Looking for advice in Glen Burnie (Baltimore: to rent, sex offender, broker)

[CALew]

I am looking at possibly getting a townhouse in Glen Burnie. I believe it is in the Fox Chase development off of Hospital Drive. It's next to MD 100. Being from out of state I was wondering if anyone knows if this is a nice area in Glen Burnie. I have heard that there are some good & bad parts in Glen Burnie. I have two toddlers and want to be sure we are in an area that we can feel safe going outside.

[cygnus-x1]

I am not sure of your comfort zone coming from out of state but if it were me I would NOT choose Glen Burnie. Yes there might be a few nice pockets but I would not trust raising a family there. You did not mention if getting a townhome meant buying or renting. If you mean to rent then you can try GB and at least you have the option to move out. Please do not buy in this area as you will have a hard time reselling. If you take a look most homes in that area stay on the market for a while. I personally had a few friends with homes there and it took them each a year or more to sell and this was before the market crashed.

If you provide more information about where you will be working and how much you can afford I could provide you with some alternative locations that are more family friendly. For example if you need to be in B-more you can find a townhome development on 295 like Russett at the intersection of 198 and 295 or if you have a little more to spend you can look into the new Townhomes at Arundel MIlls.

I hope you have done your research on home prices because you need 280k-360k to get a TH in a decent community. If it is much less it is either in a bad area or it is delapidated.

And yes I lived in and near GB back in the late 90's and it was much better then than it is now. I still would not rasie my family there at that time that is why we moved out.

Since you have two kids make sure to checkout the national sex offender list in GB ... my coowrkers (who live there) were shocked to find so many so near by. They do not have kids yet but when they do they are l;eaving the area.


Good Luck!

[samstersmom]

I have to disagree. I sold my GB townhome in one day. I have lived in the north end and now the south end of GB and I have not had any problems. It is people like you who give GB a bad name.

[cygnus-x1]

Originally Posted by samstersmom

I have to disagree. I sold my GB townhome in one day. I have lived in the north end and now the south end of GB and I have not had any problems. It is people like you who give GB a bad name.

I am glad you had a nice experience while in GB and I am glad you sold your house in one day !! (really I am not being sarcastic) However I nor the people I know did not have that experience. At least the person interested has two points of view.

You will hear good things and bad things about pretty much any area. It is rarely as bad as it is made out to be nor is it ever as good as it is made out to be. That being said I would not buy property near a big city because the problems of a big city always spill out out into the surrounding suburbs as time goes by. This also has the effect of keeping property values lower. GB is too close to Baltimore for me but I am happy it works for you.

[susanrahn]

Everyone is going to have their own opinions about the areas. Here is what i suggest to my clients: check out the schools at www.greatschools.net. as for safety... the easiest way to find out about an area is to ask a police officer in the area. you'd be surprised how receptive they are to people asking them safety questions about an area.
3rdly, ask people that you know about the area. when you know the person you are asking then you know how much weight to put on their reply. ex: if you are a lot like someone, you would probably have the same viewpoint.

whatever you decide, please make sure to work with a Realtor. Services are free for buyers and there is a lot involved with buying a house.
I'd be happy to help you.... I'm an associate broker with Keller Williams Flagship (right on benfield blvd in millersville).
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
www.susanrahn.com