New job in Owings Mills, Commuting from PA? (Woodlawn, Westminster: sales, crime rate)

[rod&reba]

My husband just accepted a new job in Owings Mills. We've looked at MD home prices, and they are much more expensive than we're used to in Michigan. Is a commute from PA feasible? We're looking possibly at Hanover? What would the advantages be of living in PA vs. MD, besides the home costs? We have a 6 month old, and want to make sure we're in a family-friendly area with great schools. Thanks!

[lexus380]

The move yes to hanover would be a lot more visible I currently live in owings mills, but it is alot more expensive to live here. schools are great here, eat outs eveywhere. I am a nuirse and some of my co-workers live in hanover they love it they rarly complain about the commute which like a hr or so .so if your husband dosent mind the commute I would do pa much cheaper and more for your money, I am actually getting ready to move to wilmington,nc for a new job position in ER. Also crime rate for both is low ,but less in hanover and t s alot like country stlye I hope this helps some.

[heba]

hi, i am currently living in owings mills. the only thing good about living in this area is that, on reisterstown road, you can find everything!!!!.
just to name a few, safeway, shoppers, Giant, Foodlion ,Mars,patient first, peditrix/ob clinics on crossroads. auto dealerships lots of them, auto repairs, meineke, goodyear i mean everything. the major plus point of this area is that you wont have to take the highway to get anywhere to do everyday shopping. thers is also a mall in the newtown area of owings mills.
A good townhouse can be from $250k. you can find some lower but then it would not have a backyard or might be too old. in the owings mills area there are 3 high schools depends if you are living on reisterstown, then the name of the school is franklin, if in owings mills then owings mills high , if newtown then newtown high. all three are ok schools, they are definately NOT THE BEST. as far as PA, is concerned in this price range you can find a single family, newly built but not any superstores nearby. when we were looking at some houses in pa, then some of the communities had those confederate flags outside of their homes. and they didnot look welcoming to new neighbors. i didnot hear any complaints about the commute other then when gas prices increased then obviously everyone complained. schools in hanover not sure. but do research on the particular neigborhood before moving. you can also check harford county, the schools there are good and prices of the houses are very reasonable.

[Mike from back east]

I've a pal who lives in Hanover, PA and commutes to Social Security HQs in Woodlawn, MD. He likes being up there and the commute doesn't seem to be a killer for him, but he does have to fight the Beltway and I-83 each day, and that is not an easy drive, I've lived back there and know what's it like.

Consider looking north and west of Owings Mills. My sister lives and works in Hampstead and loves it. The area is rural for the most part, pleasant and has good schools. Westminster is bigger and has all the shopping and features you'd need, has a quaint walkable old downtown too, as does Hampstead.

Use realtor dott komm to look at housing prices in these areas, it will be a good indicator of affordability.

Good luck to you.

s/Mike (not a realtor)

[rod&reba]

Thanks to all for the help. The reason we're looking in PA is because...well, we're picky and cheap. We want a single family residence with attached 2-car garage that's fairly new (within last 10 years). Looking in MD, we couldn't find anything under $300, which is a bit steep for us, since I don't have a job out there yet. Is there no shopping, etc, in the Hanover area? I will definitely need my shopping, along with a job close by. I'm so stressed!

[suzyu98]

Originally Posted by rod&reba

My husband just accepted a new job in Owings Mills. We've looked at MD home prices, and they are much more expensive than we're used to in Michigan. Is a commute from PA feasible? We're looking possibly at Hanover? What would the advantages be of living in PA vs. MD, besides the home costs? We have a 6 month old, and want to make sure we're in a family-friendly area with great schools. Thanks!

Hanover is fine, but the commute up route 30 is awful, it is heavy and backs up in the morning by 795, then on the way home it backs up at the county line before Hampstead.

[suzyu98]

The taxes in PA are higher than MD, they have a school tax, town tax, county tax, ect...

[suzyu98]

Originally Posted by rod&reba

Thanks to all for the help. The reason we're looking in PA is because...well, we're picky and cheap. We want a single family residence with attached 2-car garage that's fairly new (within last 10 years). Looking in MD, we couldn't find anything under $300, which is a bit steep for us, since I don't have a job out there yet. Is there no shopping, etc, in the Hanover area? I will definitely need my shopping, along with a job close by. I'm so stressed!

There is plenty of shopping there, sales tax is higher, but not everything is taxed. Plenty of PA dutch food, too. If you can't afford the housing, Hanover is fine.

[md to nc]

You can find a house under $300K in Hanover which would fit your criteria, but once you add in all the taxes, you can still buy in MD for same payment. It really balances out, if you want more house for the money than PA is the way to go. If you are looking for low cost housing and lower mortgage payment than you may want to reconsider PA. Hanover has lots of shopping. I lived there 20 years ago when there was nothing. It is growing by leaps and bounds. You may want to also try Manchester MD. Housing is a little lower than Hampstead and Westminster. Northern Carroll COunty, Manchester or Silver Run, is another place to try.