Work in Wilmington DE, should I live in DE or PA or MD? (based on taxes & quality of life) (Dover: sales, real estate market)

[hellotoday]

Hi all-

Husband just got relocated to Wilmington, Delaware.

We would like to live in a rural area and rent a house (eventualy we will buy a place) on a couple acres (we have 4 dogs and will be getting kids soon through foster to adopt from the state).

We would like a drive that is less than a hour away from work (hopefully he will miss rush hour traffic as he has to be to work by 5:30 am).

I think this means that parts of Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland are all possibilities for us (tax is too high for us in NJ).

Givin this info, were would you move if taxes, house rent (and eventually house price), scenic beauty and low crime were important factors for you?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[hellotoday]

Help for new and potential residents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To help the members of the Pennsylvania forum guide you more quickly towards a compatible neighborhood and lifestyle, here are "just a few" starter questions to choose from.

PLEASE BOLD FONT YOUR PRIORITIES

(Thanks to solibs for "borrowing" this from another forum.)


When are you moving? = PROB JUNE 1ST.
Where are you coming from? = RURAL TENNESSEE
Why are you moving? = JOB RELOCATION MANDATORY
Where will you be working? WILMINGTON, DE.
Have you been here yet? = ME, NO. HUSBAND IS WORKING THERE NOW.

Will you buy or rent? = RENT FOR THE FIRST YEAR, THEN PROB BUY.
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? = HOUSE.
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? = RENT HOUSE OR MOBILE HOME ON LAND, UP TO $1500 PER MONTH.

Are you married or single? Do you have children? = MARRIED, SOON TO ADOPT SIBLING GROUP FROM FOSTER TO ADOPT, THROUGH STATE.
Do you prefer public or private schools? = WILL HOME SCHOOL.
Do you have pets? = 4 DOGS.
Do you want or need a yard? = YES WE NEED AT LEAST A YARD, HOPEFULLY A HOUSE OR MOBILE HOME ON AN ACRE OR TWO.
Are you keeping a car? = YES, TWO VEHICLES.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? = QUIET AND CALM.

What do you want to be closest to?
Work = #1.
Shopping = #3.
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) = #2.
Nightlife #4.
Train or subway stations = #5.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? = I DO NOT CARE EITHER WAY.

Phillies, Pirates or Mets? = WE ARE NOT INTO SPORTS.

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL HELP!

[doctorjef]

Bigger question is what can you afford? At least DE is not IMO in Yankeeland, unlike PA (not that I care at all for the old Confederacy either, but culturally I prefer the Upper South and Border States). Your price range for home purchase would be helpful.

[hellotoday]

thanks doc.
i think we are going to put off buying a house and just rent.
we can rent a house up to $1,500 a month.
thanks!

[doctorjef]

I think you may have trouble finding a rental to match your criteria of being rural, having a lot of land (relatively speaking), and husband getting to work at 5.30 am -- unless he's ok with a lengthy drive in the EARLY morning. True, there would be no traffic but he'd have to get up so damned early. You would probably best find what you are looking for somewhere downstate in Kent or Sussex counties. You might possibly luck into something fitting your description in lower New Castle County in the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend area. I hope someone here can offer suggestions as to how to go about finding a rental in the rural areas. BTW for later consideration I have been surprised at how cheaply some small farms sell for here in DE. It's obviously easier to find real estate listings for rural sales than for rentals, but someone here from downstate may be able to advise you on the latter.

$1500 is a pretty small budget for a rental in urban or suburban DE that would be at all nice and fit your space needs. However, you might find such a thing in a rural area or really small town in the more rural parts downstate. I'm thinking, for example, of small towns in Kent such as Magnolia. The farther west/more inland you get, the cheaper rents are likely to be.

[ron del]

I believe that the Doctor's information is accurate. Property taxes are lower in Delaware. Lower New Castle County and Kent County will be more likely to have what you are looking for. The real estate market is stagnate. You should not have any problem finding a real estate agent to help you find property, maybe rent with option to buy.

[Joe84323]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

Bigger question is what can you afford? At least DE is not IMO in Yankeeland, unlike PA (not that I care at all for the old Confederacy either, but culturally I prefer the Upper South and Border States). Your price range for home purchase would be helpful.

Oh, God, Jeff.. why not warn him of our burning crosses on this side of Naaman's Rd.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by hellotoday

thanks doc.
i think we are going to put off buying a house and just rent.
we can rent a house up to $1,500 a month.
thanks!

$1,500 is a big budget for a rental here in Kent County. You can rent a really nice large home in or around Smyrna or Dover for that money. In Felton, Harrington, Magnolia, rentals are available for $900 on up, some with land. In the Delaware State News (our local paper) there are rentals every day, as well as the Dover Post. Or, contact a Kent County Realtor. They handle tons of rentals. It won't cost you anything to use a Realtor.

[doctorjef]

Originally Posted by Joe84323

Oh, God, Jeff.. why not warn him of our burning crosses on this side of Naaman's Rd.

Silly Joe, there are no burning crosses in Delaware -- but if you drive south on Rt 1 you will see one of those "Believe it or Burn!" billboards erected by some Baptist church on the east side of the highway around the Kent-Sussex county line.

[raven302]

Originally Posted by Joe84323

Oh, God, Jeff.. why not warn him of our burning crosses on this side of Naaman's Rd.

I just spit my coffee, thanks!