[JayCT]

Originally Posted by audiophile

How much would it be to rent a small home in a OK neighborhood for the short term while I scope the housing market out.

A modest apartment will start around $800. You can get a pretty nice one for around $1000. House rentals are rare but would start about $1200. Check lstings on realtor.com, craigslist.com and courant.com. Jay

[Juliangel]

dear audiophile,
here is a link to house/condo rentals in the towns of glastonbury, manchester,
s. windsor and coventry. A couple of things to consider. Do you have children moving with you? If yes, s. windsor and glastonbury are know to have the better schools. If not, I would also include E. Hartford because there are some decent neighborhoods and rentals in them. With the houseing sales down, more people are choosing to rent their home to cover mortgage, while at the same token the number of foreclosures and the need for rentals have increased and so have the rents. I am going to send you an direct email with my email address on it if you would like to be updated on new properties as they come on the market. As Jay said, check craigslist, rentometer.com,
realtor.com, postmylisting.com,backpage.com- I could give you more sites if you need them. Sincerely,
Julia Malik
Email View

[audiophile]

Originally Posted by Juliangel

dear audiophile,
here is a link to house/condo rentals in the towns of glastonbury, manchester,
s. windsor and coventry. A couple of things to consider. Do you have children moving with you? If yes, s. windsor and glastonbury are know to have the better schools. If not, I would also include E. Hartford because there are some decent neighborhoods and rentals in them. With the houseing sales down, more people are choosing to rent their home to cover mortgage, while at the same token the number of foreclosures and the need for rentals have increased and so have the rents. I am going to send you an direct email with my email address on it if you would like to be updated on new properties as they come on the market. As Jay said, check craigslist, rentometer.com,
realtor.com, postmylisting.com,backpage.com- I could give you more sites if you need them. Sincerely,
Julia Malik
Email View

Thanks Julia. I will contact you when I have some time.

[audiophile]

Originally Posted by Juliangel

dear audiophile,
here is a link to house/condo rentals in the towns of glastonbury, manchester,
s. windsor and coventry. A couple of things to consider. Do you have children moving with you? If yes, s. windsor and glastonbury are know to have the better schools. If not, I would also include E. Hartford because there are some decent neighborhoods and rentals in them. With the houseing sales down, more people are choosing to rent their home to cover mortgage, while at the same token the number of foreclosures and the need for rentals have increased and so have the rents. I am going to send you an direct email with my email address on it if you would like to be updated on new properties as they come on the market. As Jay said, check craigslist, rentometer.com,
realtor.com, postmylisting.com,backpage.com- I could give you more sites if you need them. Sincerely,
Julia Malik
Email View

Also right now, I do not have kids. So if we rent the school district is unimportant as long as the neighborhood is good and safe.

[audiophile]

Also what is typical utlilities for a small home in general? I am concerned about the heating costs in winter. Here I do not pay more than $180 - $200 / month on heating costs in winter.

[skytrekker]

Heating costs here can be a real downer IF; you are in an older home (post 1970) and heat with OIL- at over 3.50 a gallon- a 150 gallon fill up-well go figure- and if we have a cold spell- you may need oxygen.

Climatically Connecticut / Hartford and Wichita are both a USDA Zone 6/7 on the updated zonal maps from 2003. So the winters here will be about the same- only here we have more precipitation, from coastal storms.

Heating with natural gas or propane is far cheaper. Heating with Electricity can also give you a minor heart attack.

I pay for an 1100 square foot townhouse on 2 levels, end unit (lots of windows and skylights) about $120 a month during the winter, with natural gas--- cheap. The unit was built in 1991. Electricity for 2 around 80-100 dollars a month- more in the summer with the central air running 3 days in 10.

[andthentherewere3]

Winters can last a little longer here in Connecticut, compared to Kansas. For instance, the average daily temp during April in Hartford is 48.9. The average daily temp in Wichita during April is 55.3. Average Mean Daily Temperature

Of course that is the average; today in my town it is warming up quite a bit to 63. But just be aware that fall starts a little earlier in Connecticut, and summer starts a bit later, compared to the south and lower-midwest.

We use oil to heat our 1600 square foot ranch-style home, and the cost during the coldest months this past winter averaged $325-$350.00 per month. Oil is definitely quite expensive, and most older homes use oil.

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

Winters can last a little longer here in Connecticut, compared to Kansas. For instance, the average daily temp during April in Hartford is 48.9. The average daily temp in Wichita during April is 55.3. Average Mean Daily Temperature

Of course that is the average; today in my town it is warming up quite a bit to 63. But just be aware that fall starts a little earlier in Connecticut, and summer starts a bit later, compared to the south and midwest.

We use oil to heat our 1600 square foot ranch-style home, and the cost during the coldest months this past winter averaged $325-$350.00 per month. Oil is definitely quite expensive, and most older homes use oil.

Actually Autumn lasts longer in Connecticut due to the still warm waters of the Atlantic- which delays the onset of winter. Kansas is landlocked- and although the average temperture there is higher, beware; this is due to the much hotter summers that are not modified by any nearby large body of water. Winters in Kansas likewise are not going to feel the oceans moderating affects. I think it is fair to say the summers here are longer, though not as hot as Kansas- and autumns extend sometimes well into December. Springs here are known for being cool, due to the still chilled waters of the nearby Atlantic- so Summers start in earnest in July- a sea breeze can push inland well into late June.

Connecticut has a more moderate climate then any Midwestern station even further south as Kansas- simply because the nearby Atlantic here moderates the climate year round. CT has a far milder climate then Chicago, Detroit, Des Moines.

Connecticut's more northern latitude is milder due to the benefits of the ocean . Kansas although further south, does not enjoy a moderating oceanic influence.

Land heats up quicker, and cools off faster then a large body of water. Connecticut benefits from the Atlantic being so close by, creating a climate that has many attributes of a mid latitude continental climate, but does not have the extremes of a mid western climate that is far from the ocean. While winters are nearly identical, with more snow in Hartford due to the ocean, summers are decidedly far more moderate and comfortable. Connecticut's climate is relatively mild for its northern location, compared to central Kansas' southern great plains location.

Hartford lat 42 N
Wichita 38 N

Wichita has 42 90 degree days or above per summer. Hartford has 20
Wichita Days at zero or below 5 ; Hartford 6
Precipitation Wichita 33.5 Hartford 46
Snowfall Wichita 21 Hartford 46
Cloudy days Wichita 149 Hartford 175
32 degrees or below Wichita 105 Hartford 120

First frost Wichita October 25th Hartford October 7th
Last Frost Wichita April 7th Hartford April 22

[andthentherewere3]

My goodness, that was wordy, skytrekker.

My point was simply that here in Connecticut we probably have our heat on earlier in the fall than Kansas, and later in the spring than Kansas. I brought up the temperature disparity so audiophile could plan his/her heating bills.

[WILWRadio]

I've lived in both Kansas and CT. Winters in Connecticut are longer, FAR colder and FAR snowier than southern KS and for that matter the entire state of KS.

Summer out here is MUCH longer and MUCH hotter and humid than Connecticut. Even here in KC you see 90 degree days and 65 degree nights well into October while in CT you are already using heat by about the 10th of October.