Long Foster

Several Baltimore-area homeowners are suing the largest residential real estate team in the state, alleging a "scheme of fraud and misrepresentations" involving home purchases, sales and financing. The suit, a proposed class action, names the Creig Northrop Team, Long & Foster and several mortgage firms — including Long & Foster's Prosperity Mortgage Co. — as defendants. A similar lawsuit brought against the Northrop team by a Howard County couple was settled in March.

Candy Myers has joined the Bel Air office of Long & Foster Real Estate Inc., at 590 Baltimore Pike in Bel Air. Myers, a Realtor since 2001, joins the Long & Foster team from Coldwell Banker. "I transferred to Long & Foster because they sell more real estate than any other broker in the region," Myers said. "The Long & Foster Bel Air office is number one in Harford County and full of experienced agents who are thriving in the real estate industry. I understand that in order for my business to continue to prosper and grow, I need to place my business in an environment where I can continue to learn from the best the industry has to offer.

Long & Foster Real Estate is holding a food drive to collect donations for Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services. Donations of non-perishable food can be left at the Burtonsville office, 3901 National Drive, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Dec. 16. LARS serves the greater Laurel area by assisting homeless and low-income individuals or families. For more information, contact Lenora Dernoga at 301-221-1700.

Instead of visiting country manor homes that are occasionally open to the public, here is an opportunity to own an estate in northern Baltimore County. Nestled on 50 acres of bucolic pastures and agricultural land, Alistatim Farm , in the heart of My Lady's Manor — a national historic district near Monkton — presents dramatic views for every season. Long summer days can be spent by the pool, while autumn mornings call out for a bit of competing in the dressage ring. "A seven-stall barn comes complete with hay storage, fly-spraying system and tack room," noted Ashley Richardson, a Long & Foster agent who listed the property.

For more than two decades, real estate broker Richard J. Roszel has helped Baltimoreans buy and sell houses in some of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods -- Roland Park, Guilford, Homeland.An ardent preservation advocate, Mr. Roszel is one of the few real estate industry representatives to serve on the city's Commission on Historical and Architectural Preservation.He is also an officer of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors, and a member of its executive and finance committees.Starting this month, Mr. Roszel brought his expertise on Baltimore's historic houses and upper-end neighborhoods to Long & Foster Realtors, where he recently was named manager of its Roland Park office.

* Long & Foster Real Estate, the largest real estate company in the mid-Atlantic region, reported record October sales of $728 million on 4,479 transactions -- a 25 percent increase over October 1992.The 31 Long & Foster offices in the Baltimore region had $131 million in sales for October, a 16 percent increase; the 16-office Southern Maryland region, $65 million, up 8 percent; the seven-office Washington area, $37 million, up 58 percent.

Long & Foster to give $1,000 scholarships to 125 students Long & Foster Real Estate has increased its scholarship program to $125,000 for high school seniors entering an accredited four-year college or university. The Long & Foster program will award $1,000 to 125 recipients throughout its sales area - Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia - for the 2003-2004 academic year. The scholarship award will be paid directly to the college or university on the student's behalf.

Low mortgage rates helped push Long & Foster Real Estate Inc., the mid-Atlantic region's largest real estate company, to its best October ever, with residential sales up nearly 17 percent over October 2000. The Fairfax, Va.-based company sold 7,349 homes last month compared with 6,371 properties sold the previous October. The company reported year-to-date sales volume of $16 billion - an 18 percent rise over a sales volume of $13.6 billion for the corresponding 10-month period last year.

Long & Foster Real Estate Inc., the Mid-Atlantic region's largest real estate company, has formed a partnership with MilitaryMoves.com to offer military personnel and their families a range of online discounted services, including real estate, mortgage, utility, telephone and shopping assistance. As part of the agreement, users will be able to access both companies' Web sites through Long & Foster's Smartmove Web site at www.smartmove.com/militarymoves. Long & Foster said it expects to offer a complete package of services to the 1.4 million active-duty military personnel who are frequently transferred around the world.

Real estate veteran Tom Coard has been named manager of the Bel Air Central office of Long & Foster Real Estate Inc. Coard joins Long & Foster with more than a decade of real estate and management experience with his team, The Coard Group. He was previously affiliated with Coldwell Banker's Harford County Regional Office in Bel Air, serving home buyers and sellers throughout Maryland with an emphasis on Baltimore and Harford County. "I am thrilled that Tom is joining the Bel Air Central office as our new manager and look forward to seeing him build a lasting and rewarding affiliation with the Long & Foster family – a brand that has for more than 40 years helped buyers and sellers with all of their real estate needs.

