bigger rowhouses & some north of Patt Park questions (Baltimore: sales, apartment complexes)

[L in sobo]

Originally Posted by picardlx

How come this his house is on the market for so long?....

2410 Erdman Ave, Baltimore, MD 21213 - Zillow

What's the neighborhood like?

This is the neighborhood that we have been discussing... (go back to the posts about Mayfield) But it is bumped up against Belair-Edson which is not good and the OP thought that she was looking in Mayfield when she was actually looking at a home in Belair-Edson.

[rootless_in_va]

Originally Posted by L in sobo

You are right. Her dream house is locatied in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city according to Wikipedia. That property sold for $82k in 2003- at the height of the market- which should tell you something. Anything past Richmond is Belair-Edison.

Belair-Edison, Baltimore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know that Rootless claims that safety is not on her list but dangerous neighborhoods in Baltimore city are not to be taken lightly- a researcher was murdered last year next to Herring Run Park Dr. Peter Marvit, NIH researcher, fatally shot near Maryland home, police say - Crimesider - CBS News

I think that Reservior Hill or actually in Mayfield boundries- which would be more expensive- would make more sense for anyone.

Thank you, that's helpful. No, I don't want to live somewhere dangerous enough that we risk getting shot. That particular street and section seemed good, though, on a drive-by. Nothing vacant, no trash, every sign of people who care about their property. There certainly were places a few blocks away where I wouldn't want to be, though, noticed on the same drive through.

I'm still trying to get a sense, honestly, of what people mean by "safe" and "not safe". There's a difference between "maybe your car will be broken into" and "you could be shot". The former is a risk I'm willing to take for a better-fit house over, say, the shoebox in Hampden that the same money would buy. The latter... yeah, no. I did want to put the link up to show the style of rowhouse, but it makes sense that it'd be hard to find one in similar condition w/upgrades and the like.

And actually there was a sfh on Lake Ave. in Mayfield proper that had our attention first that sold with multiple offers unfortunately a couple months before we were done working on our house-- that one came a lot closer to "dream house". That was the one that got me looking around that area.

All three of the Res Hill ones would be great, and we do easily qualify for the income-limited ones. The non-income qualified new one looks like too much house, although it's absolutely gorgeous, I wonder about the heating bills-- although it's zoned cooling, which is awesome. It's stunning, no doubt about it.

[L in sobo]

It is important to know what you are getting into to. And you are certainly doing your homework by reading and posting on these boards. I have heard horror stories from friends and I have read horror stories of people online that have bought a house in a neighborhood during the boom that has more crime than they can handle.
It is my opinion that everyone that actually lives in the city can attest that we are talking about serious crime when talking about crime. No one is discussing car-breakins (and there is no "maybe" your car get broken into- your car WILL get broken into if you leave something in it)... that doesnt even show up on the radar when you are talking about crime in Baltimore city. "Safe" means low chance of being robbed at gun-point, mugged, car-jacked or attacked. I have had friends that have all of those things happen - and they were in neighborhoods that were more risky. I live in a shoe-box in Federal Hill and I have never witnessed or known someone that has been violently assaulted in Fed Hill with the exception of a few teenage girls that attacked another female near cross street market. (which is a few blocks away from us). I actually had a round of discussion with people on this forum from Reservoir Hill that claimed that they didnt live in a high-crime neighborhood because of some street dealing. I would venture to guess that you ask 95% of the people in this country that if they drove into a neighborhood and were bombarded by drug dealing- would they think that they were in a high-crime area? UH, yes. But I understand their point- I have lived on a block with a dealer house before and they honestly never bothered us while we were there.

I would definitely check the crimes data online Baltimore Crime Map - Baltimore Police Department Official Web Site - City of Baltimore...and enter in any address you are interested in. That will give you a good idea as to what crimes are going on.

