Relocating ot Maryland, lots of Questions (Columbia, Silver Spring: condo, townhouse, theater)

[Sodakcpl]

Hi,

We're considering accepting an offer on a job in Silver Springs. This will be a huge change for us coming from the rural midwest. Hoping to keep my commute to an hour (give or take) and would like to keep the cost of housing below $400,000. What are the benefits of living in Maryland vs Virginia? Any suggestions on towns we should look at?

[Njrover0216]

I suggest Severna Park, you can live closer to 97 part, you can find a home in a few of the communities over there. SP is full of blue ribbon schools and is located in Anne Arundel County. The commute would be about 30 minutes. Best of luck to you.

[gracie07]

I have an Aunt and Uncle that live in Silver Spring, Md. Silver Springs is actually in Montgomery County and not close to Severna Park. I'm really not sure what the housing market is for that area. It would depend on the area. The closer you get to DC the more expensive the cost is going to be. Montgomery County is an expensive (rich) county in Maryland. You can make it from the Laurel area to Silver Spring in an area, and in between Laurel and Silver Spring is Burtonsville and the Calverton areas. They may be a little cheaper then being right in Silver Spring. Columbia is a little farther, and probably pretty expensive but close to an hours commute. I'm not as sure about counties in Virginia. I did live in Woodbridge about 20 years ago. Not much there back then, but things change. I still say that the closer you get to DC, the high the cost of living. Good Luck in your search and possible move. Lisa

[mariecug]

I think Laurel is a decent place that is still reasonably priced. Silver Spring itself is not too bad. Columbia is great and the commute to Silver Spring would take about 50 min during rush hour. But 400K will get you a townhouse....

MD (not sure about VA) has very good, expensive areas (Montgomery County) and very bad, empoverished areas (PG County).

[FrankLaw]

Originally Posted by Sodakcpl

Hi,

We're considering accepting an offer on a job in Silver Springs. This will be a huge change for us coming from the rural midwest. Hoping to keep my commute to an hour (give or take) and would like to keep the cost of housing below $400,000. What are the benefits of living in Maryland vs Virginia? Any suggestions on towns we should look at?

If you're going to be working in Silver Spring (note: No "s" at the end there) and you want to keep your commute under an hour, I think Virginia is basically out of the question. There will be some places in McLean, Great Falls and northern Fairfax that you could commute to Silver Spring from in under an hour, but you honestly won't find much in those communities under $400k.

I would start looking north of Silver Spring. But it's hard to suggest an area without knowing what your needs are. Do you have kids? Are you looking for a good school district or is walking distance to shopping/theaters more important? Are you looking for a house with a lawn or are you okay with a two-bedroom condo in a high-rise?

[rossco17]

Under $400k will be tough in/around Silver Spring. There's a nice area called University Park (I believe in Prince Georges County). Not sure what $400k will get you there, but everytime i drive through there I can't help but notice how nice it is. I'm in the Burtonsville area currently and $400k won't get much around here. VA is out of the question for a commute to SS.

[ebo202]

Yes, you can find something in Silver Spring around 400K. Prices are much more reasonable these days, thank God. Commuting from anywhere in Silver Spring isn't bad, but the 29 corridor is always a pain in the behind.

Oh and by the way... I just read some complaints about drivers acting like they own the road and driving over 20mph... It IS true, but not because they are idiots, more likely they are fed up. I drive fast to avoid the clusters of idiots on their cell phones or the Corolla zooming at a mighty 25 mph in a 45 zone.

[ebo202]

Sorry, just realized I didn't address your question...

Personally, not a big fan of VA. The roads are confusing, you have INSANELY ridiculous traffic in Northern VA and you have personal property tax to deal with. Oh and they are still duking out the super-high aggressive driving fines they just imposed.

Maryland isn't super fanstastic either, but I'm used to it and comfy with it.

Key things to keep in mind....

MD and VA are separated by a river. THat means only a few bridges for the entire commuting population to cross. McLean may be only 5-10 miles from Bethesda, but it takes over and hour to commute at rush hour/accident/inclement weather. Still, an hour commute is a fair estimate.

Both have decent public schools.

Access to metro can be a godsend. Metro can get you to most of the fun stuff in DC/MD/VA.

People are a different breed. They ARE friendly, but initially suspicious... Why are you smiling at me? You trying to sell me something? That kind of thing.

What you get for your money in the midwest is WORLDS different than here. You will get a small beater old home or a decent townhouse further out fromt he city.

[UAbear]

Maryland is better. The price of living is higher but so is the income revenue. Virginia just doesn't have that

[Merlander]

Originally Posted by Sodakcpl

Hi,

We're considering accepting an offer on a job in Silver Springs. This will be a huge change for us coming from the rural midwest. Hoping to keep my commute to an hour (give or take) and would like to keep the cost of housing below $400,000. What are the benefits of living in Maryland vs Virginia? Any suggestions on towns we should look at?

Sodakcpl, my suggestion is to live close to your work. This is one of the prime directives of DC, due to horrendous traffic. As another poster said, working in SS kind of rules out VA.

I don't know about housing costs there, but Silver Spring is IMO a great area. You may also want to check out Takoma Park if you want something closer in.