Tag Archives: Liz Brent

Go Brent Agent Spotlight: Liz Brent

photo via source of the spring

After living in the Seven Oaks neighborhood for over 23 years and working in many local neighborhoods, Liz Brent knows Silver Spring inside and out. From parks to coffee shops, Liz shares some of her favorite go-to spots in the community. If you want to keep up with Liz, follow her on Facebook or Instagram.

What’s the best breakfast or brunch spot in town?

Fenton Cafe for crepes and Italian coffee! 

Get active! Are there any good hikes or bike trails in the area?

Sligo Creek is the best; I really love living close to it. Walking, jogging, and biking – I do it all. I’ve also started walking several days a week to the Go Brent office too.

Caffeine Rush: What’s your favorite coffee spot?

We are lucky to have great options for independent coffee shops but Kaldi’s is right next door to our office, so that’s my go-to!

Have a sweet tooth? What’s the best bakery in town?

I’ll go with caramels – Velatis.

What are fun weekend activities to do in the neighborhood?

Ice skating in the fall and winter! Walk to Ertters for a popsicle! An Ertters popsicle run was a regular after-dinner thing when my 3 kids were young.  It got them out of the house, we saw friends and neighbors along the way and there was an inexpensive treat at the end.  

Favorite Farmer’s Markets?

I’m lucky to be just 3 blocks from the SS Farmer’s Market.  

Are there any cool historical spots worth visiting?

Many! One that’s less well known is the tiny Battleground National Cemetery on Georgia Avenue in Brightwood. It was commissioned by President Lincoln for Union soldiers who fought at Fort Stevens. I’m an old cemetery fan.  

What’s your favorite park to take the kids and/or pets to or just take a stroll in?

My Ridgeback Tess is a regular at Ellsworth Urban Dog Park or we head over and walk at Sligo Creek.  When my kids were young, we hung out at either “The Sunny Park”, on Ellsworth or “The Shady Park” by the creek on Bennington. 

Go Brent Agents Recognized by Washingtonian

Go Brent is local, small and mighty! We are excited to have five agents recognized in Washingtonian’s Top Agents List which hit newsstands this month. Liz Brent, Cari Jordan, Debbie Gerald, and The Thomas Group – Tammy Thomas & Natalie Thomas were all listed among Washington’s Top-Producing Agents.

Washingtonian magazine annually recognizes agents and teams producing the highest sales volume in the area.

We’re proud of our agents’ good work and thrilled to work with such amazing clients.

Listing Spotlight: 1917 Grace Church Road

Under construction in desirable North Woodside!

This custom 4-bedroom Dutch colonial is designed and built specifically for the lot and neighborhood.

Property Details:

Address: 1917 Grace Church Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Bed / Bath:
5 Bedrooms / 5 Baths

Price:
Offered at $1.238M

Square Footage:
4,288 Square Feet

The main level features a formal living room, formal dining room and open concept kitchen with center island seating area and family room with fireplace and breakfast nook. A main level den or guest room is serviced by a private full bath. The second floor has a master suite with large bath and walk in closet. The second bedroom has an en-suite bath as well. Bedrooms 3 and 4 share a bath. The laundry room is centrally located on the upper level. The lower level offers a bedroom and full bath along with large family/playroom. 

Click to view Grace Church Road Floor Plans PDF

Click to view Grace Church Road Elevations PDF

Hardie Plank siding and Boral trim provide low maintenance long lasting exterior. There will also be a thermal slate front walkway and stone foundation accents. The home will feature custom cabinets, high-end appliances, wide plank hardwood flooring, and upgraded trim/doors/finishes. Bathrooms with custom tile design, heated floors, glass enclosures, upgraded finishes and fixtures. No builder grade materials anywhere in the house.

1917 Grace Church Road is conveniently located inside the Beltway near local shops including Snider’s Grocery, Woodside Deli, ALDI, Goldberg’s Bagels, and CVS. Montgomery Hills Park offers a playground , basketball court, and tennis court; hike/bike local trails in Sligo Creek Park, Capital Crescent Trail, or Rock Creek Park. The local public elementary school is located in the neighborhood. It’s an easy walk or drive to downtown Silver Spring’s restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and year-round farmers market. Commuters have quick access to local bus routes, Forest Glen and Silver Spring Metros, and the future Purple Line as well as Georgia Avenue, 16th Street, and the Beltway.  An active neighborhood association keeps the community connected.

