PG County Real Estate

This is the first post in a four post series. For details on understanding foreclosure and bankruptcy, keep following this blog.

If you find the terms “foreclosure” and “bankruptcy” confusing, you’re not alone. It’s not uncommon to see people filing for bankruptcy if they’ve defaulted on their payments and received foreclosure notices. It’s important to know whether foreclosure and bankruptcy have the same implications on the people involved.

While neither situation is ideal, they are not the end of the world. You can correct both with proper assistance from lenders and legal assistants.

If you can't pay your mortgage towards your house, speak with your lender.

Let’s try and understand what each of these terms mean.

Foreclosure:

By definition, foreclosure is the legal procedure in which a lender holding a mortgage on an individual’s house forces a sale for the house in order to obtain repayment of their loan. Foreclosure proceedings usually begin when the homeowner defaults on his loan payments.

A common misconception is that defaulting on your mortgage for a couple months will lead to foreclosure. In such situations, people panic and tend to look for options where they can declare or file for bankruptcy in order to retain the control that they think will be lost if the property is foreclosed on.

Homeowners need to be aware that lenders also lose a lot of money when they put a house on foreclosure, so if approached at the right time, they would assist you in avoiding the process completely. The way they look at it, all they want is the principal borrowed and the interest at stake.

If you’re looking to invest in a foreclosed property, or any other home in or around Prince Georges County, Express Realty Services could help. With the lowest interest rates in years, you could get a beautiful house that’s well within your budget.

For more questions or concerns, feel free to call Express Realty Services at 1-877-9EXPRESS (1-877-939-7377)

This series will be continued. For more insights on concepts like foreclosure and bankruptcy, continue to read our blogs.

If you have any tips or suggestions that you’d like to share, please feel free to comment on this blog post.

Two new cameras are scheduled for installation in Bowie soon, and it’s not because this group of Prince Georges County citizens are so photogenic. Actually, these cameras are set up to measure speeds of passing vehicles that are over 12 mph above the speed limits. The cameras, one measuring northbound traffic speeds and one measuring southbound traffic speeds, will run between the hours of 6AM and 8PM on Monday through Friday. For the first 30 days anyone in violation of the speed limit will receive a warning. After the initial 30 day period is over, those violating the speed limit will be charged $40.

The new cameras were approved by the city council in October. This was shortly after a change was made to the state laws which expand the use of speed cameras in work and school zones. The city council also approved the installation of cameras at other school sites. Affiliated Computer Services, a Dallas based company that also supplies the cameras for Montgomery County, is supplying the cameras. The new cameras are expected to be a source of revenue for the county. Based on current estimates, the cameras will provide $25,000 before the end of June and as much as $120,000 in the next fiscal year.

The speed camera laws for the state contain a requirement that the photos are reviewed by a sworn police officer to ensure that the vehicles tag is clear, the violation that the vehicle is charged with is clear and that the tag matches the vehicle. The registered owner will then receive a violation in the mail from the police that includes a photo. If the owner was not driving the vehicle at the time of the citation, there is a form they can fill out to transfer responsibility to the person who was driving.

Citizens aren’t thrilled with this “candid camera” approach to law enforcement. In addition, there is some controversy on how well the speed cameras work and under whose jurisdiction the fines should be paid. Timothy Leahy, a Bowie resident, is suing Montgomery County because of errors that he feels were made in measuring his speed.  Unless he wins, this new court case will have no bearing on the installation of the cameras at Bowie or future speed camera sites. The county is trying to dismiss the lawsuit as soon as possible.

Looking for a home in Prince Georges County? Call Express Realty Services today at 888-306-9450 or visit our website for the best real estate in eastern Maryland, northern Virginia, or DC.

At Prince George’s intersection at Capitol Heights, the county planning board has approved a new development at the corner of Addison Road and Central Avenue. The project would include retail and office space, a public library, an indoor pool and an outdoor garage. The largest share would go towards 171 units of condos and apartments.

The County Council sees this project as a great way to bring in new jobs, not only in the construction phase, but also through the retail stores that will be built. There will be greater choices for shopping such as Starbucks and Panera Bread. The project is seen as a way to revitalize the community.

Mirza Baig, who is a general partner of Dawn Limited Partnership, said that the proposal must still go in front of the District Council in May. The partnership is hoping to start construction this summer and finish it by fall 2012.

As often happens in development projects, there are a few logistical issues to work out. The proposed land is directly across from the Addison Road-Seat Pleasant Metro Station and nearby to Seat Pleasant and Capitol Heights. Residents have expressed concerns regarding a wrought-iron fence that is to be placed in the project. One citizen, Douglas Edwards, instead suggested that the fence be placed in the middle of Central Avenue to prevent pedestrians from walking there. There are concerns as to whether that would limit pedestrian access too much.

