Housing & Real Estate

PLANNING YOUR MOVE
Relocating to a new home can be one of the most stressful situations in life. Whether moving across town or across the nation, preparation and organization can make all the difference. First, decide to use a professional moving company or make it a do-it-yourself (DIY) move.

For a DIY move, consider distance, labor help and the costs to rent the moving van, gas, lodging during the move and insurance. A transportable storage unit can bridge a professional and DIY move. When the unit is delivered to your residence, you load and secure it for transport and then unload it at your new residence.

Whatever the method, be sure to obtain as many quotes from professional movers as possible as well as cost estimates for a DIY move. Next, compare the costs involved for each type of move, weighing the stress and physical exertion involved.

BUYING VERSUS RENTING
The decision to buy or rent is the most important step in your relocation process. Purchasing a home entails a long-term emotional and financial commitment with various pluses and minuses attached. The advantages include the possibility of building equity and the freedom to design and decorate your property or landscape. And don't forget the tax benefits. Disadvantages involve upkeep, property taxes and fluctuating property value.

Renting, on the other hand, makes moving easier and someone else maintains the property. Amenities, such as laundry rooms, exercise rooms, swimming pools and tennis courts, vary from one rental complex to another. The main disadvantage is loss of control over the residence. Some complexes, for example, restrict or prohibit pets and personal touches such as painting. And the landlord or property managers can also raise the rent with proper notice. Before determining your best option, account for all of your needs, review your financial situation and research your options thoroughly.

BUYING A HOME
According to the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning, the mean price of a condominium is $245,472, a town house is $327,308 and a single-family house is $544,994.

According to the Anne Arundel County Department of Planning and Zoning, the recent mean price of a condominium was $365,400, a townhouse was $295,411 and a detached house was $469,443.

Buying a home is a complex process and, as the recent housing crisis demonstrated, requires a thorough education on the part of the buyer. First, fully understand your financial position-credit score, available savings, monthly income and expenditures. Subtracting your expenditures from your income, for instance, will yield the amount you can afford for housing.

Be sure to account for all insurance costs associated with owning a home, possible home owner association fees and property taxes in your monthly expenditures. According to http://www.ginniemae.gov, loan program rules vary on the percentage of your income used for housing-related expenses. Most conventional loans allow 28 percent, with FHA at 29 percent and VA at 41 percent. Above all, avoid any advice about "affordable mortgages" from a real estate agent or a mortgage lender, rely instead on your own budgetary review to determine monthly housing expenses.

Next, research the different types of home loans to determine the right fit for your financial situation. The two main types of mortgages are fixed-rate and adjustable-rate (ARM). A fixed-rate loan offers one interest rate for the life of the loan, which means the same monthly payment. The adjustable-rate loan generally starts with a fixed rate but after the introductory period the rate will adjust periodically based on fluctuations in the interest rate. The fixed-rate loan offers stability to long-term homeowners. The ARM saves money in the short run as the initial interest rate is typically lower than a fixed-rate mortgage. Once the initial period ends, the ARM rate will rise and fall at predetermined intervals stated in the terms of the loan, sometimes above the rate for a fixed-rate mortgage. This mortgage favors short-term homeowners. For a thorough explanation of these and variations of these mortgages, be sure to discuss your options with a lending professional. A preapproved loan before starting your search for a home can determine your spending limits and signal any potential issues in the way of receiving a loan.

Knowing your monthly budget and the amount of your loan are invaluable during the next phase, especially finding the answers to questions before the hunt for a home begins. First, determine your home preferences. Do single-family houses, condos, town homes and duplexes fit your needs and budget. Do you prefer a new home, an existing home or to build one? Though new homes generally cost more, existing homes may come with maintenance issues and renovation costs. What is the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you'd like? Do you want an attached garage? Will you live in the city, a suburb or in the country? How close to work, school, shopping or public transportation do you want to be? Answers to the majority of these questions will greatly assist your search and the next stage-hiring a real estate agent.

The ideal agent will help find your ideal home and guide you through the purchase process. First, interview potential candidates to ensure they understand your needs, know your home-buying preferences and neighborhoods and are readily accessible. You can find many local real estate agents in the yellow pages of this guide.

