Is Frederick County any better?

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  • MG-70

    Active Member
    Jul 8, 2007
    165
    MoCo
    Montgomery County resident since '83, thinking about buying a small, detached, house somewhere less crowded and not as loud and annoying. I much prefer a rural setting to an urban one, especially in my limited, lower, price range. I need to be within a reasonable driving distance to my elderly parents in Bethesda.

    From a 2A perspective, is Frederick County any better than Montgomery? I believe the Sheriff is the person who decides just how hard to push the issues, and realize that it's an elected position, but seeing that Frederick is more rural, and rural folks generally respect and value independence more than those in the city, or the suburban hood, I figured I'd ask the question. If it weren't for my parents, I'd be looking at other states.

    Feel free to recommend alternative places, cities, counties, neighboring states, etc. that an independent, freedom-loving, hardworking, God-Fearing, educated, person, with no reason to fear the police, might find attractive to live in.

    Thanks in advance for the suggestions!
     

    budman93

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 1, 2013
    5,267
    Frederick County
    Montgomery County resident since '83, thinking about buying a small, detached, house somewhere less crowded and not as loud and annoying. I much prefer a rural setting to an urban one, especially in my limited, lower, price range. I need to be within a reasonable driving distance to my elderly parents in Bethesda.

    From a 2A perspective, is Frederick County any better than Montgomery? I believe the Sheriff is the person who decides just how hard to push the issues, and realize that it's an elected position, but seeing that Frederick is more rural, and rural folks generally respect and value independence more than those in the city, or the suburban hood, I figured I'd ask the question. If it weren't for my parents, I'd be looking at other states.

    Feel free to recommend alternative places, cities, counties, neighboring states, etc. that an independent, freedom-loving, hardworking, God-Fearing, educated, person, with no reason to fear the police, might find attractive to live in.

    Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

    The current sheriff is good on 2A but Frederick is becoming increasingly liberal so who knows how long that will last. Definitely better than MoCo at any rate.

    I'm sure you know that the real estate market is absolutely insane right now. Depending on your price range finding a decent detached house in a more rural setting with a bit of yard is nearly impossible right now. I have been looking for about 2 years. Now we're probably moving to WV since we can't find anything here. The market is still bad there so we aren't currently finding anything there either.

    What is your price range for a house and what are you looking for in lot size, garage or no, etc?

    To give you an idea, I have a search set on an area including Frederick almost to Hagerstown and from Jefferson to north of Thurmont. Approximately 425 square miles of search area. The only filters on the search are $450K or less, has a garage, and .5 acres or more. Currently there are only 4 homes for sale meeting that description. If I raise the price limit to 600K then there are 11. So there is essentially nothing for sale.

    The average single family home in Frederick county now sells for ~480K as of April 15th, probably more now, and most of them are on lots substantially smaller than half an acre. 0.1 to 0.2 is common and these houses are in the neighborhood of 500K now.

    EDIT: If you would like to talk to a realtor about what you are looking for I can point you to a good friend of mine who works in the area and is very good at his job. Let me know if you would like his info.
     

    IronDuck

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 11, 2021
    488
    Frederick ish MD
    Sorry to pile on but Budman is right on the button.
    I live in Frederick county in a neighborhood not bad, but have been looking for something that provides some level of separation from the neighbors. 2 years ago interesting places would pop up now and again.
    Now its a bidding war for almost anything that goes for sale. I have given up on making it a primary residence and expanded my searches beyond Hagerstown and into WV. for weekend cabin and land nothing yet or nothing reasonable yet.
     

    deathracer

    Active Member
    Feb 14, 2010
    108
    House pricing will not be much better in Frederick. PA or South VA are better places to go if doable.
     

