No way would I buy in Pigtown.

You'd probably do better from a commute perspective in Hanover, Odenton, Severn, or even Howard County (though it won't be dirt cheap like downtown in a bad neighborhood like you've targeted).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The Pigtown options are much better for his financial situation. I do think he could make it work. Pigtown is right off the entry into the city and depending on his hours the drive doesn't have to be that bad. Pigtown also offers more room for appreciation, methinks, as people are being priced out of Fed Hill/Riverside and are now starting to look into Pigtown. The area, while not perfect, has cleaned up quite a bit compared to a decade ago.

Pigtown is not a better option for appreciation and is much less safer. The house in Riverside is a couple blocks from a $1B+ development (Port Covington) that is literally going to reshape Baltimore and be a city within a city. Saying that it is a worse investment that a home in Pigtown, which people have been saying is "up-and-coming" for decades and is not too far from West Baltimore's worst neighborhoods, is just false.

Port Covington is far from a sure thing, and it isn't particularly safe right now. Nor does it help his commute.

OP, look closer to Fort Meade, you will be far happier spending a hour or two less in your car.

what? port covington is completely safe now because there is almost nothing there. and while the development is not 100% sure, it is pretty likely. 'far from a sure' thing is not accurate.

It’s not an island. The surrounding neighborhoods of Mt. Winans, Cherry Hill, and Westport have serious crime issues.

Anonymous wrote:Some of you seem to have no clue where Fort Meade is. It's not anywhere close to the Baltimore to DC commute.

I live 10 minutes from Ft Meade. I lived for 10 years in Charles Village and commuted to Greenbelt just past Ft Meade. And when we went to DC we would go up the parkway past Ft Meade to enter DC from NY ave or Suitland Pkwy.

Ft Meade is right on one of the two most common paths between Baltimore and DC.

Where do you think Ft Meade is?

OP, if you're looking at Baltimore be aware of the Baltimore property taxes, which are double and even more than double than the surrounding counties. And car insurance is also much higher for Baltimore residents. It doesn't matter how nice or safe your neighborhood is, those taxes and insurance costs are high.

Then factor in the cost of gas expenses commuting from Baltimore. When you add them all up you may find out it's no cheaper than buying a condo or even a very modest townhouse in Anne Arundel County. The big advantage to city living would be social life for a single, and the urban lifestyle.

I say all the above as a Baltimore lover.

Some of you seem to have no clue where Fort Meade is. It's not anywhere close to the Baltimore to DC commute.

And if you're adamant about sticking to that $220,000 budget here are some places in Locust Point, which is one of the safest neighborhoods in Batimore and very convenient to I-95 (via Key Highway):

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/1459-Andre-St-21230/home/11023919

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/1470-Reynolds-St-21230/home/11023748

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/1433-Richardson-St-21230/home/11023702

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone for the feedback. Just for clarification, I am trying to keep my budget under $220k. I make good money, but want to get the cheapest housing possible as I am trying to save and possibly retire early sometime in the future.

I was interested in Pigtown due to the prices and the neighborhood may be on the rise with the new homes being renovated and the brewery there just opening. I will also check Federal Hill. I just want to be close to 95 and 295 to cut down on my commute time. I am aware of Baltimore's issues but I think as long I am not in the middle of the "bad areas" I should be ok with some good street sense.

In Pigtown you are in the middle of bad areas, literally. Visit anyplace north of Carroll Park before you make your decision (the intersection of Wilkens Ave and Ramsey St, for example) and consider that this neighborhood is half of mile from Pigtown.

Riverside is far more insulated from crime, is walkable to Federal Hill but has better parking, and is going to see a lot of appreciation from Port Covington. It is nicer in every way than Pigtown and is worth the price difference. If the $330,000 house posted earlier doesn't meet your budget this home is $270,000 and is a couple blocks from the Key Highway exit from 95 (for commuting), shops in Southside Marketplace and bars along Fort Ave. It is a much more solid investment than anything in Pigtown.

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/1737-Jackson-St-21230/home/11020746

OP here, thanks everyone for the feedback. Just for clarification, I am trying to keep my budget under $220k. I make good money, but want to get the cheapest housing possible as I am trying to save and possibly retire early sometime in the future.

I was interested in Pigtown due to the prices and the neighborhood may be on the rise with the new homes being renovated and the brewery there just opening. I will also check Federal Hill. I just want to be close to 95 and 295 to cut down on my commute time. I am aware of Baltimore's issues but I think as long I am not in the middle of the "bad areas" I should be ok with some good street sense.

Anonymous wrote:Op was looking at places priced at less than $200,000. He isn’t going to find that in Federal Hill, Canton, or Fell’s Point.

Redfin says differently.

There are about 30 homes currently in the Federal Hill area that are priced under $200K in the Federal Hill area. There are also about 30 homes in the Fell's Point area that are priced under $200K. There are 10-15 units in the Canton area priced under $200K.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The Pigtown options are much better for his financial situation. I do think he could make it work. Pigtown is right off the entry into the city and depending on his hours the drive doesn't have to be that bad. Pigtown also offers more room for appreciation, methinks, as people are being priced out of Fed Hill/Riverside and are now starting to look into Pigtown. The area, while not perfect, has cleaned up quite a bit compared to a decade ago.

