movin outta CT (New Haven, Hartford, Meriden: mortgage, insurance, for sale)

[skytrekker]

Well Kerry carried many smaller towns as well- like Bolton, Lyme among others.
Most of those small towns where in Fairfield county- and some in Litchfield- but Bush by no means carried MOST of the small towns.
see this excellent link- by the way red is for Kerry and blue is for Bush

http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESUL...&datatype=town

Also CT is not without faults believe me- and for some NC is a better alternative then here- I know of a young man who hated CT and left for Ft. Lauderdale Florida- very expensive place to live- this guy had little in the way of education- I wonder if he can afford to live there- low wages and higher real estate costs then 75% of CT-

I do not know if you have seen the total collapse of sub prime mortgages-
a great blog by the way on housing and the bubble are; http://calculatedrisk.blogspot.com/ http://thehousingbubbleblog.com/
enjoy!

[skytrekker]

REAL estate industrial complex? REIC-

nope not my thing LOL sounds too contrived for me and they are advertising -that tells you something-no?

[myito]

I don't know about any of you, but I for one am moving "outta CT" as well and going back to CA. Why? Real estate is not cheaper, but taxes certainly are! I live in Glastonbury and I'm sure it's not just me -- taxes are ridiculous. We pay close to $10K for a house that is selling at about $500K. That means I can afford about $400 more per month in mortgage and believe me prices are not all that different. I am sure NC will be cheaper and the quality of life is probably much better. People here are just way too cold for me (especially being from CA) and after 5 years I've had it.

[skytrekker]

Glastonbury is expensive??- how about an 1100 square foot ranch built 40+ years ago (though recently renovated) in Burlingame CA (15 miles south of San Fran) for 900K- even in pricey Glastonbury that will buy a mansion. In the San Francisco bay area 400K gets you a mediocre condo.
Great listing in San Carlos at realtor.com a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo 1020 square feet 550K

Median home price in San Francisco bay area- 715K Marin County (just over the GG bridge over 1 million-) Greater Hartford 258K
Los Angeles 580K San Diego 600K Sacramento 399K Prices not that much different? Hmmm I do not think so.

I would not be too thrilled about buying a 550K starter home in a crack infested neighborhood in the L.A area.

California has one of the worst education systems in the country, gangs, traffic nightmares, road rage etc. Well the weather is very nice- but at those prices it should be. Weather IS Fine at least along the coast- inland it can be very hot, dusty, smelly with air problems in summer and winter.

As far as quality of life factors the respected Forbes magazine rates North Carolina at 26 California 28 Connecticut? 4-

so much for a better quality of life

[myito]

SKy,

After living here for 6 years I beg to differ -- quality of life is OK and your examples are extreme. Los Angeles is a big area and there are some really nice areas between (Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, Tustin, Del Mar, etc.). You get what you pay for!

In CA you have access to lots and as a result you pay more for your home. Same as NYC. I don't get why the taxes are so high here when there is so little going on. There are plenty of good school districts in CA and with all due respect when you compare a state with 3 million to a state with 10x that number, you get lots of diversity that can alter the way stats look.

Enjoy CT -- I'm with the original author and I'll take another state.

[glxyman21]

Housing prices throughout California are not all extreme..You're making the same comparison as someone looking at Connecticut and only seeing Greenwich and Darien as reflective of the whole state. stepping out of your self-reference criterion, and differing from this ethnocentrism may help you in seeing things in a more true light. Every place has its pros and cons..its finding a happy medium.

[skytrekker]

Housing prices in most of California are in fact very extreme- you cannot buy a decent home in ANY major metro area(in an average neighborhood) of California for under 550K- even in places like Chico- Paradise or hell wholes like Modesto , mediocre places at best, the median price is well over 350K. And I have seen dumps in all of California in drug invested crime ridden areas like Compton selling for 300K or more.

I can readily show examples of the towns above- I would like to see examples that prove otherwise. I did not post extremes like Beverly Hills or Palos Verdes- a town in an 'average suburb' of southern California, the greater San Diego area and the San Francisco bay area sell for median price between 600K-715K.

I would hardly call Anaheim not reflective of an average place in California - Yet average ranch homes built 40 years ago, with 3 bdrms and 1 bath, in a so so area are now selling for well over 500K- well Anaheim is not Darien, last time I checked, but prices are nearly the same!

I would call Vernon CT and mediocre town, with some very good areas and some not so good areas- yet you can buy a nice home in a good area for under 300K.

