Affordable homes? (Baltimore, Catonsville, Arbutus: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[bluemoon75]

Hello all,

I currently live in Catonsville. Love it, but for personal reasons, will have to move soon. I've checked houses in Catonsville, Arbutus and Halethorpe. The prices are still rather high, or getting higher, in the case of Halethorpe. Can anyone recommend an affordable and safe location to purchase a home in the Baltimore region? I moved here in 2005 and still not very familiar with the locations, so I really appreciate any help given!

Thanks!

[AcrylamideTic]

I have just finished looking for homes, and so obviously am not a Baltimore expert (I'm currently in Montgomery County and will be moving to Baltimore in July) but I can share my experiences looking for homes.

I looked in Canton, Fells Point, Fed Hill, etc. and found that while there were certainly homes I could afford there (250k was my range, not idea what yours is), they weren't of the size or quality that I wanted. Everyone I've ever talked to says those areas are very safe, although if you do a crime mapping of them there are still plenty of crimes that take place but I imagine it's going to be like that anywhere in the urban area.

Then I looked at Charles Village and found homes got considerably bigger and nicer in my price range, especially if you look kind of on the boarder around 28th, Whitridge, Ilchester, and 29th street. Very nice neighborhoods, very close to 30th and so good value, but still quite affordable. I even found one place with a driveway and garage. Commuting didn't work out for me from Charles Village though but there are some beautiful homes for very reasonable prices.

So I moved on to Western Baltimore, near the county line (i.e. outside of the more risky areas, although to be honest I saw quite a few nice blocks closer to the city as well.) I started looking in neighborhoods like Westgate, Ten Hills, Hunting Ridge, etc. Prices have gone up A LOT in the last few years in these areas, but in todays market we found quite a few homes that would be worth every penny of the asking price and you could probably safely lowball them. Then again, this might be too close to Catonsville for you so it might not work out.

[GirlNextDoor]

Hi -- My husband and I moved to Lauraville 8 months ago and are very happy here. Home prices are very reasonable and I think it would be worth a look. If u have any questions feel free to send me a message.

[jonjj]

That whole part of Baltimore is very nice (Lauraville, Mayfield, Arcadia, Beverly Hills).

[bluemoon75]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I will check them out!