[larry2007]

We are going to move into Conn. in this coming spring (May or June) and in processing house hunting now. We are considering to buy a house in seven hill estate of e hampton. Any opinions on this subdivision? I have to commute to east hartford, is it manageable and how often time it will take me more than half hours to get there? We also kindly like tolland area. if we could find some houses in both town we like, which other things we should consider to weigh our decision, commute, school system, resale value, community, shopping/dining? how compare these two towns? Thanks,

[skytrekker]

The commute from East Hampton to East Hartford on route 2 should be a breeze. You can also take route 17 north into Glastonbury and catch route 2 into E. Hartford.

I have no information on that subdivision- perhaps one of the other members can elaborate.

Tolland county encompasses many towns to the east of Hartford, from the Massachusetts border, to New London County to the south, and Windham county to the east. Vernon- population 30,000 is the largest town. There are many pleasant towns to consider; Somers, Stafford/Stafford Springs, Coventry, Columbia, Hebron, Bolton, Willington and Mansfield.

Vernon and Mansfield will offer the most shopping and dining (many fine restaurants), until you drive west into Manchester. The commute from Tolland county will either be via I 84 from the east to west- or in the case of Somers I 91 or route US 5.

Housing values currently like elsewhere in Connecticut have fallen by 5-10% according to community. Tolland county is one of the most desirable places to live in CT now to its relatively low housing costs, low crime, and good schools and pleasant rural pastoral countryside.

East Hampton would have limited shopping/dining. You would travel either east to Colchester, or west to Middletown.

Perhaps Jay could give more specific information about schools.

[JayCT]

Seven Hill Estates is a nice upscale development that was built in the last couple of years. Most of the development was built by Toll Brothers which is a large national builder of upscale housing. A small section of homes though were built by local builders. The location is very nice. It is near town, Lake Pocotopaug and Route 2 in Marlborough (there is an easy shortcut to the highway through back roads from there).

East Hampton is about 20 miles from East Hartford and the trip would take about 30 minutes without traffic. Be aware though that traffic on Route 2 does slow through the Route 3 interchange in Glastonbury in the morning. Tolland is about 16 miles from East Hartford so it would take about 20 minutes. Traffic on I-84 though does slow as you get to East Hartford, so you should add a bit of extra time to this trip as well.

The schools in both towns are good. Interestingly, Tolland schools perform ahead of East Hampton in the lower grades but test results are mixed at the high school level. Class sizes in the lower grades are smaller in Tolland (16 verses 22), but at the high school level class sizes are lower in East Hampton. You might want to review the Strategic Profiles of each school that is available from the State Department of Education to see which system suits your needs better. I am attaching the link below. Hope this helps and welcome to Connecticut. Jay

Strategic School Profiles by School

[mels]

I agree with Jay, Rt. 2 can be a pain, but not intolerable. I drive through around 7:15 am from Marlborough and it is always stop and go from exit 8 until Hartford. I have found it gets worse nearing 8 am. Traffic at the early 7 o'clock hour adds about 10 minutes (more on a bad day) to my a.m. commute.

[larry2007]

Thanks all. Does someone knows any subdivisions similar to seven hill estate in marlborough, e hampton, hebron or colchest? Thanks

[JayCT]

In Marlborough there is High Meadow which has some very nice houses in the $400-500 price range. There are a number of smaller subdivisions in the area (Hebron, Marlborough) that are as nice but not as large. Smith Farm and Millstream Highlands in Hebron are nice. Hope this helps. Jay

[mels]

Are you looking for a typical subdivision where all of the homes look really similar? If so, there are a few of those around, but not many. For example, in Marlborough most homes, newer and older, are located in neighborhoods where you'll have a contemporary style house, next to a Colonial, next to a Raised Ranch. There are a few exceptions (Blackledge), but that is the general rule. I liked Marlborough for many reasons, but the selling point was that most lots are an acre or two, or more. I don't like being right on top of my neighbor's house.

You get a good bang for your buck in the area east of the CT River, so if you are looking in the $300-500K price range there are tons of options.

[JayCT]

You must remember that unlike other parts of the country, New England has been developing for hundreds of years so there is not the large blocks of property available for subdivisions. That said I checked some of the listings in Marlborough and Hebron. Some nice neighborhoods similar to Seven Hills are:

Marlborough - High Meadow, Marlborough Chase, Blackledge Estates

Hebron - The Woods, Chestnut Hollow, Saw Mill Estates, Smith Farm, Millstream Highlands, Hall Farm

Marlborough Chase is also a Toll Brother community but has much higher prices than Seven Hills. Blackledge Estates is a custom home development and is also pricey. The listings in Hebron are all similar and very nice. The Woods and Hall Farm are new. Good luck, Jay

[larry2007]

Appreciate for all valuable information. We are looking the house in 400k~530k price range, high ceiling(9 feet) and open floor plan. We like a large subdivision with side walk way we can easily walk our dogs. So far we have not find very decent house you like and hope to see more inventories in March and April. Thanks again for all useful information.

[JayCT]

Many of the smaller or more suburban towns do not have sidewalks. Some of the subdivisions mentioned are small and do not have a lot of traffic so it would not be a problem walking in the street. Jay