I know the bay area better then Boston by the way -have spent much time there- so my so called 'ethnocentrism' is not as bad as some may think. - I simply try and deal with facts, statistics and objective information, not wishful thinking, 'Hope', distortions and fantasy. Being trained as a Geographer taught me something.

And I may also add California is one of my favorite states- the climate along the coast is about as perfect as one could ask for- mild temperate weather with no humidity all year long. In fact coastal CA has perhaps the best climate in the world.There is much culture in L.A- and the central coast is beautiful. I love wine country- but I could not afford to live in Santa Rosa- where the median home price is over 600K.

California is a vast state of 37 million that has a plethora of social problems now. Housing costs are basically not affordable.- and the gap between the haves and have nots is greater then anyplace in the USA. Therefor the quality of life for an average person is a struggle- much more so then in cloudy cold Connecticut. If I had 2-3 million dollars I would be there- well I am here- so the money train is not here- cheers!

[BigHouse9]

westguy -

There are many reasons why I say that NC is not cheaper than CT (Hartford area where we came from). I live here and from my experience, here is what I have found.

JViello is right about the houses. What is listed for sf for a house is misleading. We have no storage space in our house and had to rent a unit for $75 per month. Not to mention the size of your lot, MUCH smaller down here. Cookie cutter developments are no improvement in lifestyle, you sacrifice privacy and quality. I did a search on a new home in Ellington on 1.2 acres and it came in at $459K. Same size home here in the Raleigh area $559K.

Groceries are more expensive down here. Wine and liquor is more expensive. My car insurance went up (Raleigh area). HOA fees ($40 month). Utilities are more expensive. Yes, gas is cheaper, but both my wife and I have to drive a lot more so we end up spending more in gas every month. I make less money than in CT and on average the salaries are 7% less. That washes my property taxes right there.

Suprising? Yes it is as we both thought it was going to be so much cheaper here too. The thing is, taxes are going up too due to the abundant issues with the school systems here. So laugh if you would like but it is what it is.

[kd83]

Originally Posted by BigHouse9

westguy -

There are many reasons why I say that NC is not cheaper than CT (Hartford area where we came from). I live here and from my experience, here is what I have found.

JViello is right about the houses. What is listed for sf for a house is misleading. We have no storage space in our house and had to rent a unit for $75 per month. Not to mention the size of your lot, MUCH smaller down here. Cookie cutter developments are no improvement in lifestyle, you sacrifice privacy and quality. I did a search on a new home in Ellington on 1.2 acres and it came in at $459K. Same size home here in the Raleigh area $559K.

Groceries are more expensive down here. Wine and liquor is more expensive. My car insurance went up (Raleigh area). HOA fees ($40 month). Utilities are more expensive. Yes, gas is cheaper, but both my wife and I have to drive a lot more so we end up spending more in gas every month. I make less money than in CT and on average the salaries are 7% less. That washes my property taxes right there.

Suprising? Yes it is as we both thought it was going to be so much cheaper here too. The thing is, taxes are going up too due to the abundant issues with the school systems here. So laugh if you would like but it is what it is.

you are just repeating everything people have already said and had disproved or made fine arguments against..you make it seem like every neighborhood has cookie cutter houses and postage stamp lots..there are plenty yes b/c that is how most of the new developments go up but there are stillllll plenty that are not..so stop painting a 1-sided picture..

As for groceries? Where did you shop up here and where do you shop down there? I shop at shaws up here and super walmart is much cheaper down there FROM EXPERIENCE than shaws will ever be. My car insurance is going down..sounds like you got fuc*ed or need to change companies. I dont know what utilities are more expensive in raleigh but our elec bill here was 120 dollars last month and well I asked a bunch of different people down there what their average elec prices were for all elec homes and apts and the range was anywhere from 30-70 dollars sooooo again sounds like you're getting fuc*ed somehow. Just b/c you and your wife have to drive a lot more doesnt mean that 20-30 cents per gallon cheaper isnt a good thing. My gf and I will have to drive a lot LESS and gas is cheaper so its a huge benefit. Find a new job if you make less...that is nobody's fault but your own..In both my lines of work I will be making the same exact amount of money..is NC a place for teachers or stateworkers or anything that has a lower pay? NO..but not everybody is affected in that way. In fact if my ex gf relocates to the south she will get paid MORE than she is in CT.

and last but not least..yes the taxes are going up down there I am sure of that..but they are going up here as well..and the rate that they go up there compared to the rate they go up here..maybe one day they will cross but that wont be for a while, and if it ever does maybe that will help take care of the "trash" for school systems and healthcare they have.

