Looking to buy a House in MD (Baltimore, Edgewood: appointed, transfer to)

[bus man]

Originally Posted by BostonianRebel1

spot on ,
My job is indeed in DC
I have been doing some research , I feel like Annapolis is overpriced, Columbia seems crime is on the rise and it is getting over populated and yet overpriced to get a decent size house
the housing market in MD is so hard
I was told to stay away from Glen Burnie and Pasadena , is that true ?
any recommandation ?

It does seem that you’ve been doing your homework. Yes, Annapolis is expensive. (“Overpriced” is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.) Yes, crime in Columbia is increasing. “They” try to keep this under wraps because they don’t want to spoil Columbia’s utopian image, but even a casual perusal of Next Door will reveal the constant drumbeat of car break ins and tire thefts and petty vandalism and street begging and various other social ills. Glen Burnie is no great prize. Pasadena is somewhat better. Severna Park is better still (at least by reputation) but affordability will be an issue there.

You might want to give the Arbutus-Halethorpe-Relay area a look. What it’s got going for it is easy access to the MARC Penn Line (Halethorpe station) and Camden Line (St. Denis station). The area has kind of a lower middle class, blue collar vibe. I honestly don’t know if they’re having similar issues to Columbia (increasing crime under the glossy surface) but if that sort of environment might appeal to you, it’s worth checking out for the ease of MARC access. Be careful not to stray into nearby Lansdowne.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by bus man

You might want to give the Arbutus-Halethorpe-Relay area a look. What it’s got going for it is easy access to the MARC Penn Line (Halethorpe station)
and Camden Line (St. Denis station).

You would think someone might have cut to the chase tom the obvious before now, huh?

[ion475]

Originally Posted by BostonianRebel1

spot on ,
My job is indeed in DC
I have been doing some research , I feel like Annapolis is overpriced, Columbia seems crime is on the rise and it is getting over populated and yet overpriced to get a decent size house
the housing market in MD is so hard
I was told to stay away from Glen Burnie and Pasadena , is that true ?
any recommandation ?

Glen Burnie is ehh...if you're concern about crime in Columbia, GB already has those and more. The area further out in Marley Neck are fine, though. It's cheaper b/c the schools suck (but it's not a concern to you...).

Pasadena...ehh...it's fine, slightly more blue collar. Whoever tell you to avoid Pasadena probably lives in Severna Park .

Both are quite out of the way for a DC commute, though - you can get to BWI Station, but even that takes some time.

Originally Posted by MidValleyDad

If you are going to use MARC Westminster and Manchester are not options. In fact very little of Carroll County is a reasonable commute to DC via any method. Sykesville, Mt Airy are about the only parts of CC that will work. Frederick is good but limiting yourself to MARC means you will be going down the Brunswick Line. If you catch thr train at Frederick you will go down the 'Old Main' to Point of Rocks before getting on the Meetropolitan Line to Washington. If you have to get into a car to get to the MARC station you may want to consider just driving to Brunswick or Point of Rocks to catch the train. That opens your options up in Frederick County. It all depends on what you are looking for in a house.


I'm glad you don't mind a 1 hr commute because that is pretty much the minimum to downtown from anywhere out this way.

Originally Posted by bus man

Westminster isn't a bad place, but it's mostly standard suburbia. Frederick has that too, but it also has a nice downtown area. And it also has MARC service, something Westminster lacks. Service out of Frederick is very limited and it's kind of slow, as the train has to go somewhat out of the way to Point of Rocks before joining the main line down into DC. You may want to consider the commuter buses that operate from Frederick and Monocacy to Shady Grove and then you'd take the Metro Red Line from there into DC.

If commuting to DC is on your plate, you need to choose where you live with "ease" (very definitely a relative term) of commute as a high priority. Westminster, Manchester, and indeed anywhere in Carroll County, is just not well situated for that. Frederick is a better option. Better still would be closer-in areas like Columbia or Annapolis, but you did say that you want to maximize your housing dollars, and the closer-in areas tend to be more expensive.

Agree - I would NOT recommend a North Carroll to DC commute. Those places are ok for a Baltimore area commute, but DC? Ehh...have fun with that.
'
And driving to Halethorpe Station. Yeah, up until you get stuck on 695 traffic taking 1 hr just to get to Halethorpe area.

As bus man said, I would look in Frederick County instead, areas like Brunswick which has direct MARC access and is somewhat affordable. Hack, if politics and schools are not a concern, I would pick Jefferson Co WV ahead of northern Carroll Co.

[BostonianRebel1]

Originally Posted by bus man

It does seem that you’ve been doing your homework. Yes, Annapolis is expensive. (“Overpriced” is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.) Yes, crime in Columbia is increasing. “They” try to keep this under wraps because they don’t want to spoil Columbia’s utopian image, but even a casual perusal of Next Door will reveal the constant drumbeat of car break ins and tire thefts and petty vandalism and street begging and various other social ills. Glen Burnie is no great prize. Pasadena is somewhat better. Severna Park is better still (at least by reputation) but affordability will be an issue there.

