Commute from Roland Park/Towson to DC? (Baltimore, Ellicott City: apartment, lawyer)

[rudy_d]

There are quite a few people who ride the #61 bus from Roland Park and get off at Penn Station on its way downtown. It's perfectly safe--mostly well dressed, white collar workers--and rarely crowded but unfortunately only runs about every half hour.

[medfieldbum]

Yep. I concur with the #61 bus. Took it to/from jury duty this year.

[beebelle]

Thanks for all the information. If we could afford a SFH in Chevy Chase, this would be easy. But the job is in DC, and we need private schools, which are likewise unaffordable for us in DC. If we decided to live in Ellicott City to shorten DH's commute, how long, realistically, would it take to drive the kids to Roland Park at roughly 8 a.m. and pickup at roughly 3 p.m.?

[barante]

No, you don't want to live in Ellicott City (whatever that means in today's market) and shuttle the kids back and forth to Roland Park. Both you and your husband would go crazy. Kids, too. Also not living closer to the school might shortchange your children in after-school activitites.
It seems to me that at this point you need to spend a couple of days just driving around and trying to understand the geography, distances and time.
As to Roland Park, before you decide anything, please make sure that you know whether the school/schools will admit your kids. Also make sure you understand the costs involved.
Among lower-cost alternatives to Roland Park (not schools but as a place to live) may be Cedarcroft, Mount Washington and Cheswolde.
I admire your desire to make a difficult situation work but you are juggling with an awful lot of balls here.

[trickymost]

Originally Posted by beebelle

Thanks for all the information. If we could afford a SFH in Chevy Chase, this would be easy. But the job is in DC, and we need private schools, which are likewise unaffordable for us in DC. If we decided to live in Ellicott City to shorten DH's commute, how long, realistically, would it take to drive the kids to Roland Park at roughly 8 a.m. and pickup at roughly 3 p.m.?

Yikes.

If you are absolutely certain you're going to send your kids to private school in Roland Park, you do not want to be anywhere that would involve 695 during rush hour to take them there or pick them up.

Aside from the normal (difficult) traffic pattern, there are all sorts of road projects over the next few years which will adversely affect traffic. Expect more as stimulus money for infrastructure flows in and projects get approved and fast tracked.

If I may provide some additional color on your dilemma...

People who live in and around DC have commutes which are as inflexible and difficult (or even worse) than getting from Baltimore to DC proper.

I live in Lutherville and work in Alexandria, and while people shudder when I tell them where I live, there are people who make the following commutes, all of which are comparable in time to my commute even though the distance may be half:

-Gaitherburg/Rockville to Alexandria
-Fredericksburg to Alexandria
-Bethesda to Reston
-Leesburg to Crystal City
-Ashburn to DC
-Centreville to Arlington
-West Virginia (these are the real crazies) to Alexandria

For me, I leave my house at 6am and I'm in my office by 7:15 unless there's an accident or bad weather. I eat lunch in my office and leave at 4pm, and I'm home by 5:30 unless there's traffic or bad weather, when it can take 2-2.5 hours.

In the past, I've had a commute from Towson to near the white house. If you drive to the Greenbelt metro station and take the metro into the city, it's not half bad. I'd leave home around 620, get to the Greenbelt metro by 7:15, and I'd be at my desk by 8am. On the return, I'd leave the office at 5 and be in the door by 6:30 on most days.

So, my .02 to help you is:

1. Your husband should negotiate commuting terms (or at least see if the employer is open to them). Many employers allow flexible schedules and partial telecommuting. If he's working with or for the government, see if there is a federal telecommuting center someplace where they allow people to commute to (I know there's a few in VA, not sure about MD).

2. Have you thought about renting? While purchasing a home outright is expensive, the cost of renting out high end homes inside the beltway is outright cheap. Not knowing your budget, but I'm guessing a decent property in Ellicott City will cost about $550k. If you assume 20% down, 5% 30 year fixed rate mortgage, you're looking at monthly payment of $2415-ish before tax and insurance. With those, you're probably in the $3000-$3250/month.

That would rent a very nice home in Arlington, Bethesda, Rockville, Vienna, or Alexandria. Your husband would have a much better commute, and maybe you could look at public schools instead at the top schools in Arlington/Fairfax/Montgomery County?

[medfieldbum]

I agree with Barante and Tricky that trying to commute regularly from Ellicott City to Roland Park is crazy--unless you like being stuck in a car a lot. Ditto from Ellicott City to DC.

And Barante was very correct in limiting any time for your kids/yourself at the schools in the evening.

Making a commute like trickymost does is for me a bit crazy; but you gotta do what you need for your career, I guess.
I guess quality of life has fallen by the wayside nowadays. I don't think it's quality time to be sitting in your car on major highways, hoping either that the traffic soon starts to ease up, or worried about the fool coming at you in your rear view mirror.

However, I agree wholeheartedly that you should rent first before buying. If you are unhappy in any way where you pick in this market, you'll have difficulty unloading your house.

And all indications are that the housing prices will continue falling before they get any better.

[cmcgill]

The easiest and quickest thing would be to drive from Roland Park to Penn Station and take the MARC from there. It should only take 10min to drive from Roland Park to the Station, where there's plenty of parking. (Not sure what the parking fee would be.)

Taking a bus to Penn Station is feasible (and safe -- buses are usually only unsafe when they travel through unsafe areas. The stretch between Roland Park and Penn Station is hardly anything to worry about.), but will take much longer. I'd think you're looking at 30min on the bus.

[medfieldbum]

Yep. Mcgill's suggestion is best: simply rent in the area near the Roland Park private schools you're interested in, and hubby can either drive or take the bus to Penn Station, the train to DC, and subway to office there. You can work done or read on the trains, stress level is relatively low, and will live close to your kids' schools.

[beebelle]

Very helpful posts. Thanks. That long drive with kids pretty much rules out Ellicott City for us. My kids have some issues and need private schools, and the best ones for them seem to be in the Roland Park area.

Are there houses for rent in Roland Park? I looked on homesdatabase.com and saw some apartments, but no houses.

Question for realtors: A lot of Roland Park houses look like they have been on the market for a long time. Would rent-with-option-to-buy be a possibility for any of these? Just curious, as they don't seem to be selling, and prices are dropping.

[barante]

You really need to sort out things for yourself and your family. At this point you are shadow-boxing.
Here are some of my last reflections: Without knowing you or your resources, I don't think Roland Park is what you need. You may need Roland Park area schools but not the expensive housing which, being in some cases more than a century old, has all kinds of very expensive maintenance issues. There are no bargains in Roland Park even now (unless you can find a wreck, which is unlikely). Also note that in addition to regular city taxes, Roland Park (and I am talking about the covenanted Roland Park) levies an extra assessment each year on homeowners. The convenanted Roland Park also has very strict rules that govern everything that goes on in that community, including the number of pets allowed.
A rent-to-buy option may be possible but it is wrought with problems that require a good lawyer to negotiate.
There are plenty of cheaper substitutes, ranging from Medfield (ask medfieldbum) to Keswick to Hampden. But this being Baltimore, they are mostly rowhouses.
In general, if Roland Park area schools are that important to you only two other considerations should be important:
1. A place to live near the schools.
2. Accessibility to the train to Washington since your husband does not like to drive (good for him!)
Since you don't know much about Baltimore, people will try to sell you this or that neighborhood for this or that reason. Be very careful. This major move will make you either happy or totally unhappy. It's your life but know what you are getting into. Stop dreaming about farms and estates, just smell the flowers and listen to the birds in the park. And read the fine print and reread and reread it again with the assistance of some well-versed in real estate law.