Shore Market Recap
BERLIN – January’s frigid temperatures did not slow local inventory growth, according to the latest numbers from the Coastal Association of REALTORS® (Coastal).
The graphic summarizes key real estate date for the lower shore in January. Submitted Image
New listings that went on the market in January 2019 were up 15 percent compared to the same time last year in all three counties. That translates to 524 new listings. Individually, new available units were up by 22 percent in Worcester, by eight percent in Wicomico, and by 3.2 percent in Somerset.
However, active inventory is still lower than it was a year ago. In all three counties, there was a total of 2,886 active listings, which is 21.7 percent lower than it was in January 2018. Active listings were down by 17.5 percent in Worcester, by 30.3 percent in Wicomico, and by 13.3 percent in Somerset.
New residential settlements in January were down by 29.8 percent overall compared to the same time last year in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. Individually, settlements were down by 25.7 percent in Worcester, by 33.3 percent in Wicomico, and by 38.5 percent in Somerset. Year-to-date settlements across the Tri-County area totaled 4,443, which is four percent lower than the same time last year.
List prices continued to rise last month, reaching an average price of $241,064 in all three counties, which is nine percent higher than the same time last year. The average sale price, however, was $199,294, which is 0.3 percent lower than the same time last year.
“It’s encouraging to see activity pick up compared to the previous month, but our numbers still aren’t measuring up to last year’s market,” said Coastal President Bernie Flax. “Hopefully the increased new inventory will draw out some buyers. These cold winter months are generally the best time to see a structure’s resiliency.”
Coastal’s monthly local housing statistics are pulled from the Bright Multiple Listing Service, which represents the activity of over 1,000 local REALTORS® in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties, as well as 85,000 real estate professionals across the Mid-Atlantic. The Bright MLS service area includes Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
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Care Team Expands
BERLIN — Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) Paige Wildmann has joined the medical staff at the John H. ‘Jack’ Burbage, Jr. Regional Cancer Care Center. She will be providing comprehensive care to patients in conjunction with Doctors Rabindra Paul and Roopa Gupta. She will also help coordinate care plans with patients and provide patient, staff and caregiver education.
Paige Wildmann
“We are incredibly fortunate to have Paige as a member of the care team here at the center,” said Patricia Marks, director of the Burbage Regional Cancer Care Center. “With her arrival, we will be able to increase access to the latest cancer services for our community.”
Wildmann has 16 years as a CRNP and over 11 years of experience in cancer care. She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
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Habitat Board Changes
BERLIN — Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County, Inc. (HFHWC) recently held its annual meeting, inducted new executive board leadership and said farewell to a long-serving board member.
Matthew Manos, who has served as Board of Directors president for the past 18 months, passed the torch of leadership to new president, Vicki Harmon. Mark Vastine, former secretary, transitioned to vice president. Chris Jett continues in the role of treasurer.
Harmon has been on the HFHWC Board of Directors for several years and assumes the role of president during a critical period of growth for the organization. Having just opened Worcester County’s first Habitat for Humanity ReStore, the affiliate is poised to start a new build in Bishopville with several more on the horizon. Harmon believes that the foundations for health and wellness begin in the home and is excited to contribute her knowledge to promote the health and wellbeing of the Worcester County community.
“Homeownership is a big part of the American Dream,” Harmon says. “As a REALTOR®, I help people achieve that dream every day. As president of Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County, helping deserving families reach their dream of home ownership will be the greatest success of my career.”
After eight years of service on the Board of Directors for HFHWC., Lauren Bunting reached the end of her tenure. Bunting will be remembered as an integral part of habitat’s success, helping transition the affiliate from an all-volunteer group to a staffed organization. She is a past fundraising committee chair, Board of Directors secretary, vice president and president who championed the opening of HFHWC’s ReStore and was involved in the planning of successful events.
“Over the past eight-plus years, serving on the Habitat Board of Directors has been challenging, inspiring, humanizing, and enlightening, but it’s meant so much more to me than I can put into words,” Bunting said. “The growth of this Habitat chapter over the past eight years under the direction of our talented executive director, Andrea Bowland, is something I will always be honored to have been a part of. The future development and growth of our Worcester County Habitat chapter is in very competent hands with the current board and I look forward to seeing how they move the chapter forward.”
While she’s transitioning off the Board, Bunting will continue to be involved with HFHWC, serving as ReStore Committee chair. Her dedication and work ethic will be missed, but she has left a lasting impression on the organization.
“Lauren truly embodies the volunteer spirit,” said Bowland. “She’s worked tirelessly on behalf of our affiliate with more hours that are quantifiable. Her legacy on the board lives on through her many accomplishments. We all pledge to move forward with her dedication as an example. She will be missed on the Board of Directors, but we are very pleased to have her continue on supporting the organization in the role of ReStore Committee chair.”
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New Board Member
SALISBURY – The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore recently announced that Daniel O’Connell of PKS & Company, P.A. will join the foundation’s Board of Directors. O’Connell brings over two decades of experience in the accounting and wealth management sector, combined with an expansive history of community involvement.
Daniel O’Connell
“Dan’s knowledge as a CPA and a financial advisor will aid the foundation as we continue to steward and invest gifts to the community,” says Erica Joseph, CFES President. “His strong passion for philanthropy and his commitment to the local community make him an exciting addition to our board of directors.”
“The Community Foundation is important to the community because it provides a vehicle for local donors to strategically give back to the community,” said O’Connell. “I am excited to help share the CFES story throughout the community.”
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Trauma Services Donation
SALISBURY — The Trauma Services program at Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) has received $3,000 in grants to provide “Stop the Bleed” education classes and kits for every public and private school in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties.
Clinical members of the PRMC Emergency/Trauma team will teach all classes. Sixty-three schools will be included in the first phase, which began Jan. 7 with a training session at Pocomoke Elementary School in Worcester County. At least 10 faculty, students and administration members at each school will be invited to participate in the program. Its goal is to provide the education and training that will save lives, as uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death from traumatic injuries like automobile accidents, gunshot or stabbing wounds.
“Stop the Bleed classes prepare participants on how to render immediate, lifesaving aid to the injured while awaiting arrival of emergency personnel,” said PRMC’s Kari Cheezum, Trauma Services Program manager. “The course teaches direct pressure, wound packing and tourniquet application to control life threatening hemorrhage.”
Each kit contains a combat application tourniquet, two pairs of gloves, gauze, trauma dressing, a permanent marker, trauma shears, a survival blanket and instructions on how to control bleeding. “The ultimate goal,” said Cheezum, “is to make sure that every child in school will be safe.”
The initial Stop the Bleed funds were made possible through the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma and Maryland TraumaNet.