Doylestown, PA (Horsham, Ardmore, Quakertown: sale, neighborhoods, schools)

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by OwenFam

A couple of you have said that taxes are high in Doylestown....is there somewhere that I can find this info online? Also, my husband used to live in the Lower Merion area so we started talking about moving there in a few years. He also mentioned Downingtown, Chadds Ford, Ardmore and some other areas. Everything that I am reading about these specifics towns is that people, and their children, hold a sense of entitlement and are "snobbish". This has made me shy away from those specific places (even though I do respect their schools' reputations). I have read such nice things about Doylestown and was hoping to find out if it is friendly and welcoming.

Thank You!!

The taxes on a newer Doylestown home that sellls for $500k has taxes around $7-10k a year.

[OwenFam]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

The taxes on a newer Doylestown home that sellls for $500k has taxes around $7-10k a year.

Thank you for letting me know~

[OwenFam]

Originally Posted by Angus215

I certainly don't think that would be the case with Downingtown or Doylestown. Those aren't exactly "rich" areas - they are middle to upper middle class. The knock against both of those places, in my opinion, is that they're very far from the city. Doylestown is probably worse because the main road it access is 611 which has terrible traffic.

How long of a drive to the city from Doylestown? Does it have its own major stores and restaurants, though?

[katnip kid]

What kind of place is D'town? Well, I moved here from CT 10 years ago. I found out real fast it is the type of place where if you say hello to a stranger it could turn into a genuine, pleasant conversation real fast. That's how I know who is a native to the area, and who is a transplant. Folks say excuse me and hello to strangers,and they mean it. Wow! As for going into Philly, I take the express train. It takes an hour-ish, but so what, someone else is doing the driving, and I am saving gas.
D'town and central Bucks have so much to offer in terms of culture, food, entertainment , esp. for children. What a place! It is well worth the cost. Besides, even though the taxes are high, they are nothing like in NJ.

[OwenFam]

Originally Posted by katnip kid

What kind of place is D'town? Well, I moved here from CT 10 years ago. I found out real fast it is the type of place where if you say hello to a stranger it could turn into a genuine, pleasant conversation real fast. That's how I know who is a native to the area, and who is a transplant. Folks say excuse me and hello to strangers,and they mean it. Wow! As for going into Philly, I take the express train. It takes an hour-ish, but so what, someone else is doing the driving, and I am saving gas.
D'town and central Bucks have so much to offer in terms of culture, food, entertainment , esp. for children. What a place! It is well worth the cost. Besides, even though the taxes are high, they are nothing like in NJ.

This is a wonderful description....thank you for sharing! The way that you decsribed Doylestown sounds exactly like the way that I grew up in MO and how our area still is. There is no such thing as a stranger even with just standing in the grocery store line. I'm glad to read that basic manners are still entact there. This is something that I have instilled in my own children, but sadly, not as many parents do like they use to....not sure why.

Thanks again for your input!

[katnip kid]

You're welcome! Why not pay a visit to D'town some weekend and see for yourself? There is always something going on. There is a free local paper that lists events. It is at most grocery stores and such.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by katnip kid

Besides, even though the taxes are high, they are nothing like in NJ.

wrong. They are very much like south Jersey.. A $400k home in SJ and in D town are comparable prop taxes

[maf763]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

wrong. They are very much like south Jersey.. A $400k home in SJ and in D town are comparable prop taxes

I was curious, so I did some very limited research using an imperfect tool. But using zillow, I took one Doylestown home for sale for $409K with an estimated value of $385K, and the taxes were $5324. I then took one home in Cinnaminson for sale for $400K with the same estimated value of $385K, and the taxes were $11,691.

Now, I won't draw conclusions based on two properties, but I certainly wouldn't take it at face value that the property taxes are comparable without seeing some evidence.

[OwenFam]

Originally Posted by katnip kid

You're welcome! Why not pay a visit to D'town some weekend and see for yourself? There is always something going on. There is a free local paper that lists events. It is at most grocery stores and such.

That would be really nice! We currently live in Missouri, but do plan to travel to PA over Spring Break. Is there an online source that would tell me about the events going on?

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by maf763

I was curious, so I did some very limited research using an imperfect tool. But using zillow, I took one Doylestown home for sale for $409K with an estimated value of $385K, and the taxes were $5324. I then took one home in Cinnaminson for sale for $400K with the same estimated value of $385K, and the taxes were $11,691.

Now, I won't draw conclusions based on two properties, but I certainly wouldn't take it at face value that the property taxes are comparable without seeing some evidence.

.. Pick same age homes.. Cause I pay 1/2 that.. I found similar age ho,mes and I stand corrected that D town is lower. But they are within $2500 on 560k homes. So they are close.. A LOT closer then you make it out ot be.