How do we find home in Maryland with challenging housing market and high mortgage ?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by GNCamry99

Thanks for weighing in and suggestions.


Are there any places/community today in MD becoming developed one few years down the line?


(eg, Ashburn VA 8 years ago, Fredrick 8-10 years ago, Urbana MD 8-10 years ago )


Thanks again.

There are likely plans filed for a lot of places. Whether they'll be built is anyone's guess.

The property this new library was built on had eight different development plans for condos submitted since 1990 until 2016. Three of them got final site plan approval. None even had test borings done.
https://www.somdnews.com/recorder/ne...aa97d48e4.html

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by GNCamry99

Thanks for your replies to my threads.

I find housing market and high mortgage not in favor for home buyer these days.

What are ways, we can find an affordable home in Maryland, who is earning 80K and closer to retirement?

If you want to buy a nice home in a desirable neighborhood in Maryland, then you have to make a lot of money to afford the mortgage or you have to put a large downpayment.

Maryland is probably not a good state to retire in if you don't have a sizeable nest egg. Unless you're willing to live pretty far out in some exurban or rural area.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

If you want to buy a nice home in a desirable neighborhood (virtually anywhere worth living),
then you have to make a lot of money to afford the mortgage (AND) you have to put a large down payment.

Fixed that some for you.

Maryland (like virtually anywhere else worth living) is probably not a good state to retire in
if you don't (already the CASH required to buy your choice outright).

Sometimes editing is easier than writing it all anew.

[BigCityDreamer]

It might be easier to pull off retirement in a lower COL state like Ohio or something.

YMMV

[westsideboy]

This plan isn't impossible if the "occasional trip to the office" is really occasional, and OP doesn't mind spending more like 2-2.5 hours on that day to get into D.C.

If you REALLY want to work in D.C. and live in a rural area, a telework set-up is a great way to do it. Cumberland's housing prices have risen since the pandemic for just this reason, we are on the radar of telecommuters as an affordable town that is....just close enough to D.C. to make the occasional trip in possible...it would not be from Ohio.

So, OP really needs to define how often they would need to go into D.C., and an exact price point that needs to be met. As others have mentioned, parts of Southern Maryland, northern and western Frederick County, and other areas might work depending on these two factors.

[DaveinMtAiry]

I'm still trying to understand how weed smokers are endangering the health of non-smokers. Are you saying that whiff of weed we all smell is a danger via second hand smoke? LOL.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

I'm still trying to understand how weed smokers are...

I see that as cover for the larger pique of being compelled to live among 'the sort of people' that do x or y ...

[GNCamry99]

Thanks for weighing in .

This would be the killer, I think. Anywhere within a one hour commute of D.C., itself is going to be pricey. If you really want an affordable house in a rural area, you can find it, but you would have make that "occasional" trip to the office much longer.

Where are these rural areas geographically in Maryland?

To the west - basically anywhere west of Frederick Co gets cheaper. Western and northern FredCo also has some pockets that are not as pricy.

What are the ZIPCodes fall under Western and northern FredCo?

I am looking for a 3BR unit in a quite and safe neighborhood.

I find many pieces suggest to rent instead of buy in current situation, where we will be paying more for Mortgage compare to monthly rent .

Home prices saying high due to hiked property taxes as well. I saw a piece, where property taxes were up by 35% in Fredrick.

I have few hundred grand equity to put into home, but concerned about wiping out due to housing bubble burst.

With 80k while fully employed what will your financial situation look like in the future?

I am thinking of living with SS + RMD + do work as far as health permit in the future.

Maryland is probably not a good state to retire in if you don't have a sizeable nest egg

I agree. What are the alternates ?

I'm still trying to understand how weed smokers are endangering the health of non-smokers. Are you saying that whiff of weed we all smell is a danger via second hand smoke?

Don't you agree ? As a non-smoker, I am getting headache, nauciating feeling etc. Will this show up in drug screen , for employment need ?


Many years ago, folks went behind cigarettes/cigar etc. We see wide spread smoking hazard outreach all over the places. After many year later same think will happen for weed as well, when sizable population health impacted by weed smoking. Common folks hold the bag, where law makers hold sizable $ in their accounts .


Could you give more info about small town rural areas, rust belt areas, old snow belt areas?

How do we identify those in a state or county ?

Thanks for your guidance.

[westsideboy]

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...ch/Thurmont_MD

You can check out Thurmont, it was still rural last time I checked, roughly 20 miles north of Frederick City. Myersville is on Rt. 40/I-70 and isn't outrageous by Maryland standards. Look at a map and head west and north of these places and the prices will get cheaper, and the commutes longer.

I am not a fan of flat spaces, so my recommendations will be north and west because that is what I am familiar with. If you can live in flat places, Southern Maryland has options too, I just am not personally familiar with them.

[ion475]

Originally Posted by GNCamry99

Thanks for weighing in .
Where are these rural areas geographically in Maryland?

What are the ZIPCodes fall under Western and northern FredCo?

I am looking for a 3BR unit in a quite and safe neighborhood.

I find many pieces suggest to rent instead of buy in current situation, where we will be paying more for Mortgage compare to monthly rent .

Home prices saying high due to hiked property taxes as well. I saw a piece, where property taxes were up by 35% in Fredrick.

I have few hundred grand equity to put into home, but concerned about wiping out due to housing bubble burst.

I am thinking of living with SS + RMD + do work as far as health permit in the future.

I agree. What are the alternates ?

Don't you agree ? As a non-smoker, I am getting headache, nauciating feeling etc. Will this show up in drug screen , for employment need ?


Many years ago, folks went behind cigarettes/cigar etc. We see wide spread smoking hazard outreach all over the places. After many year later same think will happen for weed as well, when sizable population health impacted by weed smoking. Common folks hold the bag, where law makers hold sizable $ in their accounts .


Could you give more info about small town rural areas, rust belt areas, old snow belt areas?

How do we identify those in a state or county ?

Thanks for your guidance.

In general, including Frederick Co, anywhere west of Middletown on 70, north of Frederick / Walkersville on 15, and outside the city along 15/340 to the south and SW are less expensive. Cross county line into Washington Co (Hagerstown area), the price drop even more, and the further west, the cheaper (except the area next to Deep Creek Lake).

Some area close by would be Eastern Panhandle of WV, which, bc it is still West Virginia with its stigmas, is also cheaper. That area is growing quite a bit, though (it is the only part of WV constantly gaining population for the last decade).

Either way, you are looking at 1.5hr-ish to DC from that area. Doable but not fun.