I keep thinking about Union Square for your needs- the people that describe that area describe neighbors that live in their castles and dont really walk around too much. But they have a hardcore neighborhood association- and really nice neighbors and huge houses. Or Reservoir Hill- some of the people on this forum are very enthusiastic about their 'hood. Union Square would be much cheaper than RH- but the crime is probably higher. They have something like 10% break-ins each year.... so basically if you live there 10 years you are going to get robbed. And one resident described how he would wake up to gunshots, count how many he heard, then go back to sleep. He would then look at the front of his property to see if his brick was nicked the next day.... You might hear gunshots in Reservoir Hill as well- you would have to ask a resident. I have friends that live in Pigtown that hear gunshots all of the time so it is probably the same over in RH.
As far as your earlier post on taxes - a higher social safety net?- I hope you are joking. The police dont even come out when you call them in a consistent manner (a real emergency will bring them out but good luck on a low level need- I used to bartend at a neighborhood bar in Canton and I would have to call the police for fights or homeless people peeing on barstools and scratching customers and the cops would never show up). The taxes go down the rabbit hole that is the city government- you wont even get your street plowed during a snowstorm...

[L in sobo]

You said you were from VA? There is no personal property tax in MD- so there is saving there. I believe that VA has personal property taxes... correct? On cars, etc?

Also- not to make an assumption - but you sound pretty liberal. You will fit right in if you are because city residents are so liberal they assume that you are liberal just because you live here! Most conservatives dont even tell people they are conservative because they are so far outnumbered.... until they get a few drinks in them and use coded language to seek out other conservatives... like an underground society of sorts. But neighborhoods outside of the city are more conservative or tolerant of conservatives- like Arbutus, Essex, Glen Burnie etc. But inside the city limits it is far far left.

[chariega]

I can say after living here (res hill) nearly 3 months (not long), I haven't heard gun shots. I can also say that unless you're over by the ball court near white lock (I think) or hanging around the vacants on Callow and LOOKING for drug activity, you may not notice it and I don't even know if that's what they're doing--I can only assume, but these kids aren't wearing drug dealer name tags. They just look shady so I wouldn't invite them in for tea, but that's living in the city.

As for the police, my first experience was when I set my ADT system to away and my pets set off the security alarm. When I got back to my house there were 4 cops waiting full armour like they were seal team 6 hunting for bin laden. Yes--there is crime, it's a city. But it's not 1980s Compton or the area of Puerto Rico where I used to live and would hear shots all night. As long as you're not a drug dealer, or have shady friends, you'll be fine

[L in sobo]

Well, I read about how great RH is- then I talk my husband into going up and looking at houses in the neighborhood and we get offered drugs from different groups. Either we look like we are in the market- or we are just in the neighborhood on a bad day or on the wrong streets. I was trying to figure out exactly the route we took the last couple of time but I cant remember. I know we were on Callow street one time years ago - and all of the developed condos that were online were boarded up- and we had someone chase our car. (and I know when someone is offering us drugs- I am not some babe in the woods. )

I love the housing stock-the homes are truly beautiful- so if I could get a driveby that didnt involve a shady encounter- I think I could convince family that it is safe there.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Well it is transitional still, for sure.

[ToneGrail]

Originally Posted by L in sobo

This is the neighborhood that we have been discussing... (go back to the posts about Mayfield) But it is bumped up against Belair-Edson which is not good and the OP thought that she was looking in Mayfield when she was actually looking at a home in Belair-Edson.

This house is actually on the "good" side of Crossland. As long as you stay west of Crossland you should be ok. Neighborhood boundaries are pretty rigid in Baltimore. There is usually some sort of geographic or physical barrier separating good from bad. Of course there are your occasioinal stragglers who cross over from the hood looking for fresh meat, but for the most part if you stay on "your side of the tracks" you should be ok. If you go for a walk on Erdman, just head east toward Lake Montabello, not west.

[ToneGrail]

Originally Posted by ToneGrail

This house is actually on the "good" side of Crossland. As long as you stay west of Crossland you should be ok. Neighborhood boundaries are pretty rigid in Baltimore. There is usually some sort of geographic or physical barrier separating good from bad. Of course there are your occasioinal stragglers who cross over from the hood looking for fresh meat, but for the most part if you stay on "your side of the tracks" you should be ok. If you go for a walk on Erdman, just head east toward Lake Montabello, not west.

Sorry I meant to say head west, not east.

[goodlife36]

Comcast is too expensive. What are my alternatives?