Moving to MD and so overwhelmed! (Silver Spring, Bethesda: apartment complexes, rental, condo)

[Overwhelmed29]

Hi everybody I am trying to make my way to MD but having a hard time picking a city. I have a 12 year old son and I am a single mother, I may work in DC or MD area but looking for affordable housing, safety, decent commute and obviously great schools. My son also has a learning disability so SPED services are equally important. Does anybody have any suggestions? I don't mind driving 30 minutes to work in DC but afraid of horrendous daily traffic.

Montgomery County is ideal as I checked some of the schools with positive ratings BUT the rent is ridiculously pricey. I am coming from Boston which is an expensive place to live but there were pockets of affordability and the opportunity for great schools.

Driving is the least of my worries. I looked on apartment ratings website and read some horrible reviews on apartment complexes.

So I'm STUCK!!

Please help

Thank you!

[Smilin Joe Fission]

Originally Posted by Overwhelmed29

Hi everybody I am trying to make my way to MD but having a hard time picking a city. I have a 12 year old son and I am a single mother, I may work in DC or MD area but looking for affordable housing, safety, decent commute and obviously great schools. My son also has a learning disability so SPED services are equally important. Does anybody have any suggestions? I don't mind driving 30 minutes to work in DC but afraid of horrendous daily traffic.

Montgomery County is ideal as I checked some of the schools with positive ratings BUT the rent is ridiculously pricey. I am coming from Boston which is an expensive place to live but there were pockets of affordability and the opportunity for great schools.

Driving is the least of my worries. I looked on apartment ratings website and read some horrible reviews on apartment complexes.

So I'm STUCK!!

Please help

Thank you!

Maryland is really one of those states where there's no reason to move here unless you have a very specific need. If you don't have a job lined up, and don't even have a particular city in mind, why not just move somewhere else in the country that isn't so overcrowded and expensive, and that has a low cost of living and good schools?

In MD you're not going to find anyplace that has low crime, good schools, low cost of living, and lots of jobs available without a commute. You can find places that meet any of these individual criteria, but none that meet all of them at once. You need to pick which of those factors are most important to you, and compromise on the others. That's just the calculation everyone who moves here goes through. Most people do it because they have a great job or really compelling reason to move here lined up that offsets any other problems.

[Fissure226]

Originally Posted by Smilin Joe Fission;13781551[B

]Maryland is really one of those states where there's no reason to move here unless you have a very specific need. If you don't have a job lined up, and don't even have a particular city in mind, why not just move somewhere else in the country that isn't so overcrowded[/b] and expensive, and that has a low cost of living and good schools?

Ummmm, mabey you're not aware that MD has one of the strongest job markets in that nation, or that MD led the nation in March for job growth, or that it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the county. Where else would you suggest her to move move?

Anyways, @Overwhelmed29: Do you don't you have an actuall job lined up? You were kind of vague on that detail. Also, it would help if we knew what kind of amenities and environment you are looking for were you move to. Lastly of course would be how much you willing to pay for rent.

[Gabrielle]

I think the first step is to find a job, which will determine how much you can afford to pay for rent, which will determine where to live...

[medfieldbum]

I agree with the above posters. However, moving someplace without first having a job and yet having a special needs child is a little, um, unwise, perhaps--unless you are in certain very skilled occupations where you can get a job anywhere.
As one of the others put it, where you're working and how much you're able to pay in rent should be the two guiding factors first. All the other stuff will have to come later.

[bdagain]

Hi.....what is your rental budget monthly. Howard County is wonderful, mostly safe, excellent schools and wonderful networks for sped kids. If you can give me the ballpark you can afford, I can tell you which areas of Howard to look in that are safe and decent for a single mom and 12 year old.
bd

[$mk8795]

Originally Posted by Smilin Joe Fission

Maryland is really one of those states where there's no reason to move here unless you have a very specific need. If you don't have a job lined up, and don't even have a particular city in mind, why not just move somewhere else in the country that isn't so overcrowded and expensive, and that has a low cost of living and good schools?

In MD you're not going to find anyplace that has low crime, good schools, low cost of living, and lots of jobs available without a commute. You can find places that meet any of these individual criteria, but none that meet all of them at once. You need to pick which of those factors are most important to you, and compromise on the others. That's just the calculation everyone who moves here goes through. Most people do it because they have a great job or really compelling reason to move here lined up that offsets any other problems.

Do you live in Virginia or somewhere down south and if soo how is it any better than living in Maryland?????????????????

[bonnielisabeth]

Originally Posted by $mk8795

Do you live in Virginia or somewhere down south and if soo how is it any better than living in Maryland?????????????????

I'm not the one who posted earlier, but can address this question. I lived in Cary NC and could buy a 2,000 sq foot house under 275,000 in a quiet community with very little crime and great schools (do not have kids, bought for resale purposes down the road, which worked out), mostly uncrowded stores, and doctor's offices with up-to-date equipment. Our salaries were not as large, but they did not need to be. Nice libraries too. You can buy a house for the "median price" and live in a pretty nice place. Not every place in NC is like this, though.

Had to move to the DC suburbs of MD for job reasons and thought it would be pretty nice here, after looking at statistics about the area and looking at the nicer bits of bethesda and rockville. But, when we were getting ready to move we found out that a townhouses in ok areas of Silver Spring, with some crime and only so-so schools would cost at least 2,000 a month to rent. That the "median price" would only buy a home in a so-so ares with some crime or adjacent to those areas, or significantly older (40+ years) homes with expected problems, or homes that are a long commute. Doctors offices I have gone to tend to have out of date equipment, approximately the equivalent of ones I frequented in the *rural* south, before moving to suburban NC. Which was completely unexpected!

The parks here have been great (much better!) and the library collections are much better, although many of the buildings just seem worn out.

I think if we had the money, or wanted to spend the money to live in Bethesda or Chevy Chase and pay 600,000+ to buy a condo or townhouse we might have a different experience. I have observed that the suburbs in VA, while expensive too, seem to be more newly developed and more similar to the nicer newer burbs in southern cities. Not sure why MD has not redeveloped more commercial areas than it has, but I am newish here too and just getting a handle on the different places.

I do think if you need to move here for job reasons it is ok, there is lots of low-cost cool stuff to do, etc... but would not move here just for the heck of it unless I was living in an even higher cost area.

[Overwhelmed29]

Thank you for all the responses! I'm moving because I've grown out of my surroundings here in Boston and close friends have moved towards that area. Plus it's expensive to live here and with my profession I have the potential to increase my salary. I am pretty sure that I'll get a job as the need for my profession is great and it seems that things may be working in my favor therefore I will know soon if I land this job in DC. My max rent is $1450.00 1100-1350 is ideal but I'm open. Most important to me is a good school system commuting is the least of my worries but hopefully under an hour. I'm trying to figure out the counties, I have a general idea but a safe kid friendly atmosphere is what I'm aiming for.

[former ny'r]

1,450 per month?!??!!? seriously...in the DC metro area - you haven't done any homework have you? For that price you also want good schools, safe area and a good Special Ed program...right...good luck and let me know where you will find that anywhere in that area...or almost any area...