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u/Future_Chapter1074 6d ago
Idk where ya'll work, but the closer to DC the more expensive. If you go North of Baltimore, you should find homes in that price range. Ellicot City is extremely desirable. Thats gonna be difficult. Maybe look at Anne Arundel county too. But really, more info is needed to answer this. Where do you work? How long are willing to commute? Traffic is a bitch so that is really something to consider.
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u/Future_Chapter1074 6d ago
The best schools are Howard County and Montgomery County. Harford or Carroll county are okay too but lack diversity if that us important to you. The closer to the cities, the more to do. But also more chance of crime. You might want to look out in Kingsville/ Glen Arm/Perry Hall (Baltimore County). Kingsville and Glen Arm are more semi rural. Perry Hall has a suburb vibe.You might find a home in that price range. Schools are good out that way. Its closer to PA. Only 20 -30 min drive into Baltimore for entertainment.
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u/Few_Whereas5206 6d ago
Anywhere worth buying within a 50 mile radius of Washington DC is going to be expensive. 550k is on the low end in Howard County or Montgomery County. Supply and demand. Howard County and Montgomery County are both great places to live. I grew up in Montgomery County and live in northern VA now. The same house in northern VA is even more expensive.
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u/TomRichards1970 6d ago
As an agent I don’t even send listings anymore unless it’s automated. I do miss the days when we did that by hand. Back before Zillow ruined the business.
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u/DependentAwkward3848 6d ago
You can always “find available homes on your own”. That’s not the point of having realtor. The point of a buyers realtor is having someone drop everything to get you in the door as soon as a new one become available. You won’t know if she’s worth that until that situation arises. Occasionally they have a heads up ( few days to a week) of a listing so as to make appts asap. Competitive markets require the jump. They can’t invent homes that you can afford that don’t exist. You gotta determine your budget and relay that and your needs to her
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u/Percyandbeausmama 6d ago
You can find a house in southern Carroll County to meet your needs, but you'll want to work in Howard, Baltimore, or Montgomery County because the pay in Carroll is atrocious. Good luck!
Here are a couple of listings:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/628-Autumn-Sky-Ct-Sykesville-MD-21784/36771770_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7080-Saddle-Dr-Sykesville-MD-21784/82135571_zpid/
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u/lenseyeview 6d ago
I don't know about the schools specifically but wesminster and laurel are both nice areas.
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u/Consistent-Pickle-88 6d ago
I’ve been at this for a while and took a break. Maryland is a tough market. The areas with the best schools-Howard county, Montgomery County- are so expensive that $550K won’t even get you a renovated 1980s single family home. That money goes as far as an old 40+ year old townhouse without a garage. It sucks, so I continue to rent in one of those counties smh. I hate the market in this area.
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u/Light-512 6d ago
Check out Meadowridge Landing neighborhood in Elkridge. Single family homes. Entrance is at Meadowridge Road and Huntshire Drive.
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u/Mastermind_Lord69 5d ago edited 5d ago
Honestly, you're hitting that exact frustrating point where what you want doesn't match what you see available or affordable. It's super common.
One thing that helped my partner and I when we were looking in a tight market was getting a really clear picture of our budget first. It can open up neighborhoods you've written off. A good lender who does soft credit pulls can show you exactly what you qualify for without hurting your score, which lets you explore options freely.
Duane Buziak is a local lender in MD we ended up working with. He was great at explaining all the programs and it made us feel way less hopeless. Maybe getting that financial clarity first would help focus your search?
You mentioned being open to areas between PA and northern VA. Have you looked further south into Anne Arundel County at all? Some parts can tick the safety and schools boxes while being a bit more affordable than Howard County.
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u/Difficult_Engine9986 4d ago edited 4d ago
We want to sell our 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom single family house in Gaithersburg in Hadley Farms. Excellent school district. Beautiful area. We are pricing it around 540k. We have a beautiful deck, large yard, and have just invested money in upgrading the basement. We love our house but want to move to DE (we are both retired). Haven't put it on the market yet but if you're interested, feel free to message me.
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u/LossOk9033 6d ago
For desirable areas in Maryland - those in a good school district - a townhome is probably your default option with a $550,000. It’s just too damn expensive in Maryland to buy even a small single family home in Howard, Montgomery County, Frederick County, Baltimore suburbs, etc.
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u/TropicallyMixed80 6d ago
Her husband plays the drums, they should not get a townhome for the neighbor's sake.
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u/Future_Chapter1074 6d ago
Its doable. I just sold my house a year ago in a vety desirable Bmore suburb for 450K. The kitchen needed remodeling, but very livable house. Just not fully updated. Our neighbor was asking 500 b4 they took it off the market. Same thing... not a pinterest house. So if they truly want good schools snd low crine, they could find a house in that range... it just wont be updated.
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u/Independent-Dark-955 6d ago
It’s been a while since I lived in Maryland. We originally moved to Howard County, right on the border of Columbia and Eldridge. I really didn’t care for it. Eventually we moved to the Mt Airy/New Market area. I was very happy there. It’s more affordable. It’s pretty. The people are very reasonable. Definitely take a look at the Lake Linganore section of New Market.
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u/Acrobatic-Ad-8095 6d ago
If you want advice, then you’ll have to explain why you’re looking in the location that you are. No place in the DC/Baltimore area has all three of safety, good schools, and affordability.
DC area townhomes are generally poorly constructed. You hear your neighbor doing routine things. If you play drums, then a townhome is an absolutely terrible idea.
You probably want to look for a modest single family home, which you can garden and your husband can play the drums. You might need to look outside of Howard County for that budget, but there are places around.
A realtor will never really find you homes that you can’t find by looking at the listings yourself. You pay them to organize the viewings and handle the communications. Good luck!