[nyer5]

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some ideas on cities/towns to look into buying a home. Not looking to buy immediately- probably in a year or two but want to start getting ideas on neighborhoods since I'm not familiar with CT.

A bit about me- I'm a female in my early 30s and single. I grew up on Long Island but can't afford to buy my own place here. I'm looking into Connecticut because it seems like it's a bit less expensive (I know not much but anything helps!)
I'm very close with my family on Long Island and don't want to go far. Honestly, with my remote job, I'll probably be living part time in CT and part time with my parents on Long Island.
I just want a place of my own as an investment for my future as well as some "me time"

My wish list is pretty simple:
-Safe area (I'll be alone and my parents will be worried about me every second I'm away from them Lol)

-Not expensive (I know this is a tough one)

-As close as possible to NYC so I can go back to Long Island easily (I'm willing to go about max 2 hour drive from NYC)

Other than that I'm open... I'm good with suburban living, city living and small town living.

Would love your suggestions!
Thank you!

[kidyankee764]

What’s your price range? Southwestern CT and Fairfield County are just as expensive as LI, maybe even more. Just like LI, the further you get from the city the more affordable it gets. 2 hours outside the city puts you in New Haven or Waterbury. You could look into Stratford, which is generally the first affordable decent town outside of the city, but without knowing a budget, it’s hard to suggest.

Honestly, the price differences between CT and LI are so negligible that I’d question if even making the move to CT is worth it. You want to be near family and will live on LI part time - why not buy a vacation/investment property somewhere in that case?

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by nyer5

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some ideas on cities/towns to look into buying a home. Not looking to buy immediately- probably in a year or two but want to start getting ideas on neighborhoods since I'm not familiar with CT.

A bit about me- I'm a female in my early 30s and single. I grew up on Long Island but can't afford to buy my own place here. I'm looking into Connecticut because it seems like it's a bit less expensive (I know not much but anything helps!)
I'm very close with my family on Long Island and don't want to go far. Honestly, with my remote job, I'll probably be living part time in CT and part time with my parents on Long Island.
I just want a place of my own as an investment for my future as well as some "me time"

My wish list is pretty simple:
-Safe area (I'll be alone and my parents will be worried about me every second I'm away from them Lol)

-Not expensive (I know this is a tough one)

-As close as possible to NYC so I can go back to Long Island easily (I'm willing to go about max 2 hour drive from NYC)

Other than that I'm open... I'm good with suburban living, city living and small town living.

Would love your suggestions!
Thank you!

What is your budget?
Where does you family live in Long Island?

There is a ferry in Bridgeport CT that goes to Port Jefferson LI. Sailing time is 1hour and 15 minutes. If you can't afford LI you might not be able to afford southwestern CT either but if you can take the ferry you can look in less expensive areas. I live in Trumbull (on the northern Bridgeport border) so I know lot of people that use the ferry and they like it.
https://www.88844ferry.com/sailing-s...ginning-may-26

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

What’s your price range? Southwestern CT and Fairfield County are just as expensive as LI, maybe even more. Just like LI, the further you get from the city the more affordable it gets. 2 hours outside the city puts you in New Haven or Waterbury. You could look into Stratford, which is generally the first affordable decent town outside of the city, but without knowing a budget, it’s hard to suggest.

Honestly, the price differences between CT and LI are so negligible that I’d question if even making the move to CT is worth it. You want to be near family and will live on LI part time - why not buy a vacation/investment property somewhere in that case?

The town of Stratford would stay north of Barnum Ave and Lordship section also would consider Milford and Shelton on the moving list. I agree Fairfield to Greenwich/New Canaan would be expensive lesser to degree Trumbull and Monroe.

[Vetgirl2014]

Budget, your lifestyle/hobbies/school importance all that plays into recommendations. Do you want to be in a larger town/small city with tons of restaurants and nightlife? Do you want rural fire having chickens? Do you want a home you can one day have a family in? Need more details.

[SteveM85]

You were a post and ghost on the "moving to Sono above Mecha Noodle bar" thread so assuming the same here.

Norwalk and Fairfield, no question. Hands down. Hundred percent. Nicer, safer and smaller than Stamford. Many areas just as nice and some even nicer than the more expensive richer towns in the area. For CT, in the 50-100K population range, it doesn't get any better. It just doesn't. These made it to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in DannyK's 2022 CT Town Tourny thread.

Best

[nico7]

You could save money buying in Eastern CT and using the New London ferry to Orient Point. The trip is 1h 20m or on the high speed ferry 40m.

[Stylo]

Agreed need a budget. Also a little more on preferences. I’m inclined to say something near Bridgeport ferry. You can ride as a passenger cheaply and have your parents pick you up, instead of dealing with awful traffic.

Milford/Shelton/Stratford, or if you need to save even more money, Derby/Ansonia.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

You were a post and ghost on the "moving to Sono above Mecha Noodle bar" thread so assuming the same here.

Norwalk and Fairfield, no question. Hands down. Hundred percent. Nicer, safer and smaller than Stamford. Many areas just as nice and some even nicer than the more expensive richer towns in the area. For CT, in the 50-100K population range, it doesn't get any better. It just doesn't. These made it to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in DannyK's 2022 CT Town Tourny thread.

Best

Norwalk and Fairfield are great but they aren’t cheaper than LI and are quite a bit more expensive than most of CT.

[WellTraveled1988]

As some have mentioned, it depends on 2 things really:

1) LOCATION - Greenwich/Stamford/Darien/New Canaan, basically Fairfield County(lol) is a GREAT area and environment. Plus you are really close to NYC and LI if you need to be there. But the COL, taxes (State Income Tax and property/vehicle taxes) are REALLY, REALLY high. They may be higher than NYC actually lol. CT has a tiered State Income Tax structure, and if you are not married or have dependents it can be BRUTAL.

If you are ok with being kind of in Hartford (more mid state), Bristol, Litchfield (sp?), etc. other areas not as great of a location, but still CT. it may be more affordable. Still, generally a great Quality of Life but not near the beach....

Good luck finding a GOOD 1b/1ba in Fairfield County less than $2500/3000 monthly (lol)

2) What are you looking for as a lifestyle?
As mentioned above, inland by Hartford is a pretty cool area but kind of further from the beaches/coast. New Haven is near the coast and more "affordable" but not necessarily a hotspot area like Fairfield county