[CThousehunter]

We are house-hunting in Madison, CT, and there seem to be quite a few homes for sale all around town. Is there something wrong with Madison, that so many people are trying to move out? Did something happen? Is something changing? It's traditionally such a desirable place to live that we're finding it curious how many homes are for sale.

Less is available in Guilford, where we would actually prefer to live.

[kristin1]

We just signed a contract for a home in Guilford, but we looked at both Madison and Guilford. We had been looking for a home since last summer while we were waiting for ours to sell. I think alot of the homes you are seeing have been on the market a long time. Many have been on the market since we started looking 8 months ago and have not dropped their prices. So I'm guessing you are seeing so much on the market because they are, in my opinion, overpriced.

That being said, I am an out-of -stater, so I don't have that much knowledge of the area. But I've done tons of research and I really feel you can't go wrong in either Madison or Guilford. Good Luck!

[CoolStrom]

There is really not much selling going on for houses worth half a million and > and in madison, clinton, guilford...there are tons of those...hence larger time on the market...you should check at the houses in starter range...see if they got picked up quickly...most probably it would have been...

[nico7]

Madison got "discovered" by people outside the area, about 2000-2002, and developers started building lots of big houses (many of the so-called "McMansions") in anticipation of a large population influx. That did actually come to pass, but the developers were overzealous. Plus, people don't really like McMansions, especially when there are so many nice older homes, in Madison and other surrounding towns (for less).

Another contributing factor may be that people overestimated what they could afford back then, and now the economy is tanking and they have to sell.

But no, there isn't anything "wrong" with Madison.

[chesterthedog]

If you like what you see in MAdison, don;t hesitate. It lives as it seems.

Hammonasset park and the Beach Club are two of the nicest beaches in the state.

Besides the other points made,, the prices are still very very high in Madison from where they were 5 years ago. I think it may be that folks are just deciding to sell /cash in before they potential go down??

[sun]

I know a longtime Madison resident who sold his house just because the prices had escalated so high that he felt that he could simply profit by moving to a neighboring town.

[TiZZ]

Madison Police have caught the corruption bug and come down with a bad case of misconduct. I believe at this point half (?) of the force has been dismissed since january.

[nico7]

True, the Madison police force is the laughing-stock of the state. First, there was a guy who got caught habitually stealing lobsters from the cooler of a Madison restaurant. Next, I think, was embezzlement or outright theft of funds. Then, I believe there was some kind of prostitution solicitation by one or two officers. There have been a whole slew of charges and allegations, each more ridiculous and hypocritical than the next. There wasn't any crime, so they decided to make some apparently.

[bluecountry]

I'm curious...but what is the area of Madison like?

Is this a retirement town...a suburban town...or rural town?

If suburban...where do people commute to?

What about sports and regional preferences...since this is closer to New York and near New Haven...a satellite of New York...I would think this would be prime territory for their sports.

[uconn99]

Most people in Madison commute to New Haven or other shoreline towns for work. A good portion still commute into Hartford which isn't too far away.

As for sports, I would say Madison leans towards New York but you will find plenty of Patirots and Red Sox fans in the area.

If you have children, Daniel Hand High school has some of the best sports programs in the state. Their football team is traditionaly one of the best in the state.