You might want to give the Arbutus-Halethorpe-Relay area a look. What it’s got going for it is easy access to the MARC Penn Line (Halethorpe station) and Camden Line (St. Denis station). The area has kind of a lower middle class, blue collar vibe. I honestly don’t know if they’re having similar issues to Columbia (increasing crime under the glossy surface) but if that sort of environment might appeal to you, it’s worth checking out for the ease of MARC access. Be careful not to stray into nearby Lansdowne.

thank you so much. my research has me on the same page
what are your thoughts on Glen Arm, MD 21057, contonsville MD, and Mt Airy?

[ion475]

Originally Posted by BostonianRebel1

thank you so much. my research has me on the same page
what are your thoughts on Glen Arm, MD 21057, contonsville MD, and Mt Airy?

The general saying for Catonsville is that south of 40 (even better, south of 144) and outside 695 is the best part. Good access to areas like DT Catonsville (not a lot there, but not the worst either) and Old Ellicott City.

Glen Arm...no clue what's out there. But why? You are getting quite far from MARC access.

Mount Airy...quiet town with a few shops in downtown and other than that, typical rural suburbia. Again why? No MARC access and also around 1.5hr commute to DC with traffic.

The tl;dr: You may think you can tolerate a long commute...well, it gets tiresome quick.

[BostonianRebel1]

Originally Posted by ion475

The general saying for Catonsville is that south of 40 (even better, south of 144) and outside 695 is the best part. Good access to areas like DT Catonsville (not a lot there, but not the worst either) and Old Ellicott City.

Glen Arm...no clue what's out there. But why? You are getting quite far from MARC access.

Mount Airy...quiet town with a few shops in downtown and other than that, typical rural suburbia. Again why? No MARC access and also around 1.5hr commute to DC with traffic.

The tl;dr: You may think you can tolerate a long commute...well, it gets tiresome quick.

Grateful for the feedback, it makes sense
Looking at the MARC map , is it worth even looking at Perryville, Aberdeen, Edgewood, Have de Grace, Bel air ?

No one really talks about these areas for some reason

[MidValleyDad]

Originally Posted by BostonianRebel1

Thank you so much for the info. I don't mind at all driving a bit to get to the MARC. I value privacy, quiet neighborhood and maximizing space
I was thinking of going to Monocacy MARC for the Frederick area
and for Westminster and Manchester drive to Halethrope MARC

I think drive from Westminster/Manchester to Halethorpe would be painful. Google Maps says that it would be 39 minutes right now (9:30 at night) at Rush hour I suspect it would be closer to an hour on a GOOD day. I grew up in that part of Carroll County but I didn't move back there when I had a job in the Silver Spring area of the DC Metro back in the mid 80s (got out of the military). I moved to the Frederick area and have never regretted it. I retired a few years ago so don't have to commute 'down the road' any longer but still keep up with transportation issues.



A lot will depend on your lifestyle (do you like to go out to restaurants, clubs, etc? Do you want a Single Family Home, Townhouse, Condo? Do you want some land for your privacy? Are you interested in history, outdoor activities (water or mountains?). Personally I think you can find most of these in Frederick County (well not deep water boating, you need to head down towards the Bay for that). If schools are not a problem the MARC line goes out to Martinsburg WV with a second Major hub at Harper's Ferry. A lot of folks come in from there but the schools are the main reason I don't recommend it to anyone who needs public schools


Hope this helps

[BostonianRebel1]

Originally Posted by MidValleyDad

I think drive from Westminster/Manchester to Halethorpe would be painful. Google Maps says that it would be 39 minutes right now (9:30 at night) at Rush hour I suspect it would be closer to an hour on a GOOD day. I grew up in that part of Carroll County but I didn't move back there when I had a job in the Silver Spring area of the DC Metro back in the mid 80s (got out of the military). I moved to the Frederick area and have never regretted it. I retired a few years ago so don't have to commute 'down the road' any longer but still keep up with transportation issues.



A lot will depend on your lifestyle (do you like to go out to restaurants, clubs, etc? Do you want a Single Family Home, Townhouse, Condo? Do you want some land for your privacy? Are you interested in history, outdoor activities (water or mountains?). Personally I think you can find most of these in Frederick County (well not deep water boating, you need to head down towards the Bay for that). If schools are not a problem the MARC line goes out to Martinsburg WV with a second Major hub at Harper's Ferry. A lot of folks come in from there but the schools are the main reason I don't recommend it to anyone who needs public schools


Hope this helps

Definitely dont want a townhouse nor a Condo, strictly a Single Family home. I wonder how is the dating scene for a single guy that is not into clubs but would go to bahs (bars)

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by BostonianRebel1

Definitely dont want a townhouse nor a Condo, strictly a Single Family home. I wonder how is the dating scene for a single guy that is not into clubs but would go to bahs (bars)

Solomon's in Southern Maryland would be better suited for that. Target rich environment.

[BostonianRebel1]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Solomon's in Southern Maryland would be better suited for that. Target rich environment.

How is the commute to Union station DC ?