Possibly relocating

[jaievans]

Hi everyone! I would appreciate it if anyone could direct me in search of housing in the southern MD area. All three counties are possibilities right now.

To give you a little bit of an idea of what we are looking for I will tell you a little about where we live now. We live in a rural area about an hour south of Rochester, NY. We have about 9,000 people here. This past year we had our first murder in over 10 years. This is a very safe area. I never hesitate to take my children for a walk at any time in any area.

In our current housing, we rent a duplex with three bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, dining room, double living, sun porch, fenced yard, walk in closets, etc. We pay (brace yourselves) $340. I know you're going to think we are crazy to even look in this area, but my husband has been interviewing for a job in PG county and from what people have told me, southern maryland is more of what we are looking for.

I would be so grateful if anyone could direct me as to where to find housing ads, whether it be newspapers, realtors, etc.

Thanks so much

Jamie

 

[willie]

Don't live anywhere in PG County. A Pit Bull isn't safe there.

 

[sleuth]

Originally posted by jaievans
Hi everyone! I would appreciate it if anyone could direct me in search of housing in the southern MD area. All three counties are possibilities right now.

In our current housing, we rent a duplex with three bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, dining room, double living, sun porch, fenced yard, walk in closets, etc. We pay (brace yourselves) $340. I know you're going to think we are crazy to even look in this area, but my husband has been interviewing for a job in PG county and from what people have told me, southern maryland is more of what we are looking for.

I would be so grateful if anyone could direct me as to where to find housing ads, whether it be newspapers, realtors, etc.

Thanks so much

Jamie

Try the classifieds here at www.somd.com. You can find rental properties there. Good luck finding a house for $340. I have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, dining, living, walkout basement for over $900 a month. I'm looking into buying.

Housing is expensive here relative to other rural areas. For $900 a month in Indiana I could get a huge house with several acres. Not so here. There is a shortage of housing in the area that drives prices up. The builders can't keep up with the demand.

 

[jaievans]

Thanks

Thanks for the info. What about any other surrounding areas to PG county? Is southern md safer than other parts?

Thanks

 

[Christy]

Where at in PG County will your husband be working? You'll probably be looking at either Charles or Calvert County rather than St. Mary's, unless he doesn't mind a longer commute. I'd stay far away from Waldorf if you're raising a family. It's getting really nasty up there. Hughesville is a nice area in Charles County that's close to PG County.

 

[SmallTown]

I guess it really depends on where the job is, but I would say Calvert county is your best option. Seems more rural than charles (locals, feel free to jump in if any of this is wrong), but also close to annapolis, baltimore, and DC to get your "city fix"

Housing will be quite a bit more here. Seemed for awhile the rule of thumb was you could get more house for the money in calvert than in charles or st. marys. Not sure if this is the case anymore.

 

[jaievans]

Newspapers???

Are there any local newspapers in any of these counties that I could check out real estate rentals in? We would like to initially rent before we buy. He is interviewing with the police department, so they could put him anywhere.

Thanks again

 

[SmallTown]

Re: Newspapers???

Originally posted by jaievans
Are there any local newspapers in any of these counties that I could check out real estate rentals in? We would like to initially rent before we buy. He is interviewing with the police department, so they could put him anywhere.

Thanks again

Yes, the best local paper is the St. Marys Today...

Ahh crap, i'm feeling nice today... Don't look at that paper, it kinda blows.

Rentals are a HOT here... Many people seeking rentals and VERY few on the market. Your best bet is to look at the rental ads on here.

 

[watercolor]

Re: Re: Newspapers???

Originally posted by SmallTown
Yes, the best local paper is the St. Marys Today...

.

WHAT! you have got to be kidding. Dont tell her that. But yea, your right...rentals are h.o.t. here since they are scarce....

Yes...jaievans. If you want, I can send you the Calvert Recorder and the Enterprise. You can also look at the classifieds on here.

 

[JabbaJawz]

Originally posted by willie
Don't live anywhere in PG County. A Pit Bull isn't safe there.

