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These homes are only cheap when you look at it in comparison to Fairfield County or a town that is commuting distance to New York or Stamford. For greater Hartford however they are somewhat pricey compared to less expensive suburbs like Newington or Windsor. Jay
Good point, I was comparing WH to Fairfield County. Sounds like Milford wins as a better option.
Sure, stop looking at the mill rates. Here’s a $400k house and taxes on this house are over $1,100! But don’t look! Imagine paying that much every month in your retirement; and that’s only for real estate taxes. That’s more than few pennies by my account.
Great point. $1100 monthly is a huge burden on the middle class homeowners who can only afford homes in the 3's. That's very unfavorable as a percentage of the total. I don't care how great the schools and amenities are all of which are found in many other communities with much lower mill rates.
If you cut that amount in half, its 550 monthly going to pre-tax retirement and 529 accounts (deductible up to 10K per year with CHET) even at conservative growth rates can be substantial amounts saved over time.
With that being said, the comparison is moot as these two communities are in completely different employment markets.
Great point. $1100 monthly is a huge burden on the middle class homeowners who can only afford homes in the 3's. That's very unfavorable as a percentage of the total.
You know West Hartford kind of reminds me of my town of Trumbull. When you add up all of our mills we are over 35. They are nuts here in Trumbull with these property taxes.
I will try to explain what I think is going on.
Trumbull borders a large UNSAFE CT city (Bridgeport) with TERRIBLE schools. Trumbull is the closest somewhat affordable town with good schools.
West Hartford borders a large UNSAFE CT city (Hartford) with TERRIBLE schools. I am thinking that West Hartford is the closest affordable town with good schools. And I correct?
So if you can get into Trumbull (or maybe West Hartford) I know a lot of parents sacrifice a lot to pay the higher taxes to get their children good educations.
Look at the comparison of the towns. Not far off. If you factor in that Trumbull & Bridgeport is in Fairfield County Trumbull is probably the equivalent to West Hartford. To outsiders the mill rate looks insane. I am on the inside and it looks insane lol but I know what is going on.
Trumbull
Household Income: $117,000
Median House: $400,000
School District Ranking: 16
West Hartford
Household Income: $93,000
Median House: $323,000
School Ranking: 57 (pretty good out of Fairfield County)
School Ranking of Towns that Border Hartford
Boomfield: "This district is not ranked due to insufficient test score data"...the individual schools don't look that great frankly.
Windsor: 150
East Hartford: 143
Westhesfield: 80
Newington: 86
Windsor: 127
So West Hartford is kind of like Trumbull in the fact that the middle class can afford the house with the best schools that border a city with TERRIBLE schools.
Can you kind of understand the property tax insanity now of Trumbull and West Hartford?
So macalan this is why I won't be able to afford Trumbull in retirement and probably why you should strike West Hartford off your list......unless you want the walkability factor and are willing to pay a lot for it. Since we don't need the school systems there are a lot more choices for us in CT.
You know West Hartford kind of reminds me of my town of Trumbull. When you add up all of our mills we are over 35. They are nuts here in Trumbull with these property taxes.
I will try to explain what I think is going on.
Trumbull borders a large UNSAFE CT city (Bridgeport) with TERRIBLE schools. Trumbull is the closest somewhat affordable town with good schools.
West Hartford borders a large UNSAFE CT city (Hartford) with TERRIBLE schools. I am thinking that West Hartford is the closest affordable town with good schools. And I correct?
So if you can get into Trumbull (or maybe West Hartford) I know a lot of parents sacrifice a lot to pay the higher taxes to get their children good educations.
Look at the comparison of the towns. Not far off. If you factor in that Trumbull & Bridgeport is in Fairfield County Trumbull is probably the equivalent to West Hartford. To outsiders the mill rate looks insane. I am on the inside and it looks insane lol but I know what is going on.
Trumbull
Household Income: $117,000
Median House: $400,000
School District Ranking: 16
West Hartford
Household Income: $93,000
Median House: $323,000
School Ranking: 57 (pretty good out of Fairfield County)
School Ranking of Towns that Border Hartford
Boomfield: "This district is not ranked due to insufficient test score data"...the individual schools don't look that great frankly.
