bigger rowhouses & some north of Patt Park questions (Baltimore: condos, crime)

[L in sobo]

4201 WALTHER AVE, BALTIMORE, MD 21214 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com

I dont know this neighborhood but this house is loaded in charm! nice!

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by L in sobo

4201 WALTHER AVE, BALTIMORE, MD 21214 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com

I dont know this neighborhood but this house is loaded in charm! nice!

Wow, that is really nice.

[rootless_in_va]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

Don't know much about Loch Raven Village or Dundalk, but Mayfield (where I think your Chesterfield Ave house is, in between Harford and Belair rds) is a solid little neighborhood that has been so for a long time. I have friends there and I'm impressed by it.

There are lots of SFHs in NE Baltimore in and around Hamilton you might enjoy.

Good luck!

Thanks! Just thought I'd put a link in here for the place I didn't get to in time (and the more I hear about the area, the more I'm mourning how slow we were!) 2843 Chesterfield Avenue, Baltimore MD - Trulia

If someone can find me another one like that, I'd be all over it in a picosecond.

L in Sobo: Well, you added safety to the list, not me. I said I didn't need a perfect neighborhood, just an involved one (as I've had the impression from backreading here that an active neighborhood association makes a big difference in helping to make a transitional neighborhood better, and I would be happy to roll up my sleeves and help). As for parking... well, I need to be honest and not let my imagination write a check my body can't cash. With pain comes fatigue and mental fogginess-- a good recipe for dinging my car or someone else's, if you have to fight that hard to find parking. A block away sometimes? Fine. Parking pad? Better. As far as the house itself, read what I said about how much time we spend at home. When you have a week or more when you leave the house maybe once and that's a normal week for you, little annoyances become big ones and practical concerns matter most. When you're not home much, I can see how style would matter more. When it comes to charm, *some* is nice to have (I have a '50s rancher right now, so, y'know, box with windows), but from the two places you linked, it definitely matters more to you. I'd definitely consider Res Hill, I think that and Mayfield are at the top of my list right now. (I hear you on the taxes. Was surprised they were more than ours in Fairfax County (although we're paying $3900), but shouldn't be since Syracuse NY taxes are even higher than Baltimore City. Places that prioritize having a social safety net have high taxes, and I'm okay with that-- hopefully that's the case?)

re: Dundalk: Tight knit... clannishly so? If transplants would be resented, that's something I'd need to know. I'll think about all those ideas-- have to admit, water-oriented wouldn't go amiss if we couldn't find the right thing closer in.

Jonjj: Yup, Arcadia's on my list.

[rootless_in_va]

Originally Posted by remstone

About Res Hill renovations - if the two "identical" properties you're talking about are on Brookfield and Linden I can assure you those are very high quality, and they aren't done by flippers. Those are houses with subsidy money coming through Healthy Neighborhoods Inc, owned by Druid Heights CDC, rehabbed by Harbor Development. There will be another one on Linden soon, and a couple others elsewhere in the coming months. Income cut-off is 120% of AMI. They may lack a bit of the historic character on the inside but the energy-saving features are insanely nice.

You can usually spot a shoddy rehab with a minimally-trained eye. The worrying ones are where structural issues got papered over, or old electric work remained buried. Shoddy rehabs are most frustrating because they temporarily screw up a house that has great bones and deserved better. The (lack of) quality is usually reflected in the price and hidden problems aren't the norm. But these are big houses that cost big money to do right if they were gut rehabs. It's often the short sales that are good bets because someone already paid up for a proper $375k renovation that is now being sold for $225k. So the seller (and the bank) provide the subsidy. On those couple HNI houses the subsidy is more obvious.

Thank you, that's really helpful! Those two looked great to me, but I didn't think I'd know how to tell if they weren't. What's AMI? Google gets me a lot of organizations. And yeah, hidden problems would be my worry-- just selling a house that had a ton of 'em that we paid through the nose to correct.