The Aberdeen and Bel Air branches of Long and Foster Real Estate announce their top producers for January. Aberdeen Sales individual: Deborah May; top listing individual: Steven Thayer; agent with the most new listings: Debra Rettberg. The Aberdeen Office of Long & Foster Real Estate Inc. is at the intersection of Routes 40 and 543 (site of the old Bata Shoe Factory) in the Water's Edge Corporate Campus 410-575-6411. Bel Air Central Sales group: Hirschhorn Group; top sales team: The Rash Team; top sales individual: Dan Carson; top listing group: Hirschhorn Group; top listing team: Carlo and Wiler Buendia; top listing individual: Bill Schilling.

Real estate veteran Tom Coard has been named manager of the Bel Air Central office of Long & Foster Real Estate Inc. Coard joins Long & Foster with more than a decade of real estate and management experience with his team, The Coard Group. He was previously affiliated with Coldwell Banker's Harford County Regional Office in Bel Air, serving home buyers and sellers throughout Maryland with an emphasis on Baltimore and Harford County. "I am thrilled that Tom is joining the Bel Air Central office as our new manager and look forward to seeing him build a lasting and rewarding affiliation with the Long & Foster family – a brand that has for more than 40 years helped buyers and sellers with all of their real estate needs.

Robert France, a 20 year real estate veteran from Bel Air, has been named by Keller Williams Realty American Premier Realty as it's Market Center Administrator/CFO. "I have known Robert for over 20 years," said Di Mahaffey, broker and head of American Premier Realty's ownership group, "and feel truly blessed that Robert has brought his talent to us. " France has an extensive background in the administration and financial side of the real estate industry. He started his career in bookkeeping and office management with several contractors and a local college prior to obtaining his Real Estate License in 1993, and affiliating with Coldwell Banker Grempler Realty, where he become an instructor and Branch Administrator.

Realtor Carole Bowen, of the Long & Foster Realtors, Bel Air Central Office, received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Harford County Association of Realtors at its annual meeting and awards luncheon Sept. 26. "The Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed, only once in a lifetime, upon the Realtor member in the local association who exemplifies the model member through real estate service to the community, and the local, state and national associations during the many years of their career.

Karen Gaylord, a sales associate with Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.'s Bel Air sales office at 3004 Emmorton Road, Abingdon, has been named top lister and top producer for 2011. A 10-year real estate professional, Gaylord is president of the Harford County Million Dollar Realtor's Association, a board member of the Harford County Association of Realtors and an active member of the Maryland Board of Realtors. Consistently a high achiever since she entered real estate, Gaylord has frequently been cited as a top real estate producer.

After serving as the manager of the Bel Air office of Long and Foster for 22 years, Mick Curtis announced his retirement March 7. While teaching full-time, he started his career as a part time Realtor with H M Dale Realtors on Emmorton Road in the mi-70s and learned the business from, in his words, "a wonderful person and top notch Realtor of the times, Helen Dale. " When times changed in the '80s and the turn to technology began, Curtis moved to Steffey Realtors on Route 924 directly across the street from his present Long and Foster location.

Long & Foster Real Estate Inc. will handle listings for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development properties in Baltimore after acquiring a local realty firm that had received the HUD contract this year. Long & Foster, the largest real estate firm in the mid-Atlantic region, acquired American Dream Home Realty, which is based in the city's Mount Vernon neighborhood. The company did not disclose the value of the deal. American Dream Home's broker/owner, Nicholas Piscatelli, will become an associate broker and assistant vice president for Long & Foster.

Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.'s Fast Start training course has received collegiate approval for two undergraduate elective transfer credits to people who complete the course work. Fast Start is one of the courses in Long & Foster's career development program. The course, which is for new agents, includes about 60 hours of instruction in real estate law, market development, ethics, sales and contracts, as well as negotiating, finance and marketing. Long & Foster, the fourth-largest real estate firm in the country, said it is the only real estate company to have a new-agent training program that grants students college-transferable credits.

Several Baltimore-area homeowners are suing the largest residential real estate team in the state, alleging a "scheme of fraud and misrepresentations" involving home purchases, sales and financing. The suit, a proposed class action, names the Creig Northrop Team, Long & Foster and several mortgage firms — including Long & Foster's Prosperity Mortgage Co. — as defendants. A similar lawsuit brought against the Northrop team by a Howard County couple was settled in March.