OT moving from NJ to MD (Bel Air, Fallston: real estate, HOA, low crime)

[INTOTO]

Lost my previously posted message, sorry to repeat.
My husband and I are moving from NJ to MD. We are looking at Bel Air, HDG, Abingdon and Fallston. Everything seems very expensive. We are meeting with a Realtor soon. We have found out why the taxes vary greatly as well as HOA dues, even though the we r now informed we are still disturbed by some of what we see.
About careers: my sister in law from Houston is planning on moving with us, Does anyone know if the harford county school districts pay well? I am an Occupational Therapist and practice in the area of pediatrics. We are aware of my husbands salary but unsure of mine. This will impact our home purchase price range. Anyone practicing full time on peds? Are there any jobs there? My salary now ranges from 70-90,000 depending on private clients.

ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

[jland]

All of those areas are average or better. As a general rule, prices go up and sq ft goes down the closer you get to baltimore. I would also ask your realtor if he/she has anything to show you in Cecil County. It's about 20 mins from APG (depending on where you live), good schools and low crime. But any of those places you mentioned have good reputations also.

[INTOTO]

Thanks for the info. We r meeting with a Realtor this weekend.

[missykl]

Schools in Cecil are less than good, if you are looking for an area that provides a good school district do not move here Cecil County schools do not offer the programs most schools offer such as advanced placement (not offered til you reach high school than the program is less than desirable), the technical school is still half day, the high schools follow a college only path meaning they think all children are going to college and require higher level courses in order to graduate. I am from Anne Arundel County and moved to Cecil 5 years ago, I have been less than pleased with the school system, I have a daughter that will attend college no questions asked and she will do well, thus this curriculm is right up her alley, however I have a son who does not want to go to college and has trouble in Math he will still need to succesfully complete geometry in order to graduate from high school, there are no other options for him including the vocational school which he can only attend when he gets to 10th or 11th grade.

Now if you are looking for affordable housing in a rural community than Cecil is the area for you, the home prices are affordable and you get a lot for your money.

[Sweetpea79]

I grew up in Harford County and now live in Cecil. I can tell you that Harford doesn't have the best public schools. I would recommend either private schools, or looking at Delaware in New Castle County, as I have heard they are better. The kids are pushed harder in private schools around this area for college purposes.

The taxes will be cheaper in Cecil County, but depending on where you live, and if you are within town limits. Normal rule with that is the further North you go on I-95 the cheaper it gets. I would stick with Perryville or North East. The areas you mentioned in Harford Co. are nice areas for the most part, but it's crowded in the Bel Air/Abingdon area, and schools are cramped in most cases.

Personally I would aim for half way in between, look at jobs in DE and in Harford County and stay in Cecil. Once last note, Harford Co has been built up for the most part, but Cecil county is starting to be built up with a lot of new/young homes under 5 years old. Good Luck!

[RoadTripGurl]

Somebody thinks Harford is expensive? And I disagree on the schools, Harford County does have good schools mostly in Bel Air and Fallston. My son goes to Patterson Mill a new school and I think it is a great school. Then again, I came from PG where the schools were horrible and the real estate was more than ridiculous.

[Sandee1213]

We considered Bel Air. The schools seemed very good, and it was a great area. I loved it, but it was just very expensive compared to the other area we were considering (Delaware) We did not consider Cecil County, because the schools were not good. We never could have bought the house that we did in Bel Air.

[surfbored]

All the places you mention are indeed nice, middle class to upper-middle class areas. Areas immediately adjacent (Churchville, Riverside, etc.) are also reasonably nice but a little less pricey in many cases. Keep looking and you will find a reasonably priced place -- they're out there!

For local HarCo information, check out the local paper: http://www.theaegis.com
For public school info (including job postings), try here: http://www.hcps.org

Good luck!

[INTOTO]

My husband I just looked at Bulle Rock in HDG. OMG it is beautiful. Does anyone know if you can join the Bulle Rock country club if u live in the paddocks at HDG?
BTW: Does anyone know any pediatric occupational therapists...even if it is though seven degrees of separation

Thanks!!

[Sandee1213]

We looked at Bulle Rock, it was beautiful. It was a horrible school district though, so we had to take it off our list. Plus it was very expensive.