House prices in THIS area have been INSANE since before I got here 5.5 years ago...

If you want decent AND reasonable I'd say try Indiana or Ohio...

You're NOT going to find NEthing that even remotely resembles affordable in NEthing that resembles a decent neighborhood, that's for sure. AND, the commute (doesn't rilly matter from where-to-where, either) SERIOUSLY SUCKS!!! <--note 3 exclaimation points!!!

Coulmbia itself is a fairly decent area, as far as crime and such goes. Parts north of there are similarly OK.

You could also look around teh Frederick area. It's at the other end of 70 from Columbia. Not sure how the morning commute[sm=gears.gif] would be, though. Maybe someone else on here has input into that[sm=signs003.gif]

 

It's crazy how 500K barely gets you a decent 2 bed/2 bath condo, nevermind a house, in most major U.S. cities today.

I would certainly push for the increase in your salary, and I don't think that is asking too much. Upheaving your life, selling your house, cars, furniture etc etc is a huge move. I have done it twice. My wife was offered a job in Manhattan (we live in Chicago currently) about 6 months ago, and she asked for a 150% pay adjustment. They offered 100%, so she politely declined. The increase, albeit double her current salary, would not have been enough to maintain "a similar standard of living" in Manhattan. Never move anywhere where your SOL is going to decline without securing fair compensation first. I wouldn't trust a co. with future promises nowadays.

Good luck with the move

 

I have been with the company for a year now, I've know the owern(s) for several years so I'm not too worried about the salary situation, I tend to be lucky enough to get exactly what i ask for.

Just need to know some good places to look for houses. The only time I've spent in MD so far was pretty much spent on i95

(note to self, don use [ s ] anymore, stupid strike through all the text, creeps me out)

 

Hell dan, if that's the case you are one lucky SOB

Move to Grand Cayman and work from home.

Good luck.

 

I own a house between Hagerstown and Frederick and use to commute to the Pentagon every morning. If you don't mind getting up at 3:30 and getting out of the house early enough to beat rush hour in the morning you are usually pretty good. I also made sure to either car pool with some people from Frederick or find a Slug stop and make sure I got access to that HOV lane. It's really not bad if you don't mind sitting in traffic. I love the area, it's still not commercialized like Frederick down to 270 is. Land is pretty affordable there as well, although I just got the appraisal on the house and in the last 3 years it has nearly doubled in value, so things are still a little pricey, but for 400k or so you can get a rather decent, nice, upscale home.

We looked for a townhouse or what not in Alexandria and just ended up buying a Condo and that was something stupid like $350k or something like that. It is ridiculous that all of the "homes" in and around the Alexandria, DC, Woodbridge Area and what not are upwards of $750k for a decent "home". Not to mention that we we just talking to some friends about some Condo's that are being built in the area that have been bought and resold for well over a $1M each before the things have even been built. I love the area, but DANG ... if you can afford to purchase, hold on cause in a few more years when spaces gets even more scarce, you'll have a Gold mine.

 

You might wanna include a brief description of "Slugging," next time. I don't think that term applies to many places outside metro DC.

Think "respectable" hitch-hikers (in business suits, and what-not) who bum rides so others can ride teh carpool lane and breeze past us losers who drive gas-guzlers while inching along for 40 miles, or so... They call it "Slug"ing 'round these parts.

 

HAHAH! Thats awesome. Sluging. Don't think I'd do it but sounds funny as hell

 

I used to live in frederick and commute to dc often. 270 and the belt way are hell though if you can with stand the drive boonsboro and sharpsburgh are still somewhat affordable. My brother just bought a nice home in that are but he also sold his town home in thurmont for 280. Goodluck

 

You would be truly AMAZED at how many people use it as their primary means of transportation to<-->from work. They even have a set of "unwritten" rules of how to behave with strangers when getting/giving a ride. Yu kno, what not to say, making eye contact, changing teh radio station, no farting from teh passenger seat (ok, I made that last one up, but, you get the picture)...

Its one of those loose win/win situations. Driver gets to use the carpool lane (HOV) instedda creepin in traffik, rider gets..., well..., a ride

 

BOONSBORO looks like its reasonably priced, but 100 mile commute each day, ouch. I'd have to get a beater car, I like my A4 too much to drive it intop the ground like that heh

I think Im just spoiled having worked from home the last year