Pigtown is not a better option for appreciation and is much less safer. The house in Riverside is a couple blocks from a $1B+ development (Port Covington) that is literally going to reshape Baltimore and be a city within a city. Saying that it is a worse investment that a home in Pigtown, which people have been saying is "up-and-coming" for decades and is not too far from West Baltimore's worst neighborhoods, is just false.

Port Covington is far from a sure thing, and it isn't particularly safe right now. Nor does it help his commute.

OP, look closer to Fort Meade, you will be far happier spending a hour or two less in your car.

what? port covington is completely safe now because there is almost nothing there. and while the development is not 100% sure, it is pretty likely. 'far from a sure' thing is not accurate.

Buy in Ft. Meade area.

Op was looking at places priced at less than $200,000. He isn’t going to find that in Federal Hill, Canton, or Fell’s Point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not spend that amount of time in a car, nor would I sink my money into Baltimore real estate. They are another riot away from further depressed prices. Why not rent closer to work? That whole area is inexpensive.

OP, do not listen to people like this. Baltimore has plenty of nice neighborhoods, many of which have appreciated in price since Freddie Gray.

Here's a home that is right across from Riverside Park and within waling distance to the $1B+ Port Covington development, which will house the new Under Armour Headquarters. This would be a reasonable commute to Fort Meade:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/1741-Covington-St-21230/home/11020476

This will take some sweat equity, but it would be worth it once Port Covington comes around. Here's a home that sold two blocks away to give you a frame of reference about what stuff sells for when it's fixed up:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/1532-Covington-St-21230/home/11885715

The Rah Rah Baltimore booster has found you. The commute to Fort Meade is reasonable only if you want an hour plus commute.

This is ridiculous. Stop. Google Maps does not agree with you, nor does anyone who's actually done that commute. The commute time from Capitol Hill to North Baltimore around 6 pm is 1:30 to 1:45. There is no way it takes 1 hour to do a reverse commute from the edge of South Baltimore to Fort Meade.

Who said anything about Capitol Hill? OP is commuting to Ft Meade which is significantly closer to Baltimore than Capitol Hill. And you don't have to deal with the traffic that builds up south of MD-32, south of I-495 or in-bound on any of the routes (NY Ave, Benning Rd, PA Ave).

Like another poster, I would recommend the OP look at the Federal Hill area. I know two single guys in the same age range who bought in that area for a commute to NASA, just down the road from Ft Meade and they said that commute was good most days, but bad occasionally. The Federal Hill properties are much better bang for the buck and appreciation than anywhere in West Baltimore.

I brought up Capitol Hill because it’s obviously much further than Ft Meade. Read the post again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not spend that amount of time in a car, nor would I sink my money into Baltimore real estate. They are another riot away from further depressed prices. Why not rent closer to work? That whole area is inexpensive.

OP, do not listen to people like this. Baltimore has plenty of nice neighborhoods, many of which have appreciated in price since Freddie Gray.

Here's a home that is right across from Riverside Park and within waling distance to the $1B+ Port Covington development, which will house the new Under Armour Headquarters. This would be a reasonable commute to Fort Meade:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/1741-Covington-St-21230/home/11020476

This will take some sweat equity, but it would be worth it once Port Covington comes around. Here's a home that sold two blocks away to give you a frame of reference about what stuff sells for when it's fixed up:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/1532-Covington-St-21230/home/11885715

The Rah Rah Baltimore booster has found you. The commute to Fort Meade is reasonable only if you want an hour plus commute.

This is ridiculous. Stop. Google Maps does not agree with you, nor does anyone who's actually done that commute. The commute time from Capitol Hill to North Baltimore around 6 pm is 1:30 to 1:45. There is no way it takes 1 hour to do a reverse commute from the edge of South Baltimore to Fort Meade.

Who said anything about Capitol Hill? OP is commuting to Ft Meade which is significantly closer to Baltimore than Capitol Hill. And you don't have to deal with the traffic that builds up south of MD-32, south of I-495 or in-bound on any of the routes (NY Ave, Benning Rd, PA Ave).

Like another poster, I would recommend the OP look at the Federal Hill area. I know two single guys in the same age range who bought in that area for a commute to NASA, just down the road from Ft Meade and they said that commute was good most days, but bad occasionally. The Federal Hill properties are much better bang for the buck and appreciation than anywhere in West Baltimore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The Pigtown options are much better for his financial situation. I do think he could make it work. Pigtown is right off the entry into the city and depending on his hours the drive doesn't have to be that bad. Pigtown also offers more room for appreciation, methinks, as people are being priced out of Fed Hill/Riverside and are now starting to look into Pigtown. The area, while not perfect, has cleaned up quite a bit compared to a decade ago.

Pigtown is not a better option for appreciation and is much less safer. The house in Riverside is a couple blocks from a $1B+ development (Port Covington) that is literally going to reshape Baltimore and be a city within a city. Saying that it is a worse investment that a home in Pigtown, which people have been saying is "up-and-coming" for decades and is not too far from West Baltimore's worst neighborhoods, is just false.

Port Covington is far from a sure thing, and it isn't particularly safe right now. Nor does it help his commute.

OP, look closer to Fort Meade, you will be far happier spending a hour or two less in your car.