relocating to maryland...montgomery county preferably
 

help!!!!! moving to maryland and want some suggestions on what areas are good and not so good. prefer to live in an area with good schools (jr high), near public transportation because i will be looking for work at a hospital (lpn) and decent neighborhoods. any suggestions?

Hi
I grew up in Silver Spring area (montgomery county) It has come along way baby since then. It has a revamped metro area and revitilized downtown.
But that said it is now quite expensive as well. There is Holy Cross hospital.
I don't live there now but my in-laws live in Kensington. Pricey as well but a good neighboorhood feel.
Potomac is VERY pricy.Really nice. So is Bethesda and Chevy Chase.There are not too many bad areas (maybe Silver Spring in some parts) but overcrowding seems to be a problem these days and the housing costs. Good luck with your search.

My sister and her family live in Bowie which is lower Montgomery County--they are very happy there. Decent public transporation includes the MARC Train.

http://www.mtamaryland.com/

Sorry, but the correct location of Bowie, MD is in Prince George's County. You might consider the King Farm area of Rockville in Mont. Co. It is a planned community with shopping and restaurants at its heart. Metro (red line- Shady Grove stop) is walking distance or free shuttle bus ride for residents. Shady Grove Hospital is about 2 miles away from KF although you need to drive -not on Metro line.

The most important question is how much can you afford? Many parts of Montgomery Country are VERY expensive.

This topic has already been discussed on this forum. Here is a link to a recent discussion. I also suggest you take the time to do a search on this board and you will find valuable information.


http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...xt=Montgomery+

My mistake :-] thanks for the correction, breckgal.

I'm in Montgomery and live in Kensington. Nice town. Great transportation options -- I can walk to either MARC train or two Metro stops.

Holy Cross hospital is nearby and has just undergone a huge expansion. I've only been there once, but the experience was positive. We have a friend who works there as an RN and likes it as does a dialysis tech, we know.

The key here is your price point. Neighborhoods in this area vary widely in price and quality and it's not unusual to find pockets of high-end stuff amid middle class neighborhoods -- or vice-versa. The bottom line: It's a tough place to house hunt and doing a lot of leg work is more vital here than in many areas.

thanks to all for the info. and advice. i am looking to rent a home for now, no apts. and i have 1 daughter-11yr. i suppose price range anywhere from $1800-2500 for a 3bdrm. does this sound about right? tx. here is much cheaper of course. we have two cars here but i was thinking of selling one before we move...

You might want to look at Howard County. A little farther out of D.C. (closer to Baltimore, actually), but quite nice. Columbia is a planned community and a great place to raise kids.

what about the aberdeen area? i understand it's close to a military base? anyone from or know about this area?

Aberdeen is just east of Baltimore. It is a lovely part of the state, but closer to Wilmington than DC. Not sure about hospitals.

Near Baltimore is going to be significantly cheaper than near DC.

$1800-2500 could be difficult to find a house. You could maybe rent a townhouse for that, or an apartment.

Coming from or going to Aberdeen, is it the West Baltimore stop along the Penn Line of the MARC train that stops at what appears to be just a few blocks from John's Hopkins Hospital? It's a relatively short commute between the two stations.

we've decided on silver spring. any tips or suggestions?

I grew up near Eastern Jr High school.Franklin and Universtiy Blvd. Can't say what it is like there these days but the neighboorhood is suberbia with pretty nice homes and easy access to the beltway. I took the bus to Montgomery Blair but it has gotten bigger and also moved since then. It is a huge high school now compared to then.
I have no idea of current prices although my childhood home sold for about $200,000 5 yrs ago and it wasn't in great shape as my Mom and Dad were elderly and had not kept it up. Can only imagine it would be close to $300,000 now. We had a sizeable yard and 4 bdrm, 2 bath.
If you need to spend less Adelphi/Langley Park used to be a pretty good deal. It is out university blvd (towrd the U of Md)
When we first started out my husband and I bought a nice townhouse closer to the Metro. It was a nice place called Top of the Park. That is near Sligo Creek road and has a variety of homes with easy access to stores and the park which has bike trails that go for miles. I would give it a look if I were you.
If you want a more funky area with a small town feel and older homes try the Tacoma Park area. It has it's own metro but is very close to Silver Spring and DC. It tends to be pricy although you can always hope for a good deal.
Best wishes in your search!

Yes...contact a good rental agent.

Be careful when looking at houses that say Silver Spring -- it seems to be a catch all for a large part of downcounty Montgomery.

I doubt Lanz's house would be only 300k these days.There's not much in the county available at that price.

There are some nice pockets along Sligo Creek. Eastern Middle School has a strong magnet program -- arts and humanities, I think. Montgomery Blair's science magnet ios one of the best in the country, but if you're not in the magnet the school isn't that great. The good thing about the silver spring area is that you can chose between a consortium of five HSs, including one with an IB program.

Find a good agent and do a lot of net research. If you're not comfortable -- don't buy anything until you know the area for awhile. It's a tough market to get a handle on.