Howard County Neighborhoods (Columbia, Ellicott City, Elkridge: real estate, townhouse, construction)

[McDean]

I grew up in Maryland, but have been living in SC for the past 2 years. I want to come back to Maryland! The area has changed a lot since I have been gone. Can anyone name some nice neighborhoods where I could find a house for 300k or less in Columbia, Ellicott City, or Elkridge? A townhouse would be fine. I am looking for a safe, family-friendly neighborhood. I know there are some shady parts of Columbia and I am not very familar with Elkridge at all. Is it possible to find something nice in Howard County for 300k or less? Lets hope so!

[sirc625]

Having grown up in Columbia I can say that the "shady" parts are few and far between. Most of the "bad" areas are closer to lower income housing. Good luck trying to find a townhouse for 300K. Howard County is the third richest county in the U.S. Forbes. I don't know to much about Elkridge.

[McDean]

Yes, I am well aware that Howard County is the 3rd richest county in the US. I lived in Howard County for most of my life. I said that I have been away from the area for a while and would like to get the opinions of people who currently live there. I'm sure I can find something decent for 300k.

[AlicynD]

I was born in raised in Howard County and currently reside and work here as well. There are some great townhomes available in Howard County for under $300,000. A lot are 2 Bedrooms but there are 3 Bedrooms out there too.

[jessy0780]

I live in Elkridge- and there are areas of the city that are very different from each other. We live right on the edge of Ellicott City, and the neighborhood is excellent, and pricier than most of Elkridge. The areas of Elkridge that are not as nice are right off rte 1.

[newhart]

Hi McDean. You have an advantage in being familiar with the area. Personally, I think you might have a hard time finding something for that price in an area that would be considered desirable. If you don't need to be in the best schools or in areas with newer construction, you should be able to find something. You'll just need to be careful and ask lots of questions because townhomes in that price range are almost always going to be in older more run-down neighborhoods. Have you done a search on something like remax.com? Just plug in your price and some zipcodes and you can see where the houses are. Most of what I found in a search were in Long Reach, Oakland Mills, Owen Brown and Wilde Lake, with a few in Kings Contrivance. Of the homes I saw, I think the best areas were in Kings Contrivance and the newer homes to the east of Snowden near Long Reach HS. I would advise you to stay away from anything in Oakland Mills or the Cradlerock area near the library. I don't remember seeing anything, but you might be able to find something in the Howard Homes community off of Hickory Ridge near the hospital.

[koofie]

Originally Posted by newhart

I would advise you to stay away from anything in Oakland Mills or the Cradlerock area near the library.

Why?

[AlicynD]

Everyone is open to their own opinions but just remember that this board, specifically topics like these, are opinion based and peoples' own ideas and experiences make this issue totally subjective. In other words - what may be "good" or "better" to someone may not be to someone else. This is specifically why real estate agents are not allowed to discuss which neighborhoods, cities, counties, schools, etc. in terms of "better, best, worse" etc. What may fit for one person's lifestyle may not fit another's.

Since you are focusing in on Howard County, what I suggest is that you drive through neighborhoods and cities in the county and/or take a look at homes in the varying neighborhoods and cities in the county - this may help you decide what fits you best. In many cases your price range, like any other state/county/city, will dictate which areas you would have to focus your search on.

[McDean]

Thanks everyone! The next time I go home, I will have to drive around the area. When I lived there I didn't go in the neighborhoods that are now in my price range! Not that they are horrible, but prices have increased a lot and where I grew up is now very desireable and EXPENSIVE! It's kind of depressing actually

[koofie]

I am asking because you do miss stuff just driving around. For instance, I know of a home on the market right next door to a house I visited regularly last year. From that experience, I know that there is a neighbor with a loud car that drives down the street quite often. Not a huge deal, but annoying and since I know about it, I am less likely to put an offer on that house because I know it would drive me nuts everyday. I'm hoping someone will give their opinion and back it up - who knows, something that might drive them nuts might not bother me at all!