Where to live in Baltimore? (real estate, rent, condos)

[Augie]

My daughter will be starting her medical residency at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in July 2008. We have visited Baltimore 3x as we begin looking for a place to buy. We can spend about $350 K and want what everybody else wants (i.e. safety, short commute to the hospital, good shopping, access to nightlife etc., etc.) We would be most grateful to anyone who would share with us their opinions regarding where to look. We're a bit overwhelmed right now, but we have a year to find something. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to help us. My email is pgi2141@comcast.net.

Regards,

Augie

[FrankH]

Hello Augie, areas I highly recommend are; Charles Village, which would be my number one recommendation, because of the close distance from JKU, large homes and resale value. You could also, easily rent a room or two to other students to supplement the mortgage payment.

My other selections would be Patterson Park, Highland town, and Canton (not necessarily in that order), which are short commutes. You will get more home for your money in Charles Village and the resale value is very strong in that area.

The other areas I mention have good resale value as well but time on the market is much longer. There are other areas as well, but this would be a good start.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.



FrankH

[Lumerian Feast]

The other thing about Charles Village is that that's where the main Homewood campus of JHU is located. You said she'll be at the hospital; JH runs a free shuttle for students/residents between Homewood and the hospital several times a day. Talk about an easy commute -- it's like having your own free van service! If in Charles Village, stay west of Guilford (Guilford, St. Paul, Calvert and Charles are the best North/South streets) and north of 27th. It's a very college-y neighborhood with many long time residents, students, restaurants, some bars, bookstores, and convenient to many nightlife areas such as Mt. Vernon.. Also look in Wyman Park or the western edge of Hampden -- nice hip neighborhood, close walk to the Homewood campus and shuttle. Remington is nearby and up-and-coming, but still has some sketchy areas. Tuscany/Canterbury is just north of Charles Village, and is very pretty and safe, but is predominantly condos. Do NOT live near the hospital, which is in East Baltimore -- they're building a lot of housing and stuff for professionals right now, but it won't be a decent or safe area for a number of years.

For $350K, she can find a nice condo or rowhouse in a nice area of these neighborhoods (zip codes 21218 for Charles Village, 21211 for Wyman Park & Hampden -- in case you look on realtor.com). Mt. Vernon is also a nice option, beautiful neighborhood but closer to downtown and therefore more expensive. Easy commute, though -- just drive out Monument St. and you're at JHH in 10 minutes or less.

[Augie]

Does anyone know if there is a website where Hopkin's medical staff discuss issues regarding housing and real estate. I would really like to know more about the van service you mentioned. Thanks for your time and being such a help. It would be serendipity to have contact with an M.D., or anyone else with ties to JHH, for that matter, that is leaving this year and planning to sell. My email is pgi2141@comcast.net

[ballclaper22]

well as long as your not moving to baltimore city i guess you'll be alright. also areas around the city such as overlea, parkville, parts of loch raven and towson are sometimes bad areas so i guess the best way to put it is DONT MOVE NEAR BALTIMORE

[vacationsover]

Augie - this is off topic, but you don't see the name 'Augie' often. I was just wondering if you might be someone I know - If you don't mind me asking, are you involved in boats in any way?

[Lumerian Feast]

Originally Posted by Augie

Does anyone know if there is a website where Hopkin's medical staff discuss issues regarding housing and real estate. I would really like to know more about the van service you mentioned. Thanks for your time and being such a help. It would be serendipity to have contact with an M.D., or anyone else with ties to JHH, for that matter, that is leaving this year and planning to sell. My email is pgi2141@comcast.net

Canton's very nice but very expensive. Solidly gentrified, lots of restaurants, bars, shops, amenities, on/near the waterfront. It would be a convenient commute, if you can afford it! Beware of houses that claim to be Canton but are actually Patterson Park (South Patterson Park is okay but not as gentrified as Canton, but is getting better; North Patterson Park is very sketchy and quickly becomes the hood). Also, disregard the person who says don't move near the city -- if your daughter is in the right neighborhoods she'll be fine. There are a lot of county types who have an irrational and uninformed fear of the city, and seem to be at a loss to explain why many neighborhoods in Baltimore have become so expensive (it's because people want to live in them!)

Here's a link for the shuttle schedule & map: JHMI to Homewood Shuttle You can download PDFs there.

Sorry, I personally don't know of a JHH message board, but I'm sure a quick call to her department will guide you in a good direction.