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But I would buy into the actual Square- the block around the Union Square Park- at $219k long before going north of Patterson park on the 100 or 200 North blocks for over $200k. The only reason why those houses north of Patterson are priced so high is because people want to live in Canton and cant afford the size of house in Canton that they want and developers know it. I think Union S is a much more attractive neighborhood than 200 North of Patterson. And you will get 2000 + sq feet of living space!
But the pipes- your guess is as good as mine.The houses that we toured had all of the kitchens on the first floor. It has 2 staircases and high ceilings. I thought the houses over there were magical- I LOVED the historical charm, the multiple staircases, the grand size of the properties... just something to think about.
Wanted to update my thread, since we were just in Bmore this weekend for an event and stayed after to drive around potential neighborhoods since it was late on a Saturday night, figured we'd see if they felt "unsafe" (I still don't really know what that means to people, to be honest-- it can mean such different things to different people!).
Let's see... we knocked Patterson Park/Patterson Place or anything like it off the list for practicality reasons-- the parking difficulty is just too severe. There will be good days when I don't mind not getting a spot near home, but I have chronic pain and sometimes have it pretty badly, and there will absolutely be days when walking a couple of blocks for lack of a spot after, say, driving back from NoVa (since there's a monthly thing I always go to) and getting home near midnight is going to absolutely kill me. It also felt just a little too congested. I think we're not quite urban *enough* for the pace of some of the more downtown neighborhoods, and walkable businesses aren't a need for either one of us. A nearby park, though, would be greatly appreciated by both of us.
Ednor Gardens/Lakeside also got knocked off the list-- good grief, the parking situation is actually *worse* there! We had a target house on, I think, Kennewick? and if there was an open spot at midnight on Saturday within six blocks of that place, I'd eat it. And I don't need absolute privacy, but there's *no* privacy there, just chain-link fences where everyone sees everyone's everything. Coming from the most private house on my block (unless you're looking from next door or the house behind us, you literally cannot see into this house at all), I think that would really freak me out.
Lake Montebello in person was so pretty! I drove by the block with the house I loved but couldn't get to in time, on Chesterfield Ave, and it was lovely. Loved the set-back porches, stained glass around the doors, and how everyone had gardens out front! That's exactly the kind of thing I'd go for-- it didn't have AC, but it was so low priced that it would be completely possible to have it put in.
(Interesting house, L in Sobo, very pretty, but utterly impractical for us. The kitchen not only has no counter space, it has *no counters at all*. And no AC, yet priced over 200k, and I don't know if it had a finished basement, I just got to the kitchen and bailed.)
Basically, we're homebodies who also work at home. Which means the house itself has to be right for what we need, because we're going to spend almost all our time there. Square footage matters, and a practical kitchen you can actually cook in (I don't care about granite and fingerprint (whoops, I mean, stainless steel) appliances, I do care about having to do all my prep on the dining room table because there's no counter space) matters. I'd still like some kind of den-like space, too, be it a second room on the main floor or a finished/semifinished basement-- we game a lot, two gaming spaces would be very welcome. Preferably in a place with a little character, and in a friendly, involved, down-to-earth neighborhood.
Res Hill is a definite possibility, drove around and liked it and love the park so close. Only thing that concerns me is the comment about shoddy renovations. There are two places solidly in our range and they look identical inside, clearly done by the same flippers. Were they done well? (Chariega, look for my incoming PM, we're also coming from Annandale and your realtor sounds perfect! The dude I called who Zillow rated well is a dolt. Well, he's probably fine for the trendy neighborhoods but has no idea how to think outside them at all-- told me Res Hill was 500k and up. And yes, if the LiveBaltimore page has the right income qualifications, I think we'd have no problem.)
I think we're open to the idea of another SFH, if the yard is simple to maintain and doesn't have a ton of big trees. The event I was at was up Harford Rd. and seemed like a great neighborhood, reminded me a lot of upstate NY where we grew up. I'm open to very close-in county, too, as long as it's unpretentious and friendly. A while back we drove around a place in Loch Raven Village and I really liked that area, and there's a house on my list in Dundalk that looks good-- any thoughts about either of those
Don't know much about Loch Raven Village or Dundalk, but Mayfield (where I think your Chesterfield Ave house is, in between Harford and Belair rds) is a solid little neighborhood that has been so for a long time. I have friends there and I'm impressed by it.
There are lots of SFHs in NE Baltimore in and around Hamilton you might enjoy.
About Res Hill renovations - if the two "identical" properties you're talking about are on Brookfield and Linden I can assure you those are very high quality, and they aren't done by flippers. Those are houses with subsidy money coming through Healthy Neighborhoods Inc, owned by Druid Heights CDC, rehabbed by Harbor Development. There will be another one on Linden soon, and a couple others elsewhere in the coming months. Income cut-off is 120% of AMI. They may lack a bit of the historic character on the inside but the energy-saving features are insanely nice.
You can usually spot a shoddy rehab with a minimally-trained eye. The worrying ones are where structural issues got papered over, or old electric work remained buried. Shoddy rehabs are most frustrating because they temporarily screw up a house that has great bones and deserved better. The (lack of) quality is usually reflected in the price and hidden problems aren't the norm. But these are big houses that cost big money to do right if they were gut rehabs. It's often the short sales that are good bets because someone already paid up for a proper $375k renovation that is now being sold for $225k. So the seller (and the bank) provide the subsidy. On those couple HNI houses the subsidy is more obvious.