Once you have found the right home, have it inspected and have your offer accepted, initiate a purchase contract. This document should detail the final terms for the purchase of your home, including a description of the property, the price, the closing date and an estimate of closing costs. The contract also includes the standard clauses that specify the broker's commission, inspection results and payment agreements for unforeseen damage and details of the closing documents.

Closing day ends your home-buying experience. Once you've signed all the documents, paid the closing and secured the keys, you now own a home. The escrow company, attorney or title company will record the sale with the county.

RENTING A HOME
Much like purchasing a home, finding suitable rental housing begins with knowing your finances and monthly budget. And like purchasing a home, be sure to answer the many questions before your quest begins. What type of rental best fits your needs: single-family home, condo, town home or apartment? Do you want a roommate? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? What about a garage? Do you prefer to live in the city, a suburb or in the country? Would you rather be close to work, school, shopping or public transportation? Are there specific must-have amenities like an exercise room, swimming pool or tennis courts? Knowing the answers beforehand will narrow the next stage-the actual search.

For starters, check this guide's yellow pages or the Internet. Most online sites, such as http://www.rent.com and http://www.apartmentguide.com, feature detailed information, photos of the properties and search engines based on price, location and number of bedrooms. Many sites also offer rent specials and availability of units.

To find a house, condo or town home, property management companies and real estate offices will be more than glad to help. Or simply drive around the preferred neighborhoods and maybe snag an unadvertised rental. A network of local friends and relatives can also help.

Before deciding, you should learn as much as you can about your potential new home. Here are a few details to consider:
Understand the total financial commitment. What are the costs of deposits and applications fees? Are utilities included in the rent? How much is a typical monthly summer and winter utility bill? Will the rent increase when the lease expires? Is a pet deposit required? Also, determine the cost of renter's insurance and impacts to your automobile insurance, which are often based on location.
Interview the management staff or property management company. If in a complex, are they located on site? How quickly do they respond to issues? What kind of issues are they working on?
Talk to nearby tenants or potential neighbors, if interested in an apartment or condo complex. What do they like best and least about living there? What is the parking situation? How are the noise levels both inside and outside?
Visit the neighborhood during the times you would usually be home. How is the traffic around the area? Note the parking and noise conditions.
Ask for references to check a property management company's past performance. Was the staff responsive when called? Were there any issues in returning a security deposit in a timely manner?
Check with the local Sheriff's office to review the crime rate in the neighborhood.
Review any association rules to be sure you can live within their guidelines.

Read the lease carefully before signing. Do a thorough walkthrough of the residence and note issues with the property on the lease or a separate document. Be sure to have a member of the property management staff sign and date the document to ensure you don't have to pay for damages you were not responsible for.

Make sure the lease specifies the length of the term with a start and end date, the monthly rent and when it is due, deposits and amounts paid. The lease should also detail the amount of notice required before moving out, the condition of the rental after moving out and the amount of time to expect the return of deposits.

UTILITIES
Howard County
Gas & Electric
Baltimore Gas & Electric accepts written or verbal applications for gas and/or electric service. Two people in a dwelling may be listed on the account, both will be responsible for bill payment.

Baltimore Gas & Electric
P.O. Box 1475
Baltimore, MD 21203
To Start Service (410) 685-0123
(800) 685 0123
http://www.bge.com

Trash Pickup
(410) 313-6444
help@howardcountyrecycles.org
http://www.co.ho.md.us/dpw/trash_collection.htm.
Weekly trash collection for single-family homes, town homes, most trailer parks and condominiums involves no more than four cans, bags or bundles weighing no more than 40 pounds, less than 4 feet long and 18 inches in diameter. Charges appear on your tax bill.

Water Quality
(410) 313 4997
http://www.howardcountymd.gov/dpw/u_wq.htm
The Bureau of Utilities regularly tests various water conditions at more than 150 locations throughout the system to ensure the highest quality water for Howard County.

Water/Sewer
(410) 313 2058
http://www.co.ho.md.us/DOF/DOF_WaterAndSewer.htm
Howard County Public Works issues quarterly water/sewer bills based on metered water usage and a flat-rate sewer charge.

