[cmarin2395]

We are relocating from Atlanta to the Fairfield area and we really like Oxford. We can spend $500k maximum, and would like a home with land and at least 5 beds (we have 4 young kids) pref 3500 square ft or more. Is 150k enough to live on in Oxford or will my wife have to work to maintain our current quality of life?

How are schools? How is the quality of life in Oxford? What is there to do within an hour of town? Do we have to fly into NY airports, or can we do BDL easily?

Thank you!!!!!!!!!

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by cmarin2395

We are relocating from Atlanta to the Fairfield area and we really like Oxford. We can spend $500k maximum, and would like a home with land and at least 5 beds (we have 4 young kids) pref 3500 square ft or more. Is 150k enough to live on in Oxford or will my wife have to work to maintain our current quality of life?

How are schools? How is the quality of life in Oxford? What is there to do within an hour of town? Do we have to fly into NY airports, or can we do BDL easily?

Thank you!!!!!!!!!

The schools in Oxford are quite good. A home as you described with 4 bedrooms, with Lot size varying from 1.5 -2.5 acres -will start in the upper 400K area. Most will be over 500K. Have you tried Realtor.com and put that information in for listings? A good idea. Also some of the realtor's here are very helpful, and will assist you on your questions. A home of that size in south western CT will cost about 25% more then Atlanta. Have you looked at other towns locally? Perhaps others close to the area can make other recommendations.

I suggest you use BDL- the commute is far easier with much less traffic and congestion then any of the NY airports-and much closer.

Near Oxford will be the city of New Haven- which has many cultural venues, from Theater, to Museums, Yale, excellent restaurants, shops and more. The north west hills of Connecticut offer farms, bed and breakfasts, fine arts, wineries and more. The lower CT river valley and southeast coast offer charming towns, culture, history and pleasant beaches.

Hartford is renowned as also a great arts center -visual and preforming. The new science center along the CT river will be completed in 2008.

Good luck in your move and welcome to Connecticut!

[Cruikshl]

We just moved up from Newnan GA outside Atlanta and wish you luck. They have NOTHING up here for neighborhoods the way the south does. Too bad.

[cmarin2395]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

The schools in Oxford are quite good. A home as you described with 4 bedrooms, with Lot size varying from 1.5 -2.5 acres -will start in the upper 400K area. Most will be over 500K. Have you tried Realtor.com and put that information in for listings? A good idea. Also some of the realtor's here are very helpful, and will assist you on your questions. A home of that size in south western CT will cost about 25% more then Atlanta. Have you looked at other towns locally? Perhaps others close to the area can make other recommendations.

I suggest you use BDL- the commute is far easier with much less traffic and congestion then any of the NY airports-and much closer.

Near Oxford will be the city of New Haven- which has many cultural venues, from Theater, to Museums, Yale, excellent restaurants, shops and more. The north west hills of Connecticut offer farms, bed and breakfasts, fine arts, wineries and more. The lower CT river valley and southeast coast offer charming towns, culture, history and pleasant beaches.

Hartford is renowned as also a great arts center -visual and preforming. The new science center along the CT river will be completed in 2008.

Good luck in your move and welcome to Connecticut!

Thank you skytrekker.

It looks like we will have to downsize from our current house if we stick with Oxford. Right now we live in a gated community north of Atlanta where the homes are generally 4,000 square feet and worth between 400-500 thousand. Doesnt look like we can get that anywhere in Western Ct.

Any other cheaper towns in the Oxford area you can recommend? We really like Oxford but the entry fee is more than we expected. We cannot be more than 30 mins from Fairfield.

[glxyman21]

You can try Shelton...Oxford has minimum zoning of 1.5-2 acres..which keeps housing costs higher. But in general a 5 bedroom 4,000 square foot home will always be on larger land and in most New Haven, Hartford and Fairfield counties will be atleast 500K if not more.

[skytrekker]

cmarin2395

Southwestern Connecticut, western New Haven County into Fairfield county is expensive- the proximity to NYC is why.

Looking for commuting distance to Fairfield county 30 minutes one way will prove to be very difficult.

You might try New Milford, in western CT, to the north of Fairfield county in Litchfield county, right on the border between the two counties-
about 45-50 minute commute, a fine home within the parameters you need can easily be had for 465-500K.

[glxyman21]

I did a quick search on a standard real estate website and found a few nice homes in Shelton, Brookfield, and Newtown. It had your price range and number of bedrooms, but the square footage was a little under 3,000. Don't forget the property taxes on a such a property would be about $7,500/yr

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by cmarin2395

We are relocating from Atlanta to the Fairfield area and we really like Oxford. We can spend $500k maximum, and would like a home with land and at least 5 beds (we have 4 young kids) pref 3500 square ft or more. Is 150k enough to live on in Oxford or will my wife have to work to maintain our current quality of life?

How are schools? How is the quality of life in Oxford? What is there to do within an hour of town? Do we have to fly into NY airports, or can we do BDL easily?

Thank you!!!!!!!!!

Oxford is a great town with very good schools; the district is trying to make a name for themselves since they shared high schools with Monroe and Seymour before they built their own (should be completed for this school year).

I don't necessarily think you are priced out of Oxford, if you are willing to downsize just a bit. A 4 bedroom, 2700 square foot house can be had for about $450-500,000. A 4,000 square foot home in Oxford will be expensive (but still a bargain compared to lower Fairfield County). A home like yours in a gated community in western CT will likely cost you dearly. Cost of living here will be a bit higher than the Atlanta metro. As noted previously in this thread, Oxford does have strict zoning and homes are generally on at least 1.5 acres, new homes 2+, and this is why prices are on the high side. Also, as skytrekker noted, proximity to NYC (about 1hr 5 mins without traffic) is why prices in western New Haven county are rising at a rapid pace.

Oxford is about 25 +- minutes from Fairfield but traffic going this way in the morning can be tough. Route 8 can be slow in Derby/Shelton and 95 is rough.

You might want to try Seymour for something a bit more affordable, but I don't think Shelton, Monroe or Newtown would be any cheaper. Beacon Falls is a nice town too and homes there reasonable for the area, but now you're looking at a 35 minute commute each way before you factor in traffic.

I can't say I'd recommend New Milford as your commute would be a nightmare to Fairfield. A friend of mine commuted daily from New Milford to Norwalk and the ride took him 80 minutes each way during the rush hour. Route 7 can be nasty.

As for airports, a family member who lives in Oxford uses NY airports usually because they offer more flights at more reasonable rates, but getting to/from to the airport is almost worth paying the extra $ to fly out of Bradley. Stewart in Newburgh, NY and the Westchester airport aren't too bad of a drive from Oxford and are smaller low-key airports with good customer service.

Good luck!

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Cruikshl

We just moved up from Newnan GA outside Atlanta and wish you luck. They have NOTHING up here for neighborhoods the way the south does. Too bad.

Thank God! We do not need large monotonous gated communities like down south with HOA's watching your every move. YUCK. Who wants to live like that? Not me. Connecticut has real neighborhoods with real diverse people living next to each other. Yeah, maybe it looks nice in one of those neighborhoods, but it is not very interesting. JMHO

To answer the OP questions, Oxford is a good choice. You won't get 4,00 square feet for $500K but do you really need it? You can get a nice home in a great town for that price. The commute from Oxford to Fairfield (I assume you mean the Town of Fairfield, not just the county) may be a little more than 30 minutes depending where you live and work. Try Mapquest for travel times and then add 15 to 39 minutes to it for traffic. Good luck and welcome to Connecticut, Jay