Help! Relocation to MD and Need to Commute to DC and Fort Meade (Baltimore: for sale, houses) - Maryland - City-Data Forum

jonmorri · 01-26-2007, 12:38 AM

I am moving to MD and will need to commute to Fort Meade and Gov't stops in DC. I am getting conflicting reports about good places to live. Here is what I define as "good" living - can anyone suggest some good areas to look in?

1. Decent housing for < 700k (~4000 sqft single family home)
2. Decent size yard
3. < 1 hour commute to DC and Fort Meade
4. Safe area

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

aharrison · 01-27-2007, 01:51 PM

You are probably not going to find a 4000 square foot home in Maryland for under $700,000 close to Fort Meade or D.C. You will probably have to go out to Carroll County or Harford County. Check out Westminster, Maryland

Kensington · 01-27-2007, 08:41 PM

When my husband worked at Ft. Meade, and I worked in downtown DC we lived in Crofton, Maryland in Anne Arundel Co. Depending on the time you leave it is about an hour commute to DC, though realistically it is about 1.25 hours on public transportation and about an hour driving, if you're lucky. I don't think you're going to find 4,000 sq. ft. within an hour commute to DC for less than 700,000. Good luck with your move.

Zippy7fo · 01-28-2007, 12:13 AM

Laurel has Summit Russitt developments. I don't know anything about 4000 sq ft homes so you would have to do the research. But its like 10 mins from Fort Meade. Your best bet would be Columbia which is a straight shot and about a 15-20 minute commute off route 32 or Annapolis area which is about the same commute time. Both are family friendly areas with good shopping/malls, restaurants, housing, and parks and lakes to walk the dog or exercise and feel safe......

teleblazer · 01-28-2007, 04:34 PM

I had the same commute and I was about pretty close on the commute time depending on traffic patterns to both of those locations (45 min to DC up to 1 hour 15 minutes to Ft. Meade). What you may find is the large home but not the yard or vice versa. Let me give you some examples...even in today's "buyer's market".

We have a neighbor from where we're trying to sell (Huntingtown, MD) who had a really small house and about a 1/2 acre yard. It stayed on the market at 680, dropped to 640k then they just took it off the market. No one wanted it due to the size of the house. This area has blue ribbon schools, safe neighboorhood, engaging and friendly families that are growing... but I guess that just wasn't enough during the last several months to accommodate for the smaller home and < 1 acre of land. Down the street another home a little larger (in your range) sold for almost 710, that was the LOWEST I've seen in that neighboorhood for the larger homes and it still had less than an acre of land.

Most of the "large land" areas are either still farms or diamonds in the rough with older homes on them that I've seen recently in those areas. That's not to say you won't find a jewel by looking.

What I recommend is determine which location you think you will travel to the most and if you have to flip a coin pick a home more close to that location. For me is was DC for many years which is why I ended up in Calvert County. Had I needed to get to Ft. Meade almost daily I might have selected Howard County and just suffered the commute to DC. That's just my take on it.

I will get beaten up if I recommend my own home that is for sale meeting almost all of your specs so I will follow up this with a personal message.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorri

I am moving to MD and will need to commute to Fort Meade and Gov't stops in DC. I am getting conflicting reports about good places to live. Here is what I define as "good" living - can anyone suggest some good areas to look in?

1. Decent housing for < 700k (~4000 sqft single family home)
2. Decent size yard
3. < 1 hour commute to DC and Fort Meade
4. Safe area

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

teleblazer · 01-28-2007, 04:48 PM

I found when I lived in VA that the commute time actually was worse when I involed the Metro. I would drive from Centreville, VA to the Vienna Metro station. Commute and change lines (orange to whatever color...like red or green) and then have more waiting time. It'd kill me coming home in the evenings because I would get to the end of the orange line and still have a commute from vienna back home. What a pain that is sometimes...

The home I ended up building in Southern Maryland, when I priced it in Faifax, VA in 2001 they wanted 800k to build it with no options!!! Oh my flipping goodness!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kensington

When my husband worked at Ft. Meade, and I worked in downtown DC we lived in Crofton, Maryland in Anne Arundel Co. Depending on the time you leave it is about an hour commute to DC, though realistically it is about 1.25 hours on public transportation and about an hour driving, if you're lucky. I don't think you're going to find 4,000 sq. ft. within an hour commute to DC for less than 700,000. Good luck with your move.

Madonna Inn · 01-31-2007, 07:46 AM

Dh just retired from the military. We use Ft. Meade for our services. He commuted to an area near College Park daily where he was stationed. It depends on where you need to go into DC and how often. There are many alternate routes to take, so if you're looking at a map, don't assume you'd have to find an area right off the beltway area.

Try realtor.com
Here's a nice house:PASADENA, MD 21122
MLS ID#: AA6258866

SEVERNA PARK, MD 21146
MLS ID#: AA6089223

ANNAPOLIS, MD 21401
MLS ID#: AA6119908

capt_amg · 03-12-2008, 03:08 AM

Hi, moving to MD this summer and will be working at Ft Meade. I am also getting different opinions as where to live in the area. I am looking for young professional atmosphere...I have no family with me, and not necesarily looking for suburbs...rather I prefer to live in the city environment, where I can walk to the closest bar/brewery/etc...

I've been looking at Federal Hill, and some people are telling me is great, but long commute to Ft Meade. My current commute here in FL is about 30 mins, which I think is ok. Other people are telling me that it's ok since I will go "against" the traffic commute in the morning and at the end of the day...

Any suggestions? I love the row houses there, and it's just what I'm looking as far as living atmosphere...

Suggestions?

lscalder · 03-12-2008, 07:39 AM

Take a look in Bowie or Upper Marlboro.

capt_amg · 03-12-2008, 09:59 AM

Thanks. I still want to know if Federal Hill is a feasible option if you work at Ft Meade with tolerable commute time. Looks like there is easy access to Baltimore-Washington Pkwy from Federal Hill, and Google map says about 17 miles/28 mins (of course that doesnt account for traffic). What are the heavy traffic patterns during peak times (7:30 AM and 5PM)?