Too few parking spaces are being planned according to Bradley Heard, a Capitol Heights resident who lives behind the possible project. Normally, county regulations require a minimum of 447 parking spaces. However, in this mixed-use project, the county approved it with only 372 spaces. The District Council wants fewer parking spaces as a method to entice commuters to take the train rather than drive and park their cars.

It seems that most residents welcome this new development. The Library will be closer. There is easy access to the metro train and more choices for retail shopping.

Express Realty Services can show you an affordable home in Capitol Heights. Just call us at 888-306-9450 or visit our website to chat with a representative about how to get started.

Fairmount Heights in Prince Georges County offers residents and new-comers alike a small-town feel, yet promises future change and development. As of the 2000 Census, only 1500 people lived in this small incorporated city, which encompasses 450 acres.

Like any small town, Fairmount Heights has the standard amenities—local restaurants, shops, beauty salon, and liquor store. There’s Fairmount Heights Park, which is home to a baseball park and basketball courts. No small town should be without its local library! Check out the city’s branch of Prince George’s County Memory Library. There are many churches as well as the local Elks chapter.

The town was first settled in the early 1900’s and has a well known historical district. An interesting fact is that it was the first planned black community, and a place for affordable homes in Prince George’s County. Famous historic residents include William Pittman and Portia Washington Pittman, daughter of Booker T Washington; James Armstrong, the first supervisor of African American schools in Prince George’s County; and Doswell Brooks, the first black supervisor of those same county schools.

Residents are highly involved within the community, especially in the Fairmount Heights Civic Association and in the Neighborhood Watch Association. Meanwhile, members of the Urban Development Committee meet on a regular basis to discuss revitalization of the community and upkeep of the historic district. They are hoping to develop property for a senior’s home and to have a main street within town.

If you want to be within driving distance of a big city, Washington D.C. is just outside of its borders. The city is located on major metro bus lines, making it easy to get around. In a fast-paced urban world, self-contained Fairmount Heights is a wonderful place to come home to.

So if you’re looking for a beautiful home in a community that cares for itself, look no further than Fairmount Heights.  Express Realty Services can show you an affordable home here and throughout the District of Columbia, northern Virginia, and eastern Maryland.  Just call us at 888-306-9450 or visit our website to chat with a representative about how to get started.

Ordinarily when companies relocate, it’s often bad news for one city and county and good news for another. In the case of Vocus Software, relocating meant moving in their own backyard, from Lanham, MD, to Beltsville, MD, both in our very own Prince Georges County (PGC). Though the cities’ tax bases will be affected, it’s a win-win for PGC.

Vocus, a software firm previously located in Lanham, MD is making plans to move its headquarters to Beltsville, MD. Vocus is planning an innovative new office design that will incorporate the look of a town but will be built inside a warehouse. For example, their plans include designing the mail room to make it look like a post office, and designing the finance area to look like a bank. The design for the new offices may also include a town square and a coffee shop and is expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks.

Rick Rudman, the President and Chief Executive of Vocus feels that this environment will allow employees to be more productive while still allowing them the opportunity to have a good time at work.

Rudman noted that “People are creative and energetic at different times of the day, and they need to relax and blow off steam at different times of the day, so that’s what our environment supports. The new building is really just taking that to the next level.”

The new Vocus complex will be located in Ammendale Business Park and will cost anywhere between $7 and $8 million dollars. This upgrade will create 93,000 square feet of office space, which is almost double what Vocus has currently.

It has taken almost a year for Vocus to finalize their new location. The 10 year, $20 million lease was decided after Prince Georges County Economic Development Corporation and has provided a $1.1 million incentive package in combination with the State of Maryland. The incentive package includes a low interest rate loan as well as tax credits for property and job creation. The incentive package was provided to Vocus based on the fact that they were staying in the same county and would be utilizing the county’s workforce, infrastructure, and supportive business environment. The new headquarters building could be up and running as early as February 2011.

PGC is a great place to live and work.  Express Realty Services can show you affordable homes right here in the county that qualify for the homebuyer’s tax credit or maybe other local programs. As the #1 Keller-Williams franchise, we are prepared to help you buy (or sell) a home quickly. Please contact us at 888-306-9450 or visit our website to chat with a representative about how to get started.

Zoning is often a sleep-inducing subject for most people – until it affects them. That’s when people begin to lose sleep! Capitol Heights residents recently took aim at revitalization plans for their city in a recent public hearing. They worry that the proposed development could disrupt city life!

In 2008, $45,000 was provided to the town as a community legacy grant from the State of Maryland to complete the Town of Capitol Heights Community Legacy Revitalization Plan and chart out the future economic and residential development for the area.

To create the plan the town hired Green, McDaniel and Associates, LLC, a community planning firm. The firm was to complete renderings and hold several community meetings to gather input from the residents on their ideas for the revitalization plan. The finished plan aims to develop an “economic engine” in the city, according to the firm’s president, David Green.

