Montgomery County Debates Zoning Changes for Single-Family Homes
Did you know? Montgomery County is increasing recordation taxes by 200% and changing the zoning laws for single-family homes.
The Montgomery County Council voted to increase the county’s recordation tax rates, which will ultimately make housing less affordable.
Council President Evan Glass and Council members Natali Fani-González, Will Jawando, Sidney Katz, Kristin Mink, Laurie-Anne Sales, and Kate Stewart all supported this increase, which will amount to up to 30% more in recordation tax being paid by a homebuyer at the settlement table.
The recordation tax issue was raised primarily to shore up a gap in funding for school construction.
Montgomery County Debates Zoning Changes for Single-Family Homes
Montgomery County is considering a proposal to allow duplexes, triplexes, and smaller apartment buildings in single-family home neighborhoods.
The Planning Board recently approved the Attainable Housing Strategies project, which now awaits County Council review and potential approval. This initiative aims to address the county’s housing shortage and provide more options for middle-income residents, but it has also sparked significant opposition among residents.
Why the Change?
Planning Director Jason Sartori explained that the county’s current housing supply does not meet the diverse needs of its residents, leading to skyrocketing housing prices. The average sales price of a single-family detached home in the county has exceeded $1 million, making homeownership increasingly unattainable for many middle-income families.
Supporters of the initiative, including Planning Board Chair Artie Harris, argue that the proposed zoning changes would not mandate property owners to convert their homes into multi-family units but would provide them the option to do so. The project also aims to reintroduce “missing middle” housing, smaller, multi-unit buildings for various demographics.
Resident Concerns
While some see benefits, others worry the increased density could lead to overcrowded schools, traffic congestion, and insufficient infrastructure. There are also fears that the character and aesthetic of single-family home areas would be compromised, potentially reducing property values and quality of life.
Environmental concerns have also been raised, with opponents questioning whether the county’s current infrastructure, including roads and sewage systems, can support the increased population density. Parking issues and the adequacy of public transportation are additional points of contention.
Skeptics of the initiative also doubt whether the proposed housing will be truly affordable for middle-income families. They argue that market forces might still price out the intended demographic, resulting in minimal improvement in housing affordability while altering neighborhood dynamics.
Moving Forward
The next steps for the Attainable Housing Strategies project include briefings with the County Council’s Planning, Housing, and Parks Committee and potential public forums for community input. If approved, the county could see the construction of duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and small apartments in single-family zones as early as 2025.
Real Estate is Personal, and It Always Will Be
The debate highlights the complex challenge of balancing housing needs with community concerns. As your local realtor, I’m here to help you navigate these changes and achieve your real estate goals.
In life and business, a great partnership can make all the difference. I’m ready to put my in-depth local knowledge and years of experience in the North Bethesda market to work for you. Call me at 301.346.5252. Let’s chat!
Team Nurit and Alex is Ranked on RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand and RealTrends Verified Lists
It’s that time of year! The annual RealTrends rankings are out, and The Agency’s agents across the country were—once again—named among the industry’s most dynamic and high-achieving real estate professionals.
We’re proud to share that 8 agents and 5 agent teams have been named among the country’s highest producers by RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand 2024.
“Our agents are truly exceptional, and this prestigious honor further proves it,” said Rainy Hake Austin, President of The Agency. “Their achievements inspire us to aim higher, get creative, and stay resilient in an ever-changing market. Congratulations to our agents for this hard-earned recognition. Well done!”
Now in its 19th year, RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand 2024 is widely considered the most prestigious real estate ranking, recognizing the top 0.07 percent of more than 1.4 million real estate professionals in the nation. To qualify, an individual agent must have closed either 40 transaction sides or $16 million in sales volume, and teams must have closed either 60 transaction sides or $24 million in volume in 2023.
2024 RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand
Below are The Agency’s agents who ranked as the nation’s top producers in RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand 2024:
Top Large Teams by Sides
#47 The Nurit Coombe & Alex Martinez Team
Top Large Teams by Volume
#5 The Chernov Team
#6 The Grauman Rosenfeld Group
#32 The Nurit Coombe & Alex Martinez Team
Top Individuals by Volume
#20 Santiago Arana
#83 Sandro Dazzan
#134 Tracy McLaughlin
#154 Chris Resop
#191 Rita Whitney
#230 Craig Knizek
#235 Josh Myler
#244 Zach Goldsmith
Top Small Teams by Volume
#22 The Umansky Team
#39 George Ouzounian & Gina Michelle Team
RealTrends 500 + Top Movers Category
Continuing its trajectory as one of the world’s leading boutique brokerages, The Agency recently ranked 16th on the 2024 RealTrends500 list and was the seventh-largest privately held independent brokerage in the nation by sales volume.
We ranked second in RealTrends’ 2024 Top Movers category for transaction sides and volume, boasting the most substantial growth percentage among all brokerages. Furthermore, The Agency earned a coveted spot in RealTrends’ Billionaire’s Club, an exclusive honor reserved for elite brokerage firms that exceeded $1 billion in real estate closures.
