Weekly Update - Deep Creek Lake Blog

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Gran Fondo-Sailing School

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Gran Fondo-Sailing School. This past weekend was the 4^th annual Gran Fondo. Over 1200 riders took to the beautiful back roads of Deep Creek and Garrett County on rides ranging from 22 miles to the infamous Diabolical Double…125 miles. Riders started at 7am and some were still riding at 6pm. Weather was exceptionally hot for the lake in June (low 80’s) making the ride even more difficult. My teammate and Buyer Specialist, Kathy Johnson, has promised her husband she will do the 44 mile ride next year on their tandem bicycle. Stay tuned!

Something to consider next year… I have been spending the week learning the basic sailing fundamentals at Deep Creek Lake Sailing School. On day 3, I am already solo-ing with other students and putting the heat on the veteran sailors on the race courseJ. A lot of the students are on their 3^rd to 5^th year of sailing and they annually take off a week to enjoy the course and brush up on advanced sailing techniques. All kidding aside, you better sign-up in advance as the class is always booked. They hold the school twice each summer at the Deep Creek Lake Yacht Club.

Flying Scot circa 1968 getting the job done

Just a quick hint for your primary home or your vacation home. I’ve had several requests in the last 10 days asking what lockbox I would recommend they use for their home. This is one of the best investments I have made. Combination is very easy to change.

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-5401D-Wall-Mounted-Set-Your-Own/dp/B0002YP1UI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372266810&sr=8-2&keywords=master+lock+box

Our featured listing for this week is a great mountain home in the Sunset Ridge community of McHenry close to Wisp. Never been rented; exceptionally clean and new-feeling. http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1304165.html

Our market in DCL is gaining momentum, especially since the interest rate hike. We’ve seen rates go from 3.875% to 4.75% on a 30-year fixed (conforming – under $417,000). Some project that they will come down but I wouldn’t wait to find out! However, there are still some good loan programs. One of our clients was just quoted a 3.175% rate on a 10/1 ARM from a local bank. That’s hard to pass up! The inventory is up with plenty of homes to choose from. Most owners list their properties this time of year in time for the summer selling season. We are still seeing some great deals for buyers. If you’d like for us to do an updated property search for you just shoot us a quick email or call with your search criteria.

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Bankruptcy Homesite Sale

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Bankruptcy Homesite Sale. There is so much going on this weekend that I thought I would just list the events to keep this a little shorter. If you are thinking of building here on WispMountain I would not missed the home site sale below.

Bankruptcy Home Site Sale

This goes under the category of “Heads Up!” There has been great anticipation building up to this event. Many people wondering just how low the pricing will get for the available inventory on Wisp Mountain. NLP of Maryland, who bought the real estate surrounding Wisp & Lodestone, is having a one-day sale on Saturday, June 22nd. Appointment times for this date can be reserved by calling or emailing us. A few sales have already been made and I’m hearing some of the slope-side home-sites that were originally selling in the $400’s have been sold for around $100,000.

Call me if you have any questions-240-321-5335. Don’t regret not taking a look at this sale!

Garrett County Home & Garden Show June 15-16

SATURDAY 10 AM-7PM SUNDAY 11 AM-4 PM, EXHIBIT HALL, GARRETT COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS at RTE. 219 & MOSSER RD. in MCHENRY. If you are building, remodeling, or landscaping your home…If you just own a home and need some inspiration…If you would like a free chance to win a $500 Giveaway…You can’t miss this show! No admission. Ample parking. Rain or shine. An event for the whole family—

☞ $500 Cash Giveaway for Saturday visitors and Lowe’s $500-value Gas Grill Giveaway for Sunday visitors. You do not need to be present to win. Must be 18 years or older to enter the free drawings.

☞ Kid Zone for children, including free crafts and face painting

☞ Sugar Foot Stompers Dixieland band on Saturday 3:30-6:30 PM

☞ How-to demonstrations by Lowe’s Pros ☞ Food Court, beer for adults Saturday

Deep Creek’s Got Talent

Red Neck Dayz

http://redneckdayz.webs.com/skedule.htm

The Spiker Team’s featured listing is Unit 302B at Will O’ the Wisp – Great lakefront condo living… completely renovated, on-site restaurant, indoor pool, dock slips, fitness room, game room & more. http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1304216.html

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Summer Activities-McHenry, Maryland History

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Summer Activities-McHenry, Maryland History. This weekend is a little slow on events but never comes up shy on the vast amount of summer activities. The tubers and fishermen have been steady on the lake as the weather remains perfect here at the lake. I noticed local ski and wakeboard instructor Greg Rouse on the water barefoot skiing at 6am a few days back, which is the most exciting/interesting thing I have seen on the lake.

