please help me figure out "location location location" in Baltimore

[shireen]

Hi Baltimore-area residents ...

I'm house-hunting right now, and having a hard time evaluating neighborhoods in the metro Baltimore area. As a single female, relative safety is my biggest issue (no place is 100% safe, I understand that, but some places are more secure than others). I'm also a nature-lover and gardener so a big lot in a peaceful setting is very important since I plan to live in that home for a very very very long time.

Unfortunately, most homes that seem to fit that criteria are outside my price range in this nutty real estate market. (I live in an apartment in Rodgers Forge, just south of Towson, love the neighborhood but I can't afford to buy there!) So I need to get more saavy about this search and start studying neighborhoods more closely. I get a lot of advice from well-meaning people, and have no way of knowing if it's BS or real. For instance, the high Baltimore city crime rate makes city homes undesirable -- that's a ridiculous generalization, but I need to know how to figure out which neighborhoods are stable and don't have chronic crime problems like gang activity. Meanwhile, the county areas surrounding the city have their own problems. Recently, a friend told me that her friends had moved out of their neighborhood because of gang activity. Where is this? Owings Mills! Good grief! I'd love to live in farm country but the commute could become unaffordable as gas prices increase.

What advice can you offer to someone doing research about Baltimore neighborhoods? On-line crime statistics don't appear useful because they cover such wide areas. Should I avoid places that don't have home-owners' associations? Any tips would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
shireen

P.S. I have a realtor that I like, but prefer to do independent research on this.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. I assume you're looking for a single family detached, not a rowhouse

I say this since you cited gardening as an aspect of what you want from a property.

Many years ago I lived in the far northeast corner of the city, just off Belair Rd and, literally, just a few houses in from the City/County line. That area is all single family houses, mostly from the 20s and 30s, mostly Craftsman/Cottage style. The neighborhood still looks very nice when I drive through it (for 'nostalgia trips' when I'm in that area). Prices are likely still reasonable (high $100s/low $200s).

I'm more familiar with the southwest side of the city these days.

Three REALLY delightful neighborhoods are located diametrically across town from the one noted above. They're in Catonsville, just outside the city line. I can't recall all three neighborhoods' names, but if you do a google maps for 'Wendley Road Baltimore' you'll see the first one. The specific streets are all on the south/east side of Edmondson Avenue. The streets within the neighborhood are Wendley and Brabant Rds running generally North/South and Kingston, N Rock Glen, and Westgate Rds running generally East/West. The houses are all single family detached, all on nice sized city lots, all built in 30s, all in nice shape. The area has lots of younger families and 'settled' singles. Lawns are well kept and the neighborhood just looks wonderful. I'd rate it as safe, for sure. Prices here are in the low to mid $200s.

The southern border of that neighborhood is N Bend Rd. South of that are the streets Mallow Hill and Mardrew. Mallow Hill runs south to Frederick Rd. These houses are very similar to those described just above, but somewhat larger and on larger lots. They probably range to about $300.

Just north of the neighborhood, north of Westgate, is a neignborhood of absolutley gorgeous larger older homes. The style is again Craftsman/Cottage and the era is 20s and 30s. I **think** this is called 10 Hills. It is bounded by Rt 40 to the north, Edmondson to the west, and Uplands Park (a small city park) to the east. The main road is Woodside Rd. Other streets are N Chapelgate, Kensington, Old Orchard, Nottingham and Overdale. This area reminds me a *lot* of Pasadena California. The houses and the lots are quite large ... some maybe an acre or more. Prices range from the $300s to well over $500. Very safe and very desirable.

All three of these neighborhoods are convenient to downtown by several routes. You can get easily to the Beltway, you can take Rt 40, or you can take Frederick Rd. On Rt 40, it is probably a 10 - 15 minute trip, maybe 5 minutes more in rush hour.

There are LOTS of similar city or close-in county neighborhoods just like this. Ask your realtor if (s)he is familiar with the city. You have to be careful in the city. A perfectly wonderful neighborhood - safe and pleasant - can turn very undesireable in just a block or two. That's pretty much the case all over the city, no matter where you go.

By the way, when you use Google Maps, at some point choose the 'satellite' or 'hybrid' modes. You can get a batter sense of what the neighborhoods look like. If you have Google Earth installed, you'll see things even more clearly.

I'll cogitate on this a little more and post again if some flash of brilliance hits me.

[shireen]

2. thank you!

that information was very very useful! I'm constrained to stay under $250k, but I have time to thoroughly search for a good deal. I'll check out those areas you mentioned. It's precisely this kind of information about specific neighborhoods that's hard to find.

