Good place to buy town home around Columbia MD (Baltimore: for sale, rent)

[xeno811]

Hello,

I work in Columbia MD and am thinking to buy a town home, can you please suggest me some good neighborhood areas with better school rating?

My max budget is $350K.

Thanks

[steppinthrax]

With that price range you mentioned. You'd be better off with staying in Columbia, MD. You can pretty much get anything under the sun for 350K in Baltimore. The question is do you want to live there???

[Tallybalt]

350K won't buy you much in the better single family neighborhoods in Baltimore.

Originally Posted by steppinthrax

With that price range you mentioned. You'd be better off with staying in Columbia, MD. You can pretty much get anything under the sun for 350K in Baltimore. The question is do you want to live there???

350K in Howard County will get you a decent townhouse in the better parts of Columbia or even in Ellicott City. Closer to I-95 (Elkridge, Savage) the more you will get for the money.

[steppinthrax]

Originally Posted by Tallybalt

350K won't buy you much in the better single family neighborhoods in Baltimore.



350K in Howard County will get you a decent townhouse in the better parts of Columbia or even in Ellicott City. Closer to I-95 (Elkridge, Savage) the more you will get for the money.

Yes there are places at 350K and under

Search baltimore, md detached on Frankly.com MLS Home Search in Virginia & MD, DC MLS. (all of baltimore)

Most of these are places you wouldn't want to live. All at 350K or under.

Here is one in Timonium

MLS BC8452200 125 TENBURY RD, LUTHERVILLE TIMONIUM MD ~ Frankly.com in WATERFORD Home For Sale (349, but FPP at 307)

MLS BC8295991 1426 RAILROAD AVE., LUTHERVILLE TIMONIUM MD ~ Frankly.com in OLD LUTHERVILLE Home For Sale (315)

Here is Charles Village

MLS BA8172708 2211 CHARLES ST, BALTIMORE MD ~ Frankly.com in SOUTH CHARLES VILLAGE Home For Sale


But of course if it's not under Tallybalt's ass then it's not Baltimore.

[Tallybalt]

The Charles Village listing is a mixed use commercial building.

The Lutherville split level is not a house that many people would consider desirable. As a side note, it's fine and in a good school district.

Your original comment was that you could buy anything "under the sun for 350K in Baltimore." That is obviously not true. There are many properties (townhouses, condos or SF houses) in Baltimore City that sell for far more than 350K, and obviously even more in the suburbs. It might shock you but million dollar listings aren't exactly uncommon for both the city or suburbs.

As I indicated, he does have choices in Howard County and I suspect he was really asking for areas in Howard County near Columbia, not elsewhere.

Originally Posted by steppinthrax

Yes there are places at 350K and under

Search baltimore, md detached on Frankly.com MLS Home Search in Virginia & MD, DC MLS. (all of baltimore)

Most of these are places you wouldn't want to live. All at 350K or under.

Here is one in Timonium

MLS BC8452200 125 TENBURY RD, LUTHERVILLE TIMONIUM MD ~ Frankly.com in WATERFORD Home For Sale (349, but FPP at 307)

MLS BC8295991 1426 RAILROAD AVE., LUTHERVILLE TIMONIUM MD ~ Frankly.com in OLD LUTHERVILLE Home For Sale (315)

Here is Charles Village

MLS BA8172708 2211 CHARLES ST, BALTIMORE MD ~ Frankly.com in SOUTH CHARLES VILLAGE Home For Sale


But of course if it's not under Tallybalt's ass then it's not Baltimore.

[steppinthrax]

Originally Posted by Tallybalt

The Charles Village listing is a mixed use commercial building.

The Lutherville split level is not a house that many people would consider desirable. As a side note, it's fine and in a good school district.

Your original comment was that you could buy anything "under the sun for 350K in Baltimore." That is obviously not true. There are many properties (townhouses, condos or SF houses) in Baltimore City that sell for far more than 350K, and obviously even more in the suburbs. It might shock you but million dollar listings aren't exactly uncommon for both the city or suburbs.

