living in North Beach... (Chesapeake Beach, Dunkirk: real estate, rent, new house)

[kaydeb]

Hello, all.

I'm starting a job in DC, Capitol Hill area, in a couple weeks. After much, much research, considering places just east of Capitol Hill and up around Logans Circle, and then looking at places around Upper Marlboro, I found North Beach.

I would consider purchasing a home, somewhere, be it AA or CC, but would like to live in the area first as a renter, before buying a "pig in a poke".

North Beach is about 35 miles from DC, on a more or less east to west commute.

I went down last week and drove around and looked at several of the "cottage" homes that are available for year-round rental.

fwiw, i live in rural Pennsylvania, so rural is what i'm used to. I don't need the "night life" setting.

if anyone lives around North Beach, or knows about it, here's what I want to know...

**I saw these signs about being in a flood area. are we talking about events like Agnes? or, will a torrential downpour bring the water into the town?

**Having never lived on the water, are the winters colder? Conversely, are the summers more humid?

**and the major question; what would the commute be like to DC? FWIW, my hours are 8:30 to 5:00, but the demands of my job would necessitate my being there at 7:30. so, is a 35 mile commute INTO DC doable if i left at 6:30?

also, fwiw, i can rent in north beach for about 1/4 of my net pay, whereas to live in DC proper, in a suitable place, would take about 60 percent of my net pay.

[i am not willing to live in a "group" home, bed&bath with house privileges. I'm a 40-something professional female and prefer not to live/play in the sandbox with the 20-somethings.]

Thanks.
kaydeb

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by kaydeb

Hello, all.

I'm starting a job in DC, Capitol Hill area, in a couple weeks. After much, much research, considering places just east of Capitol Hill and up around Logans Circle, and then looking at places around Upper Marlboro, I found North Beach.

I would consider purchasing a home, somewhere, be it AA or CC, but would like to live in the area first as a renter, before buying a "pig in a poke".

North Beach is about 35 miles from DC, on a more or less east to west commute.

I went down last week and drove around and looked at several of the "cottage" homes that are available for year-round rental.

fwiw, i live in rural Pennsylvania, so rural is what i'm used to. I don't need the "night life" setting.

if anyone lives around North Beach, or knows about it, here's what I want to know...

**I saw these signs about being in a flood area. are we talking about events like Agnes? or, will a torrential downpour bring the water into the town?

**Having never lived on the water, are the winters colder? Conversely, are the summers more humid?

**and the major question; what would the commute be like to DC? FWIW, my hours are 8:30 to 5:00, but the demands of my job would necessitate my being there at 7:30. so, is a 35 mile commute INTO DC doable if i left at 6:30?

also, fwiw, i can rent in north beach for about 1/4 of my net pay, whereas to live in DC proper, in a suitable place, would take about 60 percent of my net pay.

[i am not willing to live in a "group" home, bed&bath with house privileges. I'm a 40-something professional female and prefer not to live/play in the sandbox with the 20-somethings.]

Thanks.
kaydeb

In order:
1. Flood Prone Area
Depends on the street. Those right along the Bay will obviously flood during a tropical storm event. There is occasional flooding on those streets during a heavy downpour, the storm water system will just plain get overwhelmed, especially if the storm comes at high tide with a wind off the water. The storm surge from TS Isabel in 2003 was estimated to be 9 ft. That is why you see all the new construction on the waterview streets, those new houses replaced mostly single story, and some two story houses, that were not raised above the flood plane and were destroyed. I was wading through water 4 ft. deep the day after the storm. Further back in Town the streets are out of the flood zone and any flooding is localized and more related to yard and individual drainage issues. Also the Town is undercut by numerous underground springs which make life interesting in a wet year.
2. Weather
This part of MD generally has milder winters than most of PA. The Bay does have some mellowing effect on weather. A mile inshore may be below freezing while North Beach is a bit above 32. There are times that it will be snowing up the road a bit but raining here. This summer has been not a normal one-yes it is humid usually and hotter, but that really has nothing to do with the Bay but the fact that this part of MD is in the Humid Sub-tropical climate zone. Summer high temps in both North Beach and Chesapeake Beach tend to be a few degrees cooler than the inland part of Calvert County.
3. Commute
If you're going in to be there by 7:30, a better leave time might be 6. Rte 4 is bumper to bumper starting about 6:30 and only gets worse the closer to DC you get. An accident on it will shut the road down. There are a series of commuter buses that leave the Town beginning at 6. They are very popular.
4. Housing
You seemed to have checked prices, the waterview houses are obviously more expensive than those off the water. Some of the older beach cottages have been upgraded, meaning AC, while others have not. My house is one of the older ones in Town (90+ years) and does not have AC-$25K to install it- but has 3 ft. thick stone walls and cross ventilation. It was built prior to both home AC and electric service here.
5. Ancillary items you didn't ask
If you live in the incorporated Town itself, trash service is required and billed through the tax bill, your landlord will handle that. Water/Sewer is billed quarterly, the minimum charge is around $110 for a minimum use of 10,000 gallons. The bill is sent to the landlord. If you are outside the incorporated Town limits you will be on a well and either sewer or septic. When the electric goes out there you don't have water unless you have a generator while in Town the water and sewer continue to work. You also have to take care of your trash yourself, either with a trash service or taking to one of the Calvert County compactor sites.

