Places around Aberdeen Proving Grounds (Baltimore, Elkton: transplants, apartment, condo)

[kjbond]

Thanks so much - we already have a agent that we've been working with for over a year and we are very happy with him.

It seems like almost every house we're looking at has some sort of HOA fee - very strange for us coming from NJ where you only have HOA fees if you live in a condo/townhouse. Single family houses with HOA fees doesn't really seem to make any sense, but it seems unavoidable. Thanks again for the info!

[Rennfam]

kjbond - that is another reason we chose Cecil CO - I refused to pay a HOA membership for a single fmaily home.

[precator]

I will add in why the homeowner fees are an AWESOME idea. Firstly they are usually very low.. 100 - 300 a year. Finally, the reason they are great, it forces your neighbor to cut their grass, not park cars on the grass, not do crazy crap with their house,etc. Basically it keeps the neighborhood good. You won't get one of those houses where u say.. (what the f)

[Rennfam]

I would also suggest you to add in to consider the utility costs. Cecil Co does not have BG&E (which has exorbitant rates).

Also precator - in many townships (i.e. Elkton - you get the benefits of town ordinances that force folks to maintain their property (cut grass, no old cars etc as you list) without the HOA .

[gottogetfishing]

I live in Cecil County and my utilities are not BG&E. They're Delmarva.

[cbrc5ed]

Originally Posted by Rennfam

Also precator - in many townships (i.e. Elkton - you get the benefits of town ordinances that force folks to maintain their property (cut grass, no old cars etc as you list) without the HOA .

Yeah but you also pay a town tax ontop of a reduced county tax.
MD Current Tax Rates

But there are advantages (I live within town in Harf co)- you get convenience of living in town, your own trash pick up. DPW in Bel Air has been very good to me in terms of snow and trash removal. I don't know about Elkton but I do not pay for trash pick up. For bulk pick up I just make a phone call, no additional charge.

[ttfn59]

Just thought I would throw in a quick response. I bought a townhouse in Belcamp and I love it there. It is really close to work (APG) and yet still close to 95, Route 40. There are a few townhouses for rent and sale in the area of Belcamp. Bel Air is nice, but very crowded. I have a friend that bought in Abingdon/Bel Air area and it takes him just as long to get to work at APG as it did when he lived in Baltimore. Anyway, just added to the mix of responses.

[Rennfam]

Originally Posted by cbrc5ed

Yeah but you also pay a town tax ontop of a reduced county tax.
MD Current Tax Rates

But there are advantages (I live within town in Harf co)- you get convenience of living in town, your own trash pick up. DPW in Bel Air has been very good to me in terms of snow and trash removal. I don't know about Elkton but I do not pay for trash pick up. For bulk pick up I just make a phone call, no additional charge.

Yup - same here in Elkton town limits - good snow removal, trash pick up , for bulk pickup no appt necessary or extra fee - just put items at the curb on trashday. Also our DPW does weekly leaf and grasscutting pickup . So yes, we pay a town tax for these services but property taxes are deductible on our income taxes - are HOA fees? Because of this it's like getting the town tax back.

[delsol22]

My husband and I are a mixed race couple,african-american and caucasion and are being brac'd to APG. We are looking in mostly Cecil county but have just heard from our realtor that this may not be the right place for us. We also need high speed internet as my job will require me to work from home. Can any one give us a good idea of what is the best places down there to get both of these? We don't want an area with high crime and would like some property. After what the realtor told us I am very afraid of moving down there. In Jersey, mixed race couples are abundant.

[GreetingsFromAP]

delsol, are you being steered away from Cecil due to being a mixed race couple or for other reasons? I say don't listen to realtors in this case as they have their bias on areas they prefer, you have to check out the area yourself and get a feel for the people. If I listen to Hartford county realtors the only place to live is Bel Air. That (and the traffic) has turned me off to Bel Air.

From those who know, who is the cable carrier in Cecil? Is it Comcast? Also I am leaning towards North East, but I don't want a heat pump. What is the deal with heat pumps in MD? Winters in MD aren't that much milder than in NJ. In fact, parts on NJ are further south than northern MD.