Water Treatment
(410) 880-5810
http://www.howardcountymd.gov/dpw/u_lpwrp.htm
The Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant serves central Howard County, which includes Columbia, Savage and North Laurel. The rural western part of the County transports septic-tank waste to the plant by truck. The Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Baltimore serves the eastern portion, including Ellicott City, Elkridge and Jessup.

Anne Arundel County
Baltimore Gas & Electric
204 N. Hammonds Ferry Road
Linthicum Heights, MD 21090 (443) 834-2855
http://www.bge.com

Phelps Edgewater Works Service
137 Mayo Road
Edgewater, MD 21037 (301) 261-7675

Arundel Gas & Water Conditioning Co.
3177 Solomons Island Road
Edgewater, MD 21037 (410) 956-2400
http://www.agwc.net

Pepco
7001 Aviation Blvd.
Glen Burnie, MD 21240 (410) 850-4252
http://www.pepco.com/home

Affordable Electric
204 N Hammonds Ferry Road
Linthicum Heights, MD 21090 (443) 834-2855

Water and Wastewater
(410) 222-1144
Anne Arundel County bills residents on the amount of water that has passed through a meter since the last meter reading. Meters are read quarterly. Wastewater is not metered. Bills are sent to customers quarterly by the Billing Office, a division of the Office of Finance. Payments may be made online, by mail or in person at these cashier offices:

Heritage Office Complex
2664 Riva Road, Room 110
Annapolis MD 21401
The Arundel Center
44 Calvert St., Room 110
Annapolis, MD 21402
Anne Arundel County Office Building
7320 Ritchie Hwy., First floor
Glen Burnie MD 21061

Water Quality Reports
(410) 222-7582
http://www.aacounty.org/DPW/Utilities/waterQuality.cfm
The Department of Public Works mails a copy of the report to all direct billed customers. For those not directly billed, such as apartment and condominium residents, the report can also be obtained by calling DPW Customer Relations and requesting a copy sent by mail.

Trash Pickup
(410) 222-6100
http://www.aacounty.org/DPW/WasteManagement/curbside.cfm
Trash from residential homes is collected twice a week. Recycling and yard waste are collected once a week on one of your regular trash collection days. You are limited to four containers of trash below 40 pounds each, each collection day. To determine your regular collection days and holiday collection schedule, visit MyAnneArundel at http://aacoprod.aacounty.org/MyAA/pages/myAA.jsp

Recycling
http://www.aacounty.org/DPW/Waste
Management/troublefreeRecytips.cfm
Residents may recycle all household paper, plastic, metal and glass. Put all similar goods in the same containers. Mark all containers for recycling and yard waste with an "X" so the collectors know it's recycling, not trash. County issued yellow containers need not be marked with "X"s. Containers may be placed at the curb the night before your collection day. Pick up a yellow recycling container at the following locations:
Heritage Complex
2662 Riva Road
Annapolis, MD 21401

Millersville Convenience Center
389 Burns Crossing Road
Severn, MD 21144

Glen Burnie Convenience Center
100 Dover Road
Glen Burnie, MD 21060

Sudley Convenience Center
5400 Nutwell Sudley Road
Deale, MD 20751

Millersville Landfill and
Resource Recovery Facility
389 Burns Crossing Road
Severn, MD 21144 (410) 222-6108
http://www.aacounty.org/DPW/WasteManagement
Accepts cardboard, yard waste, rubble, pallets, scrap metal, batteries, computers and other electronics.

COMMUNITIES OF HOWARD COUNTY
Clarksville/Highland
Spacious homes and tilled fields line the roads that intersect at Clarksville and Highland. The Highland juncture features a community market, country furniture store, a pharmacy and a veterinarian. Clarksville boasts the River Hill village center, Columbia's latest, car dealerships, banks, a garden center, a new fire station and many other shops.

Columbia
In 1967, developer James Rouse designed "a growing place for people" based on racial diversity, religious sharing and environmentally conscious development on 21-square miles of farmland. That planned community has grown to a town of nearly 100,000 people in 10 villages. Despite the rapid expansion, Columbia retains a small-town feel with such big-town amenities as downtown offices, a major shopping mall, extensive recreational sites and a large concert hall.