As I indicated, he does have choices in Howard County and I suspect he was really asking for areas in Howard County near Columbia, not elsewhere.

I provided what you thought wasn't possible. They are all houses (maybe not by your definition). Of course no on lives in split levels, they are not houses (give me a break). But if you're goal is to pick and pull everything apart that is fine. I still agree with my last statement. You can pretty much buy any house in any section of Baltimore for 350. The charles village listing for $350 is a big money maker because you have the entire building and rent the rest out.... I guess you're term for that is a "mixed use commercial" LOLOL. The listing says it's a Multi-Family. You don't live in a Million dollar home.

But I don't know why I'm arguing, he would be better off in HoCo, much better environment.

[xeno811]

Thanks for the replies, I am looking for town homes near Columbia and in Howard County.

Columbia, Ellicott City are expensive and I couldn't find good one's in $350K budget, so I wanted to check what other areas are good with better school district and may be in 25 miles driving distance.

[james777]

Originally Posted by xeno811

Thanks for the replies, I am looking for town homes near Columbia and in Howard County.

Columbia, Ellicott City are expensive and I couldn't find good one's in $350K budget, so I wanted to check what other areas are good with better school district and may be in 25 miles driving distance.

For a house in that price range within a 25 mile driving distance of Columbia, go south to Laurel, or northeast to Catonsville/Arbutus. As Tallybalt said in post #9 above, "Closer to I-95 (Elkridge, Savage) the more you will get for the money."

[davecj]

Most of the new or newish townhomes in that price range will be along route 1 in Elkridge.

[Tallybalt]

I doubt you can buy a house in every single Baltimore neighborhood for 350K. If you can, it's really stretching it, leaving you with either a small condo or townhouses on the margins. Roland Park is not cheap. Homeland is not cheap. Guilford is not cheap. Ruxton is not cheap. Hunt Valley is not cheap. Ellicott City is not cheap. Clarksville is not cheap. The Greenspring Valley is not cheap. Monkton is not cheap. Butler is not cheap. In short you can't buy "anything under the sun" for 350K. Like in most places if you have a budget of 350K you have to compromise on something and in the Baltimore area that restricts you to a modest house or a townhouse or a bigger house with lower scoring schools.

Baltimore is a large and complex metropolitan area, just like every metropolitan area in the country. Two and a half million people live in the region. There are expensive neighborhoods and middle class neighborhoods and working class neighborhoods, both in the city and suburbs. There are largely immigrant areas, largely Jewish areas, largely African American areas and diverse areas and largely white areas. There are areas of rolling countryside and woodlands and other areas of solidly suburbia. Compared to some cities there are more higher end areas as Maryland is an affluent state. As with any city and region, there are all types of people. Some people love urban living. Others love Nottingham and shopping at the Walmart's in White Marsh. The great news is that there is a niche for everyone somewhere in Baltimore.

The issue with you and your posts is that you have displayed a limited knowledge of Baltimore, all wholly negative. But more problematic is that you're providing blanket advice for the entire region based on your very limited experience with the city and living in one very specific part of the Baltimore suburbs.

There are currently 39 properties on the market in my zip code, which lies in Baltimore City. Seven of them are at or above the $1,000,000 mark. The most expensive is priced at $1.8 million, although it has languished on the market for over a year now.

Originally Posted by steppinthrax

I provided what you thought wasn't possible. They are all houses (maybe not by your definition). Of course no on lives in split levels, they are not houses (give me a break). But if you're goal is to pick and pull everything apart that is fine. I still agree with my last statement. You can pretty much buy any house in any section of Baltimore for 350. The charles village listing for $350 is a big money maker because you have the entire building and rent the rest out.... I guess you're term for that is a "mixed use commercial" LOLOL. The listing says it's a Multi-Family. You don't live in a Million dollar home.

But I don't know why I'm arguing, he would be better off in HoCo, much better environment.