Let's see... we knocked Patterson Park/Patterson Place or anything like it off the list for practicality reasons-- the parking difficulty is just too severe. There will be good days when I don't mind not getting a spot near home, but I have chronic pain and sometimes have it pretty badly, and there will absolutely be days when walking a couple of blocks for lack of a spot after, say, driving back from NoVa (since there's a monthly thing I always go to) and getting home near midnight is going to absolutely kill me. It also felt just a little too congested. I think we're not quite urban *enough* for the pace of some of the more downtown neighborhoods, and walkable businesses aren't a need for either one of us. A nearby park, though, would be greatly appreciated by both of us.
Ednor Gardens/Lakeside also got knocked off the list-- good grief, the parking situation is actually *worse* there! We had a target house on, I think, Kennewick? and if there was an open spot at midnight on Saturday within six blocks of that place, I'd eat it. And I don't need absolute privacy, but there's *no* privacy there, just chain-link fences where everyone sees everyone's everything. Coming from the most private house on my block (unless you're looking from next door or the house behind us, you literally cannot see into this house at all), I think that would really freak me out.
Lake Montebello in person was so pretty! I drove by the block with the house I loved but couldn't get to in time, on Chesterfield Ave, and it was lovely. Loved the set-back porches, stained glass around the doors, and how everyone had gardens out front! That's exactly the kind of thing I'd go for-- it didn't have AC, but it was so low priced that it would be completely possible to have it put in.
(Interesting house, L in Sobo, very pretty, but utterly impractical for us. The kitchen not only has no counter space, it has *no counters at all*. And no AC, yet priced over 200k, and I don't know if it had a finished basement, I just got to the kitchen and bailed.)
Basically, we're homebodies who also work at home. Which means the house itself has to be right for what we need, because we're going to spend almost all our time there. Square footage matters, and a practical kitchen you can actually cook in (I don't care about granite and fingerprint (whoops, I mean, stainless steel) appliances, I do care about having to do all my prep on the dining room table because there's no counter space) matters. I'd still like some kind of den-like space, too, be it a second room on the main floor or a finished/semifinished basement-- we game a lot, two gaming spaces would be very welcome. Preferably in a place with a little character, and in a friendly, involved, down-to-earth neighborhood.
I think we're open to the idea of another SFH, if the yard is simple to maintain and doesn't have a ton of big trees. The event I was at was up Harford Rd. and seemed like a great neighborhood, reminded me a lot of upstate NY where we grew up. I'm open to very close-in county, too, as long as it's unpretentious and friendly. A while back we drove around a place in Loch Raven Village and I really liked that area, and there's a house on my list in Dundalk that looks good-- any thoughts about either of those
Okay- this says more about your needs... so you like the idea of living in the city but arent willing to put up with city living. Parking, counter space, square footage, charm, safety and privacy are very pricey in the downtown area. You cannot find ALL of those things without spending a mint.
Your best bet would be Hamilton/Christopher or Reservoir Hill (if RH qualifies as "safe" to you- I would be willing to consider that neighborhood- my husband would not). Hamilton has SFHs. My only caution is that property values have not been steady up in the NE- not sure where they are heading. Dickyville is an outside of the box option- historic SFHs in an old mining village. But counter space ? Not sure about that....
Dundalk... sigh... I know alot of people that live there and love it but it is not a fashionable neighborhood and has a bad reputation from the outside. Most of the people I know are from Dundalk originally. It has a culture of it's own. Small town-ish, tight-knit, working class. But it hits all of your wishlist- and the taxes are low because it is located in the county. Taxes in the city are .02345 and county taxes are half of that. So a $200,000 home will cost you around $4500 in taxes vs. $2100 in Dundalk.
Essex, Dundalk, Middle River, Glen Burnie might hit your needs- they are water-oriented communities so boaters and tikibars are common. Housing stock is affordable SFHs with county taxes. Or you could opt for closer to the city- Arbutus, Violetville- hard-core Ravens country. Lower middle- to middle class... salt of the earth types. Again both places have county taxes. Arbutus has SFHs and Violetville has larger rowhouses.
Good luck- you will find what you need I am sure! Let us know how it goes...
I looked up Mayfield... it looks nice! Is this a secret little neighborhood? Who lives there? Beautiful homes...
EndsorGarndens- Lakeside.. this is old Memorial Stadium area... I didnt think that area was safe but that is an old impression from when I was a kid going to games.
I looked up Mayfield... it looks nice! Is this a secret little neighborhood? Who lives there? Beautiful homes...
EndsorGarndens- Lakeside.. this is old Memorial Stadium area... I didnt think that area was safe but that is an old impression from when I was a kid going to games.
EGL is fine, it was not in the 90s. Near to it there are problems but there too they are improving.
Mayfield was where gays who tired of mt Vernon moved to in the 80s and 90s, I've heard. Still gay folks, some young families ... It's a pretty diverse crowd in age.
EGL is fine, it was not in the 90s. Near to it there are problems but there too they are improving.
Mayfield was where gays who tired of mt Vernon moved to in the 80s and 90s, I've heard. Still gay folks, some young families ... It's a pretty diverse crowd in age.
Hmmm.. interesting. Thanks for your reply. I need to "move up" to a more diverse neighborhood in age. The 20-somethings have taken over South Baltimore.
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pipes in kitchen
