Moving to Southern MD

[Patch]

And then I've heard folks from Long Island claim they've never heard their home town referred to as "Lawn Guyland" and folks from the Finger Lakes area of New York claim they've never heard anybody mention buying a new "beetery" for their "care" and folks from Nebraska who claim they've never heard anybody say they do their laundry in a "worshing" machine.

I'm from Long Island, and I've really never heard that. :shrug:

 

[Chain729]

Hi All! I'm moving to Southern, MD soon (got a job at PAX River Navy Base), and am wondering about housing. Are there houses available for less than $250K?

What about crime? I've read that Lexington Park has the highest crime rate in St Mary's county. Is that true?

Can anyone recommend good areas to live that are withing my price range? If there aren't any, what are good areas to live and rent?

Thanks.

What are you looking for? 2 BR? 3BR? Basement? Land? Have kids and are worried about the school district? It all depends.

I just signed a contract to buy a house for 180K. 3BR, 1.5 Bath, full basement, carport and newly remol. Its not in the best area of the Park, but its not the worst either. The Park has been getting worse, but its still not SW DC I can't leave my keys in the ignition, my doors unlocked and still find my car and truck in the morning, like I can at my mom's in Hollywood, but its not the hell-hole some make it out to be.

It's also not the best school district, but I don't have kids either. The GF is currently serving as my incubator, but I have a few years before I have to worry about schooling the demon.

There's another house, almost identicle, though not re-modeled, just up the street for 176K, and one a street over for 160K. I also looked at a 3 BR, 1.5 bath townhouse, within shouting distance of my GF's (part of the reason I'm not buying it ) for 135K.

It's a low price bracket for the area, but good deals can be found if you look (I'd have been stupid to turn down the one I found). Of course, there were also some "interesting" sights to see in my adventure to find a house; one of which, my agent said was the worst house she'd ever seen.

If you'd like, I can give you contact info for my agent, as well as my loan officer, both of which have run circles and jumped through hoops for me.

 

[Patch]

Chain - thanks, good post. Lots of insight there. Sure, let me know who your agent is.

 

[SEABREEZE 1957]

Chain - thanks, good post. Lots of insight there. Sure, let me know who your agent is.

Do yourself a favor and DO NOT deal with Franzen Realty on Rt. 235....Unless you love grief......

 

[Chain729]

Chain - thanks, good post. Lots of insight there. Sure, let me know who your agent is.

You're welcome. Check your PM's.

To get an idea of what's on the market, you can check the websites below. Just a warning though, they aren't the most up-to-date things in the world; so some things will be different from what you're agent finds. However, I did find a few things there that my agent didn't through a standard search of the area, but did once she looked up the MLS number. So, its worth asking your agent about something that strikes your interest, or calling up the listing agent to make sure that its not under contract and then having your agent contact them.

http://www.c21nm.com
http://www.realtor.com

 

[Sadysue]

OK, now that you've given me some technical answers, how many people LIKE living in Southern, MD? Why or why not?

Hi, I moved here from Louisiana about 3 years ago and I really like it, except for the expensive rent and housing. (Houses in LA cost 1/4 of what they do here.) I rent an apartment in California, about 5 miles north of Lexington Park. My neighborhood is very safe and I can go sit outside anytime of the night. If you are an active person, there is a lot to do outdoors and DC is close enough for day trips. Shopping is decent. We have most of the big stores and several large grocery stores to choose from, all close by. I only have two complaints about the area.

1. The traffic can be annoying.
2. Don't expect anything to be open after 10pm except gas stations. Not even pizza.

There are all kinds of people here, like you would see around any base I suppose. For a country person like me, it's nice because it's a big enough town to have most of the things you want, without being too big. If I could ever afford a $300,000 house I think I could be very happy living here.

Good Luck.

 

[Bucket]

Patch, I live right in the heart of the Park. Patuxant Park to be precise. Homes in here are anywhere from 100-210K. Comute to the base is tops 5 minutes. We shop at the Square and take our evening walks through the neighborhood. If you like the "urban" feel with a diverse culture, this is the place. If you don't, this is not the place.

The Park gets a bad rep on this site. People tend to paint with a wide brush and call the whole place a rats nest. I think there are only a couple of people on this site who actually live in the Park. Snobbery factor.