relocating to work at FDA in white oak--where to rent/live? (Columbia: fit in, real estate)

[bonnielisabeth]

Just found out that we will probably be relocating from NC so my husband can work at the FDA in White Oak, MD. I plan to search for a position once we get there.

I know almost nothing about MD, and have only visited the DC/nova area...have learned a lot reading this forum, but not too much about the housing around White Oak...

We are looking to rent a townhome or single family home in the $1500-2000 range, I think? Something with a shorter commute to White Oak (either via car or metro, if possible), and near public transportation so I have options in job hunting.

Do you know of any good (safe) neighborhoods in the vicinity or should we look in Silver Spring or Rockville or other areas?

Right now we are not concerned about schools or anything, mostly are looking for a nice community with low crime and to avoid allergy issues--so places with mold, water damage, or that accept a lot of pets will be off our list. We'll probably try to buy a house after we've been there for a year or more, but know that prices are high compared to NC!

Do folks go through real estate or relocation agents to rent townhouses / single family homes or do you tend to look at classifieds? We probably won't be able to make many trips up there before the move.

Any recommendations for areas to look at, or for real estate agents that do relocation in the area, would be appreciated!

[Joykins]

White Oak is in Silver Spring and there are buses that run you down to Silver Spring Metro from that area.

The areas further north on New Hampshire Ave. are nice and Hillandale and Cresthaven areas are nice. I don't know about rentals there. The apartment areas by White Oak can be a little rough.

[bonnielisabeth]

I will look into Hillandale and Cresthaven and check out New Hampshire Ave. It is good to know about the buses--the public transportation where I am now is not as good, so it will probably take a while for me to learn the system there.

Thanks very much for the advice!

[Newstart in Raleigh]

I live in Silver Spring in an area very close to White Oak. It is a nice area to live. I drive through the White Oak area daily to take my daughter to school. I have noticed a nice home for rent in this subdivision off of Cannon Road. I haven't been in the home, but the neighborhood is nice and would probably fit in your price range. The Burtonsville area is nice as well and not too far from White Oak. Also, there are some townhomes for rent off of Musgrove Road in the Colesville area. This is very close to where I live and it is a safe area. Personally, I would recommend that you work with a realtor. I know of a realtor that I could pass on to you if you are interested.

We are currently looking to move to North Carolina in about a year. Just let me know if you need anymore detailed information.

[Washingtonian]

I lived in Burtonsville. It was a very nice community with a easy commute to White Oak. You can also get to Rockville, Columbia, etc through the backroads. Nice little public library and rec center. If you have any specific questions, send me a PM.

I'm applying to a position at the FDA later this month. How long did it take for your husband to get the job from start to finish? It appears that they are looking for quite a few people. I'm in CLT but my job was eliminated last week. I have a lot of experience w/ the FDA and CMS as a contractor so I'm going to try to get into a gvnt agency.

Take care and good luck.

[iandw]

I've lived in the White Oak area since 2005. It's been nice and safe for me but as someone said earlier, there are some areas to avoid. $1500-2000 is very feasible for a nice townhouse or single-family house away from the apartments. It's a very convenient location aside from the FDA, with shopping such as Giant Food, Target, Trader Joe's, Sears, etc. under a 5 minute drive. You can also get to downtown Silver Spring in 10-20 minutes depending on if it's during rush hour.

.

[Bigbluelandrover]

iandw
Is there a lot of crime over by the apartments near Sears? We are considering the NV homes but I am not too fond of all the congestion/foot traffic over there. I know there are going to be some major developments coming to White Oak so we could move while it is still affordable. Are you also trying to sell the TH?

[iandw]

There are petty crimes (I get weekly alerts from CrimeReports.com). But I haven't seen any major violent crimes in the past 3 years.

The NV homes (Whitehall Square I think) are pretty isolated due to the hilly access road. However, there is a proposed White Oak community recreation center sited nearby. It's possible that residents from the adjacent apartments might use Whitehall as a shortcut to get to the rec center. But that's just a guess.

I've seen the lowered prices and included builder options on those homes. I would sell mine but I don't think I can compete.

[Bigbluelandrover]

Yeah they needed to lower those homes. When we moved here in 07' we walked through a model out of curiosity. Good grief! They were trying to get well into the $500k range (with options). NO I don't think so!...

[MOCORES]

The Hillandale area surrounding the FDA has single family homes to rent within walking distance from the FDA. You can get information from the Hillandale Community Board. Let me know if I can help.