NWR: Housing in the Ellicott City area (Renting)

weezie825

DH and I had pretty much made the decision that this fall we were going to be moving to Downtown Baltimore.  Well, circumstances have changed and it looks like DH may be getting a new job this fall in the Columbia area.I know NOTHING about that area, as I was born and raised in Carroll County/Northern Baltimore County.I work in Woodlawn and DH would be in Columbia.  On a map it looks like Ellicott City would be a good middle ground.  We are looking to rent.  Any ideas of places to look or avoid would be appreciated.   Thanks!

SarahKate31

I grew up in Columbia and DH in Ellicott City. It is a GREAT area!! I might know of a place in Columbia for rent, I'll have to check. The area around Old Annapolis Road and Centennial Lane is nice. Have you looked anywhere yet?

Bmore09Bride

Oella may also be a good local and that's in B-more county (I beleive) so it may be cheaper..

SarahKate31

Oh I forgot to mention that EC/Columbia is generally pretty expensive. Elkridge is another central-ish town that might be more affordable (no idea what your budget is, just saying generally).

smange10.10

I grew up in Columbia (down the street from SK).  We just moved from EC back to Columbia - which technically, is a matter of yards away.  Either way, we lived in Ashton Woods, off of 108.  It's easy access to 100, 95...you name it.  We really liked it there and the location couldn't be beat.  If you need more info, let me know.

Valentinegirlxo

Ellicott City would probably be less expensive depending on the area. I know when we looked in columbia everything was running $1300+ and that was for an apartment. Anything around the mall is going to be up there. I would say stay away from Wilde Lake, Long Reach, parts of Oakland Mills and Owen Brown just from personal experience.  Oella is nice, I think part of it is Baltimore County and the other part Howard County. If your open to look outside of those areas I used to rent a 2 level TH in Baltimore County, it's right off of 195 which is close to 95 and 695. The community was called Selford. You can look them up on Homeproperties.com. I had 2 bedrooms 1.5 baths washer and dryer on site. The community was great and close to a lot of things. I worked in columbia when I lived there and it was a 15-20 minute commute for me probably the same to Woodlawn. If you want any more info feel free to contact me. valentinegirlxo@comcast.net

kimbrout

No help here but good luck with the hunt! Best f luck to Tim with the job!

Jody&Jason

FI and I bought a townhouse in Elkridge last year and love it.  We are very closely bordered by Columbia and Ellicott City so it's a great location and a little cheaper just because it's Elkridge.  Before we bought, we lived in an apartment in Columbia 2 miles from where we are now and paid $1400 for a 2 bedroom.  We both grew up in Westminster and love living in Howard County because you have easy access to highways and can get to Baltimore pretty quickly (15-20 min without traffic).  Annapolis and DC are within easy reach too.  Its very convenient.  The parks are very nice, I love the libraries here and FI likes the rec sports leagues.When you narrow down your search, let us know and some of us can probably give you specifics on different areas.  GL!

pantsarella

A little late, but Elkridge is definitely more affordable and very close to both Ellicott City and Columbia. If you need to know about any areas, let me know- DH is a Howard County police officer so I could ask him about the crime in the area if you want to know!

weezie825

Thanks you guys!  So far this is a HUGE maybe.  But, I am a planner by nature, so looking at maps and figuring out where we would live makes me feel less stressed about a possible change to our plans.SK- We probably wouldn't move before Oct at the earliest. 

lsgarver

Don't live in Howard Crossing.  It was reasonably priced and the place looks nice but there is a lot of scum living there because the place is HUGE and rules aren't enforced.  We lived there for 2 years and I ended up hating it.  The location was nice but the neighbors were disgusting.  I know that sounds snotty but it was awful.If I were to live in EC again, I would look at the lofts and condos for rent in historic EC.  Probably a little expensive but definitely a better ambiance and the restaurants are great!

weezie825

Thanks Leslie! I had looked at HC on-line and I specifically remember thinking it looked nice...  What newspaper would you use to look for stuff in the historic area?

dreamer1125

Avoid Plumtree Apartments on Rte 40-- it's a great location but the management sucks. The A/C doesn't work in the summer and they won't do anything about it-- it was over 90 degrees in our apartment throughout most of July and August.Love Ellicott City in general, though-- I grew up there

smange10.10

Unfortunately I don't know any specific newspaper to look into for the historic area of EC, but I would suggest heading down to mainstreet and going to the visitor center.  They'd probably have a ton of information.

fitzhughh

Avoid Orchard Crossing in Columbia. I lived there for 2 years and it just got worse. I ran far far away. They look beautiful, but not worth it.

Soon2bmrsh10

I am actually planning on renting out my townhouse in Arbutus mid October/mid November depending on when our house is finished.  If you are interested in more information e-mail me at JulieBellard@hotmail.com

ldonadoni

We actually have a house for sale or for rent in Catonsvill- we feel like its close enough to get to everything easily but not right in the city-we're just wanting to move closer to where I work (Annapolis)

It is a traditional Baltimore brick rowhome located in Catonsville- beautiful park right across the street. 3 bedrooms 1.5 bathrooms. Gorgeous wood floors on both levels. Brand new, energystar AC and gas furnace. Ceiling fans in all 3 bedrooms. Washer and dryer in the basement. Dishwasher and updated appliances in the kitchen. 2 parking spots in the rear of the house. Less than 15 minutes from Baltimore Inner Harbor, 30 minutes to Annapolis, 4 miles to UMBC and literally minutes to the beltway. Ellicott City is about 15 min. away. Public transportation is within walking distance, and grocery and shopping is conveniently located.
Utlilities NOT included in $1500 per month to rent....

http://franklymls.com/BC7172363

let me know if you have any questions...

TheFireChick

Avoid The Berkshire Apartments at all costs.    King's crossing is decent, but the management company keeps changing, and things seem to fall through the cracks with each change.

In EC, Ellicott Grove looks pretty nice, and if we hadn't decided to move to Sykesville, that is probably where we would have ended up.