Deep Creek Marina has recently acquired the popular Lakeside Club from DC Development and has re-directed the course from how it operates. There is a full-term commitment to their clients and the new ‘Deep Creek Marina Club’ is sharing this wonderful amenity with them on several different levels. Here are more details.

Deep Creek Marina is proud to announce the opening of the Deep Creek Marina Club. We have never been so excited to give something back to our customers as this private club. We believe we have come up with the ultimate customer loyalty program that exceeds any points programs and other typical customer loyalty programs by tenfold and we are pretty certain you’ll agree.

DEEP CREEK MARINA CLUB

Would you like to have another boating destination on Deep creek Lake? One that you can call your own? Well, now you have it. Members get their own private club to hang out and socialize or just kick back and relax. The Deep Creek Marina Club was conceptualized as a way to capture the boating lifestyle for our customers and offer an additional boating destination (plenty of parking by auto as well). The Club currently offers incredible gourmet sandwiches and Pizzettes. You can pick from our boat brand sandwich menu or build your own just the way you want it. We also offer weekend and daily food and drink specials. Beer, Wine, and top shelf liquor are offered exclusively for our members and their guests. Best of all membership is free to our boat owners (certain restrictions apply).

Other benefits of membership include complimentary use of paddleboards, pedalboats, and kayaks, use of the lakefront tables and Adirondack chairs that make for a pleasant afternoon, or evening outing. Kids or kids at heart can relax with our indoor pool table and game room and there is even a spot for little kids right where mom and dad can keep an eye on them and still enjoy the club offerings. Hours for June are Thursday- Monday 11

Betsy captured this photo last week of a fox in the middle of the day which is very rare. It’s kind of neat photo because you’ll notice a reflection in the glass of the front door which gives the illusion of two foxes.

Here is the flood of new lakefront listings that have come on the market over the last 30 days – http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=52730674197.

And for a little trivia…DID YOU KNOW…?

Dr. James McHenry, Secretary of War during the administrations

of Presidents Washington and Adams, purchased

almost 1,000 acres in the Buffalo Marsh area

which is today known as Marsh Run Cove or McHenry

Cove. After James and his son William died, a nephew,

John McHenry, moved to the Buffalo Marsh property.

After the death of John and his wife, the land passed

through many hands but today we know the area as

McHenry.

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Highlands Festival-Real Estate News

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Highlands Festival-Real Estate News. Weather check…PERFECT! I got up at 6:00am and went for a quick paddleboard run before work and can tell you that we are having an amazing day. The lake was mirror glassy with winds non-existent and the temperature is perfect. Check out the view! Get up here soon so you can enjoy these special, early summer days.

A very special McHenry Highland Festival this coming weekend. After 20 years, this will be internationally acclaimed Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout’s last year performing at the Festival. Bonnie never ceases to amaze us and music just doesn’t need to be better than this. Don’t miss it! There will be two performances on Saturday, June 1^st at 11am and again at 1:45pm. Also, they will have plenty of crafts and food vendors to make for a full day of family enjoyment. A YouTube video with a sampling of Bonnie’s beautiful music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P129kV3ImN0

The link below is the full schedule of the Festival at the Fairgrounds in McHenry for Saturday, June 1st.

http://www.highlandfest.info/events.html

On a different subject, we, along with most of the country, had interesting weather for the Memorial Day weekend. Although quite a cold weekend, temperatures are transforming to perfect today. I still love this time of year. Our Spiker Team colleague and friend, Kathy Johnson, was able to capture this “secret” garden in Garrett County a couple days ago. What a gorgeous photo of her Zen garden!

