[newhartforcomer]

I am looking for a price range around $500k in glastonbury for new house. Shelley ln by creative builders comes out as good match. I stopped by one time. It is built in middle of some older houses. There are totally about 70 new house to be built. My q are:
Does anybody know this builder? How is it?
How is that area? (location is very good - close to high away and bus stop, park)
As we notices, there is not a lot of houses in the market now. Does that mean nobody is selling or the houses are sold so fast?
Thanks for the input.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by newhartforcomer

As we noticed, there are not a lot of houses in the market now. Does that mean nobody is selling or the houses are sold so fast? Thanks for the input.

Inventory is up in almost every town. For the towns that I cover, it's up about 25 percent from a "balanced" level.

Relative to Glastonbury, there are 185 single-family properties currently on the market.

[Srib]

IMHO if your going to spend half a million on a house in Glastonbury I wouldn't be buying one there. Look around town a bit and I think you can do better. I'm not sure about the builder - someone else on these forums might have more info.

[JayCT]

I know this area well and I know the builder. Creative Builders builds what I call tract homes. That means they are basic homes with decent floor plans and minimal extras or ornimentation. I know people that live in one of their other developments in town and they are generally pleased with the home.

Shelly Lane is a nice street with modest homes. I know a couple of families there and they are just wonderful people. That said I would point out though that the older homes are not 1/2 million dollar homes. They are simple splits and ranches, so you will have one of the nicest homes on the street. Also note that just across Prospect Street is Welles Village which is the town's public housing project. It is not bad at all but some people avoid the area because of it.

The development you are looking at is called Avalon Farms and there are two sections: the Shelly Road section and a section that will connect Candlewood Road to Lancaster Road. If you are interested in this project, I would suggest you inquire about this second section which is a slightly more upscale area. I would also suggest talking to a Realtor in the area. There are a couple of builders building on scattered lots in town in the $500 to $600k price range. Good luck, Jay

[JayCT]

Forgot to add that the real estate market in Glastonbury is still fairly strong. I agree that the number of good homes at reasonable prices is limited right now. Nice homes in good locations are selling pretty fast. Even homes that are on busy streets but are priced right are selling fast. Usually there will be more homes on the market in the Spring, so if you can't find what you are looking for, wait until after the holidays. That is when more homes come on the market. Let me know if you have any questions, Jay

[newhartforcomer]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I know this area well and I know the builder. Creative Builders builds what I call tract homes. That means they are basic homes with decent floor plans and minimal extras or ornimentation. I know people that live in one of their other developments in town and they are generally pleased with the home.

Shelly Lane is a nice street with modest homes. I know a couple of families there and they are just wonderful people. That said I would point out though that the older homes are not 1/2 million dollar homes. They are simple splits and ranches, so you will have one of the nicest homes on the street. Also note that just across Prospect Street is Welles Village which is the town's public housing project. It is not bad at all but some people avoid the area because of it.

The development you are looking at is called Avalon Farms and there are two sections: the Shelly Road section and a section that will connect Candlewood Road to Lancaster Road. If you are interested in this project, I would suggest you inquire about this second section which is a slightly more upscale area. I would also suggest talking to a Realtor in the area. There are a couple of builders building on scattered lots in town in the $500 to $600k price range. Good luck, Jay

1. Is it a bad idea that your houses are in middle of some older houses? For me, it is more like you pay less for a better house in a good location (older house tends to be in better location). If you want everything good, you have to pay top dollars. It is a kind of a balance.
2. How bad is that public house plan? what kinds of person are eligible to be living in that place? When I look at the school, it says 10% Asian, 10% Hispanic and 73% white. Maybe it is a good thing for the matter of variety.
2. I feel phase 1 (shelley ln) is actually more private than phase 2 because it is a almost dead end street with only a small trail connected to pahse 2 street which is connected to Lancaster and candlewood.

JayCT, you seem to be very professional in this area. Are you living in the same school district. Can you share more info with me?
thanks.

[JayCT]

Yes, I live in that area, but further up. The school in this neighborhood is Naubuc and I can tell you it is excellent. The teachers are great, the administration is wonderful (they have a great new Principal who is very energetic) and the Parent/Teacher Oraganization is very involved. My kids received an excellent education there. I would not hestiate to recommend it to anyone.

The school does have a diverse student population which is one of the things l like about it. Unlike other schools in Glastonbury, my kids got to see that not everyone is white with well-off parents that can buy them the latest in fashion and toys. I think my kids have an appreciation for all that they do have. My kids have made friends with children who are Asian, Black, South American, Central American and Eastern European which is great.

Welles Village is a working class area with a lot of single parents and new immigrants to this country. It is NOT a bad area but there are people who might question living near it which could limit your resale in the future.

You are right that Shelly is a dead end, but Abbey Road (the name of the second phase street) would not be that busy since there are a number of other streets in the area for traffic to use. Also, you are correct that the neighborhood is very convenient to just about everything including the stores and restaurants in town, schools, the library and Route 2 and I-91. There is a great park (Addison Park) nearby that has a wonderful playground, tennis courts, a swimming pool and baseball and soccer fields. We do like the convenience of the area.

The only real bad part of living in this area is that there is traffic on Griswold Street at the intersection of House and Harris Streets during rush hour. It can be frustrating getting through this intersection during peak hours. The town has purchased the home on the corner of this intersection with some unknown future plan to correct the problem. They have been very slow because this intersection has long been bad and something should have been done years ago. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Jay

[uconn99]

Toll Brothers is a national builder who has properties in Glastonbury. I believe Pulte, another national builder is there as well.

[JayCT]

The Toll Brothers has two developments in Glastonbury which start at $600k and that is for a home with no upgrades or lot premium. Few homes in these development sell for less than $700k and some are over $1 million. Glastonbury Heights (off New London Turnpike) is sold out (107 homes!) and High Meadow has only a couple of lots left. There are plans to extend the High Meadows development but it has not gone to Planning and zoning yet.

Pulte is not building in Glastonbury at all. There are a number of smaller builders that are, but except for Skip Kamis' Crosby Homestead on Neipsic Road, they are building on scattered lots around town. There isn't enough land left in town to build more large developments, so most are building on lots in existing areas. Jay

[newhartforcomer]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The Toll Brothers has two developments in Glastonbury which start at $600k and that is for a home with no upgrades or lot premium. Few homes in these development sell for less than $700k and some are over $1 million. Glastonbury Heights (off New London Turnpike) is sold out (107 homes!) and High Meadow has only a couple of lots left. There are plans to extend the High Meadows development but it has not gone to Planning and zoning yet.

Pulte is not building in Glastonbury at all. There are a number of smaller builders that are, but except for Skip Kamis' Crosby Homestead on Neipsic Road, they are building on scattered lots around town. There isn't enough land left in town to build more large developments, so most are building on lots in existing areas. Jay

DOes that say that if I don't want to pay more than $500k I can not find a better builder with a better location in town? I guess that the moeny talks here. The more you pay, the better house you get.