They came up with several recommendations for the revitalization plan, including:

• Creating a mixed use development around the Capitol Heights Metro station. An example of a mixed use development would be residential accommodations over retail stores.
• Give office space to local universities so that it can be used for workforce development classes for residents.
• Redevelop Old Central Ave., the town’s main street as a commercial strip to keep shopping dollars in the city.
• Make Walker Mill Industrial Park a target for small businesses and “green” jobs.

Councilwoman Marnitta L. King worries that if more of the town is zoned commercially, residents would not be able to rebuild in case of a fire or other disaster. If more high density housing is developed, residential streets might become de-facto with an overflow of parking lots. Besides, residents might not like suddenly being in the midst of towering apartment buildings.

Residents concede that providing additional training to people is fine, but there are no commitments that jobs will stay within the city and may still end up going to more qualified candidates from outside town. Green responded that while he was unable to guarantee jobs for those who were retrained, he wanted to create an environment of opportunity using workforce development.

Residents are also concerned about increasing development around the Capitol Heights Metro station. There also are concerns about what will happen to existing housing areas.

Councilman Kito James indicated that the council was scheduled to vote on the plan on April 12. However, he noted that he had some personal concerns with the current plan and felt it should be revised and voted on again in May.

Regardless of how things shape up, Capitol Heights is convenient to DC and offers affordable homes for growing families.  Express Realty Services can find you a great affordable home in Capitol Heights. As the #1 Keller-Williams franchise, we are prepared to help you buy (or sell) a home quickly. Please contact us at 888-306-9450 or visit our website to chat with a representative about how to get started.

The new healthcare law recently signed by President Obama will provide healthcare insurance for 170,000 to 190,000 currently uninsured residents of Prince Georges County. Since there is no discrimination by diseases and aging, the ability to increase the amount of residents that are covered by insurance will help to bring up the level of health care for the entire county.  An additional benefit of the new law is that it will provide Prince Georges County with the opportunity to improve its health care infrastructure.

The law, which takes effect by 2014, makes several important changes.  These include:

- Allowing no discrimination by insurers for those with pre-existing conditions like diabetes, cancer, asthma or high blood pressure. 

- Dependants can now stay on their parents insurance until age 26 instead of losing their coverage at 19. 

- People without employer based insurance will be able to get income based subsidies.  

-Employers that currently don’t provide health insurance will be required to provide it to a certain amount of full time employees or be fined.

- Seniors on Medicare part D may be eligible for an additional $250.

While offering help to local citizens, the new law offers some new challenges for Prince Georges County. One of these is a lower number of health care providers in the county compared to surrounding areas.  With the additional number of people that will soon be insured, there is a real possibility that the current infrastructure will not be sufficient for all residents to receive their preventative and primary care within the county.  This could cause a bit of a hardship for residents that don’t have ready access to transportation within, muchless outside of, the area.

Clearly, it is now a priority to attract more quality health care providers and health care professionals to Prince Georges County.  This provides a great opportunity to take this challenge and use it to leverage new laws that will help to improve the overall healthcare for the county.

Prince Georges County is a great place to live and work.  Express Realty Services can show you affordable homes right here in the county that qualify for the homebuyer tax credit or maybe other local programs.  Please contact us at 888-306-9450 or visit our website to chat with a representative about how to get started.

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.

Though Prince Georges County is currently recovering from three feet of snow, spring came early for the city of Greenbelt.  On February 5, communications and information technology giant Harris Corporation had the ribbon-cutting for a new office to support its recently acquired GOES-R satellite contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  The $736 million contract will allow Harris to process satellite weather information for over 10,000 direct users as well as for NOAA’s current weather satellites.  Harris claims the new system will increase the accuracy of weather prediction and allow weathermen to notify the public more quickly of impending weather disasters.

The new office will add 100 workers to its current employee base of 300 in Maryland and the 1,500 in the Washington area.  Located at 7375 Executive Plaza, the 24,000 square foot facility will house a team which, according to a Harris press release, will design, develop, deploy, and maintain the ground segment of the weather system and command operational satellites.

Ray Thorpe, vice president of the GOES-R program for Harris applauds the new location’s proximity to other federal agencies and other NOCC facilities.  The new facility will provide high tech jobs in the city of Greenbelt, which had its origins in the depression as a federal experiment to create a walkable, attractive place for the working poor.  Ironically, the current site of the high-tech facility was built entirely with shovels, without heavy equipment, to make more work for the men.  Greenbelt is today a middle class community which retains its walkability and sense of community.

Looking for a new home in friendly Greenbelt?  Contact Express Realty Services today for a great selection of pre-owned homes. Some are remodeled homes purchased by our sister company, Express Homebuyers.