[junkyard_sal]

After searching for reasonable garage space to rent I have decided to pursue buying my own space.

Since I don't need 2k square feet for my cars, I was curious if anyone else had also been frustrated looking for space.

Feel free to PM and maybe we can solve both of our problems.

[Uncle ENzo]

Look up Ducatithuder on the forums. He rents a really nice space in the city and might have some good Intel.

[Intubator]

Hey Carl, where's your space located in Baltimore? Is it secured? Will you be sharing common space or is it subdivided and private?

[ducatithunder]

Bmore is a difficult. Not much out there. I even looked at the pro/cons of buying a building. Problem is 80% of the places that are perfect are in the gettho. The other 20% are just way to expensive. I still have my place up there. Im getting the paperwork to build a garage at the new house ... 1200 sqft. I am still using my place in the city as I dont have anywhere else to put it right now with out having it be a PITA for me at the house. Carl ... I feel your pain.

[Mark in Baltimore]

Secure garage space is available, but it's very tough to find someone within the city limits who wants to rent out space. The one neighborhood with detached homes that seems to have garage space and is semi-desirable and affordable is Hamilton/Lauraville in 21214. My fiancee and I very briefly considered it since our dollar would have gone very far. The zip code is a prime, first-time home buyer area or a move-up neighborhood for people coming from Canton, Hampden, Patterson Park, Fed Hill, etc., but I worried that my unmuffled and de-catted car would have been targeted within 24 hours of moving into the garage. We ended up in West Towson with a rare, two car garage (built in 2000), an area that I feel great about. (Disclosure: I'm a realtor.)

The downside to our new place is that I no longer have enough room to store my trailer. I would be interested in renting space if anyone has room.

[ducatithunder]

Mark ... I looked in Hamilton and Laurelville for some time trying to find houses with a garage or other with land to build one. The problem is the zoning for a garage addition. Tons of houses for sale but not all the areas in Hamilton have been regentrified yet. A few streets off Hartford it gets sketchy quick. Most that had land the restrictions limited me to building something ugly vs letting me build a nice looking garage. Having the 20x20 garage in the city and my 25x25 garage up off north ave kept me happy for some time. Still have the city garage but the LL has lost pretty much all interest in renting out the other 10 unit out. A ton of money was spent isolating the units and power. Even has security system. They are pretty much empty now except mine. A few 600 sqft untis, a 1000 sqft, a 1200 sqft, and a 1800 sqft. All secure and power included. IT was a great deal and secure. Problem was it was in the hood. ITs sad as it would have been an ideal spot for the Bmore Dorkis at very fair prices.

After a year looking in Bmore I ended up in Millersville with room to build an additional garage.

[Mark in Baltimore]

Even the sweet spot of Hamilton such as Gibbons, Tramore, Catalpha, et al. has had numerous issues. I'm surprised that being so close to North Avenue was tenable for you; most of my buyers don't want to look past 26th Street.

[ducatithunder]

Being enclosed inside a warehouse with a few doors to get through made it safe for me. I also never displayed what was inside. The few times the cobra went over for work it was like a scene out of smokey and the bandits. IT helped that the locals there didnt want any trouble either ... they helped keep the rif raf away since extra drama brought the cops.

Being a couple miles from my place downtown place was also nice. I never felt bad about walking up there in the day ... the night was a entire different story, lol.

[Intubator]

Charles village is pretty good for reasonable garage space rentals, close to Guilford and Roland Park. I don't think the cops would bother you either regarding a loud car, they are plenty busy doing other things.... Like protecting the Hopkins students from the riff raff to the east and south...

[Mark in Baltimore]

Charles Village is "okay". I do a lot of business there and have buyers wanting to move in and sellers wanting to flee. I'd be less worried about the cops harassing me for noise than waking up to find my Porsche gone.