Windsor: 150
East Hartford: 143
Westhesfield: 80
Newington: 86
Windsor: 127
So West Hartford is kind of like Trumbull in the fact that the middle class can afford the house with the best schools that border a city with TERRIBLE schools.
Can you kind of understand the property tax insanity now of Trumbull and West Hartford?
So macalan this is why I won't be able to afford Trumbull in retirement and probably why you should strike West Hartford off your list......unless you want the walkability factor and are willing to pay a lot for it. Since we don't need the school systems there are a lot more choices for us in CT.
Why would being next to a city make your taxes higher? I think you found a commonality, not a rule.
Btw, WH is one of the pricier Hartford suburbs. Avon, Simsbury, Glastonbury are all just as affordable and have excellent schools, and are only marginally further from Hartford.
You know West Hartford kind of reminds me of my town of Trumbull. When you add up all of our mills we are over 35. They are nuts here in Trumbull with these property taxes.
I will try to explain what I think is going on.
Trumbull borders a large UNSAFE CT city (Bridgeport) with TERRIBLE schools. Trumbull is the closest somewhat affordable town with good schools.
West Hartford borders a large UNSAFE CT city (Hartford) with TERRIBLE schools. I am thinking that West Hartford is the closest affordable town with good schools. And I correct?
So if you can get into Trumbull (or maybe West Hartford) I know a lot of parents sacrifice a lot to pay the higher taxes to get their children good educations.
Look at the comparison of the towns. Not far off. If you factor in that Trumbull & Bridgeport is in Fairfield County Trumbull is probably the equivalent to West Hartford. To outsiders the mill rate looks insane. I am on the inside and it looks insane lol but I know what is going on.
Trumbull
Household Income: $117,000
Median House: $400,000
School District Ranking: 16
West Hartford
Household Income: $93,000
Median House: $323,000
School Ranking: 57 (pretty good out of Fairfield County)
School Ranking of Towns that Border Hartford
Boomfield: "This district is not ranked due to insufficient test score data"...the individual schools don't look that great frankly.
Windsor: 150
East Hartford: 143
Westhesfield: 80
Newington: 86
Windsor: 127
So West Hartford is kind of like Trumbull in the fact that the middle class can afford the house with the best schools that border a city with TERRIBLE schools.
Can you kind of understand the property tax insanity now of Trumbull and West Hartford?
So macalan this is why I won't be able to afford Trumbull in retirement and probably why you should strike West Hartford off your list......unless you want the walkability factor and are willing to pay a lot for it. Since we don't need the school systems there are a lot more choices for us in CT.
A ha, thats interesting. You may be on to something.
So in a sense they are "price gouging" the mill rates in order to take advantage of those folks who can only afford homes in the 3's and 4's (the going rates in Trumbull and WH) therefore placing an even heavier burden on their shoulders. Most of these folks have already broken their backs saving for a downpayment.
You know West Hartford kind of reminds me of my town of Trumbull. When you add up all of our mills we are over 35. They are nuts here in Trumbull with these property taxes.
I will try to explain what I think is going on.
Trumbull borders a large UNSAFE CT city (Bridgeport) with TERRIBLE schools. Trumbull is the closest somewhat affordable town with good schools.
West Hartford borders a large UNSAFE CT city (Hartford) with TERRIBLE schools. I am thinking that West Hartford is the closest affordable town with good schools. And I correct?
So if you can get into Trumbull (or maybe West Hartford) I know a lot of parents sacrifice a lot to pay the higher taxes to get their children good educations.
Look at the comparison of the towns. Not far off. If you factor in that Trumbull & Bridgeport is in Fairfield County Trumbull is probably the equivalent to West Hartford. To outsiders the mill rate looks insane. I am on the inside and it looks insane lol but I know what is going on.
Trumbull
Household Income: $117,000
Median House: $400,000
School District Ranking: 16
West Hartford
Household Income: $93,000
Median House: $323,000
School Ranking: 57 (pretty good out of Fairfield County)
School Ranking of Towns that Border Hartford
Boomfield: "This district is not ranked due to insufficient test score data"...the individual schools don't look that great frankly.
Windsor: 150
East Hartford: 143
Westhesfield: 80
Newington: 86
Windsor: 127
So West Hartford is kind of like Trumbull in the fact that the middle class can afford the house with the best schools that border a city with TERRIBLE schools.
Can you kind of understand the property tax insanity now of Trumbull and West Hartford?