[L in sobo]

I meant "downtown" or center city area- parking (and being able to park within a few blocks is considered "easy parking"), charm, safety, square footage and counter space is going to be in the $300,000 and up range if you are looking in Butchers Hill, Patterson Park and all of the "trendy" neighborhoods such as Canton, Fed Hill (that you had already written off anyways). All the other neighborhoods in the center city area that are your price range will not have those features- but may have one or two on your list. It was just a general observation that I see on these boards- people have unrealistic expectations about living in center city as to how much it will cost and what they will get for their money. And besides- you are not looking for walkability which is the premium that you are paying for living downtown.

But I see that you are looking in surrounding neighborhoods- and I think you are on your way to finding what you want. I love the posting you listed on Chesterfield- at that price- WOW! I work from home so I know EXACTLY how you feel and how important it is to get the right spot. The choices of neighborhoods is vast- and diverse and even after living here for over 10 years in the city and my entire life in the area- I still dont know about all of the choices.

Dundalk- uh clannish? Hmmm... I dont know if I would use that word but it might take awhile for your neighbors to warm up to you. That was the case with the old timers in both our neighborhoods in the city and the old-timers downtown are part of the group that moved out to the county but didnt make it.

[remstone]

AMI = Area Median Income. Depends on your household size. http://www.healthyneighborhoods.org/...edAMI_2012.pdf

That dream house is in Belair-Edison - three blocks over it would be Mayfield and a lot more expensive (and not a rowhouse). There may be some others like it on the park edge of B-E, which is generally better than the rest of the pretty large neighborhood (which doesn't have a great rep). I don't think a 2nd bathroom is likely. Ednor Gardens has some similar stock, at a higher price. Actually a number of neighborhoods do, with no green space right there, but finding one in that good of condition with some updates is the main thing.

But I think you'd do very well with a big updated house in Reservoir Hill. Speaking of which, another just came on the market which isn't an HNI house (and not income qualified). It definitely has more interesting finishes than those, but can't possibly match the efficiency features:
806 NEWINGTON Ave, BALTIMORE, MD 21217 | MLS# BA8076106 | Redfin
Again it was previously sold at a big loss by the bank, so all the extra money may have actually been spent on the house.

PM me if you'd like a bit more info on Res Hill or the HNI houses - a coming one will also have a rental unit on the first floor.

[picardlx]

Originally Posted by remstone

806 NEWINGTON Ave, BALTIMORE, MD 21217 | MLS# BA8076106 | Redfin

Makes my house look like a dump. And mines cost more.

[L in sobo]

You are right. Her dream house is locatied in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city according to Wikipedia. That property sold for $82k in 2003- at the height of the market- which should tell you something. Anything past Richmond is Belair-Edison.

Belair-Edison, Baltimore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know that Rootless claims that safety is not on her list but dangerous neighborhoods in Baltimore city are not to be taken lightly- a researcher was murdered last year next to Herring Run Park http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...me-police-say/

I think that Reservior Hill or actually in Mayfield boundries- which would be more expensive- would make more sense for anyone.

[KLynch10]

Originally Posted by remstone

AMI = Area Median Income. Depends on your household size. http://www.healthyneighborhoods.org/...edAMI_2012.pdf

That dream house is in Belair-Edison - three blocks over it would be Mayfield and a lot more expensive (and not a rowhouse). There may be some others like it on the park edge of B-E, which is generally better than the rest of the pretty large neighborhood (which doesn't have a great rep). I don't think a 2nd bathroom is likely. Ednor Gardens has some similar stock, at a higher price. Actually a number of neighborhoods do, with no green space right there, but finding one in that good of condition with some updates is the main thing.

But I think you'd do very well with a big updated house in Reservoir Hill. Speaking of which, another just came on the market which isn't an HNI house (and not income qualified). It definitely has more interesting finishes than those, but can't possibly match the efficiency features:
806 NEWINGTON Ave, BALTIMORE, MD 21217 | MLS# BA8076106 | Redfin
Again it was previously sold at a big loss by the bank, so all the extra money may have actually been spent on the house.

PM me if you'd like a bit more info on Res Hill or the HNI houses - a coming one will also have a rental unit on the first floor.

Wow, sick! For starters that front door is amazing.

[picardlx]

How come this his house is on the market for so long?....

2410 Erdman Ave, Baltimore, MD 21213 - Zillow

What's the neighborhood like?