I know all about the POCONOS!!! ASK ME!! (Milford: relocate, for sale)

[MollyMe]

If there are anymore questions about the poconos, there seem to be other "experts" here that have been very helpful answering questions.

This is a great forum and I'm soo glad I can help.

A home just went for sale on my street in Reeders. (near Camelback-the Crossings)

1 acre.
4 bedrooms
basement
garage.
move in condition.
good school district
3 miles from Martz Bus stop to commute to NYC


$285,900

Anyone, anyone....bueller, bueller???

[Tapshoe]

Molly, you are the person with whom I need to speak. )

I am divorced and single, a young 57, no children or family, a white collar crime victim formerly immensely wealthy having been a prominent CEO but, for a decade, very poor due to my thieves and retired. I lived in NJ near NYC and am eager to relocate to a quiet area without a condo association, or controlling gated community, with privacy and a yard for my three dogs. I wish to stay close enough to not entirely lose my support system and, it appears, areas like the Poconos offer me tremendous value in comparison to my exorbitant mortage here near NYC.

I am satisfied now living a frugal existence and just desire a "little big house" in which to age, immaculate with some character and simply a place to enjoy a simpler life.

Where do you recommend? I'd like a great supermarket, a suitable library, a qualified veterinarian and friendly people who won't impose but, yet, would be amenable to having a new friend, if so desired. I want a house in good condition with just some land that doesn't border on other houses and even an upgraded kitchen. I don't mind some seclusion, love being holed up in snowstorms but still want to be able to visit northern NJ if desired.

Please, tell me more? Are there any single folks? Are there educated people? What types of houses can I expect? What other areas make sense for me? Should I consider a house rental prior to taking the plunge and purchasing? What do people adore about the area/s and what do they criticize?

A HUGE thank you in advance,
Sherry

[MollyMe]

Originally Posted by Tapshoe

Are there educated people? Sherry

Well Sherry,that is a tall order I'm sorry but, bee-ins that i b wit out d edumacatshun, eyes reckon yous best be visit-inn this heres parts yerself.

Goud Ruck

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Tapshoe

Molly, you are the person with whom I need to speak. )

I am divorced and single, a young 57, no children or family, a white collar crime victim formerly immensely wealthy having been a prominent CEO but, for a decade, very poor due to my thieves and retired. I lived in NJ near NYC and am eager to relocate to a quiet area without a condo association, or controlling gated community, with privacy and a yard for my three dogs. I wish to stay close enough to not entirely lose my support system and, it appears, areas like the Poconos offer me tremendous value in comparison to my exorbitant mortage here near NYC.

I am satisfied now living a frugal existence and just desire a "little big house" in which to age, immaculate with some character and simply a place to enjoy a simpler life.

Where do you recommend? I'd like a great supermarket, a suitable library, a qualified veterinarian and friendly people who won't impose but, yet, would be amenable to having a new friend, if so desired. I want a house in good condition with just some land that doesn't border on other houses and even an upgraded kitchen. I don't mind some seclusion, love being holed up in snowstorms but still want to be able to visit northern NJ if desired.

Please, tell me more? Are there any single folks? Are there educated people? What types of houses can I expect? What other areas make sense for me? Should I consider a house rental prior to taking the plunge and purchasing? What do people adore about the area/s and what do they criticize?

A HUGE thank you in advance,
Sherry

Greetings Sherry!

All kidding aside (at least I'd assume Molly was just joking around), you may just find your own personal utopia right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We offer a blend of rural hideaways, suburban cul-de-sacs, quaint small towns, and thriving medium-sized cities---one of which should fit you quite comfortably.

With that said, I'll admit that my own professional expertise tends to stop at the county line between Lackawanna/Luzerne (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) and Monroe Counties (Poconos), at which point MollyMe, I LOVE PA, Wayne Meyers, Greentown, bldginPA, etc. might be more credible resources. Stroudsburg and Scranton might only be about 45 minutes apart, but there is a definite "cultural divide" between the two communities. Stroudsburg, when I was there, irked me quite a bit, as I felt it was compromising its quaint "small-town" charm in favor of becoming the latest exurb of NYC. I actually left Stroudsburg out of fear the other day in the middle of a photo tour because I had a few unpleasant run-ins with panhandling vagrants, graffiti, smashed windows, and rude people (things that are decidedly out-of-character for most small PA towns). Meanwhile, Scranton seems to be stuck in its own little time warp. Even though the city has over 70,000 residents, it still feels more like a "big town" than anything else. It's more laid-back than the rest of the "rat-race" in the nearby BosWash Corridor, but the past several years have been bringing increased investment interest in the city from those in Greater NYC, which could potentially claim Scranton as a future NYC exurb as well (especially if the commuter rail and Wall Street West projects are ever completed as well).

