EPIK Home Group of Keller Williams Integrity

President and CEO
Keller Williams Integrity
443-418-7668
Licensed In: MD
License #: 535650

When we drove past our house for the first time, before deciding to tour it, we fell in love with the curb appeal. It was the cutest home we’d seen in our price range, with a nod to Cape Cod style architecture although it’s one level living, and we loved the fact that it was tucked between two trees in the front yard. When we eventually got to go inside, the late evening light warmed the house and I just had a feeling this house would be a cozy oasis as we grew our family.        It has truly been a privilege to live in this home. We love the soft morning and late afternoon sunlight that streams through the windows. The five trees on the property bring peaceful bird calls at various points throughout the day – we especially love seeing the cardinals that frequent our yard. When you have the windows open you truly feel like you are one with the outdoors (in a good way) as the breeze blows throughout the house. The backyard is an amazing retreat. We love entertaining on our deck, laying in the hammock or sitting around the fire pit. We enjoy fireflies and tent camping in the yard in the summer. It’s one of the biggest backyards in the neighborhood and the kids love running all around it with their friends. We have loved having radiator heat, as the house warms up quickly in the winter time and stays toasty easily. The solid wood doors on the bedrooms provide quiet and privacy, when needed. We spend most of our time in the living room – it’s a calm center for our family where we drink coffee in the morning, play games, watch movies, and read with the kids. We typically keep the front door open most of the day to allow us to enjoy the outdoor light through the storm door. We love having the chalkboard to write out to-do lists for the week and as a space for the kids to be creative. Having quick access to the kitchen from the dining area allows for easier meal times. We love having a back door off the kitchen to enter into our backyard. We love going out to the garden in the morning through this door and picking our harvest for the day in the summer. Wonderful sunsets in the backyard through the trees. Finally, the basement provides an amazing recreational space that can be turned into virtually anything – a home gym, an office, a second TV/playroom area, etc.  

We can’t stress enough how amazing our neighborhood is. In Oakcrest, and particularly on Beaumont Ave, people are always stopping to say hello and chat. We help each other out when needed – sharing yard tools, bringing by meals, etc. It’s a great mix of young families and older adults. The Christmas Jeep parade has come down our street the past two years and we always get together with our friends on the street to walk down to the Catonsville July 4th Parade. Halloween is also a lot of fun in our neighborhood and there is an annual Easter egg hunt and spring yard sale/dumpster days that we take advantage of. The neighborhood has its own community Association that meets regularly and plans the events/organizes charity donations/helps with neighborhood clean up (like mulching paths or planting trees). Also an active neighborhood Facebook page! We rotate having weekend happy hours in our friends’ backyards and love doing morning or night walks with our kids throughout the entire neighborhood (there’s even a paved path back in the woods behind the neighborhood that’s fun to explore). We are in walking distance to the heart of Catonsville and always take advantage of walking whenever we can!       

Some of the things we love about living in Catonsville are the annual 4th of July celebration, the weekly farmer’s market from May-November, the friendly people, the proximity to Patapsco State Park, having TWO snowball stands (Opie’s and Tastee Zone), Rollingbrook Yoga, having our own library, and the fact that all of the business owners are very friendly and welcoming.                Some of our favorite restaurants in the area are Atwater’s, Cafe di Roma, Farmhouse Greens Burger & Sausage Co., Hunan Joy, Pho Pasteur and of course Opie’s Snowball Stand (which we walk or ride bikes down to on summer nights).                We use several grocery stores. We alternate between Safeway on Montgomery Rd., Sprouts on 40, and sometimes Giant on Rolling Rd. Wegman’s, Costco, and Trador Joe’s are all also only about a 20 min drive away which we have frequented often.        We moved to Catonsville for several reasons. We work at UMBC so it was a very easy commute to work. We also loved that it had a small town feel but was such an easy drive to Baltimore, Elliott City or Columbia. We loved that our house was walkable to Frederick Rd. And loved that people always seem to be out and about. Living right next to Patapsco was also a huge plus for us since we are an outdoorsy family.             In Catonsville, it’s really easy to walk/bike around. We love walking the neighborhood streets and some of the renovated trolly trails (like the one that goes from Frederick Ave down to Edmonson Ave). Also minutes away from the Trolley Trail In Westchester. Mentioned it briefly elsewhere but seriously the Farmer’s Market and living so close to Patapsco (with several hiking trail access points/Tire Park) are HUGE bonuses for us.

Electric and Gas are through BGE and Water is through the city. We pay about $28-35 every few months for water and $130/month for electric and gas.