Anne Arundel County Real Estate

Here in Anne Arundel County, landscaping season is upon us.

I’ve been to both the Lowes in Bowie and one of the Home Depots in Annapolis this past week and one thing is clear - they are stocked and ready for spring and summer.

As a speaker with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Speaker’s Bureau I give a presentation with a little run-down on what each of us can do in our own back yards to help rebuild the bay.

Here is my list of the Top 10 things you can do for a Bay-Friendly Backyard.

1. Test the soil.
You can find a soil test kit at one of your favorite home supply stores (both Lowes and Home Depot carry them), or you can send a test away to one of these laboratories (PDF) recommended by the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District. In any event after testing your yard, you may find you don’t need to add any chemicals or fertilizers to your soil at all. By reducing the amount of fertilizers and chemicals you add to your yard, you’re reducing the amount of nutrients that eventually reach the bay. A lot of people apply excess chemicals, and these usually just run off in the first rain storm and end up in the bay.

2. Plant Native Trees and Shrubs
A soil test can also help you determine how acid/alkaline your soil is - and which plants will survive and thrive in your current soil conditions. Usually this is a mixture of indigenous trees and shrubs. In the mid-Atlantic area we’re lucky to have a good mixture of plants that can give your yard a lot of bio-diversity. This helps your yard have less pests, disease and weed problems. And it provides food, shelter and cover for birds and small animals. Any of our local nurseries can help you pick out good plants for your yard.

3. Use Less Fertilizer (or none at all)
As mentioned above, a lot of people over fertilize their yards and this contributes to the excess nutrient loading that pollutes the Bay. After testing the soil, use minimal amounts of fertilizer - and only if needed. And in spite of what else you might hear, fertilizer is usually only needed once per year.

4. Grass Clippings are a Great Fertilizer
With so many mulcher-mowers out there, everyone should be doing this. Grass is a great natural fertilizer and it returns a lot of nutrients back to the soil as it decomposes.

5. Use Compost as a Fertilizer
Another great natural fertilizer is compost. A nice compost pile that reuses food waste (no fat or proteins), grass clippings, dead leaves, yard waste and other natural ingredients is a fantastic addition to any yard. The mineral-rich compost can be added back to the lawn or flower and vegetable beds. And best of all - compost is cheap - virtually free.

6. Reduce or Eliminate the Use of Pesticides and Herbicides
Toxic chemicals can poison your yard’s balanced ecosystem by killing the natural predators and native plants that keep your yard a well maintained diverse collection of organisms. Adopt integrated pest management systems around your home so you can reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals in your yard. In addition to your yard, these toxic chemicals eventually make their way to the creeks, rivers and bay - creating havoc along the way. Use chemicals as a last resort.

7. Mow your Lawn at the Proper Height
Set your mower blade to a height of 3 inches and make sure to keep the blades sharp. A lot of people cut their grass way too short, and this keeps the grass from getting ahead of the weeds. It also prevents the grass from establishing a firm root structure which will help sustain it through a drought.

8. Reduce Your Overall Lawn Size
There is a difference between your yard and your lawn. Most of us want a big yard - but that doesn’t necessarily mean a big lawn. Figure out how much lawn you really need and reduce the grassy area to the smallest amount necessary. Replace the rest with a buffer of native trees and shrubs and gardens. These areas will prevent soil erosion and soak up excess nutrients before they reach the bay.

9. Use Less Water
Grass lawns in our area naturally go dormant during the drier parts of the summer season. When the rain returns, your lawn will green right back up again. Some of the above tips will also help you to cut back on the amount of water you use. Make sure when you water your lawn, you do it rarely and thoroughly - until water can no longer be easily absorbed into the soil - but not so much that the water starts to run off. Whenever possible, water later in the afternoon or at night. And if rain is coming in a day or two - you might want to hold off all together.