Elkridge
Row houses and small businesses along Historic Main Street anchor this former bustling port on the Patapsco River. The city's more than 31,000 residents enjoy a state park with miles of hiking and horseback trails and an upscale Victorian setting that borders Route 1, the country's first highway.

Ellicott City
Three Ellicott brothers from Pennsylvania founded this mill town in 1772 and not much has changed since then, despite recent, rapid and intense growth. With its antique shops, restaurants and a riverside B&O railroad station and museum, Historic Main Street still retains the same small-town charm. The county seat along the Patapsco River features a variety of houses and open space filled with golf courses, parkland and such upscale neighborhoods as Farside, The Chase and The Preserve, where home prices frequently surpass $1 million.

North Laurel/Scaggsville/Fulton
This area is the "up-and-comer" of the county, with police and fire stations, shops, schools and churches. North Laurel, for example, features shops, antiques stores, restaurants, golf courses and the Rocky Gorge Reservoir. Fulton is a 600 acre development that will include 1,100 homes, a community center, pool, tennis courts and 78 acres of parks, paths and open space. In the works are Emerson, a new 570 acre development with 1,200 homes, and Stone Lake with a 25 acre lake, town houses and single-family homes on 137 acres.

Savage
A textile mill supported this community for decades. These days the mill serves as an antiques and artisans market with the nearby renovated mill homes as quaint decorations. The young couples and lifelong residents of this tight-knit community congregate at the Carroll Baldwin Hall and annually celebrate Savage Fest.

Western Howard County
Glenelg, Glenwood, Cooksville, Lisbon and West Friendship were once farming areas where communities centered on churches, schools and general stores. Today, stately new houses on spacious lots coexist with dairy farms, cornfields and stables of horses. Local amenities include a library, senior center and a regional park with a 50,000 square foot multi-use community center. The far west end boasts some of the highest-priced housing in the area.

COMMUNITIES OF
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY
Annapolis
The county seat of Anne Arundel County, Annapolis is the state capital of Maryland. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, 26 miles south of Baltimore and about 29 miles east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and is the home of the United States Naval Academy.

Glen Burnie
This now suburb of Baltimore originated in 1812 when Elias Glenn established a county seat the current Brooklyn Park, calling the property "Glennsburne." As the nearby land passed down through the family, the property grew and eventually was established as an official state subdivision in 1888. In 1930, postmaster Louis J. DeAlba officially updated the name to Glen Burnie. The city was home to Harundale Mall, the first enclosed shopping center east of the Mississippi River, in 1958.

Highland Beach
This small community was founded early in 1893 by affluent African Americans from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., who were seeking a summer retreat on the Chesapeake Bay. As an incorporated town, it had the unique position of employing its own police force, which often prevented harassment against its citizens. Early residents and guests of the community included Frederick Douglass' son, Charles Douglas, municipal court judge Robert Terrell, Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar. The year-round town is protective of its heritage and chooses not to permit commercial establishments.

Linthicum
Founded in 1908, this community named for Abner Linthicum has traditionally been divided into two distinct areas: North Linthicum and Linthicum-Shipley. Points of interest include the National Electronics Museum, the Benson-Hammond House and the Performing Arts Association of Linthicum. Its Linthicum Heights Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

Mayo
This area takes its name from Commodore Isaac Mayo who distinguished himself in the Mexican-American War. Commodore Mayo held a large tract of land on the South River, known in the early 1900s as "Mayo's Neck" that formerly was the home estate of Captain Nicholas Gassaway the son of Maryland politician Colonel Nicholas Gassaway. His home, known as Gresham was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Its beach was formerly a popular weekend resort from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Odenton
Deriving its name from former Maryland Gov. Oden Bowie, this town earned the nickname "The Town a Railroad Built." During the Civil War, Union Soldiers guarded the area's railroad line because it was the only link between the North and the nation's capital. The town grew as a railroad community and later around general merchandising stores and a cannery. With the establishment of Fort Meade in 1917 , many area farmers were relocated to Odenton. The city maintains its railroad history as well as currently serving as a suburban expansion of Baltimore and Washington, D.C.