I'm not quite sure what the point of your vignette about "riches-to-rags" was supposed to prove, but I take it you've simply hit a point in your life where you need to make some drastic changes to obtain a brighter perspective as you pull yourself back up from the gutter. NEPA is a great place for a fresh start, and I'd be more than happy to help you out in any way I can!

Single folks? Yes. Even though I'm a severely-depressed, lonesome twenty-something, I'm surrounded by happy, jubilant couples who were apparently once singles themselves before finding true love. Once you settle down in NEPA and start social networking in clubs/groups that interest you (yoga, needlepoint, ceramics, trail-running, badminton, volunteering, horticulture, etc.), you should have no trouble finding a potential new mate to call your own.

Educated folks? Yes. While Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has been suffering from the "Brain Drain" for a number of decades, that trend is now reversing as throngs of hip, college-educated twenty-somethings are starting to consider remaining in NEPA to plant their own roots. We've still suffered a tremendous loss of our well-educated youth to nearby NYC/NJ, but, at the same time, we're involved in a "revolving-door" phenomenon in which we're shedding our twenty-somethings who are searching for "greener pastures" and who are then returning as empty-nesters or semi-retirees to "get away from it all" and move back to NEPA in their 40s-60s (HomeAgainInWestPittston, a former Wall Streeter, is a prime example of this, and KittensPurr, a Bostonian, will be following in her footsteps as well). I myself hope to establish my own professional firm in Scranton and reside just blocks away in a loft apartment. We're noticeably less-educated than nearby NYC/NJ, where everyone flaunts their Master's Degrees or Ph.D.'s and drives around in a BMW in order to "prove themselves," but sometimes it's nice to mingle with people who are more "down-to-earth."

Housing types? This will run you the gamut of anything your heart could desire, my darling! If you fancy a hip loft apartment, you can find it in Scranton. If a log cabin on a lakefront is more of your cup of tea, then Pike County may offer this. If you like McMansions, then Clarks Summit has you covered. Historic Victorian charmers with the turrets and wraparound porches can be found in our quaint small towns like Jim Thorpe, Honesdale, Tunkhannock, or Milford, as well as some of the "old money" parts of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. You could find some nice old farmhouses on vast acreages in Wayne, Wyoming, or Susquehanna Counties. The small community of Thornhurst, between Mt. Pocono and Scranton, is dominated by "chalet"-style wood-framed homes. Name me a specific housing type you'd love to call home, and I'll give you the towns that are most realistic to make it happen!

Just judging by your first post, I think the best area for you to consider would be the Clarks Summit area, a trendy, wealthier, well-educated enclave about 10-15 minutes northwest of Downtown Scranton. The town's main drag has upscale specialty shops, and antiques stores, dairy barns, garden centers, etc. dot the surrounding landscape (along with a surging number of McMansion developments). There are a lot of wealthier widows/widowers/divorcees in the Abingtons in their 50s-60s, and you sound as if you'd probably fit in just perfectly there.

I've snapped nearly 1,000 images of the area so far in my online photo tours, but for now I'll just show you the link to my Clarks Summit tour:

New Photo Tour: Clarks Summit/Waverly (Abingtons)

If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know!

[MollyMe]

I was joking--of course. not much time today to answer with company here--.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by MollyMe

I was joking--of course. not much time today to answer with company here--.

I figured you were. I can never be too sure though because I've heard some snide remarks from people before on this forum, if you catch my drift.

[beckycat]

Hemlock Farms is very nice. I used to hang out there with my friends many years ago. We enjoyed all the amenities they have to offer. I graduated from Wllenpaupack High in 89 and it was a great school then.

[MollyMe]

Good to have more input on Hemlock Farms it has been asked about a lot lately.

[Tapshoe]

Your comprehensive reply is enormously valuable and I have started looking carefully online into all the areas you suggest. Your information is exactly what I need and I am overwhelmingly appreciative that you included every relevant suggestion.

Hickory Farms sounds like a condominium or gated community with an Association imposing rules, yes? Personally, I will never consider that direction again. I realize that you did not suggest that for me.

I look forward to getting through a couple of other urgencies in my life after which I'll be aggressively researching the areas you recommended. Thank you again and again.
Sherry

[Cougargm]

The area around the town of Honesdale. You'll find some quiet, country areas with new homes that have some acreage just minutes outside of this quaint, charming town ( SWB has also done a photo tour which you should be able to find in a search). Honesdale offers a lot for a small town, including a YMCA, library, hospital, Wal-Mart and K-Mart, Home Depot, movie theater, bowling alley, restaurants and fast food joints, and some specialty shops/boutique types as well.
The Milford/Dingmans area of Pike county (again, I believe another photo tour is available) can also fit your bill, and will be the closest to NJ of the three areas (along with Clark's Summit, which is the furthest). There are plenty of subdivisions in Pike county but also plenty of houses in rural areas outside of town that aren't in communities, either.
Good luck with your search.