2024 RealTrends Verified
We are also proud to share that 113 of our agents and teams have been honored as RealTrends Verified real estate professionals. Now in its 12th year, this list acknowledges America’s finest real estate agents and teams. 27,500 U.S. real estate sales associates from every state are featured in RealTrends Verified. They rank in the top 1.5% of more than 1.6 million licensed Realtors® nationwide. See below for a full list of The Agency’s own who made the list:
Maryland
Large Team by Volume
#1 The Nurit Coombe & Alex Martinez Team | $218,615,034
Large Team by Sides
#1 The Nurit Coombe & Alex Martinez Team | 355 Sides
Arizona
Individuals by Volume
#49 Debbie Sinani | $31,320,000
#55 Adrian Heyman | $30,432,356
Small Teams by Volume
#63 Cavanaugh Luxury Group | $30,437,466
#66 Wendy Walker Fine Properties | $29,694,149
California
Individuals by Volume
#6 Santiago Arana | $312,699,440
#29 Sandro Dazzan | $153,797,000
#44 Tracy McLaughlin | $122,723,500
#64 Rita Whitney | $102,732,158
#77 Craig Knizek | $93,430,319
#79 Josh Myler | $92,780,223
#84 Zach Goldsmith | $91,961,207
#94 Blair Chang | $87,308,555
#114 Eric Haskell | $77,851,344
#123 Emil Hartoonian | $74,566,600
#124 Irene Dazzan-Palmer | $74,526,083
#136 Ingrid Sacerio | $71,900,000
#158 Michelle Schwartz | $67,134,495
#164 Linda Wang | $64,288,000
#181 Ryan Gowdy | $61,609,000
#215 Jill Fusari | $56,142,487
#237 Sarah Knauer | $54,274,782
#257 Taylor Morphy | $52,494,000
#388 Peter Mac | $43,249,800
#393 Shilpa Merchant | $43,013,000
#394 Stefan Pommepuy | $42,953,000
#413 Mary Bonham | $42,044,000
#501 Terri Munselle | $38,506,600
#516 Andrea Scott | $37,725,080
#596 Hope Broderick | $35,395,050
#609 Jonathan Ruiz | $34,980,000
#638 Karen Lowe | $34,102,600
#662 Andrea Korchek | $33,466,415
#792 Ashwin Veeravalli | $30,480,000
#797 Penelope Stipanovich | $30,390,000
#873 Guy Azar | $28,775,700
#884 Monique Navarro | $28,414,777
#910 Nikki Joel | $27,969,000
#947 Lindsay Guttman | $27,425,000
#951 Nino Gaetano | $27,355,000
#1006 Jean Baptiste Rugiero | $26,460,635
#1039 Mark Kennedy | $26,035,000
#1096 Artin Hovsepian | $25,333,000
#1117 Viktor Aberg | $25,016,932
#1123 Eric McFarland | $24,968,000
#1200 Daniel Stevenson | $24,114,858
#1214 Griffin Sweet | $23,975,000
#1247 Christine S Kim | $23,650,000
#1294 James Hirsch | $23,262,500
#1546 Tessa Johnson | $21,130,000
#1580 Nicole Tekiela | $20,958,295
#1705 Azy Farahmand | $20,121,692
#1729 René Wiebensohn | $19,945,000
#1778 Victoria Ferrando | $19,597,029
#1799 Bradley Gothberg | $19,494,000
#1875 Daniel Lam | $19,090,000
#1974 Andy Hairabedian | $18,550,000
#2018 Jim Wright | $18,395,000
#2197 Charles Borromeo | $17,369,533
#2200 Mary Ellen Mancino | $17,352,000
#2239 Terek Kelly | $17,195,500
#2275 Scott Gorelick | $17,037,500
#2303 Suzanne O’Brien | $16,943,199
#2374 Nisha Sharma | $16,651,500
#2394 Carla Buigues | $16,556,000
#2399 Chris Reisbeck | $16,534,851
#2422 Gus Ruelas | $16,370,000
#2452 Brian Selem | $16,238,000
#2489 Andre Warren| $16,051,500
#2500 Arvin Haddad | $16,019,700
Top Small Teams by Volume
#8 The Umansky Team | $226,889,952
#12 George Ouzounian & Gina Michelle Team | $184,697,039
#104 Ben Belack Group | $78,677,597
#108 Sarah Rogers Group | $76,049,657
#143 The Bogard-Tanigami Team | $65,066,000
#189 The Sandler Hirsch Group | $56,919,307
#293 The Alice & Malyn Team | $45,476,448
#504 Jim & Jimmy Nappo | $34,069,000
#778 Arrington + Nelly Group | $26,181,000
#860 Mario Andrighetto Group | $24,501,500
#875 The Law Group | $24,105,811
Top Medium Team by Volume
#259 Pompeyo Group | $38,534,980
Top Large Teams by Volume
#3 The Chernov Team | $400,148,979
#4 The Grauman Rosenfeld Group | $350,338,703
Top Individuals by Sides
#196 Eric Haskell | 42 Sides
#211 Sandro Dazzan | 41 Sides
Alex Quaid | 15 Sides
Michael Grady | 10 Sides
Small Teams by Sides
#5 George Ouzounian & Gina Michelle Team | 102 Sides
Large Teams by Sides
#8 The Chernov Team | 179 Sides
#19 The Grauman Rosenfeld Group | 135 Sides
Colorado
Individuals by Volume
