essex ?? (Baltimore, Columbia, Catonsville: for sale, real estate, rental)

[greg onez]

i was just wondering about essex md, i was offered a job transfer to work in columbia but the prices are very high. how close is essex to columbia and how is the neighborhood. i know some parts of md are very bad. any help would be great. we plan on making a trip down in 2 to 3 wks to check out areas around columbia.

[jhrrussell2]

Essex is roughly 35 minutes northest of Columbia. I would recommend Northern Anne Arundel County (Glen Burnie, Curtis Bay) or Halethorpe in Baltimore County, as they will be a much shorter commute to Columbia

[toadmama]

The Essex-Columbia commute would really suck, to put it bluntly. Especially on Fridays or any day with a little bit of rain, snow or fog.

Glen Burnie has some nice pockets of homes, but it is an older suburb. Schools aren't great, urban sprawl is very evident, and it can be a bit crowded. It isn't horrible, but it isn't Columbia either. I'd pick GB over Essex in a heartbeat because of the commute. Although you can't look at a map and assume Route 100 is a great way to get from Glen Burnie to Columbia. It may look close, but it is heavily-traveled. Explore back roads. (-:

In addition to Glen Burnie, try these places, which are all older suburbs where you might find a decent home and good quality of life: Hanover (NOT the newer developments around the mall), Elkridge, Catonsville, Linthicum and Ferndale (you have to get used to airplane noise), Halethorpe, and Arbutus. You may also find an older home in Severn or Harmans, but there's been lots of new construction which has driven prices up pretty significantly.

Get a real estate agent and be honest about what you can afford/want to spend.

Feel free to ask any specific questions.

Toadmama

[tat1122]

I live in Essex and have a rental property (townhouse with option to buy) The rental is available in November in case you are interested
The house faces the river and is VERY quiet I personally lived in the house for 5 years before I got married this past february and moved about a mile away
I LOVE living in Essex its close enough to the beltways but still countrylike there are Many marinas and parks in the area
I work in the Laurel area which is very close to Columbia and commute from Essex everday. I have hit Traffic only one time on the way home. It takes me about 25-30 minutes each way
If you need any more info I'll be happy to help. There are always a house or two for sale if you are looking to buy I could take a name of the sign. It only takes a second to help
tat