What was your experience with building a home in PG County? (Bowie: to rent, HOA)

[Tim McDaniels Sr.]

If I decide to relocate from Atlanta to PGC, I plan to rent for a year or two. My preference after renting is to build a home.

Was it fairly easy to locate land to build on or did you use one of the production builders like Beazer, Pulate, etc...?

[Turnerbro]

Try googling Custom home builders in Maryland. Bare in mind due to COVID lead times are quite long right now. Also some custom home builders skip over Pg county and only build in Montgomery, Howard and Anne Arundel. The process is fairly straight forward if you can find a lot available.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

Try googling Custom home builders in Maryland. Bare in mind due to COVID lead times are quite long right now. Also some custom home builders skip over Pg county and only build in Montgomery, Howard and Anne Arundel. The process is fairly straight forward if you can find a lot available.

The trick, as alluded to above, will be finding a lot. Unless you go to an already built up area and build on an infill lot you're likely going to find that building lots outside the Beltway are sold in 5/10/15/or more acre parcels.

[Tim McDaniels Sr.]

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

Try googling Custom home builders in Maryland. Bare in mind due to COVID lead times are quite long right now. Also some custom home builders skip over Pg county and only build in Montgomery, Howard and Anne Arundel. The process is fairly straight forward if you can find a lot available.

Why do they skip over PGC?

Or is this something you've made up for whatever reason?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by Tim McDaniels Sr.

Why do they skip over PGC?

Or is this something you've made up for whatever reason?

Some of it is because, historically going back to the 1950s anyway, Prince George's had a "Pay to Play" environment in the building permit and inspection departments where squeeze was expected to be offered.

Also, because housing values in the County lag behind the rest of the region it was more lucrative to build elsewhere.

It used to be a $400K house in Montgomery would be $280K in Prince George's.

EDIT:
The "Pay to Play" behavior has lessened in recent years due to some high profile convictions (including a former County Executive, Delegate and school Superintendent) not to mention some of the small fry worker bees.

[Tim McDaniels Sr.]

Assuming the lag behind comment is true, why do they lag behind? Let me guess, because of blacks?

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Some of it is because, historically going back to the 1950s anyway, Prince George's had a "Pay to Play" environment in the building permit and inspection departments where squeeze was expected to be offered.

Also, because housing values in the County lag behind the rest of the region it was more lucrative to build elsewhere.

It used to be a $400K house in Montgomery would be $280K in Prince George's.

EDIT:
The "Pay to Play" behavior has lessened in recent years due to some high profile convictions (including a former County Executive, Delegate and school Superintendent) not to mention some of the small fry worker bees.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by Tim McDaniels Sr.

Assuming the lag behind comment is true, why due they lag behind? Let me guess, because of blacks?

That's the go to answer but it was also true back when the County was 90% White. Most of the posters here don't remember that time, or more likely choose to ignore it, so racism becomes the default response.

I'm old enough, and had been involved in the County before moving to Maryland, to remember that and taught long enough to see the school population go from 85% White to what it was when I retired (I think 70% Black, I may be wrong on the high side). The school where I spent the bulk (25 years) of my career went from 75% White to 92% Black in that time.

[Tim McDaniels Sr.]

Thanks for the clarity. It seems, regardless of race, PGC is the unwanted step-child, for whatever reason. An unshakeable stigma, earned or not.

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

That's the go to answer but it was also true back when the County was 90% White. Most of the posters here don't remember that time, or more likely choose to ignore it, so racism becomes the default response.

I'm old enough, and had been involved in the County before moving to Maryland, to remember that and taught long enough to see the school population go from 85% White to what it was when I retired (I think 70% Black, I may be wrong on the high side). The school where I spent the bulk (25 years) of my career went from 75% White to 92% Black in that time.

[the resident09]

I think the first question is your expected budget for building a custom home in Prince George's.

Woods of Woodmore is a small private community of custom made homes, but these are mansions starting around 1.5 million:

https://classichomesofmaryland.com/l...more-bowie-md/

Now further South in the County, or in the beginning of Charles County you can find builders like this that are much more reasonable, my guess is $400-600k range:

https://litzcustomhomes.com/

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by the resident09

I think the first question is your expected budget for building a custom home in Prince George's.
.......

I also checked the New Home Source website, as I knew of the magazine they distributed. It is advertising by production builders. There were ads for condos in National Harbor and townhouses in Bowie. Otherwise, single family home communities were in Millersville and Odenton in Anne Arundel County. SFH's were in the $600K to $790K range.
https://www.newhomesource.com/commun...georges-county

I know there have been nice newer SFH communities in Bowie, Mitchellville and Woodmore. I suggest the OP look for communities with an HOA to help ensure the value of the community.