NO, DO NOT move there!!! I live in PG now and it's ghetto-ville!! How about Southern Anne Arundel county, or more towards Bowie. Even though Bowie is in PG, it's not a bad town. You'll definitely be paying WAY more for housing than what you pay now, no matter where in the area you decide to live. And you'll want to prepare yourself to not be so comfortable in your surroundings here. Not a load of crime, but not like where you currently are either.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by bluto
If he is interviewing with police departments I would suggest trying the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Department. They are usually hiring. Does he have prior experience? The job is very politicized but the pay is good and the work is a lot less heinous in St. Mary's than PG County, if you didn't know they are one of the worst departments in the nation.

From talking with people involved with the St. Marys force, they really try to hire people from outside of the area. They were ridiculed awhile back for the "good ol boy" mentality and have worked hard to change that. So, being from out of the state, and the fact the work here has to be a lot better than PG, I would highly recommed applying here.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by cariblue
Why would you say that? I'm probably the only person on the board that hates it here as much as ST, and I can't even make a statement like that.

I wasn't quite sure where she was going with that, so I left it alone.

If she was talking safety, I don't feel unsafe where I am. But I wouldn't be walking around Great Mills road at night by myself, nor would I venture out to the flattops late at night. Just like any where you go, you simply avoid certain places and don't worry about it.

 

[Ken King]

Originally posted by cariblue
Why would you say that? I'm probably the only person on the board that hates it here as much as ST, and I can't even make a statement like that.

Cause she is talking about PG County, which by anyone's estimations is one of the worst places you could live in the surrounding area.

 

[JabbaJawz]

Originally posted by cariblue
Why would you say that? I'm probably the only person on the board that hates it here as much as ST, and I can't even make a statement like that.

I don’t hate it here at all, but we are definitely not as safe as where she is coming from. Just from what she said, that is blatently obvious. My parents live in rural Hollywood and have had vandalism twice, and my car was broken in twice when I lived there. I used to live in Lexington Park in Queen Anne Apartments and my neighbor’s car was broken into there. I’d NEVER go into St. Mary’s Square alone at night, and there are creatures all over the place here (not just in Lex. Park). We’re certainly not as bad as PG County, but we’re not some close-knit community where everyone is on your side, either. We do have crime here, including murders here and there. That alone makes this worse than where she is coming from, which is why I made the comment that she should be more aware here and know what to expect.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by Ken King
Cause she is talking about PG County, which by anyone's estimations is one of the worst places you could live in the surrounding area.

I think she was talking about down here as well

 

[JabbaJawz]

Originally posted by SmallTown
I wasn't quite sure where she was going with that, so I left it alone.

It appears my comment came out worse than I meant it too. I’m just saying that you can’t come to live here and have the complete small town mentality where you don’t lock your doors and think that your neighbors will all help you out, help protect the kids, etc… It’s just not like that everywhere here.

 

[JabbaJawz]

Originally posted by SmallTown
Just like any where you go, you simply avoid certain places and don't worry about it.

My point exactly. Dean has taught me about PG county and where is safe and where is not. Meaning I know which shopping centers up there equate to the St. Mary’s Square shopping center, and which one equates to the Target shopping center.

 

[JabbaJawz]

Originally posted by SmallTown
I think she was talking about down here as well

A little bit of both. But, like Ken said, PG county is WAY worse. Lots of creatures all over the place!

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by laureng
A little bit of both. But, like Ken said, PG county is WAY worse. Lots of creatures all over the place!

Yea, when we were looking at places around the beltway, we kept seeing how PG county is just the opposite from most beltway counties. Most get more expensive the closer in to DC you are, but PG get cheaper because of the high crime.

You can get a really nice house there for a lot less than other beltway counties, and with that extra savings you can add bullet-proof glass to your car and home, add extra deadbolts to the door, and buy many more guns.

 

[JabbaJawz]

Originally posted by SmallTown
You can get a really nice house there for a lot less than other beltway counties, and with that extra savings you can add bullet-proof glass to your car and home, add extra deadbolts to the door, and buy many more guns.

!!! You got it!! We’re on the very outskirts of Laurel, very close to Bowie (which is one of the only decent parts of PG, according to me). The neighborhood we’re in is very nice, but of course any stores close by are still ghetto as h*ll. Dean’s parents won’t sell their house, though, because they know darn well they won’t be able to find another house of comparable size and the same amount of perks elsewhere. He and I, though, are completely the opposite. In the house we are building we’re paying a lot more for what we’re getting then we could have paid if we chose another location. We could have built the same house for much cheaper in Charles County, but to us location is key, and we’d rather pay more and be in a nicer location.