PG County Real Estate

In February, Prince Georges County and most other Maryland counties, as well as their counterparts in DC and Virginia, started out the month knee deep in crippling snow. While other markets showed low activity levels in February, the DC area showed encouraging news on the housing front.

Go figure!

In Prince Georges County, dollar volume ($93.3 million) was up by 36.3% over last year at the time, while the number of units sold jumped by 61%.  Homes were on the market 102 days, 28% less time than last year.  While median prices dropped 15.9% to $185,000, the average sales prices were at 90.8% of the asking price, compared to 84.8% last year

We obviously can’t credit the weather for this great market performance.  Maybe it was the home buyer tax credit.  Maybe it was because people are realizing Prince Georges County offers one of the best housing values in the area.

Express Realty Services can show you homes similar to the ones that blew buyers’ socks off in the windy, snowy month of February.

Even before First Lady Michelle Obama announced her war on childhood obesity, Prince Georges County was already planning its own war against the growing number of fast food restaurants in the county.  Along two blocks of Central Avenue alone, there are 11 fast food restaurants.

Meanwhile, county residents are among the least healthy in the state, as evidenced by high occurrences of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.  State studies of children’s health in Prince Georges County back in 2002 reveal that 40% of children between the ages of 2-11 were overweight, especially in low income families.  At least 1/3 of teens had eaten at least three meals a week in a fast food restaurant.  More recent studies substantiate the findings that obesity and diabetes continue to skyrocket among Prince Georges County residents, as compared to rudiments of the District or elsewhere in Maryland.

Community activist Arthur Turner and State Senator David C. Harrington have teamed up to curb the growth of fast food restaurants.  Harrington introduced legislation in the state assembly to freeze issuing licenses to new fast food stores, while Turner is working with developers to bring other types of eatery establishments into the county that would expand consumption choices.  These efforts have been praised by New York University professor Marion Nestle, who believes that low income areas are often “food deserts” with “inequitable access to healthy food.”

The Harrington bill would tie high health stats to geography.  Where there was a “high index of health disparities,” new fast food establishments would be banned, though the bill does not define “fast food.” Harrington’s approach has been tried in Los Angeles, in an effort to promote healthier restaurant options to encourage a balanced development.

While acknowledging the good intent of the Harrington bill, there are many critics who assert that food choices should not be mandated by the government.  Fast food restaurants usually offer food that’s cheap and tasty.  Restaurant Association of Maryland spokesman Melvin R. Thompson, opposes bans on restaurant development but encourages educating consumers about healthy food choices and the benefits of exercise.

Even Harrington knows that the ban is not enough to fix the obesity problem.  “We need recreation centers, physical education in schools, menus changed in schools.  This alone is not going to curb the data we’re seeing but it moves the agenda forward.”
Whether the bill will make it through the General Assembly is up for grabs, but it has started a healthy discussion about healthy eating that is right in line with First Lady Obama’s battle cry.

Looking for a nice home in Prince Georges County?  Express Realty Services can lead you to some of the best housing values in the DC area.  We can give you the details of the Home Buyer Tax Credit, applicable to both first timers and certain repeat buyers.

Will Prince Georges County be the first county in Maryland to offer casino type table games such as blackjack, poker and baccarat?

 If State Senate President Mike Miller has his way, Rosecroft Raceway will receive a commercial license to build a casino, costing the state a whooping $51 million for renovations at the track and another $30 million to build the casino.
Miller, who represents Prince Georges County and Calvert counties and whose family built Rosecroft back in the 1940’s, claims that the facility would not be a full-fledged casino, but just a card game that would increase county and state revenues and be in line with how people want to spend their entertainment dollars.  Bill co-sponsor State Senator C. Anthony Muse, also of Prince Georges County, noted that 62% of county residents have voted for gambling ventures such as slot machines.  So far, none of the 15,000 slot machines approved by state residents in 2007 are in Prince Georges County due to opposition from county lawmakers.  Jack B. Johnson, Prince Georges County Executive, is reviewing the current bill.
Muse says that the bill would boost local employment, by not only saving 200 jobs that are already employed at Rosecroft, but also increasing that number by another 400. The Innovation Group, which prepared the proposal for the casino, estimates that between its proposed opening date in 2012 to 2015, the casino would generate up to 1,500 jobs and bring in gross revenues of around $257-291 million. Even before the bill has been passed, many legislators are interested in expanding the concept to other parts of the state, given the great revenue potential for cash-strapped Maryland.
Should the bill pass and should count officials in Prince Georges County agree to implement it? The combination of jobs and money could help support other county efforts to improve and/or maintain the type of services that attract potential homeowners.  Another effort to permit charity poker games has been championed by 37 volunteer fire companies who provide volunteers to assist the county in emergencies.  These companies provide their own trucks and equipment and would benefit from fundraising efforts.  A vote on this issue, scheduled for March 12th, has been postponed as legislators ponder the greater question of whether any type of approved gambling would set a “dangerous precedent.”
Regardless of the voting consequences, choosing to settle in Prince Georges County is a good bet.  The county not only has a good proximity to the District along with employment opportunities for more people, but also offers value priced housing. Express Realty Services can open your eyes to the hidden treasures of Prince Georges County, as well as other areas of MD, VA, and DC.