[willow wind]

Yes, in CT square footage is usually based on just the house. Other parts of the country may include the garage, the back porch, the basement, etc.

Keep in mind that most homes in CT have basements and many of them are finished. Work with a real estate agent but ask first about the rental fee. If it's a home listed on the multiple listing service, then the landlord pays the fee. If it's not listed, then it's possible that the tenant could pay the fee.

One other thing to keep in mind for your budget is that CT has some of the highest utility rates for the country. Water & sewer will be included in your rental fee. Heat & electric won't. Oil heat can run many hundreds of dollars a month in the winter. Count your blessings if you can find a home with natural gas heat which is much, much cheaper.

Also, most homes in CT don't have central air ( our housing stock is older) so ask if you can use window units or if there is a through the wall unit to two on site. It does get quite hot and humid here in the summer at times. Maybe you'll get lucky and the sun, moon and stars will align and you'll be able to find a newer home with central air and natural gas. It can happen.

Good luck

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by willow wind

Also, most homes in CT don't have central air ( our housing stock is older)

The bolded is what I wanted to point out, because in that price range you can expect to find an older home, probably with an outdated kitchen and bathrooms.

Also something to consider, here in Ct. we pay annual car taxes, which is calculated by the value of your car and the mill rate of whatever town/city you move to. So that could add a few hundred to several hundred dollars a year.

[hypocaffeinemia]

Oh, it's definitely my intention to look for a house/condo with central air and natural gas heating. Realistically I could increase my rent for a nat gas home alone, as the heating costs would offset.

Should I be concerned about septic/well vs public sewer/water if I'm renting? I've never had a septic system and I've heard horror stories about them from people that do have.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Forget the Stamford offer. If the pay isn't a lot higher, it would do you little good. The Stamford area is one of the most costly places to live in the USA.

Definitely agree. The other 3 all seem as though they would work for your needs/desires.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by hypocaffeinemia

My budget is already based on taking out an additional 5% for income tax.

Other budget items to consider:

1. Gasoline is more costly in CT than in TX. About 50 cents/gallon when I last compared it.

2. The majority of homes in CT are heated with fuel oil; it's much more expensive per BTU than natural gas.

3. Electricity in CT is very expensive; about the highest rates in the continental US.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by HeadedWest

Other budget items to consider:

1. Gasoline is more costly in CT than in TX. About 50 cents/gallon when I last compared it.

2. The majority of homes in CT are heated with fuel oil; it's much more expensive per BTU than natural gas.

3. Electricity in CT is very expensive; about the highest rates in the continental US.

This is very true. The OP needs to be prepared for nearly EVERYTHING to rise.

[blakesq]

I was born and raised in Texas, lived in Houston after graduating from Texas a&m and before going to law school at UT. Now, I live in Milford, CT, which we love, and which I think would be great for you if you were to work at Yale-New Haven, and is pretty close to your extended family, and we have a metro north train station conveniently located right here in Town on the Green that gets you to Grand Central in about 72-88 minutes. Feel free to contact me by private message for more info!

Oh, our little cape does NOT have central air. I do put in window units, at the begining of june, it takes me about 1 hour to put in 4 units (2 upstairs, 2 down), and we take them out around Sept 1.

Originally Posted by hypocaffeinemia

Hi All...

I am in the process of relocating this summer to Connecticut from Houston. I've lived in Texas my whole life, but my extended family is in CT and I am in love with the environment and people each time I visit. I know the cost of living is going to be a bit of a culture shock for me, but that's to be expected for any place I could conceivably live outside Texas.

I am an ICU nurse and I have received offers from several hospitals. Most notably, St. Francis in Hartford, Danbury, Stamford, and Yale-New Haven. The one that pays the best is St. Francis. The one I like the best is Stamford.

The problem is that we want to be close enough to my family and also close enough for a commute of <40min (preferably under 30).

My family is scattered varying distances along the I84 corridor: Newtown, Southbury, Roxbury, Watertown, Cheshire (and a few other places). The family I'm closest to and would like to see as much as possible are in Cheshire.

We would be renting initially as the increased cost of housing plus not knowing exactly where we want to settle down long-term hinders us from buying.

I *can* afford up to $2000/month, but I'd rather keep it around $1500 if possible. We know we will get less house for the money, but to put things in perspective we currently pay around $1350/mo for mortgage+insurance+taxes for a relatively new house with 2800 sq feet.

That being said, we'd like a house that's at least 1700 sq feet + loft or basement to have some breathing room.

We also want to be able to travel relatively easily to NYC. I take it Union Station in New Haven would be adequate for this? We will likely go there once a month.

So, given everything I just said, where would you recommend? Obviously a lot depends on what job I take, but the places that looked interesting to me were Wallingford, Hamden, Seymour, Bethany, Naugatuck (are there nicer parts?) Cheshire, Prospect, Southington, Wolcott.

Your thoughts appreciated.