delaware Beach Areas and Families wishing to Relocate (Dover, Bear: lease, custom home)

[klkgrant]

Hello,
My husband and I are looking at relocating to the Delaware beach areas. We currently reside in a suburb of Kansas City, KS. My husband works for the government and teleworks 4 days a week and then 1 day will have to drive to Dover. I am a school psychologist who will try to get a position at Cape Henlopen or Indian River school district. We would like to live near the beach and water because we want a more active outdoor life. I have read that lots of retirees live in this area and just wondering what that is like. Some other questions are listed below:

—We do not like muggy, hot summers (90+). How hot and muggy is it really? Is it mildly uncomfortable at times or oppressive or downright miserable. Our summers here in Kansas are usually hot and uncomfortably muggy.

—Are families relocating to this area or is it just retirees? We want our son to live in an area where he can develop friendships and walk or bike to friends houses. Is this possible or are families spread out?

—Where are families moving to area/neighborhood/planned development?We do not want to live in a community that is primarily retirees or second home owners.

—What kind of lifestyle do families have living here? What kinds of things do families do on their free time?

—Is it more expensive to build a custom home in this area then to buy into one of the planned developments? We want to build our own house with a water view or on the beach or bay. We have looked at lots and they seem reasonable for beach lots. Just wondering if construction is reasonable or jaxed up?

—Are there varied things to do in this area or is it easy to get bored quick? We like music, antiques, bike riding, hiking, swimming and kayaking. We love food festivals and other outdoor festivals. What other things are there to do. How easy of a drive is it to Washington DC, Philadelphia or Baltimore?

Thank you in advance for your feedback, Kim

[nuts2uiam]

Well, I may be able to shed a little light on things in the Southern part of Sussex County aka the beach. Yes, there are many things to do for a variety of interests and while a predominantly gray area in terms of ages, there are many families in a variety of developments. Some are only 55+ and others are all ages. We are retired and wanted an all ages community for the "life" young families bring to a community. Our community offers planned activities for children such as Easter Egg hunt, July 4th party, Halloween and Christmas parties. Many other communities also do the same. It is about 2- 2-½ hours to each of the cities you asked about, again not counting traffic. That also applies to the Airport because you are going to use one of those to fly in/out of, if you need to fly as there is no commercial airport in the state.

As to the weather, I have been to KC, Kansas and Missouri to visit friends (loved the Crayola Factory and the Massasoit Indian statue)
and went in the middle of summer. You will get the same humidity here and when it is 90 degrees and muggy it is just like there. There is, however a slight difference, often times there is a sea breeze here that will make it a bit more bearable. I came from Long Island and the humidity there is just like here. The water helps keep the temperatures a bit lower than other parts of Delaware, but we do get up into the 90's in the summer.

Now, what kind of budget do you have for the house including the land purchase and how large a home are you looking for. Waterview homes are expensive but that is a relative term. There are many people here that are very knowledgeable about this are and will be glad to help answer your questions.

[klkgrant]

Thank you for responding. I am glad to hear there is a lot to do and that there are families around. We really want our son to have friends near who he can interact with. I am guessing we will not be able to escape muggy weather unless we move to the west coast 🙁 As for housing, we can consider lots up to $200,000 give or take to build a custom home with a final cost of the house and lot being around $600,000 or so. We want a home around 2500 sq feet with land to have dogs run around and not look through our neighbors windows or backyards at night. We want to be able to spend a lot of time in our back yard gardening, entertaining, and enjoying being outside. It seems like a lot of the developments we have looked at online have small lots with alley garages. I don’t know if that will work for us. What town has the greatest amenities and greatest access to bay or waterfront lots? If they are some new home developments with a bit larger lots what are the names and locations? Thank you again for your response. Kim

[nuts2uiam]

