PG County Real Estate

Prince Georges County (PGC) is prime territory for businesses to set up shop if they want to be near but not in DC.  Even though DC itself is considered by CNN Money as a great place to launch a small business, space, parking, and everything else is more costly than it is just a few miles away.  Recently, the County Council made it even more attractive to businesses to locate, relocate, or expand here by approving a new incentive zone for the area.  This effort is partners with area businesses to encourage employees to live and work in the area.

The new zone, good for 10 years, replaces and expands the Enterprise Zone that expired October 15.  Covering 6,600 acres of commercial property, the new zone will focus around Metro stops, especially Seat Pleasant and Landover, where businesses will qualify for enhanced incentives.  The focus areas have higher-than-average unemployment, poverty, crime, substandard housing, or vacant commercial footage, so the goal of the incentives is to redevelop the target areas.

Businesses who settle or expand in the Enterprise Zone qualify for three major tax incentives:

• Tax credits of $6,000 per disadvantaged employee and $1,000 per non-disadvantaged employee.  (This credit increases to $9,000 and $1,500 respectively within focus zones.)
• A 10-year real estate property tax credit on new construction or property improvements.
• A 10-year business personal property tax credit of 80% for qualifying property within the focus areas.

This program will support efforts by three PGC businesses to stabilize neighborhoods impacted by foreclosures.  Dimensions Healthcare System, the University of Maryland, College Park, and the U.S. Bureau of Census are already trying to entice their employees to buy foreclosures in 33 ZIP codes in the county.  Prospective home buyers receive housing counseling from certified HUD Counselors, which includes mortgage information pre-purchase counseling, and information on special down payment and closing cost assistance programs.  In addition to the Live and Work in College Park program previously mentioned in this blog, the county offers other programs such as the Down Payment on Your Dream program.

The housing initiative is a win-win situation for employers, workers, and the county. The three employers who provide jobs for almost 20,000 people gain a new tool for recruiting employees; employers get a chance to become homeowners; the County gains new taxpayers and stable neighborhoods.  Over 100 attended the first workshops held in June and July; so many people registered for the September sessions that additional ones were planned for October.

PGC, which has over 3,100 foreclosed homes as of September 30, 2009, is aiming to sell about 800 through the program. The Down Payment on Your Dream program offers buyers up to $20,000 to buy a house, via a loan that doesn’t have to be paid back if the buyer lives in the hose for 10 years.

About 40 lenders and virtually all real estate agents in the county have been trained in how the program works.  If you are interested in homes where you can use this credit, contact Express Realty Services at Info@ExpressRS.com or (888) 306-9450. Express Realty Services can show you homes rehabbed, refurbished, and remodeled by its sister company, Express Homebuyers, as well as area foreclosures.

You may have moved to Prince Georges County for its nearness to DC and its urban allure.  When fall comes along though, what grabs your interest is the colorful scenery and the bountiful fall harvest from local farms.  Whether you want fresh picked apples, Halloween pumpkins, or an autumn adventure for your family, you can find it all right within PGC.

If your idea of capturing the season is making apple butter, sauce, cider, or pies, nearby Maryland orchards can provide enough delicious fruit to satisfy your cooking Jones and put away some fruit for the winter.  Apple picking can be a nice activity for your kids as the fruit is easy to handle; all family members can enjoy eating the output, even if they bypass the cooking stage in the middle.

Family Jack-O-Lantern carving is a favorite fall activity.  An ample selection of pumpkin farms makes for a nice family excursion to pick out the right candidate and observe the many shapes and sizes of this vegetable produced by nature.

There are several additional farms in the county which supply apples and Halloween and pie-worthy pumpkins.

Queen Anne Farm, 18102 Central Ave, Mitchellville, Prince Georges County, MD. Phone: (301) 249-2427

Billingsley House Museum, 6900 Green Landing Rd. Upper Marlboro, Prince Georges County MD. Phone: (301) 627-0730

C & E Farms, 11415 Old Pond Dr., Glenn Dale, Prince Georges County MD. Phone: (301)-352-2958

Cherry Hill Farm and Orchard, 12300 Gallahan Rd., Clinton, Prince Georges County, MD. Phone: (301) 292-4642

Robin Hill Farm Nursery, 15800 Croom Rd., Brandywine, Prince Georges County MD. Phone: (301) 79-6844

Some local farms offer hayrides plus access to the newest craze in fall family activity: the corn maze.  Corn fields are actually sculpted into interlocking puzzles that make for an interesting adventure when explored on foot and an awesome shape when viewed by air.  Some mazes feature sport teams and other popular themes.  Lawyer’s Farm in nearby Thurmont features a Transformer’s Maze, for example, while Summers Farm in has a more traditional design with profits going to St .Jude’s hospital. You can find a complete corn maze directory here.  Some farms specialize in Halloween mazes to make your pumpkin buying expedition complete.

