Columbia Maryland Real Estate

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A total area of 27.7 square miles with a population of over 95000 makes living in Columbia Maryland very exciting. Apart from the economic and political influence here, Columbia, Maryland is well known for its warm, inviting and friendly people. Conceptualized, designed and created by James W. Rouse, this planned community, rather a group of villages, came into existence in the year 1967. Today Columbia is in the list of Money magazine's "Best places to Live in the United States", holding a position of #8 out of 100 cities. In the year 2006, it was in fact ranked four.

Funded by the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, the Rouse Company purchased over 14000 acres to build their dream land. The area allotted was located in the Howard County near Washington at an average cost of US $1500 per acre. This enchanting and charming city comprises of a group of 10 villages and gives you a feeling of a "small-town" which is self contained and has all facilities. The city is no-less than any other city in America in terms of development in the field of Health, Education, Recreation, Work and Religion. Columbia, Maryland features a Man-made lake called the Wilde Lake, which comes under one of the ten villages in Columbia, popularly known as "Wilde Lake Village".

With a per capita Income of US $32,833 (as of 2007), the region now possesses large private houses, huge retail stores and a large number of picnic spots and plazas. Sports Facilities like tennis courts and gyms are also present in good number. Though it is easy to get a Town Home for around US $400,000, even single 3-Bedroom Family Homes is available at the same price tag. The average price of detached Family Homes is around US $500,000. The Government also offers numerous Tax Benefits for first time home-buyers. Overall, the average price of a home in Columbia, Maryland orbits around US $400,000. Home-buyers can take the help of a professional Real-estate agency here for a tour and quickly locate their dream home. Though the colonial style architecture is predominant in this region because of the best use of space made available, the Rambler and the Split Foyer are other styles preferred by the buyers here.

The Rambler style homes also known as the Ranch house is in existence for over 100 years now and is popular as re-sale homes today. If you are not really looking for a detached family home, you have the option of moving into ready town houses which are very popular and offer you up to two or three level dwellings in the urban areas. For those looking for a luxury dream home, they may have to spend over US $1,000,000. Usually termed as "Estate homes" in Columbia, these luxury homes are built on at least 2 acres of land. There is also a Home Warranty available for one year on re-sale homes for certain kind of repairs and general wear and tear issues.

Buying a home in Columbia Maryland has been always a dream for many as it offers the largest single investment opportunity for an average family. There are a number of websites and agencies which help the buyers in this process. Most of them charge commissions only from sellers and not the buyers. Though buying a home is not an easy process, there are a few tips which can make the process easier:

1. Work with a reliable and experienced agent/broker
2. Before any investment, check the legal and financial documents both on your own and with your lawyer or attorney.
3. c. Though the agent/broker will help negotiate and finalise most of the terms governing the deal on your behalf, do keep a check on the points raised by them and keep them informed about your checklist as well.

Coming to the facilities and life style you can be sure of enjoying while Living in Columbia Maryland. Here education plays an important role. There are seven reputed High-schools which makes Living in Columbia Maryland worthwhile. These schools take students from outside the region as well, though there are no degree colleges or universities. Howard Community College is located near the town centre and two more colleges towards the eastern side of Columbia. Two public libraries of the Howard County Public Library system are also present which give Columbia an edge on education standards. Among the many who are engaged in US Federal Government jobs, a majority of them are from Columbia.

Health has always been an important aspect of the town-planning of Columbia, Maryland. There are a few big hospitals here. The Howard County General Hospital also provides quality medical services. Apart from these, you can find a number of clinics in Columbia, few of which provides medical care twenty four hours.

Recreation facilities have always been at its best with the Mall in Columbia featuring 200 stores and a 14-screen movie theatre. You can find a wide variety of restaurants catering different cuisines from around the world. Columbia, Maryland features a branch of the Bank of America, which is located at the Town Centre. Apart from this, Columbia has small shopping centres and restaurants in all the other nine villages. The Homeowners association operates to help build and maintain most of the recreation areas like Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, roller skating rinks, water slides, a sports park with a mini golf facility and a number of sports infrastructure including basketball, tennis, volleyball and running tracks.

Athletics is given due importance here and this region features a 24/7 club. There are a variety of fairs and recreational activities organised in this region round the year. Celebrations are an important part of Living in Columbia Maryland. Though the town lacks nightclubs, local bars do bring in bands at regular intervals.

People Living in Columbia, Maryland for the past 41 years has seen a rapid growth and development of this charming region. There is a phenomenal growth in all sectors including real estate contributing to a tremendous enhancement of the quality of life.

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