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Old 07-14-2011, 12:41 PM
 
Location: New Britain, CT
898 posts, read 598,017 times
Reputation: 1428

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I skipped over about 5 pages of this thread, but if nobody mentioned it, look into the fixer-uppers, get a 203K renovation mortgage and the bank escrows the portion to be dedicated to the repairs....then pay somebody to fix it up if you dont have the time/skills/desire to do the work yourself. As for Meriden, or even New Britain, you can probably find some deals, just know that you will need to be there for several years. I think you'd be better off buying in NB on a 15yr mortgage vs a "better" town on a 30yr mortgage but writing the same monthly check.

You are single/no kids, so you don't care about schools. If you meet someone, date, decide to get married, and even have kids right away, you'll be so far ahead mortgagewise, even if your house hasn't gone up in value, by the time the kids are ready for school, you'll have some equity to use to upgrade to a "better" town.

27yrs in NB, 16yrs Bristol (nice town), the last 5ish in East Hartford. EH isn't a bad town either.
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Old 07-14-2011, 12:49 PM
 
521 posts, read 1,151,184 times
Reputation: 233
well, that's nice you think that EH isn't a bad town...
Yeah.. the less than "upscale" towns all have their appeal, and their good & bad neighborhoods too.
I've seen lots of houses in the Bristol, NB and even EH towns I wouldn't mind owning.

Nothing wrong with a fixer upper... better to save some $$ and have money for college, vacations, than always be keeping up with the Jones imho...
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Old 07-15-2011, 02:09 PM
 
Location: Farmington Valley, CT
502 posts, read 1,392,423 times
Reputation: 337
Quote:
Originally Posted by nep321 View Post
I have found Realtor.com to be a very mediocre MLS site. Why use Realtor when Raveis.com and PrudentialCT.com tell you what the property tax estimate is? I never understood what advantage Realtor has over these sites.
I often use Zillow.com
It shows tax history, price history, sales history, and lists foreclosures, FSBOs, rentals, and "make me move" listings as well as the regular "for sale" listings. It has a map that you can drag around which is convenient if you're looking at adjacent multiple towns and don't feel like doing separate searches for each. It shows estimated current home values (makes it easier to see if a home is over-priced) as well as estimated rent values. I have used Raveis a lot but am liking Zillow more and more since it shows a lot of information at once.
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Old 07-19-2011, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Central, CT
856 posts, read 2,015,379 times
Reputation: 333
The one thing I like about raveis.com is the neighborhood mapping. There are some nice new Britain properties on the kensington line. So many professionals live there near the hospital. Same thing for the Farmington and west Hartford edges of new Britain. Meriden...same thing. Have you checked Durham and wallingford?
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Old 07-28-2011, 10:57 AM
 
Location: Wallingford
11 posts, read 12,291 times
Reputation: 16
If you haven't already bought please look at news, etc about Meriden. There is ALOT of crime there, moreso then other places.

I have an elderly aunt that lives there (has for 30 years) and refuses to move. When I visit her and its night time I literally RUN from the car to the house.

Also if it keeps in this downward spiral, you may lose $ if you want to turn around and sell.

Just some things to think about
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Old 07-28-2011, 02:01 PM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,936 posts, read 56,945,109 times
Reputation: 11228
I am pretty sure the OP, who is a regular on this forum, has given up on Meriden. A lot of others agree with you that it may not be the best place to buy. Jay
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Old 07-28-2011, 02:47 PM
 
Location: Florida
11,669 posts, read 17,949,724 times
Reputation: 8239
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayCT View Post
I am pretty sure the OP, who is a regular on this forum, has given up on Meriden. A lot of others agree with you that it may not be the best place to buy. Jay
Lol this is true. I have given up on Meriden at this point. I will probably continue renting longer.
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Old 07-28-2011, 04:08 PM
 
Location: Wallingford
11 posts, read 12,291 times
Reputation: 16
What about wallingford? We love it here and its only 1 town over so it's still local
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Old 07-28-2011, 10:44 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,373 posts, read 27,044,128 times
Reputation: 6983
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayCT View Post
There are good deals out there and you may stumble across something. Just be ready to act quickly because a house like you want in your price rnage will sell quickly. Jay
For example, there's a house in East Hampton, in walking distance to the lake for $170,000. The MLS# is G589887 . It's in an area of more expensive homes, and it looks quite livable. I would think it's a great starter home.
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Old 07-28-2011, 11:00 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,373 posts, read 27,044,128 times
Reputation: 6983
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wallingfordmom View Post
What about wallingford? We love it here and its only 1 town over so it's still local
There's another rancher for $170,000 in Wallingford, MLS#N316652 . Taxes are about $3100. There is a extra lot or easement on one side, and it looks like another good starter house. I think the OP is a bit too picky.
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