Albert Ranney - Charis Realty Group

05/29/2026

The Hessian Barracks in Frederick Maryland.

England hired troops from Germany to help fight the American Colonies in the Revolutionary War.

As the majority of the German troops came from Hesse, Americans use the term "Hessians" to refer to all German Troops.

05/22/2026

"The Fight at Hood's Mill"

A deadly encounter at Hood's Mill on Christmas Day, 1855.

05/18/2026

Are you prepared for an emergency? Whether a homeowner or renter it is always important to have a plan.

I recently spoke with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and they have a plethora of resources to help you prepare for the unexpected.

They have great resources like "Emergency Preparedness Workbooks" which list out how much water one would need per day, emergency warning notification systems, contact information, how to assemble a To Go Kit, supplies for sheltering in place and various other useful information. https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/office-emergency-management-homeland-security/planning-emergencies

05/15/2026

The American Sentinel newspaper in Westminster, Maryland, reported in 1903, "Mr. E.T, Smith has completed his handsome new three-story brick building which he will use as a harness shop, store, or display room, with two office rooms on the third story and a glass front storeroom on the ground floor. It is a great improvement over the old two-story frame structure."

Over the years, various efforts and proposals have been made to either relocate the building, refurbish the building, or demolish the building completely.

Currently the plan is to substantially rehab this iconic building.

05/13/2026

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has advised in a letter that real estate agents may discuss neighborhood crime rates and school quality with clients as long as there is no intent to discriminate. Previously Real Estate professionals have often avoided these conversations.

Previously working in HUD lending, holding a degree in Criminology, and being a licensed Real Estate Agent, this topic caught my attention.

Would you want your Real Estate Agent to be knowledgeable about neighborhood crime rates and the quality of local schools?

05/11/2026

I'm very excited for this new chapter. Charis has many extremely knowledgeable Real Estate experts. The office is a wonderful historic building located in downtown Frederick.

Please join us in giving a warm welcome to the newest member of the Charis Realty Group family, Albert Ranney

Albert joins our Frederick office, and we are incredibly excited to see the discipline, leadership, and competitive spirit he brings to coaching at MMA&Sport translate into big wins for his real estate clients. We can’t wait to see all the great things he’ll accomplish at Charis!

05/06/2026

The "Glass Factory" in downtown Frederick is a wonderful reuse of an older building. This structure has served many purposes over the years and still continues to serve the community well.

My new brokerage Charis Realty Group has its headquarters in this building. I look forward to working out of this exceptional office.

05/03/2026

Our church put on a wonderful Eastern Blue bird class.

The Eastern Bluebird sings a soft, melancholy song ("tu-a-wee") to attract mates and defend territory.

Unpaired male Bluebirds may sing up to 1,000 songs per hour, but average a more reasonable rate of four to five hundred songs per hour.

Eastern Bluebird populations fell in the early twentieth century as aggressive species were introduced, such as the European Starling and House Sparrows. These birds made available nest holes increasingly difficult for bluebirds to hold on to.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the establishment of bluebird trails and other nest-box campaigns alleviated much of this competition, especially after people began using nest boxes designed to keep out the larger European Starling.

Eastern Bluebird numbers have been recovering since.