This week’s featured listing is a very clean lakefront home, centrally located with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a Type-A dock. This home boasts an open floor plan, stone wood burning fireplace, two family rooms, wood floors, hot tub, two waterside decks and wonderful lake views!! What else could you want? Oh, you want to be close to restaurants, shops and Wisp Ski Resort? DONE! Check it out-http://vt.realbiz360.com/MLS-1304262.html

Here what’s gone under contract in the last 30 day-http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=52640329952.

If you’d like for us to do a customized search for you using our MLS database with every real estate company’s listings just shoot us an email.

Enjoy life on the lake!!!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Summer Activities

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Summer Activities. It gets easier to be revved up for summer when you start seeing the boats filtering on the lake. Yesterday there was a mix of recreational tubers, fisherman, and marinas tuning up boats for their clients. Weather has warmed up to summer temps this week and you can tell folks are starting to gather into the lake. Last night I did my evening paddleboard between 7:30pm-9:00pm and saw some late evening fisherman and a few boats screaming by trying to ensure that their boats are running smoothly. I cruised past a family of at least a dozen who were throwing football and roasting smores around a fire pit near the water’s edge. I love summer!

Dusk paddle

In case you missed the USA Canoe/Kayak Whitewater Slalom Team Trails this weekend, here is a photo gallery on our Deep Creek Lake, Maryland Facebook page of some of the action. Remember this will determine who will be competing in next year’s ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships of 2014 between September 16-21, 2014. We had three Olympic medalists here competing this weekend. Look ahead in your calendar if you plan on visiting because this is no small event. Word is that lots of people will have to stay out of town because all rentals will be booked. This event will be the biggest event ever hosted here at the lake. The eyes of the world and Canoe/Kayak community will be focused on Deep Creek Lake for a week. Plan far in advance so you don’t miss it!

Intense competition

If you have not visited ASCI or tried to go whitewater rafting I highly recommend it! There are only a few re-circulating whitewater courses in the world and we are lucky to have the best here in our back yard.

Rafting trip at ASCI with my son and his girlfriend

This weekend we have the Tom Wallisch Rail Jam at Wisp Resort on Saturday, May 25^th. Registration is between 6pm-7pm with the competition starting soon thereafter. They say there is plenty of snow to hold this event and I hope you have a chance to go check out some of the skiers and snowboarders competing. The Tom Batcherlor Band will provide the music.

Not sure what direction to go this weekend? A few suggestions…

Go zip lining, ride the mountain coaster, or go for a dune buggy ride at Wisp Resort. Go hiking or rock climbing at Fork Run Recreational Area. Go get some hot wings and a crabcake from The Black Bear. Go visit the magnificent waterfalls at Swallow Falls State Park. Go rent a boat, canoe, kayak or paddleboard from Deep Creek Marina. Go try out Deep Creek Lake’s newest restaurant Aces Run. Go enjoy an eco tour with the family. Go fishing on DCL or the Yough River. Go play golf at the well received Lodestone Golf Club. Buy a home here at the lake!!! Call Betsy Holcomb 301-616-5022 http://deepcreeklakeproperty.com/meet-betsy/

Featured listing of the week: Check out this homesite on hole #13 at Lodestone. Lake and golf views! http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-440824.html

Sold Property in the last 30 days- http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=52524358330

Have a safe & memorable family weekend!!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-CARC-April Real Estate Stats

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-CARC-April Real Estate Stats. I hope you had a great Mother’s Day Weekend with your family. Betsy and I had an event-filled weekend. First off, Betsy had the opportunity to enjoy her first Mother’s Day being a mommy! She is and has been very excited since the birth of Griffin Rhea Holcomb and I can’t tell you how proud I am of the amazing mother she is. Also, my sister and her husband came up from Virginia Beach this weekend to witness the baptism of our 5 ½ month old Griffin and to become lifelong sponsors/Godparents for him.

Although they had a quick visit, we did find time to go for a hike at Swallow Falls and take a few memorable photos. My sister and her husband had a blast witnessing the raging YoughioghenyRiver, which is pretty common in the spring here in GarrettCounty.

Little Griffin had his second swim lesson here at the new Garrett College Community Aquatic and Recreation Complex (CARC). Please check out their website and get familiar with just one more family amenity here at the lake.

