Relocating to job in Lusby (Frederick, Annapolis: for sale, crime, mortgage)

[dpn0121]

Currently I live outside of Houston TX. Just moved here in August for work from Akron Ohio. Now I have the opportunity to move again and work out of the Lusby area. Looking on realtor.com is great an all but without knowing the area its hard to know where to look.

From previous reading on this board I think I have nailed it down to Calvert or St. Mary's county. Housing is enormously high up there compared to here of course. I built a brick 2 story 5br/3fb 2600 sq ft house here for under $200,000. I know I won't even be able to come close to that up there though. Crime is is everywhere but I don't want to be in the Ghetto of course.

It is just my girlfriend and I plus 2 dogs. It would be nice to have some kind of property even if it is less then 1/2 acre.

Any help would be appreciative. Also how bad is it when a hurricane hits there?


Thanks !!!


PS Is CHESAPEAKE RANCH ESTATES nice?

[Eastern Shore]

Lusby is in Calvert County. Calvert county is safe. Traffic is terrible. There is only one major road and that is Route 4. Some parts of the county is still rural. I used to work in Calvert Co. and I have a friend who lives in Lusby. St Leonard is a good area too. It is a very nice safe area. You are going spend more than 200,000 for a house.

[dpn0121]

Thank you, and some follow-ups.

If I was living Leonardtown commuting to Lusby and worked the 7am to 4pm shift what is the estimate to travel this 17 miles?

Living in Houston traffic is crazy, 6 lanes each way bumper to bumper.

[Eastern Shore]

Leonardtown is in St. Marys County. Driving to work to Lusby you would be coming from the the south west. Traffic is not as bad that way. Traffic is heavier from Lusby north.

[dpn0121]

Is there a ferry that goes across the Chesapeake Bay if I wanted to live across the bay from Lusby?

[teleblazer]

Congratulations on the new job/position... now on to the news about the county both good and bad, this from a person who spent the last five years there...

You can forget $200,000 as a price range for single family homes especially if you want land to come with it . The best you can do is sell your home for as much as possible and use it as a down payment to put onto a home and make the mortgage manageable. Coming from TX you'll have a hard time swallowing the sticker shock but hopefully the place you will be working will make up a lot of that gap in salary. The good news is the homes have appreciated greatly in Calvert County and the trend doesn't look to end anytime soon so you're going to get equity with almost anything you buy.

Most residents in that area look to the Constellation Energy plant for decent wages or they commute to either Patuxent River Naval Air Station or drive up rout 4 to Andrews Air Force Base. Calvert county is a very family oriented county so if you and your girlfriend decide to let's say go from a pair to a full house you'll be set! I would recommend going for a slightly larger home incase the full house thing does occur so you're not in a pickle looking to move again anytime soon.

We still have friends out in Lusby, MD near where we used to live. We're actually selling a colonial style home in Calvert County (specifically Huntingtown, MD in a community named Marley Run). If you're interested I can get you some weblinks to view all the details and see digitial pictures. I don't want to be one of those "only look at my place" people. There's a lot of nice homes to look at but expect to spend to get it.

Traffic can sometimes be a bear but if you're driving south towards Lusby and only back up to Huntingtown you won't be affected by that much. It's when you want to drive up to Annapolis or go into Washington D.C. that it might get a bit tiring at times. I viewed it as a chance to just think while I passed all the trees on route 4...so it really is what you put into it and look to get out of it.

Prince Frederick is the biggest city between Lusby and Huntingtown. It's getting more 'civilized' so you will have a more local escape for dinning and shopping options. I can tell you the Ruby Tuesday in Prince Frederick has good food but expect to be on "Calvert Standard Time" when getting service there. Patience is a virtue and there's been times I haven't been very virtuous while starving.

Originally Posted by dpn0121

Currently I live outside of Houston TX. Just moved here in August for work from Akron Ohio. Now I have the opportunity to move again and work out of the Lusby area. Looking on realtor.com is great an all but without knowing the area its hard to know where to look.

From previous reading on this board I think I have nailed it down to Calvert or St. Mary's county. Housing is enormously high up there compared to here of course. I built a brick 2 story 5br/3fb 2600 sq ft house here for under $200,000. I know I won't even be able to come close to that up there though. Crime is is everywhere but I don't want to be in the Ghetto of course.

It is just my girlfriend and I plus 2 dogs. It would be nice to have some kind of property even if it is less then 1/2 acre.

Any help would be appreciative. Also how bad is it when a hurricane hits there?


Thanks !!!


PS Is CHESAPEAKE RANCH ESTATES nice?

[teleblazer]

No ferry that I know of but they are thinking about putting in a bridge in that area soon. I think that would just promote additional traffic so another good with the bad scenario.

Originally Posted by dpn0121

Is there a ferry that goes across the Chesapeake Bay if I wanted to live across the bay from Lusby?

[teleblazer]

This is absolutely correct. Northbound traffic is what really sucks in that area. There are a lot of commuters who like going from further south up to D.C., etc...

For example our drive (from Huntingtown to Lusby) to pretty much where the Constellation Plant was would be about 20 minutes without rushing in traffic. That covered about 18 miles in a south bound direction slower than the speed limit.

Originally Posted by Eastern Shore

Leonardtown is in St. Marys County. Driving to work to Lusby you would be coming from the the south west. Traffic is not as bad that way. Traffic is heavier from Lusby north.

[dpn0121]

Great thanks for the tips. Moving from NE Ohio in August to Texas had a lot of sticker shock but in a good way. It is amazing how cheap it is to build here, but I think that has to do with where the labor comes from.

I am very familiar with home prices up there, and would like to see what house you have for sale. I have 5br and 3fb now so I plan on going as big as I can afford. Makes resale a whole lot easier.

Thanks for the other info as well!

[teleblazer]

Well they would be deleted if I posted the weblinks here for the pictures.

So with that said I placed the links in the classified section of the forum under the title "Safe Neighborhood in MD/DC/VA". The forum rules won't allow advertisements for direct sales in the state forums.

Good luck in your house search. I personally would have never left Calvert County if I didn't need to be closer to my place of employment. We loved the neighbors (fun loving bunch, through block parties and special occassion get togethers as well), and great place for families to grow up should you go that route.

One of our next door neighbors has a hot tub, they threw a wine tasting party which was fun. I bet you and your significant other would enjoy the wine and the good company.

Originally Posted by dpn0121

Great thanks for the tips. Moving from NE Ohio in August to Texas had a lot of sticker shock but in a good way. It is amazing how cheap it is to build here, but I think that has to do with where the labor comes from.

I am very familiar with home prices up there, and would like to see what house you have for sale. I have 5br and 3fb now so I plan on going as big as I can afford. Makes resale a whole lot easier.

Thanks for the other info as well!