Edit about flooding away from the water: even heavy rainstorms don't flood the streets away from the one or two right along the Bay.

DM me with the addresses you're considering and I can tell you more about many of the properties and the water/sewer service plus other questions you might think of. I'm not involved in any way with any aspect of the real estate industry.

[North Beach Person]

Should have shot you some web sites:

Welcome to North Beach, MD

Keller Transportation - Commuter Services

Calvert County

[kaydeb]

WOW, NBP,
you are a wealth of knowledge about this area. I just got in from work. need to feed the cat and decompress from the day. I'll get the addresses of a couple places i looked at and DM you.

thanks again,
kaydeb

[North Beach Person]

I gave you the wrong bus service from the Beach. Here is the correct one. You have to scroll down, it's the 904.

Maryland Transit Administration (http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/commuterbus/schedulesSystemMaps/index.cfm - broken link)

[PenguinSix]

You can catch the 904 right out of North Beach. I think the last one leaves at about 7:20 and gets to DC around 9:00 (depends on what part of DC and again on traffic). Being on the Hill will make it a bit easier. Sometimes if you miss it you can hop in the car and drive to Upper Marlboro or Waysons Corner and catch it before it leaves the area (I think it leaves Upper Marlboro about 7:50).

My best time from the US Capitol to the flagpole in C.Beach is 36 minutes, but I caught every light on Suitland and probably was driving a bit faster than a I should (this was on a Sunday). Normally I budget about 45 minutes to get to the Capitol, but I work off hours (10-7) so I usually miss most of the traffic.

The weather is a bit milder because of the water, but if you live right on the water you can also expect some rougher weather at times, such as when a storm comes through. A mild thunderstorm 5 miles inland is actually kind of like a nor-easter on the Bay itself, with waves lapping over and a briney spray covering your house with muck. I've had folks drive over from Dunkirk to my place on the Bay and be shocked at the difference in only 10 miles. From a misting rain to a hurricane they would say. Still, these are exceptions and again if you live only on the Bay proper.

The commute for work is manageable. The one thing we have trouble with is that many of our friends are in DC proper, and many of the places we like to go (certain stores, restaurants) are not easily substituted by places in the surrounding area. As such we end up driving on the weekends almost as much as we drive during the week.

I think North Beach has a city income tax, but I'm not sure what the rate is. I live in the unincorporated areas so I'm not saddled with it, though I do have to deal with a septic and well and plowing my own 'road' / driveway.

I'd really recommend driving the drive one day in rush hour just to see how it goes.

[Newk]

OP, you are contributing to the urban sprawl of the DC metro! WHY???

J/K good luck.

[North Beach Person]

The city income tax mentioned by Penguin 6 is actually a pass through to the Town from the state income tax collection. Tax collection in MD is different than what you're used to in PA-there is a state income tax, the rate is variable from 2% up to 6.25%. A County income tax is collected based on your state tax-in Calvert County it's 1/2 of your state total. The income tax municipalities receive is out of the state piece.

What he may be talking about is property tax, which I didn't mention as you indicated you would be renting initially. Municipalities in MD also collect property tax. The way that works is there is a County tax rate, and a town tax rate. Using Penguin as an example:
he lives in an unincorporated part of Calvert so his tax rate per 100 of assessed value is $.892
I live in an incorporated Town so my County tax rate per 100 is $.556 (town residents have a tax differential taken off their County rate). In addition to the County rate residents of an incorporated town pay a town property tax, in NB's case the rate is $.64/100 ( I think, I don't remember right now and I should since we just passed the budget). Residents of incorporated municipalities do pay higher property taxes. The theory behind the differential is that the town performs services in place of or in addition to the County so town residents should not have to pay the full County rate. Ths year the County Commissioners asked the two towns to submit a list of services provided by the Towns, North Beach's was two pages long. One example: North and Chesapeake Beach contract with the Sheriff's Department that employs 8 Deputies who's sole job is to to patrol the two Towns. In Penguin 6's case (if he lives near the Beaches he gets a benefit from our arrangement) the County has typically only 3 or 4 Deputies on the road at any one time while MSP has 2 Troopers on patrol.

In MD counties are much more important than in PA, the County funds the school system and you get a property tax bill only once a year whereas in PA you get one in the Spring and one in the Fall (I forget which is which, one is Town/County/Township and the other one is school).

Penguin6 did mention storms off the Bay, winter winds from the East are cold.