This is truly a one of kind custom home!

Click here for more details on the property listing

Interested in more information? Please let us know how we can help:

Policy Forum on Accessory Dwelling Units

There’s been much conversation lately about accessory dwelling units. Councilmember Hans Reimer has introduced legislation to amend specific sections of the Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance.

So, what is an ADU? An ADU is an accessory dwelling unit, a second dwelling unit that is subordinate to the principal dwelling on the property. An ADU can be an addition, a basement, or a detached/separate structure.

Some see ADUs as a beneficial way to help to increase the housing supply; ADUs can be more affordable and can also supply homeowners with supplemental income. About 7 out of 10 seniors indicate they would like to age in place and ADUs may be helpful in allowing for this.

The Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) proposal would require the property to be owner-occupied, inspected and licensed, separate from the principal dwelling unit with a full kitchen, bathroom and separate entrance, and located on a property with at least two off-street parking spaces, unless the owner obtains a waiver – as allowed under current law.

The proposal removes the maximum size limit on ADUs and additions to ADUs, the prohibition on ADUs in houses that are less than 5 years old, and the requirement that an ADU be a minimum distance from other ADUs. Additionally, the ADU cannot be used as a short-term rental, such as Airbnb, and it allows no more than two unrelated individuals to reside in an ADU.

The meeting was attended by about 100 people, with the great majority of speakers in favor of relaxing regulation. Most opposed had concerns about parking and much of the conversation centered around Takoma Park since many homes there had been “chopped up” into apartments prior to zoning restrictions.

Liz Brent attended the forum, “I am definitely a proponent of changes in laws that would allow for more of the ‘missing middle’ housing.  Less restrictive ADU laws are a good starting point.” Additionally, she believes, “we’re going to have to make larger changes in the R60 (single family) zoning to put a dent in the problem.  We need to allow single family housing to be converted to multi family or be replaced by multi-family construction in busy urban corridors such as Colesville Road, Georgia Avenue, Wayne Avenue, and Piney Branch Road. These would be small buildings of 4 to 6 apartments or condos.”  

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WANT TO LEARN MORE?

You can watch the policy forum via YouTube.

Read the amendment to the Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance

Access the ADU fact sheet and visit Council Member Riemer’s website.

The PUBLIC HEARING will be held on Tuesday, February 26 at 7:30PM at the Council Office Building 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville in the 3rd floor hearing room. If you are interested in testifying, you can sign-up in advance.

Get Ahead of the Spring Market

The winter season brings little inventory but as you know the DC-area market typically explodes come Spring. If you intend to buy or sell in 2019, now is the perfect time to meet with an agent to ensure you have a strategy in place and don’t miss out.

Go Brent agents are full-time Realtors who have an unrivaled command of the local market. In 2018, we successfully assisted our clients to buy and sell 145 homes.

Put our expertise to work for you – contact Go Brent to schedule your free consultation. We look forward to talking with you!

Go Brent Welcomes Don Bunuan

Go Brent is expanding once again! We are excited to welcome Don Bunuan to the team. Don is a realtor licensed in Maryland and DC.

“A successful full-time realtor, Don works with both buyers and sellers. Don is best known for his honesty, integrity, attentive service, and ability to effectively communicate with clients. A lifetime DC-area resident, Don focuses his business efforts on the Hyattsville area as well as the Route 1 corridor. Prior to starting his real estate career, Don worked as both a high school teacher and managing grants and contracts for the Department of Education. Don’s excellent communication and negotiation abilities, along with his experience writing contracts, serve him well as he helps clients navigate the process of buying or selling a home.”

To learn more about Don, visit his team profile.

As a dynamic real estate team, Go Brent looks for full-time agents who are dedicated to providing our clients with excellent customer service. If you are a real estate agent licensed in Maryland and/or Washington, D.C. and are interested in learning more about our team, please contact us: liz@gobrent.co.

Planning Department Addresses Missing Middle Housing in Montgomery County

What is Missing Middle Housing?

