Howard County Neighborhoods (Columbia, Fort Meade: section 8, short sale, foreclosure)

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by itlchick

My big thing for a "bad" neighborhood is disorganization. Are people milling about? Is there any trash on the ground? Are the cars in disrepair? Are kids unmonitored? Is the grass cut? Are people hanging out around store fronts? What's the area like at 11p? And - my favorite - go to the grocery store. If you see fruit flies, broken carts, rude cashiers - you're not in a good area.

And honestly, as my mother always says, you get what you pay for. The prices should reflect the quality of the neighborhood. In addition, you can look up the school ratings. Finally, (I'm not a real estate person), a buying agent will tell you where the good areas are.

Excellent response and thank you. I think those are very good things to look for and in the areas being discussed would be very telling and would be very helpful to a perspective buyer. You obviously know the areas in question and have given very good information. I am glad you responded so the reader doesn't have to guess and look for the wrong things.

Thank You

[Jmandl]

This is a great thread and very helpful because I am also moving to Columbia and did not know where to start. I did look at schools and found out that Athelton HS is in the top 10. I was thinking of renting a townhouse so that the kids will be zoned for the HS when they are ready to go. They are currently in 4th and 6th grade.

Also, since we are moving in the summer, we still have a little time to decide between Ellicott City and Columbia. Any thoughts?

[koofie]

I think where you live depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to spend. Typically, houses are more expensive in EC. If you post more info, like what type of neighborhood you'd like and how much you want to spend for what size house, ect, I think we can give you more input.

[Jmandl]

We are looking to rent a townhouse for appr $2000 a month in a safe, family friendly neighborhood. Frankly, all of the posts that I have been reading have really scared me re: how to choose the right place to live. Currently, I live in NJ in a very safe area and althogh we have areas of crime and etc, they seem to be isolated pockets that I have managed to stay away from. It seems that in MD everything is very mixed and a good neighborhood is only good for a couple of blocks. I live near NYC and have been in the city numerous times. In fact, I love NYC and will miss it very much. It has improved tremendously since Giulianni was mayor. He really picked it up from the dumps that it was in and turned it around.

Anyway, my major criteria for picking a town to live in is safety and good schools, and a family friendly neighborhood where we can really establish roots. Also, it has to be somewhat close to Woodlawn where my husband now works.

[koofie]

Hmmm... I don't know much about what things rent for around here, just what things are selling for. Columbia is built to be very integrated, with houses, townhouses and apartments in close proximity. EC might be a few minutes closer for your husband's commute, but probably not a huge difference. If I were you, I'd get in touch with a realtor, since many people now list their rentals, and find out some basic information from them, such as what you can get for your money where, and then branch out on your own search after you feel like you know what is a reasonable price. Once you have a lead on a few areas, you can ask about them - its a little easier to give feedback about specific areas!

[Jmandl]

I guess my question is what neighborhoods should I even be looking at. I want to know a little background before I talk to a Realtor because I don't want them to trick me into a place where I would not want to be. From the research that I have done, it seems that $2000 is an OK price. However, when I look on the internet, I am not sure what neighborhoods i am looking at.

We are planning to rent initially and then buy. Since i don't want the kids to switch schools again, I want to find an area that we can rent and then buy and be comfortable and safe in.

Our price to buy will depend on how much we sell our house for here in NJ.

I am also confused about school zoning. Where do you have to live to be zoned for Athelton HS. Is EC a better overall place to live than Columbia.

MD is very diff than NJ. In NJ, I can tell you about almost every town in Bergen County. If it is good/bad, crime, good schools or not. I can't seem to get that feel re: Columbia or EC. Also, our towns are a lot smaller so the population is not as diverse.

[koofie]

Here are some resources that might help:
HC police crime maps - Crime Statistics/Maps
HCPSS school boundary lines - Howard County Public School System
Columbia is more of a planned community than EC. The neighborhoods often encompass apartments, townhomes and SFH, so sometimes it is difficult to say “live in these neighborhoods”. To be even more confusing, the neighborhoods are located in different villages, with is a collection of neighborhoods. For instance, I bought my house in the Jeffers Hill Neighborhood of the Village of Longreach. Here is a link to information about the villages: Columbia Association
Columbia has tons of walkways and bikepaths, which makes it very walkable. Most schools in HC bus kids only if the live a mile away or it they would have to cross a busy/dangerous street, so therefore close proximity to schools is nice for your kids!
From what I have seen of EC, there are lots of smaller neighborhoods off of larger roads. The houses often have larger lots, and I haven’t seen quite as many neighborhoods with sidewalks. There are also EC neighborhoods that look just like Columbia and the zoning for schools does not end at the city lines, so there are schools that cover both Columbia and EC.
The best way I found to learn about everything it to investigate rentals as if you were going to rent them next month. Look at the ones you really like and learn all about that neighborhood – ask lots of questions. You will gradually learn about a lot of different communities, so that when it is time to make your decision, you have knowledge on your side.

[trying2moveup]

Definitely rent i you are unsure. I know from experience that it is a pain in the butt to move twice, essentially, but buying ahouse is not like buying a pair of jeans that you can return ify ou decide you don't like them anymore. Rent rent rent and refamiliarize yourself with the area. Nothing around here is really in anyone's price range that doesn't need considerable work at pre-boom prices. The boom jacked it all up and I believe it still needs to fall another 30-40% to get back in line with income affordability but it appears, even after 2 years of a 'bust" that that will never happen. . .

[koofie]

Originally Posted by trying2moveup

The boom jacked it all up and I believe it still needs to fall another 30-40% to get back in line with income affordability but it appears, even after 2 years of a 'bust" that that will never happen. . .

I doubt that will happen, because it will completely screw all of the people who bought a house in the last 5-8 (?) years, and I'm sure that is a large portion of the population. I think there are too many people ready to buy at a price higher than a 30-40% decline, and as long as people buy at a certain price, the market won't sink further. We bought our house last year at a price lower than it sold for in early 2005. Prices in Columbia seem to be leveling off slightly, although I don't know it it will hold through the spring.

[Jmandl]

Thanks for all the info koofie. I was up half the night and all today researching neighborhoods.

I realized that I don't have to choose only between Columbia or Ellicott City. So I started looking at the nearby carroll county at sykesville or eldersburg. Overall, the houses are much more afordable and it does not seem to be too bad of a commute for my husband.

If anyone has any more info on these particular neighborhoods, or other neighborhoods that seem to be nice and family friendly, I will be really glad to listen.