Southern Maryland Real Estate Blog

22nd annual coming out car and bike show is this weekend!

If you didn't already know it, I'm a bit of a car nut.  When the weather turns warm I can almost certainly be found getting ready for or heading to a weekend car show.  Some people enjoy fishing or hiking in the summer.  I prefer the smell of engine oil and high performance motors.

For those of you who are interested in seeing some great classic cars on display, this weekend is a great opportunity!  The Southern Knights are hosting the 22nd annual coming out car show in Charlotte Hall, MD.  The show will be Sunday, April 5th, 2009, from 8:30am to 3pm.  It's easy to find, the show is held each year at the Charlotte Hall Shopping Center.  It's located on Rt.5, just north of the farmers market.

The weather should be excellent, and I'm expecting to see over 500 classic cars there this year!  I'm sure I'll be there early!

Want to see more photos from the 2008 Coming Out Car Show?

~Jonathan Benya- Realtor
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000 - office
301-653-8116 - cell

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Walls Bakery is Back!!!

What long time Southern Maryland resident DOESN'T remember the old Walls Bakery in Waldorf, Maryland? I recall going there as a kid, getting eclairs the size of my head and driving my parents bonkers with the ensuing sugar rush.

When Walls Bakery closed, my parents shipped me eclairs to my dorm room in Chicago, and I savored what I could only assume would be my last taste of sweet childhood memories. Imagine my surprise when I drove past 2260 Old Washington Rd. this morning and saw this sign in one of the shopping centers as I passed by:

 

Could it possibly be true? Those gigantic eclairs, tempting my taste buds, encouraging me to torpedo my diet for the sake of delicious memory? I pulled the U-turn, walked inside, and yes, Christmas has come to Waldorf in the form of tasty cream-filled pastries!

I bought two, and quickly remembered how overwhelming just one Walls eclair is. Not only am I falling into a sugar induced coma as I type, but with a second eclair still waiting for me, there's a good chance I'll still be eating my eclairs tomorrow! ~Jonathan Benya- Realtor
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000
301-653-8116
Charles County Real Estate Blog

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I'm Fair-ly Certain I'll Be There!

    It's that time of year!  The Charles County fair starts this afternoon, so now is your chance to throw the diet out the window, go watch the pig racing, and enjoy all of the carnival rides!

    I'll be there too, just look for my booth near the main entrance.  I'll also be out taking lots of photos to post for you guys, and of course I plan to pack on a few pounds of Funnel Cake myself!

    Here's the hours for this year's Charles County Fair in La Plata, MD:

Thursday, September 11th

4pm - 11pm

Friday/Saturday, September 12-13th

8:30am - 11pm

Sunday, September 14th

9:30am - 7pm

Ages 11 and over - $5.00

Ages 10 and under - Free

4 Day Passes - $15.00

All School Children admitted FREE on Friday, September 12th from
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

      

      

Thursday, September 11th
Ride all evening for one price

Friday September 12th
All rides reduced from
10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Sunday September 14th
Ride for one price
10:00 am to 6:00 pm

For more information, visit

http://www.charlescountyfair.com , and I hope to see everyone there!

 

~Jonathan Benya- Realtor
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000
301-653-8116
Southern Maryland Real Estate Blog

Sometimes you just need to take a break and enjoy the scenery...

The old saying goes "make sure you take the time to stop and smell the roses".  Well, these aren't roses, nor do they smell as good.  They're pretty though, in their own svelte fashion.

Consider it's today's "Moment of Zen" from Team Benya!

~Jonathan Benya
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St.
La Plata, MD 20646
301-653-8116
301-609-9000

http://www.teambenya.com

REO Speedwagon is coming to Waldorf!

    It's hard to NOT be aware of REO Speedwagon's upcoming show at the Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, MD.  They've got signs up for it all over the place, if it was legal they'd probably tattoo the foreheads of the Blue Crab's Baseball Team!

   

If you haven't gotten your tickets already, Hurry up!  I've got mine ordered, and I didn't think about it until today, but the concert is only 5 days away (August 11th!).  Thank god for the fact that I write all of my appointments down!

Here's the link to the website to buy tickets:

http://www.somdbluecrabs.com/

Houses for Sale in Waldorf, MD: How Can You "Find it All"?

    Buying a home for sale in Waldorf, MD has a lot of great possibilities!  From townhouses to duplexes to single family homes, there are a lot of potential locations for you and your family.  Part of the fun in helping people buy a home is putting all the pieces together to find them that perfect property!

     It's a good idea to consider what it is that you want and need out of your next home, and go from there.  Are you looking for a house with lots of land?  A quick search of the MLS shows that there are currently  55 Homes in Waldorf that meet that criteria, ranging from $245k-$1.7 Million.  That's a huge range, and it shows that your choices are really only limited by your desired price range.

    Another popular option is to consider searching by location.  If you're looking for convenience, and want to be within walking distance to the local mall, you could search by geographic location, and find that there's currently 13 Homes for sale within a half mile of the St. Charles Towne Center Mall, ranging from $170k-286k.

