moving to Hunt Valley for work, help finding a neighborhood! (Baltimore: fit in, sale)

[tania056]

My job is relocating me to Cockeysville, MD. I’m looking to buy a condo or a townhouse, max $250,000. Any suggestions on good neighborhoods? I’m trying to stay closer to I-95 as I will be traveling to New Jersey often. Preferabbly North of Cockeysville. I’m 23 and a female so I’m really looking for the safest thing. I don’t need to be living in the city (expensive), but as long as I can drive to it I should be set. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I need to move in by October! Thanks!!

[kinkytoes]

Anything in that area is probably fine; but I would recommend finding a realtor and taking a few days to look at houses. Sadly, the month-to-month rent may be hard to find, and if you're a "first-time-homebuyer" you may want to make a purchase soon. Any Hunt Valley area realtor should be able to help.

[trickymost]

Originally Posted by tania056

My job is relocating me to Cockeysville, MD. I’m looking to buy a condo or a townhouse, max $250,000. Any suggestions on good neighborhoods? I’m trying to stay closer to I-95 as I will be traveling to New Jersey often. Preferabbly North of Cockeysville. I’m 23 and a female so I’m really looking for the safest thing. I don’t need to be living in the city (expensive), but as long as I can drive to it I should be set. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I need to move in by October! Thanks!!

250k in Baltimore County for a first time homebuyer should be plenty.

Also, in looking at city v county for Baltimore, you'll find that properties in the city and county tend to balance out in overall costs once property taxes are accounted for, so don't overlook a county property because it's sale price is higher than the city.

The housing market in Baltimore metro is generally stable, but you should probably rent for a while before making a decision to purchase. Prices will be steady at best and will continue to slide at worst, so there is really no pressure to buy. The homebuyer's credit will likely be extended/expanded as well, and by this point, you'd need to be far along in the purchase process to ensure closing in time to qualify for the existing credit.

Being 23, you may find you like a certain neighborhood or area after you get to know Baltimore, or your lifestyle may change, and you don't want to end up owning a condo in a building which is half occupied or in a townhouse in the city if you eventually plan on moving to a more traditional home in the county.

If your priorities beyond being able to get to 95 easily are having a walkable/urban lifestyle, you should consider looking in the city close to I83 in Mt. Washington (which is Baltimore City). If the urban lifestyle is less important, I'd check out Mays Chapel (close to Hunt Valley and basically right on 83/695) where there are plenty of nice condos and townhomes you should be able to find in that price range.

[medfieldbum]

tania---I concur that you should be looking for a good realtor. But I would strongly urge you not to buy until you've been here for a few months. It would be a grave mistake to buy something quickly after only a few looks, be unhappy, then have to try to sell in this market.

Cockeysville is not close to I95, but I understand you want to be close to work.
So, you might want to look closer to the Baltimore Beltway. Cockeysville, Lutherville, Timonium, and Mt. Washington are all among the "safest" areas.

[kanling]

I have to agree with medfieldbum. House prices are not rising (probably still falling). You'd be better off to rent for awhile and take the time to find the best location to buy.

North of Cockeysville there aren't many townhouses. Just a few in Hunt Valley. The farther north you go from Cockeysville, the farther you get from I-95, though.

Maybe look for an apartment in Towson, White Marsh, or Owings Mills. Owings Mills is the farthest from your two destinations, but has the best selection of apartment communities at the best prices. (About 30-40 minutes from Cockeysville during rush hour.)

[kinkytoes]

IMO if you work in Cockeysville, why not live there? What's with I-95? Did I miss something.

When I visit family and friends in NY, I always take the train. You can drive to Baltimore and take the train from Penn station if you want to visit NY, NJ or Philly. Personally I prefer that to driving. The Cockeysville/Hunt Valley area is one of the most affluent in MD, I believe.

I think you'll probably like living there.

[goldenkatie]

I tried to post but i think it ate it, so here is trying again..............Hi. I used to live in cockeysville when we were newlyweds, and my husband works in Hunt Valley and travels to NJ and NY once a week. I recommend you consider the areas of Glen Arm (zip code 21057 ), Phoenix, Fork. They are lovely areas, a nice commute to Hunt Valley, short and easy and pretty, and close to the interstate too. You'll get a free standing house for the same as you'd pay for a condo in cockeysville, but it's nicer and you keep your resale value if you decide to move. It's countryish feeling yet close to everything if that makes sense? great area!

[April000]

Tania- I think you are in a great situation. Hunt Valley, in my opinion, is the safest and nicest place to live and work in all of Baltimore County. I live in High View in Hunt Valley and absolutly love it. They are offering great deals right now that would fit in your price range. Another option (as others have mentioned) is to rent first. High View has a very small number of rentals, but several condo owners rent out their units as well. That way you woulc test it out before buying. When I was looking for a place I checked out many of the locations that others mentioned here but did not feel as safe. If safety is really important to you (as it was to me) this is the perfect community. Not to mention the surrounding area is beautiful!

It really depends on what is important to you. If you want to live in a more action-packed area, there is Towson. If you want a friendly and large community, there is High View. If you prefer a house and some land, goldenkatie had some good suggestions (head north).

I wouldn't worry too much about being closer to 95 unless you are planning on using it more than once a week. As long as you are not traveling to Jersey in rush hour, it should not be too much worse from Hunt Valley.

Hope that all helps. Good luck!!

[mdtopa]

You may want to try PA. The property in New Freedom, Shrewsbury and Stewartstown is cheaper.