#18 Marybeth Emerson | $50,273,000
#52 Stewart Seeligson | $62,385,375
#68 Elise LoSasso | $44,442,790
#97 Jay Hebb | $37,900,000
#254 Natalie Hengel | $23,257,901
#333 Tina Christensen | $19,837,500
#335 Ashleigh Fredrickson | $25,672,000
#383 Persy Sample | $18,316,850
#397 Shelby Sampson | $18,037,187
Small Team By Volume
#31 The Blank and Bingham Team | $51,124,354
Individuals By Sides
#39 Elise LoSasso | 49 Sides
Florida
Individuals by Volume
#29 Chris Resop | $112,875,000
#136 Daniel Tzinker | $46,310,000
Small Team by Volume
#264 SK Luxury Group | $32,445,500
Idaho
Individuals by Volume
#19 Lane Ranstrom | $28,586,855
#29 Mike Moir | $24,021,004
#53 Kerri O’Hara | $18,216,561
Small Team by Volume
#11 The Beacon Group | $41,553,852
Michigan
Individuals by Volume
#10 Cindy Kahn | $43,257,300
#40 Sara Lipnitz | $23,406,777
#47 Adam Waechter | $22,431,994
Medium Team by Volume
#8 Meredith Colburn Real Estate Team | $73,305,220
Individuals by Sides
#208 Sara Lipnitz | 42 Sides
Nevada
Individuals by Volume
#3 Zar Zanganeh | $68,689,989
#42 Juan Rubio | $20,607,899
#51 Agustus Maghee | $18,163,184
New York
Individuals by Volume
#40 Dana Trotter | $87,171,560
#66 Daniel Blatman | $58,504,800
#83 Mike Fabbri | $51,845,884
#250 John Antretter | $30,274,911
#259 Andrew Cooper | $29,135,034
#394 Kieran Rodgers | $22,338,900
#490 Maurice Singer | $19,437,000
#556 Shane Boyle | $18,236,500
Small Team by Volume
#210 The Mike Biryla Team | $32,333,500
Medium Team by Volume
#36 Whitman Team | $102,966,250
Medium Team by Sides
#64 Whitman Team | 60 Sides
Individuals by Sides
#126 Dana Trotter | 47 Sides
Texas
Individuals by Volume
#56 Damon Williamson | $43,399,321
#259 MJ McFarland | $22,759,500
#541 Shannon Ayres | $16,396,651
#564 Krystal Pedraza | $16,029,370
Individuals by Sides
#230 Damon Williamson | 44 Sides
Virginia
Individuals by Volume
#240 Matthew Monaco | $17,708,293
Small Team by Volume
#17 The Bethany White Group | $52,413,042
#59 The Thompson Team | $31,217,458
Small Team by Sides
#24 The Thompson Team | 75.5 Sides
#3 The Bethany White Group | 128 Sides
Washington
Individuals by Volume
#28 Mark Middleton | $38,937,800
#39 Sandra Hines | $36,488,616
#327 Jen Cameron | $17,641,376
The Agency Magazine’s Summer Issue Has Arrived
We’re thrilled to announce that The Agency Magazine‘s latest edition has arrived! Our Summer Issue is filled with handpicked features that will ignite your love for a new season and inspire you for many months to come. Within these pages, you’ll find an exciting lineup of features on travel, design, art, fashion and cuisine.
From hidden surfing hotspots, under-the-radar Italian locales and amazing villa rentals to epic private jet itineraries, yacht excursions, a good-to-go guide to the Hamptons, jet-set-ready fashion picks, bespoke parfums and so much more.
READ THE MAGAZINE >
Plus, no summer is complete without the perfect refreshment. Shake things up with a visit to some of the nation’s most inventive mocktail bars, learn about a Steven Soderbergh-backed Bolivian spirit and get an up-close look at a gorgeous Argentinian winery.
And, of course, this issue will bring home the best of summer living with a selection of exceptional properties from The Agency‘s global portfolio.
“Summer’s all about embracing new experiences, igniting your imagination and drawing inspiration from every moment,” says Mauricio Umansky, Founder and CEO of The Agency. “Our latest issue captures the essence of this invigorating season, offering insights into amazing designs, individuals and awe-inspiring destinations. So, let’s dive in and let the magic unfold!”
Your essential summer companion awaits. With the turn of each page, The Agency Magazine’s Summer Issue invites you to dream bigger.
READ THE MAGAZINE >
Print editions of The Agency Magazine will be available in The Agency offices, select hotels and boutique settings across the globe and sent directly to our curated network of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Team Nurit & Alex
Phone:+1(240) 744-7548