Road trip to Lewes & Rehobeth (real estate, 2014, rental)

[twin59]

My sister and I are going to Philly, then Lewes and Rehobeth first week in May, we are in our early fifty's. Live in Nassau County, Long Island. Thinking about retirement by 55. Don't know if we want to live in single family home, but maybe townhouse/and/or condo. We are interested in the Lewes, Rehobeth (not on the beach) areas. Any suggestions were there are townhome/condos.?

[little eggplant]

Hello and welcome! There is a contributor to this thread named Mary2014 who is very well educated on the area you are interested in as that is where she is considering for her own retirement. Perhaps she will chime in or DM you to help you out. I, myself, lived in the Lewes/Rehoboth area for almost 6 months awaiting the building of our home and I can say my husband and I both liked the area very much. Good luck and keep us posted!

[twin59]

Thanks a bunch! I am just starting to explore the idea of relocating to Delaware. There are a bunch of questions I have. But I will wait for the right time.

[longnecker]

There are many condos in the Lewes/Rehoboth area. By the sound of what you are looking for I just want to make sure you understand OFF SEASON we are referred to as slower/lower. Visit during the off season before making any commitments. Some of us love it. Others moving in from bustling big city areas are not real happy.

[twin59]

I plan to be in Delaware May 3-6th. Not real happy about what?

[longnecker]

Originally Posted by twin59

My sister and I are going to Philly, then Lewes and Rehobeth first week in May, we are in our early fifty's. Live in Nassau County, Long Island. Thinking about retirement by 55. Don't know if we want to live in single family home, but maybe townhouse/and/or condo. We are interested in the Lewes, Rehobeth (not on the beach) areas. Any suggestions were there are townhome/condos.?

Originally Posted by twin59

I plan to be in Delaware May 3-6th. Not real happy about what?

Sounds like you are looking for activity and other people. I'm just saying come down in November or March before you make a commitment you may be unhappy with.

[twin59]

Thanks! Got It!

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by longnecker

Sounds like you are looking for activity and other people. I'm just saying come down in November or March before you make a commitment you may be unhappy with.

Most visitors do really enjoy all that hullabaloo, but not us. November/December is a joy we think, but that's just because we're locals. Starting in March, I avoid the place unless I have work down there.

[Mary2014]

Twin59,

Mary2014 here.... and planning on being in Lewes, DE when I retire in 21 months. I have been closely monitoring the condo market in Lewes and the surrounding areas for 3 years. As pointed out by others, it is important to visit in the off season as well as during the beach season to get a feel for the community. I can recommend some great condos where you can rent for a week in the off season (at reasonable prices) to get a real feel of a particular condo complex. That is the great thing about the Lewes area, most of the condo complexes have a few rental units available year round.

If you want some specific condo/townhouse communities to check out during your May trip, I will be happy to suggest a few that are at the top of my list.

Let me know your basic must haves and your price range and I will be happy to make some suggestions. Also, is this 7 yrs out? 5? 3? 1 yr? Most of us start doing some scouting out of locations 5 to 7 years before we actually retire. If you are 5 or more years away there are communities that have just started being built that may interest you. If you are 1 or 2 years away I might point you in a different direction.

For me, I am looking for a 2 or 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo with reasonable condo/hoa fees. It MUST be wheelchair accessable as this will be my last home and it has to be a viable home thru my 60's 70's and 80's. The community can't be too far from a bus route - so that I can still maintain my independance even when I decide it is time to give up driving.

Many places in DE are land lease and have extrememly high condo/hoa fees - so, don't just look at the price of the home. Real estate taxes are usually quite low in DE, but, the land lease, hoa/condo fees, water and sewer fees etc vary drastically from community to community. You need to look at all of these costs when you compare one community with another.

Mary 2014

[twin59]

Thanks for replying Mary. My sister and I could retire at 55 in 2 1/2 yrs. or at 58. Would like a general idea of housing prices. I could buy something for around 200K and change. Better if less?
Would like min. 2 bedroom, one floor. Maybe like to own or as you said depends on HOA fees,ect. if land lease.

I like to be in a community were people a friendly, not judgemental, open minded and helpful and considerate. I live on Long Island..in mid Nassau County. My house is worth maybe 430K and property taxes are $8,500. Can you give us a start on a community or two? Thanks!