Moving from DC to Maryland (Baltimore, Silver Spring: real estate, skatepark, insurance)

[DomRep]

Alright, first post. I currently live and work in DC but we're in the process of purchasing a home in Maryland. Our first thought was Silver Spring or in that Montgomery County area. Reason being is because our kid goes to school a few blocks away from the Silver Spring metro and the house we're looking at is about...5 minutes, walking distance, from the Wheaton Metro Station.

The problem we've run into is that we settled on a house, but the price came out higher than what we agreed to and we're beginning to notice that the houses are pretty steep in the area to begin with.

I guess, my question is now, what would be a good place in Maryland where we could purchase a home that is still within driving distance of DC as well as Metro accessible (this is probably more important for me personally). My top 3 choices were Howard County, Anne Arundel and PG (last resort). We're looking at something in the low to mid 300s but nothing higher but if there's good houses for less than that, then by all means, point me to the right direction please!

Just a side note, a few co-workers have suggested Calvert, but its too rural for our tastes and its an hour and a half away from DC proper which is too much of a long commute.

[MuMo]

Well first of all you should look in to the schools, as far as I've seen the schools in Anne Arundel county are good (look into greatschools.net), Arnold, Severna Park, Crofton, and from these places it is usually a 1/2 hour to DC and a couple of minutes to Everything else in Annapolis. Go from there on, and then you could do your house hunting, the forums here have helped me alot into actually getting a feel on the place. I have a sister in law that lives in Arnold and I just love it; we are also in the process of moving, we have been looking for almost two years now and looking in various states and definitely have chosen the Anne Arundel County. Good Luck in your hunt!!
Saludos,
Dominicana igual que tu!

[FrederickBlogger]

If I were you I'd look into Howard county or anything up Rt 29.
PG is out of the question (lived there for 25 yrs)
Montgomery county was one of the only places in the US where property values went UP when all others were going to hell in a handbasket.
RT 270 inbound traffic is unbearable, not even worth giving it a second thought.
Rt 29 near PG might be affordable
affordable is relative

my 2 1/2 cents worth

[DomRep]

Originally Posted by Peepdis

Hello, Lanham, Bowie, Greenbelt, Mitchville, are very good areas to live in that's near DC and you should be able to find a house in your price range. If you are interested I am a real estate agent and I can send you some properties. You can email me sharon.taylor1957@comcast.net.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll pass along this e-mail.

The biggest issue for us is that she is being very close minded about everything. It's like her goal of being in Montgomery County, specifically downtown Silver Spring, where everything is there, and within walking or driving distance. The problem is she wants to be in an area we can't afford. It's basically MoCo or bust, and I'm trying desperately to convince her to expand her selections b/c she's not going to find an affordable house (and by affordable, I mean something that will not severely limit us financially, i.e. have a little breathing room).

Then there's commuting issues, she works in DC, somewhere around the Wisconsin Avenue area, and she doesn't want to have an hour and a half commute everyday. I guess what I'm trying to say is, she wants to stay within the I-95 corridor.

[DomRep]

Just an update on this...she's now looking out of the Silver Spring area.

We visited some houses in Olney this past weekend. They were all OK. We're looking into Gaithersburg but one area in particular caught my eye and that's Bowie. It's roughly 40 minutes out of DC so the commute isn't too bad. It's doable. The thing is, its in PG County and I'm not sure which 'areas' are considered safe for PG county? I believe Bowie is included but I don't know the rule of thumb?

[irvine]

Originally Posted by DomRep

Just an update on this...she's now looking out of the Silver Spring area.

We visited some houses in Olney this past weekend. They were all OK. We're looking into Gaithersburg but one area in particular caught my eye and that's Bowie. It's roughly 40 minutes out of DC so the commute isn't too bad. It's doable. The thing is, its in PG County and I'm not sure which 'areas' are considered safe for PG county? I believe Bowie is included but I don't know the rule of thumb?

Bowie is fine, and it has a healthy mix of decent retail and attractive/new housing. It's not my kind of area, as I really dislike outer suburbia in general (I grew up in the city), but it is convenient to both Annapolis and DC. For trips into the city, you could park at the New Carrolton station and take the Metro. Bowie HS, along with Eleanor Roosevelt in Greenbelt, are the top high schools in PG County. If you skateboard, Bowie has an excellent, brand new 'crete park! Check out the link.
Bowie Skatepark Bowie Maryland*Video

But there are homes in the low to mid $300,000 range in Takoma Park (MD side), right next to Silver Spring. These are usually 3 bedroom bungalows. And if schools aren't important, there are affordable and attractive homes on the DC side of Takoma Park. DC Schools does have a very liberal transfer policy, and you can apply for a spot at the elem, jr high, and high schools in upper NW.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by DomRep

Just an update on this...she's now looking out of the Silver Spring area.

We visited some houses in Olney this past weekend. They were all OK. We're looking into Gaithersburg but one area in particular caught my eye and that's Bowie. It's roughly 40 minutes out of DC so the commute isn't too bad. It's doable. The thing is, its in PG County and I'm not sure which 'areas' are considered safe for PG county? I believe Bowie is included but I don't know the rule of thumb?

Bowie in PG is generally a quiet, sleepy, bedroom community. You'll only have issues if you don't leave the malls (Largo TC, BTC, and/or Free State) before it gets dark, or you have neighbors with family from the projects in DC.

