Considering move from Fairfax County to Howard County (Columbia, Ellicott City: condo, home)

[Arouma]

Just what the title says. I've lived in Fairfax county for a couple of decades. I'm newly divorced, children grown and live out of town, and I'm no longer bound to Northern Virginia. I've always liked the Howard County/Columbia area, and living there would also put me closer to other family. I work near Union Station and prefer to take the MARC train over driving. What are some pros and cons if I move to Howard? I'll be buying a condo. Thanks.

[Jalux]

Pro: Good schools (which is irrelevant to you)
Con: High price for property, but comparatively lower than Fairfax County
Pro: Familiar suburban feel depending on where you lived in Fairfax
Con: Shopping is comparatively less upscale than Fairfax County.
Pro: Relatively multicultural; Whites make up a simple majority, with sizable numbers of Asians and Blacks
Con: Less opportunities in the immediate vicinity; if you leave your Union Station job you will have to face infamous Maryland traffic, with borderline psychopathic Maryland drivers
Pro: You no longer have to pay an automobile property tax
Con: You now have to pay a higher income tax (which is likely more than your auto tax from Virginia)

[Arouma]

Thanks for the good info. Is the higher income tax Maryland-wide, or does Howard Co. levy more taxes than other Maryland jurisdictions?

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by Arouma

Thanks for the good info. Is the higher income tax Maryland-wide, or does Howard Co. levy more taxes than other Maryland jurisdictions?

There's some variation depending on the county, but you're generally talking about a fraction of a percent.

https://taxes.marylandtaxes.gov/Indi...ax_Rates.shtml

[gjosephunf]

About 7 months ago my fiance and I moved from Fairfax County to MD and haven't noticed a difference with overall COL. The income tax rate evens out to the auto tax rate we experienced back in VA. I feel throughout the Washington region the only difference is cost of housing which is cheaper in MD. I do miss the retail options in FFX.

[Chaofan]

Originally Posted by Arouma

Thanks for the good info. Is the higher income tax Maryland-wide, or does Howard Co. levy more taxes than other Maryland jurisdictions?

When considering home locations in HoCo, don't forget to take into account the Columbia Association fee (which is not a tax and cannot be deducted). It is assessed in addition to taxes, so living in Columbia comes with an added expense that other parts of HoCo do not have. The piggyback tax for HoCo is slightly higher than the piggyback tax for some other counties, but only by a fraction of a percent. On the whole, HoCo is a good place to live, though it is true that the retail options could be better. They seem to be improving a little, though slowly.

[Arouma]

Columbia Association fee?? Wow, that's a new one! Is that anything like a "handling" fee? :-)

[Arouma]

Originally Posted by gjosephunf

About 7 months ago my fiance and I moved from Fairfax County to MD and haven't noticed a difference with overall COL. The income tax rate evens out to the auto tax rate we experienced back in VA. I feel throughout the Washington region the only difference is cost of housing which is cheaper in MD. I do miss the retail options in FFX.

Thanks for the info. I'm not concerned about shopping, tbh. Do you have a Howard County realtor you recommend?

[elizabeth224]

There are several good realtors in the area that work with Howard County and Catonsville/Elkridge. Bob Lucido is one but there is also a good Remax group in Columbia.

It was interesting to read this post. We have been in MD all of our lives and were seriously thinking of moving to Virginia (Hampton Roads,Williamsburg) for retirement. After weighing all of the options, since Williamsburg has a 2.5% food Tax and a Personal Property Tax plus they have raised the tax on eating in restaurants, I think we are better off in Maryland! Maryland just needs to offer retirees some type of exclusion for IRA withdrawals that competes with surrounding states.

Good luck in your search. There are many nice condo communities. There is a small one on the western edge of Catonsville called Patapsco Overlook, Village Crest in Ellicott City is a nice larger community. You will have a ton of choices.

[Arouma]

Originally Posted by elizabeth224

There are several good realtors in the area that work with Howard County and Catonsville/Elkridge. Bob Lucido is one but there is also a good Remax group in Columbia.

It was interesting to read this post. We have been in MD all of our lives and were seriously thinking of moving to Virginia (Hampton Roads,Williamsburg) for retirement. After weighing all of the options, since Williamsburg has a 2.5% food Tax and a Personal Property Tax plus they have raised the tax on eating in restaurants, I think we are better off in Maryland! Maryland just needs to offer retirees some type of exclusion for IRA withdrawals that competes with surrounding states.

Good luck in your search. There are many nice condo communities. There is a small one on the western edge of Catonsville called Patapsco Overlook, Village Crest in Ellicott City is a nice larger community. You will have a ton of choices.

Thanks for that information. I'm not interested in an over-55 community (yet), but thanks for the realtor info.

I'm really interested in staying within close driving (or bus) distance from a MARC station. If I could keep my commute to an hour, that'd be awesome. I'm having trouble finding useful information about day-to-day conditions of the MARC stations...like: by what time does the parking fill up? Is it really free to park?