A Note from Gary Ditto:
No one was more surprised than I when real estate sales turned out to be my major “work” in life. If you quickly peruse my Credentials you will quickly notice that I experimented with several different “walks of life”. In fact those years of experimentation were immensely helpful in broadening my experience in life and, thus, making me a better Realtor.
Since 1977 I have been active in the local real estate market. During that time I have sold in excess of one billion dollars in property and have represented thousands of people in their quest to buy or sell property. Each of these property sales involved extensive negotiations on the sale side and each had a home inspection that required negotiation. I am confident that I bring a lot of expertise and experience to each negotiation. And I have never forgotten that each sale or purchase, no matter the monetary value, is of utmost importance to the people involved. And, for me, I am honored to be asked to represent a seller or buyer.
Early in my career I took three semesters of courses from the American Association of Real Estate Appraisers, which really deals with appraisal theory. I believe that these courses combined with my extensive experience in property evaluation has given me a high level of competence in property evaluation. I bring that expertise to each transaction for the benefit of my seller or buyer.
During my tenure as a Realtor I have served two terms as a member of the Board of Directors of our association, I have been an expert witness in court hearings numerous times, I have been a featured speaker at many Realtor functions and on one radio show and I have been a consultant to several professional associations. I am particularly proud of my 1998 award as Realtor of the year because this very competitive award is based solely on my volunteer work to our professional association and my volunteer work in the larger community.
I am a native Washingtonian and my son Jeff is a third generation real estate agent. For the past thirty years I have lived with my wife, Diana, in Kensington where we raised our three sons and participated in innumerable community events. I am an avid reader and am the founding member of The Baker’s Dozen Book Club. I also enjoy jogging, hiking, travel, movies, music of many genres and boating. I also immensely enjoy the Smithsonian museums and the local historical sites.
View Testimonials on Zillow.
Gary H. Ditto
301-215-6834
gary@thedittogroup.com
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS – REAL ESTATE
-
Real Estate Sales Agent, 1977-Present.
-
Distinguished Sales Associate – Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors (1998).
-
Masters Club – Long & Foster’s Top Achievement Group (1998-2014)
-
Top Twenty – Montgomery Association of Realtors (several years). Career sales volume in excess of $1 Billion
-
National Ranked Top 1% of all Real Estate Agents.
-
Gary Ditto’s Newsletter – Archived by the Kensington Historical Society; Awarded numerous commendations for its contribution to the community (1984-Present).
-
Licensed in the District of Columbia and Maryland.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS – OTHER
-
Montgomery Home Service, Owned and operated a lawn service company.
-
Montgomery County Public School Teacher, 1972. Taught Social Studies at Farquhar Middle School.
-
World Traveler, 1969 – 1970. Backpacked in Europe, Great Britan, Middle East (Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistani) India, Nepal, East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda), Sudan, Greek Isles and Central America.
-
The New York Times, 1968-1969. Employed as member of the Book and Education Department.
-
United States Navy, 1962-1964 (Active Duty). Served on the USS Wasp, USS Intrepid and the USS Forrestal. Participated in the Quarantine of Cuba during Cuban Missile Crisis.
EDUCATION
-
American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers, 1979. American University
-
Masters of Social Work, 1977. University of Maryland
-
Teachers Certification (K-8th Grade), 1972. University of Maryland
-
Bachelor of Arts – History & Economics, 1968. University of Maryland
-
Associate in Arts degree, Montgomery Jr. College
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
-
Greater Capital Association of Realtors – Member of Board of Directors.
-
Maryland Association of Realtors – Vice President
-
A.K. Rice Institute – Former Member and Consultant.
-
Kensington Historical Society – Member of Board of Directors.
-
Kensington Land Trust – Former Member of Board of Directors.
-
MSI Soccer Coach
-
Course Marshall for the Kensington 8K Road Race
-
Shalem Institute – Vice President, Executive Committee Member and Member of the Board of Directors
-
Community Psychiatric Clinic – Vice President, Member of the Executive Committee and Board Member
Diana T. Ditto
301-215-6904
diana@thedittogroup.com
Diana Ditto has been a licensed real estate agent in Maryland for over 20 years and married to Gary Ditto for over 25! While running the home front during this time she has also helped Gary plan business and marketing strategies to best serve buyers and sellers. Her background in sales and marketing has helped to propel Gary’s market share in the region. With a keen eye for design and detail Diana has helped many sellers to “stage” and prepare their homes for sale. She is frequently asked by clients to review architectural designs and renovation plans for their homes and she loves helping people comprehend how they want to live in their home. Diana enjoys learning and attending continuing education classes, as well as participating in more distinctive and specialized training for real estate professionals. Diana wrote an article entitled “Refinancing a Mortgage: A Step by Step Guide, “ which was published in American Home Authority magazine. A former sales manager for Health Tex, Diana was in charge of staffing and administration of stores in the New England region prior to moving to Maryland. Now that the children are almost out of the house, she is actively working with buyers and sellers.
Diana has been a leader in community volunteerism. She has been very active in the PTA’s of several Montgomery County Public Schools and is a past-president of the North Chevy Chase Elementary School PTA. For three years, she ran an after-school mentoring and homework club which paired high school students with elementary school students in a very rewarding and enriching program. She was also the president of The Noyes Children’s Library Foundation for many years. This foundation was a non-profit in a public-private partnership with Montgomery County in the 1990’s to augment funding to keep the historic library open during a difficult recession. Diana testified and presented to the Montgomery County Council in support of the library on several occasions. She was instrumental in helping to get the county to restore full-funding for the library at the end of the recession. She has received awards from the Montgomery County Public Schools for her years of service, and a commendation from former County Executive Doug Duncan for her dedication to the library.
Diana enjoys the greater DC area for all that it has to offer – the beauty of the city and the surrounding areas as well as the easy access to enjoy either the beach or the mountains. Diana grew up in Vermont so being close to the mountains for outdoor activities and hiking is very important to her. She also enjoys gardening, knitting and any type of needlework, and reading (she is a member of 2 book clubs)! She and Gary love all types of music and frequent Strathmore Hall Arts Center and the Kennedy Center. She and Gary live in Kensington, MD and have 3 sons, Jeff, Tim and Ben.
Jeff Ditto
301-641-1834
jeff@thedittogroup.com
Jeff has been selling real estate since 2008 and continues to help grow the family business.
A graduate from West Virginia University, Jeff's other interests are the outdoors. He loves to hike, go 4 wheel driving and mountain biking and plays on a recreational soccer team in DC.