Relocating: Lewes or Rehoboth Beach? (real estate, rental homes, homes)

[Thomas8093]

I started a previous thread and have not received any replies, so in this new thread, I'll try to be more specific in the hopes of hearing some opinions.

My family is considering moving back east and one of the places that we are looking is Delaware. I am not at all familiar with Delaware, but we really want to live near the beach...we are relocating from San Diego, so we definitely like the laid back beach vibe and the eclectic environment that typically follows suit (coffee shops, bars specializing in local/craft beers, non chain restaurants) but still want to be able to get into the city if we want to.

Based on what I have read, I think I have narrowed it down to Lewes or Rehoboth Beach. Can you offer your opinions on each? IE: which is more family friendly? Do more families live year-round in one place versus the other? Are the schools better in one place versus the other?

I work for a Biotech Company out of my home office and my wife is a stay at home mom. Our kids are 13, 4 and 2. We are looking to rent at first just so we can settle in. Would like to keep the rent as low as possible, obviously, so we have extra money to get out and do stuff.

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

[Nelly622]

and spend a good bit of my life at the Delaware beaches. My aunt used to own a large home on the beach in Lewes, and if I could pick one place on the East Coast to retire, it would be Lewes (though I could never afford a place on the beach).

Keep in mind that Lewes is on the bay and Rehoboth is on the ocean. The bay is much safer to swim in for smaller children, but the big kids like the ocean waves. Lewes has a really nice, quaint downtown area, and Rehoboth has all the typical beach town stuff. I spent a lot of time walking the boards in Rehoboth and really miss is now that I live in North Carolina. (If there are beaches down here like Lewes and Rehoboth, I haven't found them yet.)

These two towns are so close together that restaurants and shops are easily accessible from either direction. However, the traffic on Route 1 is really heavy during the summer months. I spent 20 or so years of summer months living on the Rehoboth Bay, and we avoided going into downtown Rehoboth as much as possible (but after you've been there a while, you kind of know what times of day/night are better than others for traffic).

For school information, check GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community.

As with any beach town, there are lots of year-rounders and lots summer rentals. You just can't avoid the rental homes no matter where you are near the beach. Renting is a great idea. It'll give you a chance to check out the areas and see what fits your family's needs best.

[toobusytoday]

Two websites that I think are more objective then Great Schools are SchoolMatters - Home and SchoolDigger.com - School Rankings, Reviews and More - Public and Private Elementary, Middle, High Schools

[Thomas8093]

Are there any Lewes/Rehoboth area Realtors lurking in the forum?

If not, does anyone know of any reputable Realtors in Lewes/Rehoboth Beach?

Thanks!!

[toobusytoday]

Thomas if there are any local realtors, they will need to contact you via DM. The terms of service for this site do not allow any self promotion. http://www.city-data.com/forumtos.html "Real Estate Agents and other businesses will not advertise their services nor solicit business in their posts. Create a free business profile by going to http://www.city-data.com/profiles/add and fill out your forum profile instead. Do not include links to your websites, MLS listings, etc. in your posts. Do not try to push the envelope by attempting to hide your intentions."

and, "Recommendations are allowed for posters that have at least 10 posts. One cannot recommend himself/herself. The only area where recommendations are not permitted is real estate."

I think if you search this site a little bit though you will find a lower Delaware Realtor with a little label under their name that lists them as a Realtor.