So macalan this is why I won't be able to afford Trumbull in retirement and probably why you should strike West Hartford off your list......unless you want the walkability factor and are willing to pay a lot for it. Since we don't need the school systems there are a lot more choices for us in CT.
I actually think West Hartford is more similar to Fairfield than Trumbull. Like West Hartford, it is a large town (about 60,000 people) that has a wide range of housing options including everything from modest starter apartments to grand estates. To me Trumbull is more uniformly middle class with significantly less entry level and estate housing. Like West Hartford, Fairfield is more mature with most housing built in the 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s while most of Trumbull housing was built later. That said I understand that there are some cost associated with towns bordering major cities but that has more to do with the people that moved there from the city wanting many of the same amenities found in a city. Jay
I actually think West Hartford is more similar to Fairfield than Trumbull. Like West Hartford, it is a large town (about 60,000 people) that has a wide range of housing options including everything from modest starter apartments to grand estates. To me Trumbull is more uniformly middle class with significantly less entry level and estate housing. Like West Hartford, Fairfield is more mature with most housing built in the 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s while most of Trumbull housing was built later. That said I understand that there are some cost associated with towns bordering major cities but that has more to do with the people that moved there from the city wanting many of the same amenities found in a city. Jay
Comparing them is moot. CTArtist is absolutley spot on. Lower cost Trumbull with uniform pricing and an excessive mill rate places a heavier burden. The % ratio of tax to home price is too high.
On the cheap Bridgeport side of Fairfield with a lower mill rate (still high though) the % ratio is lower. Homes here are about the same price give or take, though I understand the price per square foot would be higher.
A ha, thats interesting. You may be on to something.
So in a sense they are "price gouging" the mill rates in order to take advantage of those folks who can only afford homes in the 3's and 4's (the going rates in Trumbull and WH) therefore placing an even heavier burden on their shoulders. Most of these folks have already broken their backs saving for a downpayment.
How do these Trumbull politicians sleep at night?
We are getting way sidetracked, but I need to address this comment since it has come up more than once on this thread.
"Only afford houses in the 3s and 4s..."... what?
The rank and file person moving into West Hartford is well educated, often works in financial services, and has an HHI of $200k or more. These people are well aware of what money can buy and are also factoring in the tax costs to the decision. This is why a town like WH doesn't really make sense for retirees, but it isn't exactly a stretch town from an affordability standpoint for the local professional workforce, either. No one is having the wool pulled over their eyes in buying there as opposed to in Newington or Berlin or Windsor.
We are getting way sidetracked, but I need to address this comment since it has come up more than once on this thread.
"Only afford houses in the 3s and 4s..."... what?
The rank and file person moving into West Hartford is well educated, often works in financial services, and has an HHI of $200k or more. These people are well aware of what money can buy and are also factoring in the tax costs to the decision. This is why a town like WH doesn't really make sense for retirees, but it isn't exactly a stretch town from an affordability standpoint for the local professional workforce, either. No one is having the wool pulled over their eyes in buying there as opposed to in Newington or Berlin or Windsor.
I don't know the Hartford area so I'll take your word for it. It appears WH is the "IT" town in the Hartford area and a quick google says the median in WH is about 3 even. That's pretty cheap for the 200K+ personnel in an "IT" town. I suppose they can absorb the tax amount.
Trumbull is different though, its far from an "IT" town. A good deal of the population is folks who are priced out of the "IT" cities and towns further down the line and have to take on the extra tax burden.
We are getting way sidetracked, but I need to address this comment since it has come up more than once on this thread.
"Only afford houses in the 3s and 4s..."... what?
The rank and file person moving into West Hartford is well educated, often works in financial services, and has an HHI of $200k or more. These people are well aware of what money can buy and are also factoring in the tax costs to the decision. This is why a town like WH doesn't really make sense for retirees, but it isn't exactly a stretch town from an affordability standpoint for the local professional workforce, either. No one is having the wool pulled over their eyes in buying there as opposed to in Newington or Berlin or Windsor.
Seeing that the median HHI in WH is only 80k, I highly doubt the average person moving to town has a HHI of 200k. West Hartford is not New Canaan, or even Wilton.
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Imagine paying that much every month in your retirement; and that’s only for real estate taxes.
That’s more than few pennies by my account. 