Again ... thanks a million!!!
:yourock:

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Shireen, do you have a preferred area in which you'd like to buy?

I posted two areas that might fit your bill, but there are others. Do you have an area where you'd prefer to be. You say you're in Rogers Forge right now. Is that because you want to be in that area or is it just beacuse 'that's where you are'? It would be helpful to know your preferences.

[shireen]

4. yes, currently monitoring some specific neighborhoods ....

I'm currently focusing on these areas: Parkville, Carney, Perry Hall, and points north and east to it. Also interested in Glyndon and slightly north of Reisterstown. I picked those areas because there are some affordable homes to be found, I'm somewhat familiar with them, have friends who live there, and it's within a 30 minute work commute drive.

I've lived in an apartment complex in Rodgers Forge for 18 years. I *love* that neighborhood. The apartments provided very affordable housing in a good neighborhood with excellent schools. We had a terrific diversity of residents, in age and ethnic backgrounds. There were older single professionals like me who didn't make a lot of money but enjoyed the quiet peaceful surroundings. THere were long-term elderly residents, young families just starting out, recent immigrants, and graduate students. Every morning, you could see elderly Chinese residents practising Tai Chi, stay-at-home parents and grandparents taking kids for walks and playing with them. Evenings, some of the resident gardeners would be out tending the flower beds and chatting with each other. There were wide open areas between buildings for kids to play. The previous management did a great job with maintenance so the complex always looked nice. In my little section, we looked out for each other, took care of each others pets and plants during vacations, helped out when there was illness. It was a wonderful little community. Then, the condo builders came along and destroyed it all.

Fortunately, some very smart former residents have formed a group to look out for the legal interests of residents, and there's even an attorney doing pro-bono work on it.

Homes have appreciated insanely in Rodgers Forge. When I moved there 18 years ago, the typical townhouse price was around $70k. Today, the same home sells for $315k. Some end units go for more than half-a-million $. I don't understand how people, especially those with children, are able to live a decent quality of life in this current housing market.

I'm a single woman doing OK, financially, for now. I have several months to search for a home so I'm in no rush. I'll be fine. But it horrifies me to see what the elderly and young families have to through when they're priced out of a neighborhood that they love. :cry:

Sorry for the rant, but I'm so mad about this situation .....

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Those are all good areas to look ........

.... and you're likely to find a place that meets your needs. I'd guess you'll have the best luck in Parkville and Carney. Perry Hall starts to get a bit pricey.

Further out from Perry Hall is Middle River. There are some nicer areas of older homes there, but you have to be careful. There are (were?) also some not-so-nice areas that look good but have drug problems, particularly closer to Essex.

I know you said you already have a realtor. I also know that can be a strong personal relationship. We recently bought two houses, in part as investments and in part to give our two oldest a leg up toward home ownership. We worked with a two-woman team of realtors out of Long and Foster's Perry Hall office. They work the entire area, of course, but are VERY expert in the three areas you named. If you want another opinion in your search, I'd be ahppy to give you their names by PM. (If you'd rather stay with who you have, I **completely** understand. Also, I get NO fees for making the connection to you if that happens :). They're just really VERY good and great to deal with.)

Do you work downtown? Commuting from the areas you suggest might not be a lot of fun. If you watch the morning news' traffic reports, there is **always** a back-up where 95 meets the Beltway ... some times for miles and miles. This spills over to the surface routes (Rt 40, Belair Rd. Harford Rd.) making those alternatives less than ideal, too.

[shireen]

6. reply

I know you said you already have a realtor....
Thanks for offering. But I'm pretty loyal to her, and would feel bad about "cheating" on her. ;)

Do you work downtown?
On the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus. Yes, commuting is a pain, but my work hours are flexible so I could adjust timing to skip rush hour.

[Mutley]

7. You might try Mt. Washington.

And some of the areas around it. I live near there off of Greenspring Ave, just barely inside the city line. The neighborhood is safe — I've never had any problems with crime here. It's very quiet, too. There are cute little houses all over the place. Check out Smith Ave, Fallstaff Road and some of the surrounding streets

[shireen]

8. thanks!

that's a gorgeous area. I suspect the home prices are pretty high, tho' ... but I'll check it out. :)

[blueraven95]

9. Take a look at Hamilton and Lauraville too

in the northeast. They are both beautiful areas, with yards, lots of families, and are fairly safe, yet in the city. Also, the commute to Johns Hopkins is pretty easy.