10. Provide Wildlife Habitat
Wildlife such as birds, chipmunks, squirrels and other animals need a source of food, water and shelter - especially in areas where development has taken away their natural sources. These animals all play a vital part in our ecosystem. By giving them an area in your yard to thrive - you’ll be helping to boost the ecosystem of the region as a whole.

Here is a list of helpful tips for all of the above:

Anne Arundel County: Yard Waste, Yard Cycling and Backyard Composting

Guide to Composting

Compost Guide

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Ok, we’ve had it pretty easy this winter - so far. A few days ago it was in the 70’s and today we have a thin sheet of ice covering everything. Temperatures have fallen and since we haven’t really had to heat our homes too much this winter - I thought I’d remind of us of something:

If you have a wood stove, fireplace, kerosene heater or natural gas furnace - you may be at risk for Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is colorless and odorless and can accumulate when the fuel you are using is not burning properly. This may be due to improper installation of the heating appliance or because of improper ventilation.  So here are some tips to reduce the chance of Carbon Monoxide poisoning:

• Make sure you buy a CO alarm and place it in any sleeping areas of your home.
• Keep all rooms with kerosene heaters properly ventilated.
• Have a professional inspect, clean and repair the central heating system each year.
• This is an obvious one - but make sure you open the flue before you build a fire in the fireplace.
• Have fireplaces and chimneys inspected by a trained professional every year.
• Install and use any word burning stoves and fireplaces as the manufacturer recommends.
• Keep gas appliances properly ventilated.
• Never use the kitchen range or oven to heat your home.
• Never use a gas or charcoal grill inside the home.
• Don’t leave the car running inside the garage - even if you leave the garage door open.
• If your CO Alarm goes off - turn off all heat sources, open the windows and doors, leave the house immediately and call the fire department.
• CO Alarms are NOT Smoke Detectors and vice versa.

Living in Anne Arundel County means living near the water.

While demand never seems to disappear for waterfront property, across the country the slowing real estate market has presented some great deals by lakes and oceans.

This isn’t any different here locally. In addition to waterfront property on the Chesapeake Bay, Anne Arundel County has four main rivers (West River, South River, Severn River and Magothy River) and dozens of smaller tributaries - making it a fantastic place to find waterfront property!

The desire to look out your window and see water will always be there and will always be an added incentive for someone to purchase a home.

But there are drawbacks to living the waterfront life.

Among them: premium property prices, high insurance rates (especially if you’re near a flood zone), and costly maintenance because moist air corrodes pipes and eats away at paint. But there are just as many perks.

Tonja Demoff, author of the book Bubble Proof: Real Estate Strategies That Work in Any Market, offers these five reasons for considering waterfront property.

1. Waterfront properties are in high demand and are often a great investment either for resale or rental income.

2. Fewer mosquitoes and insects as the ocean breezes push the critters westward.

3. Wonderful environment for children, away from the pollution of the city and a sedentary lifestyle.

4. Great exercise potential for people of all ages, be it swimming or walking along the shore or coast.

5. Breezes from the water make the hottest summer day feel cooler.

Right now, as I write this there are 114 water-front properties for sale in Anne Arundel County that are listed for less than $700,000.

18 of these houses have been on the market for over a year - so their owners are probably anxious to see an offer or two come their way.

One of the great things that I love about living in Anne Arundel County is everything the county does to make dogs feel welcome.

Go down to Annapolis in the summer months and you’ll find that a lot of city merchants have placed bowls of water outside of their doors. Stroll around the city dock, or along ego alley or over the bridge in Eastport and you’ll find Annapolitans everywhere with their four-legged friends.

And the canine friendliness doesn’t end at the city borders. Anne Arundel county maintains four public dog parks (areas fenced in specifically to allow dogs to run free) and not one, but two dog beaches.

Because of its proximity to Annapolis, the most popular dog beach of Anne Arundel County is located in Quiet Waters Park.

The second dog beach, is located at Downs Park and is pictured below.