Ranking schools on SAT scores and other standardized tests is retarded and we all know it. How do I know Rockville and Ellington have poor schools? Well for one I went to Rockville high and its horrendous even being in all level honors and AP classes. Kids smoking weed and drinking in the parking lots..finding empty rooms for BJ's etc etc..fights almost every day..and as for ellington well being so close most of my friends were from ellington...see first hand experience shows you a lot more than some numbers on paper and some standardized tests...I know people that got 1400's + on their SATS that are complete loseres now either alcoholics or druggies...some are flourishing at Yale and Harvard..but I still know people with 1000 or less that are smarter than a lot of them and just cant take standardized tests...I know a girl that got 1450 on her SAT didnt know how to read a clock with hands until she was 19 and didnt know how to pump her own gas until she was 22...NC might not have BETTER school systems but dont tell me Rockville and Ellington are not poor.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by westguy22

Sounds like you haven't gotten around much down there. There is a deli called Carlino's right near downtown (owned by a family from southern NJ) and a great pizza place (can't remember the name) in the Indian Trail area, I remember it was owned by a man from Michigan. Great pizza.

Have you traveled beyond the US? Folks in Italy would laugh at your comments about Pepe's and the similar because that style pizza is a joke compared to that in Florence. (I'm 100% Italian and visit Florence every summer).

I may be out of line by saying this, but your attitude of "CT is best, screw the rest" is the reason that many people dislike the general population here. It's obvious you're a realtor, and it's obvios that you're attempting to make CT sound so spectacular so they wouldn't think twice about moving here. Of course, more $$ for you!

Ahhh, gotta love it.

BTW Skytrekker, with respect, most small towns in Connecticut went for Bush (but I sure didn't!). It's the big cities with higher populations that helped Kerry in our state.

I'm a realtor? ROFLMAO. Not even close.

I'm a private business owner - I just sold an automotive fabrication business with product shipped to 17 countries around the world. We also prepared European cars for big dollar competitive events that you probably couldn't comprehend unless you went there. I have moved into a commercial service industry now. I've been to more countries than you have fingers and toes - I'd be happy to show you my passport over a lunch someday if you like.

I am here because I love my home state and I’m sick of people making knee jerk reactions towards it like "Hartford is a bullet ridden hell hole" Really? Funny, spending the day at Elizabeth park you would think you were in the Victorian era and the surrounding neighborhood is simply glorious. Find that in Cary. Bzzt. CT is not the best, but it's a very good place to live if you care about real tanglible things in life and are not part of the mass consumerism market that currently exists where once something gets dirty, you throw it out and get a new one at cheap Chinese labor prices.

Perhaps if it was LIKE Italy where people PAY for quality and stop to appreciate century old works of art we would not be smitten by shoddy built, cheap homes built on slaps with .2 acres in the middle of sprawl hell.

Understand, I CAN afford a much larger house then I am in. But I preferred to make my home the way *I* wanted it and choose to live where I am for many reasons. My worth doesn't come from the size of my foyer. When people do visit my home, they leave with a sense of comfort they rarely experience and have told me so. Much like Italy.

So you are 100% Italian? You are an Italian immigrant? Sorry I'm only second generation. As for Pepe's pizza being laughed, funny and I really can't make this up - but sitting in a Piazza in Livorno, Tuscana on a recent business trip I could not help but notice it was just like home. When my business contact came to visit the US he could only agree. Moreover, I'm second generation and my family is active and alive in the Avigliano so I think I know a thing or two about "pizza". Don't forget Carlucci's pizza in Danbury is home to Joe Carlucci who is a two time world champion pizza maker including competitions IN Italy. http://www.worldpizzachampions.com/team/joe_c.php

A recent business trip sitting at a cappuccino bar in Pisa: If you are really good, you will notice I'm wearing a Sergio Tacchini football (soccer) jacket which is only available in Italy. http://www.sergiotacchini.com



la mia famiglia:



Can't wait to buy one of these:




So I'm not some rube. I know the world, I know my culture and I know what NC contains. It's bubblegum and cheapness in spades. They want to be "world class" so bad and talk about it so much it's actually emabarassing.

Ci sentiamo, signore

P.S. I would think you know "Florence" is the British designation - the proper and real name for the city is Firenze.