I am in a rush today but start here and put in Lewes or Rehoboth instead of Sussex County, I just put that in to narrow the area down. I will say that your budget is going to be a bit light to be on the water. Bear in mind some homes will appear to be very cheap, be sure they are "fee simple" meaning you own the land as opposed to land lease which means you own the house but the land you rent. When I have more time I can guide you a bit in that regard location wise.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...ssex-County_DE

[DelawareLiz]

Originally Posted by klkgrant

Thank you for responding. I am glad to hear there is a lot to do and that there are families around. We really want our son to have friends near who he can interact with. I am guessing we will not be able to escape muggy weather unless we move to the west coast 🙁 As for housing, we can consider lots up to $200,000 give or take to build a custom home with a final cost of the house and lot being around $600,000 or so. We want a home around 2500 sq feet with land to have dogs run around and not look through our neighbors windows or backyards at night. We want to be able to spend a lot of time in our back yard gardening, entertaining, and enjoying being outside. It seems like a lot of the developments we have looked at online have small lots with alley garages. I don’t know if that will work for us. What town has the greatest amenities and greatest access to bay or waterfront lots? If they are some new home developments with a bit larger lots what are the names and locations? Thank you again for your response. Kim

Yep....you have to head west to escape the muggies. The east coast stays humid all summer; the only states not as extreme in humidity and heat would be far north such as Maine. It's very humid here from June-early October with a notable increase starting in May.

I am in my mid forties without any children at home, but I must say that my son found my area (Ocean View) to be pretty boring once he entered his teens and spent more and more time with family in the Rehoboth area. The entire beach area is pretty gray, but you will find more families and a livelier population in Rehoboth/Lewes. There are also game/activity centers, sports complexes, water parks, kid events, and other activities geared more towards families with children out that way. It's kinda slim pickings in my area for kids after summer is over.

In my area, the wealthier communities (homes 500K+) tend to be mostly retirees or weekenders. Families tend to be located in the the less expensive communities. This may not be the case in Rehoboth/Lewes, but I am more than happy to help but if you have any questions about Ocean View/Bethany

[NY Flo]

Something to consider regarding beach community areas: possible flooding. Forgive me but I've been looking into Delaware. It's pretty flat and if you're near the water, water could become an issue. Some communities don't have basements for that reason.

[klkgrant]

Thank you all for the feedback. Good information to consider. I want to make sure I understand, Lewes & Rehoboth are better places to look for families and things to do from a kid perspective. Would you recommend Lewes and Rehoboth as a place to relocate for families and kids or would we find Middletown or Hockessin area in northern Delaware better from a family perspective. Thank you.

[DelawareLiz]

My sister lives in Middletown and has three children. The schools are good and it's a very family friendly area. Many events for kids and families.

Yes, there is more for kids in Lewes/Rehoboth. There's just more there in general as far as businesses, entertainments, sports, etc. It stays busy year round there for the most part but it's more bearable (as far as traffic and crowds) after September.

[nuts2uiam]

I will reply to your question as a Rehoboth person. Middletown will absolutely have more young families than we do here. I have a friend that is living in Middletown and it is a booming area with a lot of young families. However, I based my initial reply upon the activities that you mentioned and the desire to be by the beach.

I think that you will find this area to have enough of what you seem to be looking for, but only you know what will work for your family. The Lewes-Rehoboth area is now a year round destination as many restaurants and businesses are open year round. The Cape and Indian River school districts are both well respected and they have some wonderful facilities for the students.

Are you planning a visit to both this area and Middletown to see for yourself? I would encourage a visit. Here is another link that might be helpful to getting a window on the area.
https://www.beach-fun.com/

[GigiTer]

Originally Posted by klkgrant

Thank you all for the feedback. Good information to consider. I want to make sure I understand, Lewes & Rehoboth are better places to look for families and things to do from a kid perspective. Would you recommend Lewes and Rehoboth as a place to relocate for families and kids or would we find Middletown or Hockessin area in northern Delaware better from a family perspective. Thank you.

I’ll reply as a Hockessin resident - you will find families everywhere, however I think Hockessin or Middletown for more year round family activities and a range of activities.