Moving to MD - where to live? (Baltimore, Columbia: section 8, apartment)

[jniffer]

My husband will either be working at Ft. Meade or College Park. We would prefer to live in a single family home, but are willing to try a townhome if we can get an end unit.

We have kids ranging in age from 6-13, so we would like a place with good schools that is family friendly, with things for teenagers to do on Friday and Saturday night like skating, and plenty of opportunity for soccer, dance, etc. It would be nice if there were places for us to get a nice dinner and listen to some music.

We are looking for something around $350,000. I know, don't laugh.

My husband grew up in Severna Park or elsewhere in AA, but that looks way out of our range and we'd like a newer home. We could maybe find something in Columbia, but I worry about keeping up with the Columbia Association dues. I thought it might be nice to be in Annapolis, but I wonder about the schools.

My husband said he wouldn't mind commuting up to Mt. Airy or Sykesville or somewhere around there.

I keep reading the boards and going around in circles and I was hoping someone could give me some advice.

Thanks

[jallison27]

Try Pasadena (towards the Lake Shore/Downs Park side) or Arnold areas (Cape St Claire, etc), you should find some nice homes for $350k.

I have a ton of friends that are realtors if you need some help.

[oneofthethree]

Maybe take a look at Catonsville too. I've heard it's a good combination of schools and affordability.

[hobbesdj]

columbia and ellicott city are by far the best places to live in your situation...

[jniffer]

Thanks, I am considering Pasadena. I hadn't thought of Catonsville. I had looked at Ellicot City, but didn't notice it. Would that be Baltimore County schools?

[needsmoreshallot]

Ellicott City is in Howard County, same county as columbia (but without the dues) Ellicott city is a sweet little area with a historic district originally a quaker town. Its very pricey, but about the same as columbia. Howard County Schools are some of the best in the nation, statistically. Mt. Hebron and Centennial High schools are very highly rated. Ellicott city is about 40 min? maybe a little less or more with traffic from College park. Columbia is a bit closer, and the schools are still Howard County.

Mt Airey and Sykesville are bit far of a commute from College park and Ft. Meade. Lovely areas though.

Catonsville is nice, but is in Baltimore county and schools will reflect that.

I would reccomend Columbia, the dues are a pain, but the library system is excellent, community pools, decent schools. It is also a planned community with a diverse population of apartment dwellers and homeowners. It has little neighborhood areas, each with its own food store and shopping area.

[airrykah]

I am thinking about purchasing a condo in Columbia. I noticed that there are a few available in Village of Longreach (Treover Condominiums) The condo fees seem really high seeing as how they do not offer anything. Also I am from NC so I know nothing about the area. Is this a bad area to live in? I don't want to purchase a condo that is being rented out as section 8 housing and I will have 2 young children so I want to make sure that we are either able to sell fairly easily in the next 5 years or that there are nice schools in the areas.

[jniffer]

I think we're narrowing down to Columbia or Ellicot City or Pasadena. I was wondering, are there basements in houses in Pasadena or are they too close to the shore?

[jallison27]

Depends on where in Pasadena. Most have basements, unless they are actually waterfront. Some have walkouts also.

In Pasadena, I prefer the Chesapeake School neighborhoods, rather than Northeast. The scores are better and most will also tell you "other" reasons also. Some of the areas in Pasadena seem extremely cheap for a new home. But like anything else, they are for a reason.

One thing to look at when looking at AA Co vs. Howard County is the property taxes on your home. Typically Howard is much more expensive by about 3x which can really add to your bottom line payment. The difference between 3k and 9k is ~$600/mo additional!

[oneofthethree]

Originally Posted by airrykah

I am thinking about purchasing a condo in Columbia. I noticed that there are a few available in Village of Longreach (Treover Condominiums) The condo fees seem really high seeing as how they do not offer anything. Also I am from NC so I know nothing about the area. Is this a bad area to live in? I don't want to purchase a condo that is being rented out as section 8 housing and I will have 2 young children so I want to make sure that we are either able to sell fairly easily in the next 5 years or that there are nice schools in the areas.

The schools in that area, as with most of Howard County, are very good. But values are dropping in treover condos though. There are a lot of low-income people there, so most likely a lot of units are being rented out as section 8. So in five years there is a strong chance that the condo values could drop even more. But you did say "or" good schools though, so, it could be worth it for that?......