Where in Delaware should we move?? (Wilmington, Dover: sales, homeowners association, car insurance)

[delaware red]

My fiance and I are planning to relocate from LI NY. Very expensive here. Property taxes are $10,000 a year most of that going to school tax & we don't have children. I am a nurse who will be looking to get into a state position, my fiance is retired. Biggest problem we are having is where to move. My uncle lives in Middletown & thinks it is the best. We have looked at and ruled out the following communities: Fairview , Augustine Creek, Willow Grove, Dove Run, Spring Creek, Brick Mill, Appoquin Farms, Cantwell Ridge, Shannon Cove, & we even looked in Bear at Antrim. Anyone have any suggestions? We like alittle bit larger piece of land with public water & public sewer.Thanks in advance.

[maryCh]

Read through some of the other posts on the DE site... several similar topics. We just moved here to central Kent County over Labor Day weekend and so far we love it. It really depends on how fast a pace of life you're looking for. Also, keep in mind the pay scale will be a great deal less than you are used to on Long Island (I know, all my in-laws are "Islanders"), but nurses are in high demand nationwide so that might not apply to your field as much as others.

Post a bit more about what you're looking for, and the regulars will respond soon. Property taxes should be drastically lower than what you are familiar with, although I hear rumors of reassessment in the near future. With the housing market being what it is, I think the taxation dept knows that now is not a good time to restructure the property valuations, so its anyone's guess.

Mary

[delaware red]

Originally Posted by maryCh

Read through some of the other posts on the DE site... several similar topics. We just moved here to central Kent County over Labor Day weekend and so far we love it. It really depends on how fast a pace of life you're looking for. Also, keep in mind the pay scale will be a great deal less than you are used to on Long Island (I know, all my in-laws are "Islanders"), but nurses are in high demand nationwide so that might not apply to your field as much as others.

Post a bit more about what you're looking for, and the regulars will respond soon. Property taxes should be drastically lower than what you are familiar with, although I hear rumors of reassessment in the near future. With the housing market being what it is, I think the taxation dept knows that now is not a good time to restructure the property valuations, so its anyone's guess.

Mary

Thanks Mary, I understand the pay will be less. But so will alot of our other expenses such as taxes, car insurance & no state sales tax. We were recently looking at new construction by Handler in the Fairways at Odessa. My only concern is that there is so much building in the works & with a stale market I don't want to buy a new house & wind up with a community of renters.We are concerned about resale value 5-10 years down the road. Also what do all of you think about the homeowners associations? I'm a big one for decorating for the holidays & I like my bird baths etc. From what I read these associations are pretty strict.Trying to figure out if it is something that I can compromise on. Basically the new home to be built that we were looking at would cost probably $750,000-$800,000 here on LI. No way we could ever have the type of house that we want here.We have been to Delaware quite a few times, find the people alot more friendly than here on LI. Thanks!!

[Charley]

They are a lot more friendly in Delaware than in Rockland County (NY) as well.

Charley

[mikandmari]

Most neighborhoods in MOT (Middletown-Odessa-Townsend) that are on an acre or more are well/septic... but not all.

I'm not a realtor, but my favorite web site for searching homes is Patterson Schwartz (I don't think I'm allowed to provide the link, but it's the name with .com after it). You can search by area, such as Middletown, and price, and the listings will give you property size and water/sewer.

I didn't think auto insurance could possibly be any more expensive than it is here (I am closer to Wilmington, though). We have excellent driving records and they still gouge us for major $$$$. Is LI really more expensive for auto insurance?

[rockky]

I know my car insurance was more expensive in Sussex Co., DE that it was in south central PA. It was with the same carrier. I just switched geographic locations. Plus DE does not have tort.

[elizamary]

Originally Posted by rockky

I know my car insurance was more expensive in Sussex Co., DE that it was in south central PA. It was with the same carrier. I just switched geographic locations. Plus DE does not have tort.

I was really surprised that my car insurance did not drop all that much when we moved to Kent county.
I understood living in Philly my car insurance was ridiculous. People that moved out of the city to the burbs, had their car insurance cut in half.
I saved a few bucks but not like I thought I would.

[rockky]

Yeah, eliza, I that's what I found as well. I insured the cars in Sussex county so that they would go on with my home owner's policy. I wonder if it would have been even more to insure in Kent Co.

Our neighbors used to talk about all the accidents in the Dover area. I didn't enjoy the driving around there. One person pointed out that with 3 colleges in the area, there are some fast, pushy, young drivers thrown into the mix. I dunno. Fender benders were goin' on all the time.

It was those much worse accidents on DuPont Hwy that confused me. People were seriously hurt in around town trips. The lights are long and not timed. Apparently drivers slam on their brakes at intersections where the cameras are located. Then there are all the necessary u-turns.

Maybe it wasn't so bad when there were fewer cars on the road, but I hope someone takes a serious look at the traffic flows and patterns around Dover as it is now.

[maryCh]

Homeowners associations can be quite different from one community to the next. I know a lot of neighborhoods are going that way, especially the new construction.

I have dealt with assns for several years... initially as an insurance agent covering both the association and the individual homeowners. The biggest thing to be aware of is that a potential buyer has a right to review the rules & regs of the association before making a commitment to purchase. Ask about the size of the board, and a contact name and number of an officer on the board. Some associations are very simply structured, some are very complex. And some are very particular, and others not.

mikandmari (and others), I find auto insurance to be pretty reasonable here. But then again, I am comparing it to hubby's (on Long Island, NY) and my own from central/rural NC. I did not experience much of an increase compared to NC, which surprised me.

Mary

[Charley]

Originally Posted by rockky

Yeah, eliza, I that's what I found as well. I insured the cars in Sussex county so that they would go on with my home owner's policy. I wonder if it would have been even more to insure in Kent Co.

Our neighbors used to talk about all the accidents in the Dover area. I didn't enjoy the driving around there. One person pointed out that with 3 colleges in the area, there are some fast, pushy, young drivers thrown into the mix. I dunno. Fender benders were goin' on all the time.

It was those much worse accidents on DuPont Hwy that confused me. People were seriously hurt in around town trips. The lights are long and not timed. Apparently drivers slam on their brakes at intersections where the cameras are located. Then there are all the necessary u-turns.

Maybe it wasn't so bad when there were fewer cars on the road, but I hope someone takes a serious look at the traffic flows and patterns around Dover as it is now.

Perspective is an amazing thing. From my perspective (coming from New York, of course), I find Dover traffic to be lighter and easier to navigate and I find drivers to be better partners on the road than my fellow New York drivers.

Please don't get me wrong. I don't doubt your observations for one second. I'm just saying that comparing it to driving in New York, I find Dover / Kent County to be a much more enjoyable and much safer drive.

Charley