Is Homeland safe? (Baltimore, Towson: for sale, crime, houses)

[rochfamily]

Can anyone give me an idea of the crime in Homeland or Roland Park? We are moving to Baltimore in the summer and have young kids. We need to stay within the 695 belt so I need some help for what are good safe neighborhoods. Our price range does not exceed 800K. Many thanks from a midwesterner.

[sobo16]

You can google Baltimore City crime maps. When I was looking at houses, Homeland, along with the southern and eastern portions of Guilford, was a little too close to York Road/Greenmount Avenue for my comfort. Homeland seemed overpriced, in my opinion. The houses, and especially the bathrooms within them, were small, even for a $500K house. I would suggest Roland Park or even Mount Washington for safer neighborhoods (zip codes 21209 and 21210). You should be able to find something nice in your price range there. Good luck!

[Tallybalt]

I live in Roland Park and this is my input:

Homeland is perfectly fine. After all, if it isn't then why are people forking over considerable sums of money to buy a house in Homeland? The crime is the same you find in most other places: bicycle thefts and a few break-ins. Every now and then a car will be stolen. The same can be said for Roland Park.

It's a charming community. Wonderful architecture. Very family friendly, and lots of young families have moved to Homeland in recent years.

Roland Park is more Victorian than Homeland, and perhaps a shade darker in the summer months as the tree canopy is more extensive. Since most houses are frame, the maintenance costs are higher.

Your price range will get you a very comfortable house in either Homeland or Roland Park. You should also look at Guilford.

[GoodCoffee]

Homeland and Roland Park are both excellent. You might, however, want to look at houses just inside the county line. City property taxes, services, and schools (everyone in Roland Park and Homeland send their kids to private schools though) are a killer.

[Local Expert]

Homeland and Roland Park are safe neighborhoods. However, If you were going to live there I recommend that you consider living in the county as has been previously recommend. Taxes are 3 times higher in the city for the same type of property in the County. Great areas that are well within your price range and have tremendous resale value are in the 21204, 21286, and 21212 zip codes. I recommend neighborhoods such as Stoneleigh, Rodgers Forge, Wiltondale, Yorkleigh, West Towson. These neighbhorhoods all hold their value and as you will see when doing searches, there are not a lot of properties for sale in these areas. If I can be of assistance please feel free to email me.

[Tallybalt]

His price range is in the 700s up to 800K. That puts him at the very top of the range in the neighborhoods you mentioned, if you can find a house that expensive. Possibly one of the bigger houses in Stoneleigh?

His price range is right in the middle for Roland Park or Homeland. If he wants to look in the county, he could consider Ruxton, but he'd be looking at houses at the lower end of that community's price range and getting less square footage per dollar.

I agree taxes are high, but I'm sure he's already considered that.

Originally Posted by Local Expert

Homeland and Roland Park are safe neighborhoods. However, If you were going to live there I recommend that you consider living in the county as has been previously recommend. Taxes are 3 times higher in the city for the same type of property in the County. Great areas that are well within your price range and have tremendous resale value are in the 21204, 21286, and 21212 zip codes. I recommend neighborhoods such as Stoneleigh, Rodgers Forge, Wiltondale, Yorkleigh, West Towson. These neighbhorhoods all hold their value and as you will see when doing searches, there are not a lot of properties for sale in these areas. If I can be of assistance please feel free to email me.

[jfre81]

Wasn't the Dept. of Homeland Security established to keep Homeland safe?

[barante]

Previous posters have made a salient point. If safety is your only concern -- as opposed to proximity to private schools -- shop for the best house you can buy in one of the top-tier neighborhoods. They are all safe. I would think Roland Park and Guilford will be pricier even in an economic downturn than some other choices. But also take into consideration the considerable maintenance (painting etc) that Roland Park frame houses demand.

[mullicanml]

I love Homeland, Roland Park and Guilford. Each is unique in their own way, but all developed in the early 1920's with great care given to architecture and landscaping. I live in Homeland and have never had any instances with crime. That said, we do look out for eachother as neighbors and set our alarms most of the time when leaving for a period of time (vacation, work etc). Since all of the houses in each of the three neighborhoods are on 1/4 acre-ish, neighbors get to know eachother creating a built-in security. I am a realtor with Hill & Co., Hill & Company Realtors - Baltimore, Maryland - Established 1923 and sell quite a bit in Homeland and Roland Park. Please call if I can help. I would move in a second if I didn't feel safe and sound. Love it here! Mary Lynne Mullican 410-913-5086

[mass_biker]

I moved to Homeland from New England about two years ago. Really lovely housing stock. 800K will get you a very nice home in any one of the neighborhoods. Crime in the neighborhood is fairly garden-variety; stolen bicycles (especially out of unsecured garages that back onto the alleys) etc. Incidence of such petty crime (citywide, I suppose) does increase with nicer weather. That said, in any of the aforementioned Baltimore neighborhoods (Homeland, Guilford, Roland Park) you need to use commonsense - i.e. open/unlocked doors, iPods etc. on the dash of your car.

Each of these neighborhoods though is quite different in terms of architectural style etc. - Roland Park tends to have larger, more rambling Victorians, Guilford has wonderful estate-like manses, and Homeland tends to have a more heterogenous mix (Dutch Colonials, Brick etc.). Each neighborhood association also has different rules/codes for home appearance etc. Also consider the amenities of the neighborhood - Homeland is known for its Lakes, Guilford for Sherwood Gardens etc. - nice things to have nearby if you (like us) have kids.

If you chose a private school for your kids, also consider location of the school relative to the neighborhood, and how you plan to get the kids to/from school. Roland Park and Homeland are both quite close to Friends, Cathedral, Roland Park Country, Bryn Mawr, and Gilman. Guilford is fairly close to Calvert, and not that far from the schools clustered around Roland Park. Other schools (Park, Loyola Blakefiled, Notre Dame) are a little further north. Many of the schools have bus service. School-related traffic in the northern part of Baltimore city, especially around Roland Park, can be maddening - plan accordingly.

As past posters have noted, you have already made peace with the exorbitant taxes - but for what it's worth, come rain, hail or snow, the trash and recycling pick up occurs on time in Homeland so no complaints from me so far.

Homeland is a great place to raise kids - you only need to stroll down to the Lakes on a nice spring day to see proof of that. That's what sold us. PM me if you need more info - good luck.