The first ever Paddlin’ for PAWS went off without a snafu even though the weather was not perfect. Luckily, on race day Saturday morning the winds were down and the rain had cracked to a trickle. Stand Up Paddle Annapolis, who is a group from Annapolis, showed up with a huge group of people and some of the most cutting-edge equipment to lead the race with experience and class. Please take a moment and read about this wonderful event and see some photos I captured during the 6-mile race.

On the real estate front, you can see from our April MLS statistics that our closed/sold & pending/under contract sales are up and our inventory is down, all of which point to a recovering market. But don’t feel like you’ve missed the boat if you are still searching for a vacation home because prices haven’t begun to climb yet. We are hearing how quickly properties are moving in the DC/Balt/N.VA areas. This activity will ultimately work its way west but there are still some great bargains on all sorts of water-oriented, slope-oriented and other Deep Creek Lake vicinity homes & homesites.

The Spiker Team’s featured listing of the week is a beautiful French country home on 14 acres on the outskirts of DeepCreekLake within ~7 minutes to the DCLState Park. Three levels, large rear deck, wonderful mountain views, 2-car attached garage, 3 family rooms and the list goes on. Here is a link the visual tour: http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1075650.html.

Enjoy your week and call on us anytime we can be of help in Deep Creek!

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Paddleboard for PAW-Wisp Real Estate

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Paddleboarding PAW-Wisp Real Estate. I’ve been blown away by the wind this week, literally. The lake has rivaled the ocean this week as whitecaps slammed the shoreline for the last 10 or so days. I am itching to get out on some patented DCL glass on my paddleboard sessions early in the morning before too long. But on a positive note, the ramps have ripened perfectly over the last few days and I had the opportunity to fry some up in beer batter and tried fusing them into a scalloped potatoes recipe. They turned out excellent.

Here’s a cell phone photo I snapped while hunting for ramps…

I am very excited to bring you news about the Paddling for Paws Paddleboard Race at Deep Creek Lake State Park this weekend. Get up to Deep Creek Lake this weekend and come participate in the Paddling for Paws Paddleboard Race at the Deep Creek State Park. Bring the wife, kiddos and friends and get stoked on paddleboarding while helping a great cause.

Racing this weekend!

Paddleboarding is the hottest sport worldwide at the moment and the great thing about it is that you don’t have to be a world class athlete to enjoy and compete. It all gets started on Friday afternoon (May 10^th) with a local paddle from 3pm – 5pm. This is your chance if you have never been on a stand up paddle board (SUP) to experience a chill paddle around the lake with locals and out-of-towners. You don’t have a paddle board you say? No problem! Wisp will be renting boards for the local paddle and for the race for a mere $10! Here is much more information.

SUP Yoga Friday 5/20/13 @ 6pm

Real Estate/Wisp/Lot information talk on the streets is that National Land Partners is possibly planning to staff their new office during the Olympic Time Trials in May or the middle to end of June. Word is they are going to slash prices on interior lots and there may be some fabulous deals to be had. We will do our best to keep you informed as we hear more and feel free to call us; we can help!

Our featured listing of the week is a lovely home in the gated community of Deep Creek Highlands where the amenities include an outdoor pool, clubhouse, tennis court, lakeside pavilion and lake access area, trails, playground and more. This contemporary is an established rental property and is beautifully decorated. http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-778743.html

Enjoy your week! www.DeepCreekLakeProperty.com

Greeting from DCL-Ramps,Mushrooms-Spring bloom-Real Estate

Greeting from DCL-Ramps,Mushrooms-Spring bloom-Real Estate. Spring is slowly springing! I know our East Coast folks have already experienced the wonderful spring bloom so this is old news to you, but here at the lake we are trickling into that special season where the world is reborn! Foggy Tuesday morning has a layer of cool mountain mist settling over the ramps and mint that are trying to squeak their way toward maturity. If you have never eaten or even heard of ramps I would read through these articles I wrote a few years back laying out ramp basics and more importantly how to cook them.

What is a ramp?

Best ramp recipe?

Check out real time information on our Facebook Page and LIKE us if you enjoy the information and photos we share there.

