in home search: 90% internet, 87% agent, 59% yard sign.
Most frequently used sources by buyers: 76% internet, 68% agent, 24% yard sign.
“Most useful” information for buyers was found: 81% agent, 77% internet, 42% yard sign, 2% newspaper.
Buyers found the home they purchased using: 36% agent, 36% internet, 12% yard sign, 2% newspaper.
Website features buyers found “very useful”: 84% photos, 82% detailed information, 63% virtual tours, 46% agent contact information, 43% interactive maps, 40% neighborhood information.
What buyers want most from real estate agents: 46% finding home, 16% negotiating terms, 13% negotiating price, 9% help with paperwork, 8% comps.
What buyers considered benefits of using an agent: 63% understand process, 53% pointing out unnoticed features/faults, 42% negotiate terms, 41% improve knowledge of search area, 41% improved list of vendors, 20% expanded buyers search area, 18% narrowed buyers search area.
Number of agents interviewed by buyer: 66% one, 19% two, 10% three.
“Most important” factors for buyer agent selection: 98% honesty/integrity, 95% knowledge of purchase process, 93% responsiveness, 92% market knowledge, 84% negotiating skills, 83% people skills.
Methods used to find agent: 40% referral, 24% used agent used previously, 5% met agent at an open house, 3% saw contact information on yard sign or open house sign, 1% calendar, magnet, etc.
“Most important” factors for listing agent selection: 22% pricing help, 21% find a buyer, 19% marketing help, 19% selling home within specific timeframe, 10% find ways to fix-up home so it will sell for more.
85% of all FSBOs had an agent bring the buyer.
FSBO vs Agent Assisted Sales Price: FSBO $172,000, Agent Assisted $215,000
(Source: National Association of REALTORS®)

As always, feel free to contact me anytime concerning Deep Creek Lake or Garrett County real estate 301.616.5022. With the upcoming President’s Day holiday and the fresh powder, it’s the perfect opportunity to visit Deep Creek Lake, Maryland for a long weekend and take on Wisp Ski Resort’s 30+ trails.

Category: Deep Creek Realty