Missing Middle Housing are residential structures such as bungalows, duplexes,  triplexes, etc. — dwellings that have have become quite uncommon for developers over the last 70 years. The Montgomery County Planning Department recently presented their Missing Middle Housing Study to the Planning Board on Sept 20, 2018, a study addressing the absence of MMH structures within Montgomery County and their case to revive them within the county’s current housing needs.

The study also recognizes the challenges that should arise if missing middle housing were to be developed within the county’s current housing state but also presents the positive potential it would have for the county’s increasing population, as well as the opportunities it would have for those residents who seek more affordable housing options.

“I wish we had zoning that would encourage highest and best use for housing; we can’t fix our workforce housing shortage without zoning changes,” says Liz Brent. “Who are we to determine when development stops? Are we really prepared to say to the people who fight our fires, provide our emergency services, work in our restaurants, and teach our children that we don’t care how far they have to travel to get to their jobs?”

From the Montgomery County Planning Department’s Press Release:

“It’s clear from the study that, currently, the smaller developers who could create most of the Missing Middle housing types are finding it difficult to do that here,” says Paul Mortensen, a senior urban designer in the Planning Director’s office, who co-authored the report. “The study indicates ways we can streamline the development process for these housing types because the needs of the county are changing and there is a huge market demand for this type of adaptable housing.”

Read full press release from the Montgomery County Planning Department…

Our Summer Picks: What Our Team is Into This Summer!

With just a few weeks of summer left, we thought we’d share what’s captured our interest and kept us busy, aside from real estate. From books to podcasts, here’s what we’re into this summer…how about you?

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Debbie Gerald

LovesThe Moth Radio Hour Podcast on NPR. “Just people telling stories, you never know what you will get!”

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Liz Brent

Reading Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover; a book club pick for Now Read This from PBS NewsHour and The New York Times. Also enjoying local blog by Casey Anderson at Montgomery Planning.

 
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Cari Jordan

Enjoying The Habitat Podcast, just finished watching The Staircase documentary on Netflix, and starting to read Jenny Mollen’s Live Fast, Die Hot.

  

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Susanna Drayne

Favorite books this summer so far: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, This Could Hurt by Jillian Medoff, and The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. Binged the 30 for 30 Podcast about Bikram Choudray of Bikram yoga.

   

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Beth Stanton

Hooked on Audible — just finished listening to A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and started Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Also reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.

  

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Heather Foley

Listening to Slate’s new podcast Better Life Lab and reading Differently Wired by Deborah Reber. Checking our family-friendly podcasts too: Wow in the World, Brains On! & The Adventures of Eleanor Amplified.

   

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Marty Milam

Loving the podcast My Favorite Murder!

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Any of these on your summer list? Anything you recommend? Let us know what you’re into this summer!

Comparing 2018 & 2017 YTD Listings in Silver Spring and Takoma Park

With the first half of the year in the books, we took a look at the number of single family and town homes listed in close-in Silver Spring and Takoma Park. The numbers below represent homes that were listed in 2018 year-to-date compared with listings for the same period in 2017.

Listings in 20910 and 20912 are both down significantly this year, 18% and 12% respectively; while the number of listings in 20901 and 20902 are about the same this year compared to last.

20910

2018: 169
2017: 205

20912

2018: 94
2017: 107

20901

2018: 311
2017: 303

20902

2018: 312
2017: 297

There is no crystal ball in real estate; the market ebbs and flows based on interest rates, buyer/seller motivation, and other factors. So, while we can’t predict exactly what will happen in the second half of the year, meeting with an agent to discuss the particulars of your situation is best. Go Brent agents are experienced and savvy; we’ve navigated the local market for years and we’ve been top agents inside the Beltway since 2008.

Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation today. We consult with both buyers and sellers. Many times we work with clients months, or even years, in advance of making a decision. Regardless of your timeframe,  we look forward to helping you plan for what’s next!

Under Contract Quickly with Go Brent

On the market and under contract in less than a week!

Year after year, Go Brent agents are real estate service leaders in the DC metro area. We’ve been the top agents inside the Beltway since 2008 and in the past 3 years, we’ve been the top listing agents in all of Silver Spring. In 2017, we were among the top listing agents in Takoma Park. We are proud to have assisted over 1,000 home buyers and home sellers over the years.

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Are you ready to sell your home? Let us help you!