Delicious mint sprouting…

Ramps starting to show themselves…

Next big ticket item that you may or may not have heard of is the elusive morel mushroom that looks hideous but tastes delicious! Hunters are walking the woods as we speak trying to get a “mess” of these desirable honeycomb fungi. I would suggest if you get your hands on these jewels that you try dredging them in flour and frying in butter. I’m from the south so I usually suggest frying, uh… well… everything, in peanut oil of course which is much healthier. Some interesting nicknames…dryland fish, sponge mushrooms, merkels, or my favorite, hickory chickens.

Here’s a look this morning at the cherry trees starting to flex out of their shells just off our porch overlooking the lake.

Here are the properties that have sold over the last 30 days. Quite a bit of turnover which is a good sign for the months to come. http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=52126367876.

Check out this home on the river in Friendsville with massive potential for kayakers, fishermen, or anyone that loves river life! http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1270382.html

Enjoy your week and call/email me if you’d like for me to send you a new custom search of properties available that meet your criteria. 240.321.5335, Bob.Holcomb@LNF.com, www.DeepCreekLakeProperty.com

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Rollar Coaster-Spring Fishing

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Rollar Coaster-Spring Fishing. The country is reeling in confusion from the crazy spikes in heat and plunging temps over the last month of spring. It was close to 80 last week and we had snow flurries on Saturday. The daffodils have already peaked, getting us pumped for a warm-up here at the lake. It looks like we will be in the mid 50’s next week with a warm up to the lower 60’s next weekend!

I am such a big fan of certain restaurants here at the lake. Brenda’s Pizzeria is one that I have a warm place in my heart for. This pizzeria cooks up authentic New York pizza pies with deep roots from the neighborhood in and surrounding the Bronx. I just stumbled onto a new product (via their Facebook) they are offering that may be an option during a visit here when you get in a pinch. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into one of these delicious to-go pizzas!

Quote from their page…“Have you ever got all the way home after a great vacation at Deep Creek Lake and thought, “Man, I wish I had a Brenda’s Pizza right now!” Well, you can! Grab a Take & Bake before you leave! Having Brenda’s at home is easy as pie! You can choose from any of our 16″ specialty pizzas or build your own! Yummmmm!!!”

The temperatures may fluctuate a bit but the fishing bite is on at the moment. Fishing boats have been buzzing around throughout the day trying to source the best fishing hole for the spring time catch. For the most thorough, comprehensive, real time information, there is no better source than Fishing Deep Creek Lake.

Here are the properties that have closed in the last 30 days: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=51974205173.

Check out this nostalgic lakefront home in the Southern lake Hazelhurst area with a nice, level yard. Great skiing cove with much less boat traffic than areas North. This 4-bedroom home has 75′ of lakefront, single dock slip, sunroom and good potential for renovation-http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-653667.html.

Take a little time to browse through our photo gallery and get pumped on all the activities that are available to you here at the lake!

Quote of the week- “People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. But happiness is the result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Spring Break, Golf Rates

Greetings from Deep Creek!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Spring Break, Golf Rates. I hope you had a fantastic spring break, if you were lucky enough to have one this year. Betsy and I spent some quality family time showing off little Griffin to my family and friends in Virginia Beach and in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The biggest reward a second home can offer are memories with your family and friends that you will retain for the rest of your life. This investment is much more than a financial venture. Many of our past clients share with us wonderful stories about DCL such as adventures with their children or grandchildren when they first learned to snow or water ski. We understand this feeling first hand as we watch our 4-month old son develop week-by-week and realize how lucky in life we are to be able to share the mountain and beach life with him.

Speaking of children…The Community Aquatic and Recreation Center (CARC) here at the lake has put together some really interesting summer camps for the children. If you are not familiar with the fairly new CARCCenter at GarrettCollege, check out their website and all the wonderful things they have to offer (see hyperlink above).

Golfers, please be advised of the new Lodestone rates. My understanding is that the new owners of Wisp Resort and Lodestone Golf Club plan on keeping the course in stellar condition with a tentative opening date of May 1^st. Wisp Golf Course rates are also available with an opening date tentatively planned for April 19^th. Get your game on and enjoy the perfect spring weather we will be having at the end of April-beginning of May!

The Spiker Team Listing of the week is this newly listed 4-bedroom waterfront chalet on roughly one wooded acre with a type A dock in the beautiful Thousand Acres community. http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1275297.html

Have a fantastic week

Category: Weekly Update