How to Buy Real Estate in Mt Washington
Mt Washington has many niches within it's actual borders. If you are looking to buy real estate in Mt Washington, it really helps to use a realtor who is familiar with all the nooks and crannies.
Let's say you had kids and wanted a super friendly area where the kids played in the street, and lived close enough where they and you felt comfortable going house to house to play. Sorta retro 1960's. Then check out Everton, Brambleton, Rockspring, Oakshire, Ridgedale, and Carterdale.
If walkability was high on your list, then living on the north easternmost area of Mt Washington would be great. You could easily walk to The Village of Mt Washington Light Rail, Whole Foods, Starbucks, The Mt Washington Tavern, and many local shops, restaurants and salons. Try Smith, Thornbury, Lochea, Sulgrave and South for great walkability.
The Mount Washington School now goes from K-8, and is broken into two separate buildings one block away from each other. If you wanted your kids to walk to school, then living near the 1800 block of Sulgrave, and South would be less than a 5 minute walk. There is also a nice little playground by the school, again, important if you have toddlers.
Larger homes (5+bedrooms) with larger yards (½ acre+) tend to run on Ken Oak, Rogers, South, Thornbury, Maywood and Dixon.
If mid century modern is your thing, check out Ivydene, Northcliff, Eastcliff, Westcliff, Western Run and Sareva. There you will find split level homes build in the 1960's with lots of great angles and large windows.
Most folks and agents know Mt Washington as zip code 21209. That is certainly true, but about 20% is in 21215, which is the area west of Pimlico Rd. A little gem, the homes are charming, with a true community feeling. And they tend to run a little less cost wise. Check out Manhattan, Whitney, Rusk, Berkeley, Stuart and Merville.
One of the most unusual areas of Mt Washington are the streets of Wildwood Lane and Roxbury Place. The roads haven't been repaved in ~60+ years and that's the way the homeowners like it. Best to park your car and walk in. You would swear you were not in Maryland.
"The Terraces" compromise eleven homes, all good sized on large lots, but tucked away north of Smith Ave. If you didn't know about it you wouldn't find it. A few of those on the northern edge are in Baltimore County.
Finding Elmbank and Walnut, which is off Kenway is like being in the country, only you are still in the city. I lived in the neighborhood years before exploring that little piece of tranquility.
One of the many great things about Mt Washington is the diversity. Diversity in homes for sure, as you can be a first time homebuyer with limited funds and buy an affordable duplex (Greenspring, Pimlico, Ranny).
There are charming cape cods ( Fairbank), to farmhouses (Arden) to large Victorian homes (Cross Country). As the size of your pocketbook increases, so can the house.
Luckman Park is currently undergoing a $750,000 renovation which is slated to be finished in May 2013.
Many folks “buy up” instead of leaving the neighborhood, as they wouldn't consider living anywhere else in Baltimore.
Then, as their needs for a large home decrease, they downsize too. There is even senior living on Rogers, so you really never need to leave the neighborhood!
