Germantown or Hagerstown....quick...urgent (Frederick, Gaithersburg: rent, condos, townhouses)

[houseadvice]

Hi everyone, I am moving from gaithersburg to either germantown or hagerstown. i have found townhouses in germantown and nice single family homes in hagerstown with my price range of 330K. What should I do? Which is better location? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!! By the way, I work around the gaithersburg area so if I move to Hagerstown i would have an hour commute daily. What do you recommend?

[soymabelen]

Originally Posted by houseadvice

Hi everyone, I am moving from gaithersburg to either germantown or hagerstown. i have found townhouses in germantown and nice single family homes in hagerstown with my price range of 330K. What should I do? Which is better location? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!! By the way, I work around the gaithersburg area so if I move to Hagerstown i would have an hour commute daily. What do you recommend?

I would definitely choose to live closer to work. You mention an hour commute everyday. I have friends who go to Hagerstown often to visit family and they mention it is a 45 minute drive from Germantown, so you must be talking closer to an hour commute each way from Gaithersburg? I know I would not particularly enjoy spending two hours of my life day after day on the road, not to mention the extra cost involved. I have done that in the past and vowed never to do it again if I could help it.

We just sold our 4 bedroom townhome in Germantown for around the price you are looking at. I would look in the areas close to 117 and 118 towards Boyds both South and East. Our community is a very friendly yet quiet development. It is also minutes away to the soccer plex area with access to all the sports amenities, the town center with the movie theater, arts center, restaurants, banks, shopping etc and the Black Hills Regional park with hiking, canoing, fishing, etc. If you want schools, Montgomery County is also very good.

I don't know much about Hagerstown itself so I can't tell if there is anything there other than the outlets that would make it a better overall choice. Still, two hour commute everyday... not for me!

It really is a personal choice. You will probably get a bigger house in Hagerstown versus Germantown, but you will have less time to enjoy it. If more space is a priority for you, then go for Hagerstown. If time to pursue interests is your priority, then go for Germantown.

Good luck with your decision.

[endersshadow]

I've got to say, I've never seen the words "quick" and "urgent" followed by or prefaced with an ellipse.

But anyway, you live in the area. You know the pros and the cons, so make a decision based on what you find priorities in. Is a single family house worth the hour commute (that's not factoring in rush hour).

[houseadvice]

thanks for your reply....i really appreciate it

[paposo]

Originally Posted by houseadvice

Hi everyone, I am moving from gaithersburg to either germantown or hagerstown. i have found townhouses in germantown and nice single family homes in hagerstown with my price range of 330K. What should I do? Which is better location? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!! By the way, I work around the gaithersburg area so if I move to Hagerstown i would have an hour commute daily. What do you recommend?

It's the cost of gas and the commute time which is key. You can get a NICE place in hagerstown but it's a long commute. 25 miles to Frederick from hagerstown + a 40 minute drive down I-270 to gaithersburg. Gas will run you a few hundred dollars a month + whatever wear/tear on your vehicle.

You'll have a higher rent /less space in a townhome nearby your work. But on the otherhand you wont have to travel, put the wear on the car and wont need to put alot of money in the gas can.

So you have to weigh the factors.

What's more important to you?
Size of living space
Commute time
Wear/tear on car

If you don't mind a smaller place, are just married with small children and would rather put the money into saving rather than the gas tank, maybe a townhouse near germantown is a better deal.
On the other hand if you have a wife and 5 kids and you car pool in your hybrid every morning... well the choice should be obvious.

The devil is in the details.

[bxaxkx55]

I live just south of Hagerstown and commute to downtown DC. The drive is just over an hour, but I am not driving during peak traffic. I work 12 hr days, 6am-6pm.

We bought during the peak of the bubble (March 05) and bought a new construction, single family home on over an acre, in a small development of only 7 homes. No HOA. We paid less than condos were going for in Gaithersburg at the time.

My logic was I would much rather spend the extra 20 minutes or so in the car to come home to a place I enjoy, and not have to share a wall with someone.I am actually in the initial stages of a divorce, and will not need a house this big. You are right in the ball park of what I was planning to put it on the market for, when are you looking to buy? Should be available in early fall if you are interested.


Let me know,bxaxkx55@gmail.com

[bxaxkx55]

Oh, and Washington County has very low property taxes... House is 5 minutes from the Prime Outlets

[tonyc]

And what happens when your job situation/location changes.

[Gottasay]

Have you considered Frederick, Md (between Hagerstown and Germantown)? You might want to check it out -- visit the historic downtown while you are there. They've done a great job of reviving the downtown.

[clintsullivan]

Originally Posted by bxaxkx55

I live just south of Hagerstown and commute to downtown DC. The drive is just over an hour, but I am not driving during peak traffic. I work 12 hr days, 6am-6pm.

We bought during the peak of the bubble (March 05) and bought a new construction, single family home on over an acre, in a small development of only 7 homes. No HOA. We paid less than condos were going for in Gaithersburg at the time.

My logic was I would much rather spend the extra 20 minutes or so in the car to come home to a place I enjoy, and not have to share a wall with someone.I am actually in the initial stages of a divorce, and will not need a house this big. You are right in the ball park of what I was planning to put it on the market for, when are you looking to buy? Should be available in early fall if you are interested.


Let me know,bxaxkx55@gmail.com

I agree with living out of the rat race arena, even if you have to work in it. You could live across the river here in Jefferson County and have lower cost of living than even Washington County, even though we're really no farther. My father commuted from here to NBS (now the IST) for about 30 years. I commuted to GB in the late 80's for a while. I never minded the commute so much, but I was doing lawn care, so I ended up driving all day. That got old after awhile.