Howard Park (Baltimore, Garrison: car insurance, crime, new house)

[pnello]

Need some advice, middle aged liberal white guy here, I am used to living in a diverse neighborhood and typically get along with everybody . I have gone to 2 open houses in the Howard park area, both were total remodels gutted and redone. The area seems transitional, the price on the houses is well within my means. Is there a potential is this area for renewal/gentrification ? Good investment despite the high Balt City taxes?

[are you kidinme?]

Take a look for yourself.
Howard Park, Baltimore, MD Neighborhood Crime Map, Statistics, Alerts and Reports
My feeling is the area has re-newed about as much as it is going to. Although, there is talk about a new grocery store; it's not a high end store and won't do much to improve the neighborhood in general. Seems like a fairly nice area, but I would not think of it as an investment. If you like the area and want to spend time living there, may not be a bad deal. But, don't count on it as a money maker.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

As is sometimes the case along Liberty Rd, the main commerical strip is actually much worse looking than the neighborhoods.

I would call it a long-term investment (10 years +). I think that area will attract some people who want big houses when they start to see what a bargain they are (with good access to transit, too, which will become more of an appealing idea as gas continues to rise).

Trouble is, as so many of the houses there are large, getting people into big old houses. Families are smaller now.

[Woodlands]

There are a few multi family buildings in the area that are suspect.. and a few along Liberty Heights. For the life of me.. I dont know why the City allowed some developer 30 years ago to plop a multi family building in the middle of a single family neighborhood. Nothing against multi family residents.. but it destroys the feel of the neighborhood especially if the building goes to hell. The only challenge I see for this area is if Liberty Road is not revitalized. Most of the drama for the area originates off of this commercial corridor. The other potential issue is if there are not enough families interested in buying these large homes.. If not they will become rooming houses or institutional homes.. which could become nightmares if not properly managed.

[End-User]

Originally Posted by Woodlands

There are a few multi family buildings in the area that are suspect.. and a few along Liberty Heights. For the life of me.. I dont know why the City allowed some developer 30 years ago to plop a multi family building in the middle of a single family neighborhood. Nothing against multi family residents.. but it destroys the feel of the neighborhood especially if the building goes to hell. The only challenge I see for this area is if Liberty Road is not revitalized. Most of the drama for the area originates off of this commercial corridor. The other potential issue is if there are not enough families interested in buying these large homes.. If not they will become rooming houses or institutional homes.. which could become nightmares if not properly managed.

Mixed income housing is used as an insurance against a collapsing housing market. Of course it doesn't always work so well when the market collapses for reasons that aren't purely economics.

[Tallybalt]

Safety wise, you will be fine. Probably the "best" area is around the golf course.

Howard Park and Forest Park are forgotten neighborhoods despite being relatively close to both downtown and the beltway. It's not a desirable area. White families won't consider the location or rehabbing houses there because of the schools and the housing stock itself is not particularly great. If you compare the houses to say, Roland Park, most of the Howard/Forest Park houses have already lost most of their character through years of insensitive renovations.

Middle class Black families are far more interested in new houses in Howard or Baltimore counties than in an older city neighborhood, so the number of up and coming young black professionals reinvesting in the area is going to be very small.

It's a shame the the dynamics aren't in the area's favor. The underlying infrastructure is terrific - how many Baltimore neighborhoods have a metro line ever so handy?

[pnello]

Thanks everyone, I am seriously considering but concerned regarding my homeowners and car insurance rates, any feedback on what to expect it terms of insurance rates ?

[are you kidinme?]

Originally Posted by pnello

Thanks everyone, I am seriously considering but concerned regarding my homeowners and car insurance rates, any feedback on what to expect it terms of insurance rates ?

My homeowners went up a little, but my car insurance nearly doubled living in the city.

[barante]

Depending on location, I would give Howard Park serious consideration. Taht whole section is coming back, very slowly. The clean-up that is occurring now on Garrison Boulevard, where drug and prostitution activities have drastically decline and new housing is being built, will help.
Howard Park needs a good supermarket, though. Totally essential.