Columbia/Ellicott city for under $450,000? (income, job, townhomes)

[Leanne23]

My husband turned down a job last year in the Columbia area because the housing prices were so high. They are still high but seem slightly better. Is it realistic to find a home for 450,000 or less in a "nice" section?

95% of the listings that come up are in owen brown, long reach, or longfellow. I have read owen brown and long reach are not particularly nice, how about longfellow? We drove through faulkner ridge which i think is in wilde lake and i thought this area was HORRIBLE! It looked like a trailer park and they want 400,000 for the homes!!! Is this typcial of columbia?

Great schools are a must
Safe area is a must
Nicely kept neighborhood is a must

Where to look? We saw a few random ellicott city listings that look nice but is there something wrong with them if they are under 450,000?

Thank you!

Leanne

[Leanne23]

anybody have any info for me?

Leanne

[sagegriot]

Originally Posted by Leanne23

anybody have any info for me?

Leanne

U just insulted a bunch of folks in faulner ridge and wilde lake.....Im not too sure exactly where those areas are, but maybe thats not exactly the best way to solicit feedback.

[Leanne23]

I'm sorry

I have no idea how other areas are in wilde lake, we drove into faulkner ridge and was very disappointed with the level of the neighborhood for $400,000!

Is this a "typical" columbia neighborhood?

I really did not mean to offend, like many people needing to move to the area for a job, it is very frustrating that the house cost so much. Please don't take offense, but the neighborhood we looked at was not well kept at all.

Leanne

[sagegriot]

Originally Posted by Leanne23

I'm sorry
.......I really did not mean to offend, ..............
Leanne

Yeah....that's what I figured, but thought you may not realize how it looked (at least to me). I think they just announced Howard Cnty has highest household income in the US, but there are some areas that look run down. Columbia in general is a very upscale area. I don't know the individual villages and whatnot very well, but just to give an idea, we've seen new townhomes with "clearance price reductions" from 495k to 350k in the area near rt 175 and snowden river...whatever thats called.

[emsgoof]

Honestly, how hard have you looked? I just did a quick search on homefinders.com and found quite a few below $450.
A large majority of the areas in Columbia are going to meet your requirements. The "bad schools" in Howard County are still much better than schools elsewhere in the state / country. Safety shouldn't be an issue. The majority of the crime in Howard County is petty in nature (minor vandalism, stealing unlocked bikes, stuff like that), and the Association ensures people keep their yards / neighborhoods neat. If people aren't you complain to the association, and they can be fined or something for it (I forget the details).
Hickory Ridge, Longfellow, Clarys Forest, Kings Contrivance, Dorsey Search, River Hill (technically Clarksville) are all going to be nice.

[jessy0780]

The lower priced homes in Ellicott City are generally because they're older- new homes are considered more desirable in that area, because I think most of the people moving in are young families. I actually really like some of the older homes- they have more character, and it's a great place to live.

[ChosenGSR]

450k doesn't buy you much these days does it?

[ChosenGSR]

Originally Posted by sagegriot

we've seen new townhomes with "clearance price reductions" from 495k to 350k in the area near rt 175 and snowden river...whatever thats called.

Which ones are you talking about?

[Leanne23]

Thank you for the responses. There are 49 homes currently under 450,000 with 4bed/2bath in all of columbia and ellicott city. Only 5 listings are not in owen brown, long reach, faulkner rigde, or longfellow.

How is longfellow? Is it as nice as kings contrivance or hickory ridge? Those are the only other 2 neighborhoods that come up, all others mentioned are too expensive. From reading the boards and seeing pictures kings contrivance and hickory ridge look very nice, but there are only a few homes under 450,000.

Should I look in Clarksville as well? Excellent schools are a must.

Leanne