We’ve certainly noticed these ads in metro stations recently. Slogans like “It’s Better in Baltimore” and “Get In on It”, accompanied by images of spacious back yards and comfortable train commutes contrasting with cramped D.C. apartments and Beltway traffic. And we have to admit, as much as we’re die hard D.C. enthusiasts, it’s a compelling campaign that hits right where we feel it most: this is a great city, but are you ever going to be able to afford to buy real estate here? If recent economic predictions come true, odds are good that you won’t. And that’s exactly what the people behind the Live Baltimore campaign are hoping you’ll think about when you spot their ads.

The Examiner has a profile up of the organization’s efforts to entice Washingtonians to make the move to Baltimore. They quote Anna Custer, executive director of Live Baltimore, which is spending $150,000 on a campaign to get people like you to make the switch: “Last year, the average price of a home in Baltimore was $182,000, while the price in D.C. was $555,000 … and there are a lot more doable options for them to get to D.C.” It’s tough to argue with numbers like that.

More and more, we feel like we hear about friends of friends who are buying up cheaper property in Baltimore and moving there, but we thought we’d ask you: Are these ads, and their promise of a less expensive way of life, making you think about it all? Or is living right in the center of D.C. worth the possibility that you may be a renter for a lot longer than you’d like?