Seeking Neighborhood with Good Community, Schools and Proximity to D.C./Crofton

Hi K.,
I think I'm in the same boat (sort of) as you. My daughter is 11 months old and my husband also works in DC. He takes the MARC in from Odenton, so his commute is almost an hour and a half. I would take a look at Elkridge too. It's not far from Ellicott City, but is a little cheaper. We live in Severn (not thrilled) but I think every city has it's ups and downs. There are houses (new...I would say about a year old) that are from the 400's right by Arundel Mills. Actually really close to 100. Everything is just so expensive around our area. We were talking to a realtor and they had suggested looking into foreclosures. There seem to be a lot in the area. Nothing wrong with them, just people couldn't make the payments on them. In fact, we looked at a home in the Crofton/Bowie area that was roughly 2800sq ft. for 419k. Nothing was wrong with it, it was an elderly couple that lived in it that couldn't afford it anymore. It just wasn't the type of house we were looking for. I tend to be a bit picky, so the set up wasn't right.

But...I know that was long winded...I would definitley look at Elkridge. My husband and I have even thought about Carroll County cause it's a lot cheaper out there. you just have to sacrafice the commute. The houses are beautiful and the area is very nice as well.

Hope this helps!

Bowie or Greenbelt MD might be your best bet because they both still have a lot of nice communities and both between Crofton and DC. Stay close to 50 or the B/W Parkway which will give easier access to DC. I would just avoid anything too close to malls or shopping centers. Maybe stay about 10 minutes away because malls and shopping centers tend to draw alot of trouble makers. I would suggest maybe the opposite end of 197 (Collington Rd) right near the Parkway. Ellicott City is not bad, but can be very expensive because it's Howard County, but I believe it's also further away from DC and Crofton, but you'd have to check. You also might want to try going online and getting feedback on the schools in areas you are looking. What I use to do is once I found an area where the schools has good reports I would then check out the community in the evening time about 6-7pm to see how quiet the area is.

We live in Elkridge (one block from Ellicott City) and really like our neighborhood and schools. Elkridge tends to be a little less pricy and a little more economically diverse than Ellicott City. We have three boys ages 8 (second grade), 4 and 1. We live a couple of miles from the Jessup MARC station which my husband takes to DC everyday - it is about an hour to Union Station. The zip code is 21075 Good luck!

Hi K.,
I'd be glad to give you advice on selling your Canton home and perhaps even sell it for you. I have a colleague who works in DC and surrounding counties - he would be a great person for you to talk to about neighborhoods, etc. near DC.

Feel free to log on to my website to learn more about me: www.LivingMD.com

Hi K.: I am a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker and I would love to try to help. My suggestion is always for the person take a drive through different neighborhoods they would be interested in. Maybe take an afternoon and get a "feel" for the area. You can usually tell right away where you feel comfortable. I could then e-mail you listings in the areas you are interested in and I could also investigate the schools in the area so you feel good about that. Please let me know if I can help. My e-mal is ____@____.com. I am here to help : )

I live in Columbia. And you can get a nice single family in that price range around here. The schools are excellent here. Halloween in my neighborhood is great, I am in Long Reach, because there are so many kids and all the neighbors come out. That is one reason we chose the neighbor because of the # of kids in it. We also have access to all the neighborhood pools and the gym through the Columbia Association (which I love). There is a CPRA fee but taxes are also a little less if you are on a CA assessed property so it evens out. My zip is 21045. We are also near a bus stop that heads to D.C. Good luck.

We live in the Catonsville/Arbutus area. Zip code 21227. The Catonsville(zip code 21228) schools are very good but some of the elementary and middle schools are overcrowded. Still, they have an excellent reputation. Elkridge is another option. It is right between Catonsville and Ellicott City. The schools are very good and most all of Elkridge has easy access to Route 95, Route 100, and Route 1. You can get places like DC and Crofton very easily and quickly. All of Howard County has good schools. Howard County includes Elkridge, Ellicott City, Columbia, and Clarksville. All good areas, although some of Columbia can be iffy. Drive through the neighborhoods first to get a good feel. Good Luck!!