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

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made vacations and Sales

 

 

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 13th.  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!

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made vacations and Sales

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

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made vacations and Sales

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!).

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made vacations and Sales

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. 

DCL stats
Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made vacations and SalesWeekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made vacations and Sales

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.

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made vacations and Sales

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

 

 

145 Silver Tree Lane

145 Silver Tree Lane

Pristine 5 BR lake access home ready to move into. Super location–walk to restaurant, walk to marina for boat rentals and just a short drive on primary roads to McHenry and Wisp for unlimited activities.


145 Silver Tree Lane

Completely furnished and accessorized with 4 baths, family room, pool table, hot tub and filtered water views. This property would be an ideal full time or vacation home, plenty of room to enjoy friends and family.

145 Silver Tree Lane

 

 

145 Silver Tree Lane

 

 

 

 

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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 1st.  We have a drop-off box in our Long & Foster Deep Creek Lake office located at 23789 Garrett Highway, McHenry, MD.

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

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

 

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.

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake...In Preparation for Winter...Halloween Calendar
Greetings from Deep Creek Lake...In Preparation for Winter...Halloween Calendar

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.comhttp://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 30th.  And The Black Bear Tavern always hosts a rockin’ Halloween Costume Party which will be held on Saturday, November 1st.  Happy Halloween!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake...In Preparation for Winter...Halloween Calendar

 

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake...In Preparation for Winter...Halloween Calendar

 

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake...In Preparation for Winter...Halloween Calendar

 

 

 

 

 

 

2828 Glendale Road-Deep Creek Lake Maryland

 

2828 Glendale Road-Deep Creek Lake Maryland

 

 

 

2828 Glendale Road-Deep Creek Lake Maryland

Contemporary lake view home on 1.52 acres with four master bedrooms, two fireplaces (one wood, one gas), two family rooms and great deck space!

2828 Glendale Road-Deep Creek Lake Maryland 2828 Glendale Road-Deep Creek Lake Maryland

Established rental with $26K+ in rental income in 2013. Furnished and move-in ready with an open floor plan.

2828 Glendale Road-Deep Creek Lake Maryland 2828 Glendale Road-Deep Creek Lake Maryland

Fire pit and hot tub on rear side and access to DCL via Waterfront Greens. Other amenities include 9-hole golf course, tennis court and bass pond.

 

 

Greetings from DCL-Autumn Glory Festival-Featured Listings

Betsy Holcomb

 

 

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.

Greetings from DCL-Autumn Glory Festival-Featured Listings

Wednesday, October 8th kicks off the 47th 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.

Greetings from DCL-Autumn Glory Festival-Featured Listings

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 47th Autumn Glory Festival

 

 

 

The 47th Autumn Glory Festival

 

 The 47th Autumn Glory Festival

 

The 47th Autumn Glory Festival. Fall is slowly passing its peak this year as we move toward Autumn Glory weekend 2014. It has been a spectacular event to behold this year! After all, Oakland, Maryland has been recognized for being #1 in the country for towns with best fall foliage. Not too shabby for a county that also boasts true 4-season lake and mountain living. As we see the leaves peak to their splendid beauty we know that the winter sports season is just a few short months away. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves… The 47th Annual Autumn Glory Festival is approaching this weekend. Check out this link for a list of all the events and be sure to pack up your family and friends and come and see us here this weekend!

 

 The 47th Autumn Glory Festival

 

 

The 47th Autumn Glory Festival

 

 The 47th Autumn Glory Festival

 

 

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Art and Wine Festival

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. 

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Art and Wine Festival Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Art and Wine Festival

 

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
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 47th 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!

 

Betsy Holcomb

 

 

Happy 4th 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

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Happy Independence Day!

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 2nd the Stage Wisp Music Series kicks off…on Thursday, July 3rd catch the fireworks at Broadford Lake Park…on Friday, July 4th the fireworks display over Deep Creek Lake in McHenry…on Saturday, July 5th 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.

 

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Baby Holcomb-May Sales Stats

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake.

 

 

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Baby Holcomb-May Sales Stats. Deep Creek Lake. There has been quite a bit of excitement and joy in the Holcomb household this week!  We welcomed Jensen Layne Holcomb to the family on Saturday, June 14th at 4:34PM.  Weighing in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 21” in length, the 4th of the Holcomb boys is settling in just fineJ.  Older brother, 18-month old Griffin, is adjusting pretty well and is ready for Jensen to walk, talk and play ball!

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake.

 

Deep Creek 2014 Tickets on Sale                       

MCHENRY, MD / DEEP CREEK LAKE –Deep Creek 2014 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championship tickets are on sale now. There are limited quantities so get yours today. There are also a very limited quantity of mountaintop parking passes available only with the purchase of All Session tickets. All others will park in Satellite locations at the Wisp Resort and Garrett County Fairgrounds. A free shuttle service will be provided.

Tickets are available at the following locations:   Garrett County Chamber of Commerce in McHenry, Wisp ResortRailey Mountain Lake VacationsDeep Creek Realty- Coldwell BankerTaylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations, Long & Foster Deep Creek Resort, as well as on the website www.deepcreek2014.com.  Deep Creek 2014 will also have tickets available for sale at their booth at various World Championship Summer events, including the McHenry Highland Festival this Saturday, June 7. Deep Creek 2014 official gear is also available on the website www.deepcreek2014.com.

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake.

Deep Creek 2014 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships will not only provide four days of thrilling Olympic level competition with athletes representing over 35 countries, but also a Whitewater “Festival” on the mountaintop including food, beverage and merchandise vendors, children’s play area, Adventure Sports Institute exhibition activities, Center for Adventure and Experiential Learning Whitewater Exhibit and Education, bands, entertainment and more! Come out to be a part of this historical World Championship being held in the United States for only the second time in the history of the sport. 25 years ago the Whitewater World Championships were held on Garrett County’s own Savage River. The concept for the Adventure Sports Center International was drawn up on a napkin on the banks of the Savage. ASCI can now boast being the World’s only Mountaintop re-circulating whitewater course.

Deep Creek 2014 is the event production company and host organization presenting the 2014 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, the largest inbound sporting event to the United States in 2014, at Adventure Sports Center International in Garrett County, Maryland from September 17 – 21, 2014. The 2014 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships will bring tremendous international focus to Maryland’s scenic western-most county with 300 athletes from over 35 international countries competing and over 21.5 million international broadcast television viewers around the world, including three NBC Sports post production broadcasts. Over 20,000 spectators are expected in Garrett County to watch the event and the events planned throughout the summer leading up to the competition. The teams and athletes will be arriving in the region during the Labor Day weekend and will be onsite through the end of the World Championships on September 21. A total of over $20 million dollars is anticipated in regional economic impact. The 2013 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in Prague, Czech Republic, Deep Creek, MD hosts the 2014 World Championships and the 2015 Championships will be held in London, England.

 

The Spiker Team’s Featured Listings for the week are: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=58061350068

  • A gorgeous custom-built waterfront home in Stilwater with 5 en-suite bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, professional landscaping, 3-car garage, and more, more, more…sold furnished.
  • A lodge/contemporary style home on 373’ of lakefront and 3.81 acres of sprawling level lakefront. Offered furnished with a private guest house and detached garage, along with an extra lot. Reduced $200,000!
  • A log home in the quiet and wooded community of Timbers on the Yough just outside of Oakland on almost 12 acres of land. Open floorplan, rear covered porch and lots of privacy. Reduced to $194,000

The diagrams below illustrate how the MLS data from May 2014 compares to the 5-year May average.  Feel free to ask any questions.  Enjoy your weekend!

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake. Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake. Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake. Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake.