would I regret living in CRE?

[smilin]

My parents bought a lot in 1963, then built five years later. CRE was originally set up as a retirement/weekend place with a western theme. Now it has turned into a year round community with all the inherent problems 4000 homes bring. Every neighborhood is different, go by on a Friday night to see who your new neighbors are going to be, LOL.
The reason the HOA fee varies from listing to listing is the agents don't put in the right amount, the right amount is just under $400.
It's not a bad place, has more amenities than most. The majority of people you meet are very nice with the occasional jackass interspersed, like an annoying weed.
If you're not into the drama step around it or just ignore it. Then on the other hand they do need help.

 

[libertytyranny]

The bank took another offer on the house I wanted. I am sooo bummed out I can't stand it. This home buying thing has got my anxiety level soaring. but my search in St. mary's has stalled because I have now SEEN all of the houses in my range..so I started looking in CRE and I can get more for my money there..i am just not sure I want to live there..or fight the bridge..I was willing to do it for that house cuz it was a heck of a deal....

 

[chuckster]

The bank took another offer on the house I wanted. I am sooo bummed out I can't stand it. This home buying thing has got my anxiety level soaring. but my search in St. mary's has stalled because I have now SEEN all of the houses in my range..so I started looking in CRE and I can get more for my money there..i am just not sure I want to live there..or fight the bridge..I was willing to do it for that house cuz it was a heck of a deal....

There are two for sale on my street if you are looking for something very affordable or a small starter home. Quiet section with paved streets

 

[DuffMan]

The bank took another offer on the house I wanted. I am sooo bummed out I can't stand it. This home buying thing has got my anxiety level soaring. but my search in St. mary's has stalled because I have now SEEN all of the houses in my range..so I started looking in CRE and I can get more for my money there..i am just not sure I want to live there..or fight the bridge..I was willing to do it for that house cuz it was a heck of a deal....

Fighting the bridge is not that bad if you go into work early. I get to work at 6 am and get off at 3:30 and have no problems with bridge traffic. The bad traffic starts around 4:30. I was have the same problem as your are with prices of houses. I ended up buying in the Ranch Club and don't mind it at all, plus I got a great deal on the house.

 

[TurboK9]

The bank took another offer on the house I wanted. I am sooo bummed out I can't stand it. This home buying thing has got my anxiety level soaring. but my search in St. mary's has stalled because I have now SEEN all of the houses in my range..so I started looking in CRE and I can get more for my money there..i am just not sure I want to live there..or fight the bridge..I was willing to do it for that house cuz it was a heck of a deal....

There is a house across from me that was foreclosed on, it needs work.... maybe you can get a good deal. Our little 'zone' of CRE isn't too bad, paved road and any 'crime' seems to be misguided teens...

Besides, I need more hot chicks in the hood. Come on over, LOL.

 

[libertytyranny]

I have a list of homes to go look at this weekend over there..seems that most of the good ones got snapped up in my price range...with the tax credit and all the available homes in there are pretty slim..even my agent was surprised we have so few to look out. I can qualify for more but I am trying to really stick to my guns with staying at 200 or under...I made that determination before I got frustrated so I don't want that to get me into something I am not comfy with. I am LOVING all the pms and replies I am getting they have really turned into credible leads...so thanks guys..all I can do is keep looking..

 

[Bay_Bob]

I find the HOA and their security patrols a bit opressive.

Their definition of "trash" seems to include items I have neatly stored on my property. They will hassle you about things that they happen to dislike at the moment.

You can't cut down a tree, or repair a fence, or porch/deck without approval.

They even determine the color of siding on your house, or at least they did when we built.

There is also a problem in living in "affordable housing". Free ranging pets and children !

I have an ongoing problem with the water company since they installed a water meter (upslope) and their excavation acts as a catch basin sending water down my water pipe ditch and up aginst (and occasionally through) my foundation.

They do not seem to be willing to correct a situation they created.

We are moving and one of my requirements is no HOA !

Also the lots seem to be rather small and neighbors are pretty close.

If that is all you can afford (which was our situation) you can live with it, but I will not miss what hassel there is.

 

[lisa8439]

I feel for you because we were in your spot a bit over a year ago... we were really considering a house in CRE because it would have been a steal for us, and we would have had a lot of cushion to use in fixing it up the way we wanted it. I had heard good things about schools over there, and all things seemed to point to us deciding to buy the house.

But...

I will fully admit that all of the back and forth banter on the forum really made me look at the community in a different light. I didn't mind having a HOA, or the fees that went along with it - provided those fees were going back into the community in a constructive way. As it was, there was talk about security not doing anything, HOA fees being used to 'keep the whale' and just a bunch of talk about misappropriation of funds in general. It just sounded like a dictatorship over there with Eney in control and no one willing or able to challenge him and I didn't want that kind of a headache.

Then my husband sealed the deal by deciding he didn't want to drive over the bridge every day. I agree with what someone said about going in early/getting off early if possible, but my husband just isn't capable of getting himself moving too early in the morning. But even at peak hours, the bridge isn't typically too much of a hassle - I drive through the rt. 4/235 intersection everyday during peak hours. But it's that one accident every couple of weeks that makes it a hassle - and sitting in rolling traffic is one thing but when there is an incident on the bridge, it comes to a full stop - and my husband decided he didn't want to deal with that.

We didn't have the same budget constraints and I feel for you there because there isn't much in St. Mary's for around $200-250K. Like someone said, the tax credit has really made people think about buying so it has thinned out the field quite a bit.

 

[hotcoffee]

I will fully admit that all of the back and forth banter on the forum really made me look at the community in a different light. I didn't mind having a HOA, or the fees that went along with it - provided those fees were going back into the community in a constructive way. As it was, there was talk about security not doing anything, HOA fees being used to 'keep the whale' and just a bunch of talk about misappropriation of funds in general. It just sounded like a dictatorship over there with Eney in control and no one willing or able to challenge him and I didn't want that kind of a headache.

Every now and then there is a comment about moving these discussions to a private forum....

Your comment shows that we are getting the truth out to the majority of the people.... when things turn around again, that will come out too....

Thanks for the comment....

 

[ladyhawk]

I have an ongoing problem with the water company since they installed a water meter (upslope) and their excavation acts as a catch basin sending water down my water pipe ditch and up aginst (and occasionally through) my foundation. They do not seem to be willing to correct a situation they created.

The water company is no longer owned by POACRE.
They were separated out when the Ranch Club went under some years ago...
All they do now is continue to provide water service to most, if not all of POACRE residents.
If there is an issue with them, POACRE has no authority.

I did find it interesting that since the installation of the water meter you now have stormwater issues...
I'm assuming you had no issues prior to this..
Its nice to know that sometimes these issues aren't always created by POACRE or the builders that construct the homes in here,
although most are...

June

 

[libertytyranny]

I went around to THREE homes today in CRE. Three. that's it. That's all that were in my range and not a short sale or eaten up with mold. And on top of it..the one I actually didnt hate..is a bit high. I am frustrated and fed up. It is a really sad thing that a couple who makes decent money and are contributing members of society cannot find a home. It is pretty pathetic that I am looking at another year of THROWING my money away on rent because for some reason I can only find a home that is fit to live in if I make myself unable to pay any other bills. I am so upset, I really feel like giving up. Today has really brought me down.

 

[tom88]

How much would I regret living in CRE? It is more bang for your housing buck over there..

I have seen so much CRAP on here about the ranch club...the drama all that..I am not worried crime-wise as the location is far away from the main part of the neighborhood..I am more worried about HOA drama. The particular house I am looking at carries a fairly high hoa fee..and I was wondering why different houses have different fees? What determines this? If I just pay the fee and shut up will I be able to avoif neighborhood politics..how in the world can they charge what the hoa charges and not have paved roads? I am a little confused..but love the house....


How much would I regret it?
I don't plan on being there for the rest of my life..probably 5-6 years...

Based on the postings you have put up on here, I would think you would fit right in.

 

[libertytyranny]

Based on the postings you have put up on here, I would think you would fit right in.

I typed up something nasty to say, and you know what? It's not worth getting banned over. I hope it made you feel better to say something nasty to a young girl. Wifey must love to come home to such a big man.

 

[tom88]

I typed up something nasty to say, and you know what? It's not worth getting banned over. I hope it made you feel better to say something nasty to a young girl. Wifey must love to come home to such a big man.

Wow? Where did I say anything nasty? Paranoid much? Since we are going to bring our spouses into this, your spouse must be overjoyed to come home to a depressed person who likely blames the fact that he can't bring home enough money to put her into a home she feels she is entitled to.

 

[butterfly08]

Have you tried looking on realtor.com? There's a bunch of homes in Lusby for $200,000 and under. I'm a young homeowner, and trust me I understand how hard it can be to find a house that you really like. We looked for about a year until we found one we really liked.

 

[smdavis65]

I lived there for nine years. It was just fine. Occasionally a kid in the neighborhood would ride his bike through my flower bed or I'd catch some first grader poking in my mailbox. But crime? I left my house unlocked my first few years there.

The people were generally great and I usually found them helpful. About the worst that could be said is that some neighbors let their property look like hillbilly hell. But I have some of that where I live now.

The property owner's association fees were annoying along with the special tax district, which was foisted upon us against our wishes and the money collected was clearly squandered. During the year that CREPO took over, it was shown that money was being wasted left and right, because there was little accountability.

I had a nice, affordable home on a paved street with a good sized lot on a corner and it made a tidy profit when I sold it. For a first home, it was more or less worth it.

Ha HA! So Sammy-boy, you're still living in slums!

 

[BS Gal]

Whatever you do please don't start threads griping about the place if you do end up buying there. That gets old after the billionth thread.

And I don't understand. If people gripe about not knowing where the HOA fees go, why don't they actually get involved WITH the HOA? Seems that if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.

, especially the part about starting more threads.....it is REALLY old and those of use who don't live there, which is about 90% of us, get tired of seeing "CRE" in a bunch of tread titles. Between all of you, I think you could afford the $19.99 for your own thread, especially since you are all so emotional about it. You all are getting to be like the horsey treads, which I was able to block. TIA.

 

[libertytyranny]

, especially the part about starting more threads.....it is REALLY old and those of use who don't live there, which is about 90% of us, get tired of seeing "CRE" in a bunch of tread titles. Between all of you, I think you could afford the $19.99 for your own thread, especially since you are all so emotional about it. You all are getting to be like the horsey treads, which I was able to block. TIA.

Noooo I can't be "one of them" not yet anyway..I only looked at three places

 

[Mama_Mia08]

Noooo I can't be "one of them" not yet anyway..I only looked at three places

Just keep trying. We looked at at least 9 places here (CRE) before we found the right one. That isn't including the places we didn't even want to look at after seeing the neighbors houses or location. You'll find a house eventually, it may not be as quick as you hoped. but just stay proactive. Good luck to you.

Oh and as for people who live in CRE posting on the forums....YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ THE POSTS! There are 100's of post about the make and model of a car driven by someone that pissed someone else off, stupid people, cats, dogs, traffic, and how about weather. Get over it, JMO.

 

[Pushrod]

The bank took another offer on the house I wanted. I am sooo bummed out I can't stand it. This home buying thing has got my anxiety level soaring. but my search in St. mary's has stalled because I have now SEEN all of the houses in my range..so I started looking in CRE and I can get more for my money there..i am just not sure I want to live there..or fight the bridge..I was willing to do it for that house cuz it was a heck of a deal....

I thought you worked at Calvert Hospital, not St. Mary's, so dealing with the bridge should be minimal for you.