    Rockzilla

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 6, 2010
    4,516
    55.751244 / 37.618423
    Frederick County "used" to be good. Lived here all my life, seen it gradually
    decline, farm land is slowly going away giving the rise to developments. Cousin's
    farm ain't nothing but towne houses, etc. With the influx of people from MoCo,
    some with their higher than now "tudes" Taxes are Constantly going up. It is
    better than MoCo (my opinion) the farther out you go, Thrumont, Hagerstown, WVa.
    the better. The market is just "crazy" around here. Some of the prices are off the hook.
    We have decided to vacant Frederick County and Maryland all together, moving south
    have had basically enough. Just my .25 worth...

    -Rock
     

    Rockzilla

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 6, 2010
    4,516
    55.751244 / 37.618423
    We may be putting ours on the market, if we find a suitable replacement in Tennessee. Definitely rural 2 acres.

    I hear ya... moving to S.C here currently looking and have been looking, found
    3 possibilities 5 acres, 8 acres and 11 acres 2 have "nice" garages, one is a custom house with office, hot/cold water,
    bathroom in the garage, nice garage, we figure to sell here and what we get here will pay off the little bit of money
    and pay for the house in S.C with no mortgage...(Yeah) biggest thing is finding something we both like. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

    -Rock
     

    Mightydog

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Frederick County "used" to be good. Lived here all my life, seen it gradually
    decline, farm land is slowly going away giving the rise to developments. Cousin's
    farm ain't nothing but towne houses, etc. With the influx of people from MoCo,
    some with their higher than now "tudes" Taxes are Constantly going up. It is
    better than MoCo (my opinion) the farther out you go, Thrumont, Hagerstown, WVa.
    the better. The market is just "crazy" around here. Some of the prices are off the hook.
    We have decided to vacant Frederick County and Maryland all together, moving south
    have had basically enough. Just my .25 worth...

    -Rock

    Amazing how when we moved here to Myersville 31 years ago the developer was giving away a car to each person that bought a house in Ashley subdivision. Then little by little the MoCo crew started moving in. Wanting to change their new developments into what they just left. “What, no community pool”, “What, no community ball fields”. And next thing you know you get zoned wetland areas made into baseball fields. Thanks for ruining the country!
     

    MG-70

    Active Member
    Jul 8, 2007
    165
    MoCo
    Thanks guys, please keep the feedback coming in, especially as it applies to any benefits or advantages, in prices, conservative values, taxes, etc., not only for counties in MD, but also to moving to a neighboring state, such as VA, WV, and even PA.

    I've maintained a real estate license and done business since 2002, but almost exclusively in high density Montgomery County, so I have very limited experience with wells, septic systems, perc tests, propane, permitting, etc., all of which I'm slowly researching.

    I know how tight the market has been and am planning for when prices eventually drop, which I suspect will be some time next year. I currently have a townhouse, that, aside from the neighbors, suits me quite well; so there's no urgent need to move; just a desire. I'd like to keep things under $450K, but do not require a specific size lot, square footage, garage, build date, or even condition, etc. It's just me and the GF; no kids, or even dogs. Ideally, it would be a 2-3BD, 2BA+ rambler with a 1-2 car garage, but I'm willing to compromise. Also, I prefer to do the remodeling myself, instead of buying these houses that people are flipping, which all look the same on the inside, light grey paint, wood-look vinyl planks, cheap stainless appliances.

    Moderators, feel free to move the thread as you see fit, if it has wandered off topic.

    Thanks again for the continued feedback!
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,179
    Sun City West, AZ
    Frederick County has become Montgomery County Lite. It used to be quite conservative but so many Liberal Locusts have moved in to escape DC, MoCo, and Baltimore they're taking over steadily. These transplants tend to have higher incomes and since Frederick County is cheaper to live comparatively, the transplants want the same services they had before and the long-time residents are getting taxed out of existence.

    My parents left Montgomery County for Frederick in 1966 due to the high taxation there...Frederick is catching up quickly.
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Thanks guys, please keep the feedback coming in, especially as it applies to any benefits or advantages, in prices, conservative values, taxes, etc., not only for counties in MD, but also to moving to a neighboring state, such as VA, WV, and even PA.

