[WallStreetWarrior]

I have to day that I want you West of the river on this one. I mean, I know we're all trying to help here, but c'mon, Ellington to Berlin??? That's like 40 minutes each way, not including traffic guys... I'll try to make this quick becuase I've got to run, but basically, you're going to need to sacrifice something. Wolcott is close and pretty alright, but schools are nothing special, and you will probably find that besides for working in Berlin, it's location is less than desirable. Swinging the other way,...hold on. I found it.
This may be your saving grace, check it out, I just spotted it on Realtor.com

Moderator cut- NO advertising allowed

Alllmost 3000 sq/ft for under 300k!!! What do I win JayCT?! Ahh, just kidding. But this goes to show that sometimes there's a diamond in the rough out there. Err...in this case a cubic zirconia in the rough at Oakmont CC.

Good luck buddy.

Matthew

[WallStreetWarrior]

Wait a sec...you make 125k??? Buddy, live a little, I'd say you can afford closer to 400k for a house. Let's be honest, unless you have major debt problems...125k+bonus should be more than enough to afford more than a $300 house. What do you have like 9 kids?!

For instance, Moderator cut-NO advertising allowed

On that note, look at Southington up to 400k. I think you'll like what you see.

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by gnatty8

Was blown away. We currently live in a 3 sides brick house; 4 BR, 2 1/2 bath, family room, LR, laundry room, screened porch, 2 CA garage, and very large office (the room is probably 300 square feet alone). In all, close to 3,000 SF. We are located in a desirable suburban area in NW Atlanta.

Have been browsing the listings at Realtor.com and PrudentialCT and it looks like the best we can find in the same price range as our current house (we are looking in Berlin, Glastonbury, Southington, Kensington) are almost all in the 1,500 to 1,700 square foot area, most with 3 BR, and 1 1/2 bath at most. I had realized that housing dollars did not go very far in CT, but was unprepared for just how much of a "downsize" we would need to make. Are there other areas close to Berlin where we might have a little better luck? Schools are important, and I do not want to live in a high crime area. We may be calling off our move to CT after all!!

You could trade that Atlanta Mc Mansion for an 1100 sft Ranch on LI too.

Its all relative.

To us CT is a bargain.

Check out Tolland Co.
THats where were off to.

C

[gnatty8]

Yes, I know I could probably afford more than 3,000 SF but I don't want to be house rich and cash poor. We have no debts, just a car payment, but I don't want to be sitting in my house every weekend thinking what a great house while I cannot afford to take my family to dinner! I am very conservative with respect to debt, so that may explain my reluctance to take on a large mortgage. Our combined income when we moved to Atlanta, including bonus, was in the $200K area, and we still set a cap of $250K for a house. Still, I think there are some good ideas out there, and we will continue looking. Thanks for all of your help.

[metaljaybird]

Hi Gnatty8,

You have the right perspective. Too many people are going way beyond their means to buy a house. You'll be the one with a retirement house on the ocean, and they'll be the ones living on assisted care.

[WallStreetWarrior]

I don't know. Mortgage calcs would say you could go for over a half million. I sort of like your logical frugality though. It's something to respect.

What I will say is that with a salary like that, don't be afraid to pay a bit of a premium for a better school district. It will be worth it in the end.

[gnatty8]

Originally Posted by WallStreetWarrior

What I will say is that with a salary like that, don't be afraid to pay a bit of a premium for a better school district. It will be worth it in the end.

Excellent advice, and my main concern. I think if we do this, we will stick to Berlin, Rocky Hill, and maybe Middletown (knowing we will need to do private school for HS, but that's still close to 10 years away), and just make do with less to humor my frugal nature. Thanks again!

[DanBev]

Originally Posted by gnatty8

Was blown away. We currently live in a 3 sides brick house; 4 BR, 2 1/2 bath, family room, LR, laundry room, screened porch, 2 CA garage, and very large office (the room is probably 300 square feet alone). In all, close to 3,000 SF. We are located in a desirable suburban area in NW Atlanta.

Have been browsing the listings at Realtor.com and PrudentialCT and it looks like the best we can find in the same price range as our current house (we are looking in Berlin, Glastonbury, Southington, Kensington) are almost all in the 1,500 to 1,700 square foot area, most with 3 BR, and 1 1/2 bath at most. I had realized that housing dollars did not go very far in CT, but was unprepared for just how much of a "downsize" we would need to make. Are there other areas close to Berlin where we might have a little better luck? Schools are important, and I do not want to live in a high crime area. We may be calling off our move to CT after all!!

Have you checked taxes?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by gnatty8

I think if we do this, we will stick to Berlin, Rocky Hill, and maybe Middletown (knowing we will need to do private school for HS, but that's still close to 10 years away), and just make do with less to humor my frugal nature. Thanks again!

I would rethink Middletown. You may get a bit more for your money than Berlin or Rocky Hill, but the public schools in these towns are much better, even though you are not worrying about high school for a number of years. Why pay taxes to a town only to pay extra to send your kids to a private school in the future.

Another thing you may want to think about is resale. Homes will sell faster in towns with better school districts if the real estate market cools. From what I see, reasonably priced homes in Glastonbury are still selling quickly. By reasonable I mean homes that are priced correctly for what they are and where they are located. I am even seeing homes on busy streets in Glastonbury selling fast. I do not think that is happening in towns like Middletown. Of course I could be wrong. Just another thing for you to think about. Jay

[WallStreetWarrior]

I'd like to reiterate what Jay said about Middletown. It's easy to be tempted by the selection of nicer homes that are selling for what seem to be bargain prices. I don't want to say that the schools are dismal, but compared to some of the surrounding towns, you can do a little better.

Based on Middlefield's test scores, public schools there look very good. However, it's a town of a little under 5,000, so finding the perfect home may be tricky, as there probably aren't a whole bunch of listings. I can't believe I missed this one when I was first posting. On paper, it looks like a great town.

Moving on, I would suggest Farmington, but that's moving a bit out of your price range. Cheshire is sort of the same situation. Unless you find a deal at just the perfect time, $300,000 will really only put you between 1000-2000 sq/ft built before 1980. Plus, with Cheshire, if you're serious about private high school, you'll probably be tempted to send them to Cheshire Academy. Segway a bit here. These students would make everyone on this board cringe. The "snootiest"(jeez I hate that word), the snobbiest(that one too), and the most arogant kids ever. For no particular reason. It's like; buddy, you live Naugatuck, you go to CA, so all of a sudden you think you're Charles Wothington the III. However, also close by is Choate. Please don't send your kids here either. If they're lucky, they'll become a US Ambassador, or a VP for a Fortune 500 company. But, if they're like most of the students, they'll become drug addicted hippies, and I'm just speaking from experience, who live off their parents money until they finish their PhD in Contemporary Art Appreciation. With that said, looking again at test scores of Middlefield, you may not feel the need to choose private high school. With average test scores of 550V and 540M, they have a relatively competitive program with some of the top public schools in the state, and easily the best in the area. I believe if I'm reading it correctly, it's a regional school system of Middlefield, and Durham, the town directly to the south.

To top it off, you're looking at that 20 minute commute you wanted.

So, without further ado, go ahead and check these towns out as well.

Hope I could help.

Matthew