Most of the farms offer other produce grown on site, which makes for sumptuous fall living in Prince George County.

Looking for a house near the big city with homey country overtones?  Express Realty Services can show you the place of your dreams in Prince Georges County, as well as other locations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.  Also check out our monthly real estate update.  We specialize in selling renovated, remodeled and refurbished homes from Express Homebuyers.

Though the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit may be ending, people who work in College Park still have a chance to get up to $35,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance to purchase a foreclosure in the city.  Through the Work & Live in College Park Program, prospective residents can qualify for a full 10% of the value of the home if one adult works at least 20 hours a week for a College Park employer and is willing to buy a foreclosed property in the area.

Since the program aims to put distressed properties into the hands of homeowners, not investors, with a long term stake in the area, eligible participants must live in the home for 10 years, meet liberal income requirements, and attend home-ownership counseling offered by a HUD-approved counseling agency.  Homeowners must contribute at least $2,000 to the down payment, pre-paids (hazard insurance, taxes, and PMI insurance), home inspections, and closing costs.  The buyers must be prepared to bring the property up to state and local codes by repairing any deficiencies uncovered in the appraisals, perhaps through a 203k loan.  In financing the property, the homeowner must select a conventional or FHA loan with fixed terms – no adjustable or sub-prime loans will meet program criteria.

The Work & Live in College Park grant is actually an interest free loan that expires in 10 years.  If the buyers sell the property before 10 years, they owe 10% per year for each of the required years they did not live in the home. They must sell it to owners who plan to reside there.

Any residential structure in the 20740 zip code is eligible for the program, so residential structures such as single family homes, townhouses, and condominiums would qualify.  The titles for the properties must have been transferred back to the lender through foreclosure or deed-in-lieu; no short sale properties meet the criteria.

The Work & Live in College Park Program has the potential to meet a variety of important goals as foreclosed properties are transformed into the family homes they were meant to be.  Since the program requires someone in the household work at least part time in the city, it promotes “green” living as the commute is minimized or puts the workplace a short walk or bus ride away.  Because it requires residency for 10 years, the program will also build strong neighborhoods of owner-occupants.

For more information on this exciting program, you can review the program guidelines and then download the registration form.  To find a list of foreclosed properties on Prince Georges County that qualify for the Work & Live in College Park Program, visit the Express Realty Services website.

Prince Georges County and many other Southern Maryland counties are often praised for their nearness to DC, as if that were the only reason you would want to settle in this beautiful area.  Yet, stretching one and a quarter miles right along the Potomac River in Prince Georges County Maryland, is the majestic National Harbor on the Potomac. Anchored by the 2000-room Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the largest hotel in the Washington DC metro area, National Harbor merges natural beauty with entertainment, housing, and employment opportunities for the region.

Many visitors arrive by water and first see a beautiful sculpture called The Awakening, a five piece aluminum sculpture originally created as part of the 11th Annual Sculpture Conference in 1980. Comprised of a head, hand, outstretched arm, bent knee, and foot, all pieces are arranged in such a fashion as to resemble a giant breaking free from the confines of the earth. Originally located in Potomac Park across the Potomac River & north a few miles, this statue was dismantled, then moved to a permanent home at the National Harbor.

Needless to say, a major focus at the National Harbor is the Potomac River, which offers many opportunities to for boating and sightseeing.  Boating enthusiasts can enjoy the world class marinas, while tourists can cruise the river to view national monuments.  The natural beauty of the area is maintained with green space throughout the commercial development.

Unique shopping, fine dining, and live entertainment are also major draws to the area.  Trendy boutiques rather than nationally franchised stores make for interesting retail finds.  The same goes for the restaurants, often owned by celebrities.  Ketchup Restaurant, for example, is owned by Ashton Kutcher, Wilmer Valderrama and Tara Reid, and serves up their signature menu items like Maryland Crab Cakes or the Philly Sandwich.  CakeLove, the pride and joy of Food Network chef Warren Brown, offer delicious cakes and other sweet treats.  National Harbor is the stage for the upcoming Metropolitan Jazz Festival as well as daily live entertainment at Bobby McKeys and other bars and restaurants that dot the waterfront.

Zoned for “mixed land use,” developments such as One National Harbor comprise 2,500 residential units featuring unique architecture and varied floor plans.  Many units are designed for upscale living, but some are available in the $300-500,000 price range.  In addition to the condos, there are over 4,000 hotel rooms which attract convention visitors and tourists to National Harbor as well as permanent residents.

National Harbor, right in Prince Georges County, is an appealing place to visit, live, and work.  It is also a convenient location for DC commuters via public transit or highway.

If you are looking to locate in or near beautiful National Harbor, Express Realty Services awaits your call.  We are the fourth largest Keller-Williams franchise in the world.  We offer personal, fast service to place you in a pre-owned home, a bank-owned home, or a recently renovated and refurbished home in Prince Georges County and the Washington, DC region.

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