    I've maintained a real estate license and done business since 2002, but almost exclusively in high density Montgomery County, so I have very limited experience with wells, septic systems, perc tests, propane, permitting, etc., all of which I'm slowly researching.

    I know how tight the market has been and am planning for when prices eventually drop, which I suspect will be some time next year. I currently have a townhouse, that, aside from the neighbors, suits me quite well; so there's no urgent need to move; just a desire. I'd like to keep things under $450K, but do not require a specific size lot, square footage, garage, build date, or even condition, etc. It's just me and the GF; no kids, or even dogs. Ideally, it would be a 2-3BD, 2BA+ rambler with a 1-2 car garage, but I'm willing to compromise. Also, I prefer to do the remodeling myself, instead of buying these houses that people are flipping, which all look the same on the inside, light grey paint, wood-look vinyl planks, cheap stainless appliances.

    Moderators, feel free to move the thread as you see fit, if it has wandered off topic.

    Thanks again for the continued feedback!

    I am scared to even mention this, but what about Carroll? Scared because I don't want a flood of people moving here.

    My parents are in Colesville, one brother is in Colesville, another brother is in Hampshire Greens just north of Colesville close to Clovery, one sister is in Chevy Chase, and the last sibling, another sister, is in downtown Annapolis. My parents and 3 of my 4 siblings were over this weekend. My siblings and their families come by during the "summer" to ride the trails with me and then hang out in the pool. I am down that way in MoCo often enough. About 45 minutes to my parents without traffic. Two brothers are tossing around the idea of moving up here, but they aren't quick with making up their minds.

    Before this market went bonkers, you could have found what you are looking for on a decent sized lot for $450k. Now, probably not so much, but I have not really been looking for the past 18 months.
     

    IronDuck

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 11, 2021
    488
    Frederick ish MD
    Frederick County has become Montgomery County Lite. It used to be quite conservative but so many Liberal Locusts have moved in to escape DC, MoCo, and Baltimore they're taking over steadily. These transplants tend to have higher incomes and since Frederick County is cheaper to live comparatively, the transplants want the same services they had before and the long-time residents are getting taxed out of existence.

    My parents left Montgomery County for Frederick in 1966 due to the high taxation there...Frederick is catching up quickly.


    Again sorry but The Original M Bob is correct. I chose Frederick county when I moved from PA 8 years ago. I moved to PA from Columbia MD 7 years prior to that. I thought by choosing Frederick I could escape the hypocrisy of Columbia. Frederick is much better... or was in the beginning. It seems to be slipping quickly down hill. Example:
    I met a long time resident in Fredrick about 9-12 months ago. She told me, she had come into town to help her parents, (lived in the town of Frederick for 40 plus years) move the American flag, a pro trump sign and some Pro USA items out of or off the front porch of their home! She explained other neighbors had been targeted, harassed and given a hard time for same the week before. Both her parents are very old, not healthy and she was concerned for their welfare!
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,179
    Sun City West, AZ
    Every Saturday the Frederick News-Post shows the property that closed for the highest amount the previous week. Homes have been selling for $1M+ and that astounds me. That raises the value and thus property taxes for all other properties nearby.

    I guess whether that's a good thing depends on whether you're the seller or a buyer.
     

    MG-70

    Active Member
    Jul 8, 2007
    165
    MoCo
    I am scared to even mention this, but what about Carroll? Scared because I don't want a flood of people moving here.

    My parents are in Colesville, one brother is in Colesville, another brother is in Hampshire Greens just north of Colesville close to Clovery, one sister is in Chevy Chase, and the last sibling, another sister, is in downtown Annapolis. My parents and 3 of my 4 siblings were over this weekend. My siblings and their families come by during the "summer" to ride the trails with me and then hang out in the pool. I am down that way in MoCo often enough. About 45 minutes to my parents without traffic. Two brothers are tossing around the idea of moving up here, but they aren't quick with making up their minds.

    Before this market went bonkers, you could have found what you are looking for on a decent sized lot for $450k. Now, probably not so much, but I have not really been looking for the past 18 months.

