Over the past year, I’ve been working with a customer and showing homes all over Charles County in Southern Maryland.  Some may be familiar with Bryans Road as you proceed south on Indian Head Highway (Route 210) past Fort Washington and Accokeek.  After showing over 50 homes, my customer finally decided on a property located in Bryan’s Road, MD.  The home met all her requirements, i.e., close to Indian Head highway (Route 210) for her commute into Washington D.C. to work, a rural feel with lots of yard space so her dad could park his RV, quiet and peaceful, spacious rooms, and a master bedroom with a full bathroom.  Lastly, a sales price of no more than $380K which she was pre-qualified before we started her home-shopping journey.  She is a military veteran with a VA loan guarantee in hand.

We looked at properties only in Charles County.  She wasn’t interested in Prince Georges (PG) county.  So, we spent many evenings Mon-Fri after she got off from work and many weekends viewing homes in Waldorf, White Plains and LaPlata, MD.  She was accompanied by her 5-year-old and 11 year old daughters on occasion.  Those two girls were so excited at every showing! They walked in and immediately selected their bedrooms and asked “Mommy, when are we moving in?”.  That was quite hilarious.

Initially, we sought after townhomes.  Upon seeing the rising prices of townhomes, I suggested she start looking at single-family (detached) homes to get more “bang-for-your-buck” as the saying goes.  She was able to go back to her lender and request an increase in the amount she initially was pre-qualified for.  She had a little wiggle room, so the loan officer bumped up the amount she could afford.  That new amount opened new possibilities.

We decided to begin looking west of Route 301 from Waldorf, White Plains and La Plata, MD to areas such as Port Tobacco, Welcome, MD, Pomfret, Marbury, Nanjemoy, Indian Head, and finally deciding on Bryans Road, MD. Driving on those single-lane country roads made us feel like we were out of town - North Carolina or South Carolina where we both have family members.  That rural feel was becoming attractive.

Well, as it turns out the property she selected had been on the market only seven days with no offers.  That was a sign of the changing real estate market conditions.  The property was also completely renovated.  A new roof, windows, appliances, furnace, water heater, flooring, and freshly painted with trendy white and greys throughout.  It turns out the house is only four miles from the Potomac River and Marshall Hall.  Many of us baby-boomers from the area would go there in the 1970’s when it was an amusement park.  It brought back my own childhood memories. 

Anyway, getting back to the comparison I wanted to make between Bryan’s Road and Upper Marlboro, MD.  Bryans Road is a bit more affordable to live in.  There are some older homes with sizeable acreage.  Most residents living there must go to nearby Fort Washington to the north or Waldorf, MD to the west to shop for food, clothing, etc., but it’s only a 10–15-minute drive.  Bryans Road is lacking a bit in shopping choices.  There is a Food Lion, McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC at the main intersection of Indian Head Highway and Route 227 which is Livingston Rd. on one side and Marshall Hall on the other side.   If you are a frugal thrift store shopper like myself, you’ll find the Go Green Thrift Store next to the Dollar General in the town’s only strip mall.

According to the Bryans Road Sub-Area Plan, a recommendation has been made to develop a Bryans Road Town Center with many amenities.  Additionally, four new residential home construction developments have been suggested.  If built, it will boost home prices in that area soon.  So now is the time to buy a home in Bryans Road, MD!

Here’s a video of my Bryan’s Road Home Tour video on YouTube.

If you are interested in buying or selling your home contact me 240-535-1855 or email [email protected].