Most of the older small homes are in the high 200's/low 300's are the old Levitt style L shaped homes or the Cape Cods. You can even find newer McMansion style homes in the mid to upper 400's. These homes used to be priced up to $650k, but the homes in PG Cty don't hold their value and thus they dropped tremendously.

Since you have kids, Bowie is probably the best area in PG for schools, but that's not saying much. PG, and Bowie's schools are the lowest ranked in the WMA. In fact, the PG School System is the 2nd worst in the state of Maryland, second to Baltimore City. Eleanor Roosevelt is probably the best HS in PG, but only if your kid gets into the magnet program.

Also, property taxes and insurance are very high in PG, with little retail, few white collar jobs, and poor governance.

The drive from Bowie to New Carrollton metro is about 20-25 min with no traffic, and you must get there early to get a parking spot.

If it's a call betwen Olney and Bowie, I'd take Olney with no second thoughts.

If you decide to move to PG, you'll be dealing every day with a chip on your shoulder ready to pounce when you perceive any information about your county as a personal attack.

You'll feel like you have to defend your reasoning in buying into PG every time you mention that you live in PG to anyone. That's reality in life and on this blog.

If you have time, read some of these links:

Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson Accused of Lying, Cronyism and Unethical Behavior - Free-Press-Release.com

WUSA9.com | Washington, DC | Prince George's County Policeman Indicted On 2nd Degree Murder

Yonkers Tribune : Andre Hornsby Convicted On 6 Felony Charges Including Fraud And Obstruction Of Justice

FBI Raids Home of Maryland State Senator - washingtonpost.com

http://redmaryland.blogspot.com/2009...weaken-pg.html

Divorce Scandal Erupts In Maryland Rep. Albert Wynn's Re-Election Campaign | Jet | Find Articles at BNET

Al Wynn | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (http://www.citizensforethics.org/taxonomy/term/1250 - broken link)

[DomRep]

Thanks a lot guys. I actually took a look at the crime statistics around the Bowie area and its a few thefts here and there but nothing out of the ordinary (I grew up, born and raised in DC so I'm kinda numb to the whole violence thing. It is what it is). I did notice the majority of the violence takes place near the border, as I suspected.. She'd prefer to continue looking in the Moco area but as I kept telling her, and she's slowly realizing this, the houses are just way too expensive.

I dunno, we're keeping our options open. She did like Olney though. And as far as schooling goes, chances are we're putting her in a school in Montgomery County. I went to private schools in DC b/c my parents didn't trust the DC public school system, and I don't either...unless its a private institution. That's just me though.

[jayman1981]

Wow my brotha, I feel your pain on this whole post. I'm currently in the market to buy a house. I can't stand long commutes. 40 mins away from your job is not bad, but you forgot traffic is terrible around here. So add another 20 min at minimum. I stay in Waldorf (Charles County) and my job is in Arlington (Ballston) va. I'm quite burnt out when I get home. Getting a job in D.C. would be nice, but I still have to deal with traffic on route 5 or 210 just to get to the metro. I'm trying to move closer to the job, I like P.G. but I don't have extra money to send two girls to private school.

I would however set a price range and that way you can basically know what areas to look in. It's a give and take and since your married your wife will have to change her wants and evaluate her needs. If your going to stay in Montgomery County then realize that your going pay for it. Also the further out you go the better the prices are going to be. So you have to weigh your options and pick your poison. I wish you the best in your endeavors. don't be afraid to look into Beltsville, Calverton, Laurel in P.G. University park is nice as well.

Originally Posted by DomRep

Thanks a lot guys. I actually took a look at the crime statistics around the Bowie area and its a few thefts here and there but nothing out of the ordinary (I grew up, born and raised in DC so I'm kinda numb to the whole violence thing. It is what it is). I did notice the majority of the violence takes place near the border, as I suspected.. She'd prefer to continue looking in the Moco area but as I kept telling her, and she's slowly realizing this, the houses are just way too expensive.

I dunno, we're keeping our options open. She did like Olney though. And as far as schooling goes, chances are we're putting her in a school in Montgomery County. I went to private schools in DC b/c my parents didn't trust the DC public school system, and I don't either...unless its a private institution. That's just me though.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by DomRep

Thanks a lot guys. I actually took a look at the crime statistics around the Bowie area and its a few thefts here and there but nothing out of the ordinary (I grew up, born and raised in DC so I'm kinda numb to the whole violence thing. It is what it is). I did notice the majority of the violence takes place near the border, as I suspected.. She'd prefer to continue looking in the Moco area but as I kept telling her, and she's slowly realizing this, the houses are just way too expensive.

I dunno, we're keeping our options open. She did like Olney though. And as far as schooling goes, chances are we're putting her in a school in Montgomery County. I went to private schools in DC b/c my parents didn't trust the DC public school system, and I don't either...unless its a private institution. That's just me though.

Well, here's the strange thing.

If crime around Bowie is so low, then why was there a need to start Bowie's own police force about 3 years ago?

Now, Bowie residents have to pay an extra tax on top of the already sky high property taxes they are paying which should already cover county police support.

Carjacking and theft from auto are still huge in PG, including Bowie.

Police Department (http://www.cityofbowie.org/Government/Police/monthly_reports.asp - broken link)