    The great thing about trying to "Find It All" when it comes to home-buying is that there's really no limit to how specific you can try to be (If there's something on the market that matches your criteria, it can be found!).  If you were to say that you wanted a home with very specific criteria, a good Realtor should be able to help you find that information.

      Here's a good example:

    Let's say we want a home with 3 or more bedrooms, 3+ acres of land, a pool, a 2-story vaulted family room, brick exterior, and a full basement, located in Waldorf, MD.  A quick search by your friendly neighborhood Realtor should bring back something like this!

    When you're working with an agent, don't be afraid to be specific when it comes to house-hunting criteria!  Your agent should be working with you, and listening to your wants and needs when it comes to finding a home!

    The bottom line is that in a location like Waldorf, MD and Charles County, there are a ton of options for you and your family.  All you have to do is contact your local Realtor and develop a plan with them to help find the perfect house to call home!

~Jonathan Benya
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000
301-653-8116
Waldorf and Southern Maryland Real Estate
www.teambenya.com

Southern Maryland Baseball Has Finally Arrived!!!

    Charles County welcomed the new Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to the area on Friday, and local residents can now officially enjoy the national past-time right here in Waldorf!

    The Regency Furniture Stadium itself is gorgeous, and really captures the essence and flavor of the region perfectly!  I was on the fence about participating personally, but I have to say that I love how the new ball park looks and feels!  This is an excellent recreational destination, and team owner Brooks Robinson has already announced that REO Speedwagon will be playing a concert there this summer on August 11th!

    It sounds like I'm going to be heading to the stadium quite a bit this summer......

SOMD Blue Crabs Team Homepage

~Marsha Benya
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000
301-653-9846
Waldorf and Southern Maryland Real Estate
www.teambenya.com

Charles County is a great place to get ahead!

     Even Forbes Magazine thinks so!  Forbes recently listed Charles County, MD as one of it's top 10 places to "get ahead" in the United States! 

    Forbes listed Charles County as #5 on their list because:

...economic activity in Charles County has been on the upswing since 2000. Jobs have climbed a modest 2.3% a year, and incomes are up 29%, to $80,179. The combination of rapid income growth and slow job growth suggests that economic gains from D.C. commuters moving to the area have affected the data.

    I don't need Forbes to tell me just how great the area really is, but it's nice to see the the region is getting some serious national recognition as an attractive place to be!  It's just one more reason to be excited about living in Charles County!

~Jonathan Benya
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000
301-653-8116
Waldorf and Southern Maryland Real Estate
www.teambenya.com

Horsepower & Burning Rubber on Display in Hughesville, MD

    The Southern Knights celebrated their 21st annual Coming Out car show this past weekend in Hughesville, MD.  It was a spectacular show, to say the least, and there was about 450 cars on the field this year! 

    The rain held out until the afternoon, and it made for a very nice day to get out and enjoy some of the classic muscle that was out on display!  All three of us made it out for food, photos, and of course to put the old blue 1957 Thunderbird on the field as well!

Here's some of the photo highlights, if you're interested, the entire roll of photos is available for you to enjoy here:

Photos from the 21st Annual Southern Knights Coming Out Car Show 2008 in Hughesville, MD

~Jonathan Benya
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000
301-653-8116
Waldorf and Southern Maryland Real Estate
www.teambenya.com

Waldorf, MD's Mall: St. Charles Town Center Improvements!

    I digress, I haven't been impressed with the mall here in Charles County recently.  One of the reasons is because they have been doing a lot of renovation work on it, and navigating through a maze of cones and equipment isn't exactly my cup of tea.

    It looks like they're getting close to finishing their work, so I stopped by to take a couple of pictures and see what the changes look like.

    In short, I think the modernization project looks great!  Waldorf deserves a first rate shopping location like this, and they've done a fine job!

What Have They Done?

    What's exciting about the changes is the growth of O'Donnell Lake, where the are several restaurants going in, and a Hilton hotel, among other things.  It's all part of the larger growth plan for Waldorf, and it improves the accessibility of the area and the overall quality of life for the region and residents. 

    It makes Waldorf and Charles County a better place to live, and it helps to bolster the incentive to buy real estate in Waldorf to enjoy the feature the area has to offer.  Since I live in Waldorf myself, I'm always excited to see new project that make this a more attractive and exciting place to live.

New Place To Eat In Waldorf!

    Not only that, but there's also a Sushi Bar that has been opened in the mall!  You see, I crave sushi.  I don't think so much about the whole raw fish aspect, because in and of itself, that's kind of gross.  I do love the flavor, though, and I don't get to eat it often enough.  Hopefully this will help me expand my list of choice places to get good sushi in Charles County.  Right now that list is empty, so something's better than nothing, right?

Related Photos: 

Waldorf, MD Photos

~Jonathan Benya
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000
301-653-8116
Waldorf and Southern Maryland Real Estate
www.teambenya.com