    Thank you very much for the suggestion! My online search includes Carroll county, as well as areas North East of Frederick, which look great on a map, but of which I know very little, unfortunately. An area that looks very attractive to me is off RT27, North of I70, away from larger developments. I plan to do more scouting in the coming months.

    In reference to IronDuck's comment about the degeneration of parts of the city of Frederick, all I can say is that it seems to be in line with the larger urban centers throughout the US. For someone to associate the American flag with support for Donald Trump, or even a specific political party, the person has to be extremely limited, intellectually, and know nothing about or care for American history. It's truly sad that this is even taking place; especially in a city that used to have all the good traits of a rural town. It's a great argument for home schooling; that's for sure.

    Cheers
     

    DanGuy48

    Ultimate Member
    We’ve been in Frederick County for almost 30 years, moved up here from Germantown.

    There is a LOT that has changed. You’re right that Jenkins is a great 2A defender. However, I was talking with a friend who was at a meeting with him and he said Jenkins made the comment that, given how much Frederick has changed, he’s not confident he could be elected again, even if he ran. He is getting up there.

    I’m not sure what to say. If we lose Jenkins to a softer, less constitutionally minded sort, you can bet gang activity is going to rise sharply. He has been very tough on them.


    Montgomery County resident since '83, thinking about buying a small, detached, house somewhere less crowded and not as loud and annoying. I much prefer a rural setting to an urban one, especially in my limited, lower, price range. I need to be within a reasonable driving distance to my elderly parents in Bethesda.

    From a 2A perspective, is Frederick County any better than Montgomery? I believe the Sheriff is the person who decides just how hard to push the issues, and realize that it's an elected position, but seeing that Frederick is more rural, and rural folks generally respect and value independence more than those in the city, or the suburban hood, I figured I'd ask the question. If it weren't for my parents, I'd be looking at other states.

    Feel free to recommend alternative places, cities, counties, neighboring states, etc. that an independent, freedom-loving, hardworking, God-Fearing, educated, person, with no reason to fear the police, might find attractive to live in.

    Thanks in advance for the suggestions!
     

    DanGuy48

    Ultimate Member
    Every Saturday the Frederick News-Post shows the property that closed for the highest amount the previous week. Homes have been selling for $1M+ and that astounds me. That raises the value and thus property taxes for all other properties nearby.

    I guess whether that's a good thing depends on whether you're the seller or a buyer.

    Ditto that. We just had a house go up in our neighborhood that sold for 1.44 million. :shocked:
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,884
    Oversimplified :

    In a binary choice between Mo Co and Fred Co ,Fred Co is Less Worse .

    If you ask a long time resident , today's Fred Co sucks compared to 20 yrs ago , and they see the trend accelerating .
     

    ESP

    Member
    Nov 21, 2012
    66
    Maryland
    I've been looking for a property in the same areas for the last 1.5 yrs. I prefer 5+ acres, a house I can rehab (instead of the lipstick on a pig houses that pass for a rehab these days), or raw land. There is not much out there where your neighbors are not on top of you. I see Land that is in a flood zone going for $60k+ an acre. Same for open farmland. I need trees, or a nice view. Taxes are close enough between Frederick and MoCo that I figure it to be a wash. Taxes are better in Carroll, but at any time they can "reassess" you house so that it is closer to market value and that will change. I watched the reassessment happen in MoCo and Anne Arundel county, so I figure its inevitable.

    If I had to move, you might find something near the PA line in MD. Or Washington County westward in MD. Is the Eastern Shore an option? Western Part of WV or VA, if it works for you. The idea is to get a decade or so ahead of the flood of people retiring in MoCo, NoVa, DC and such as they retire and move a little farther out.

    The short of it for me I am staying in place until I can make a bigger move farther away. Midwest or Kentucky areas. The money saving aren't there for an intermediate move. I am lucky to have a great private lot in MoCo. I am unlucky cuz its MoCo.
     

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