Single Mom moving to RI - a bit confused.

[confused44]

Great. Thank you so much for the information. I really appreciate it. Quick question for you. I'm certainly leanig towards Coventry now as it seems to be the best overall option in my limit price range. However there is one particular home I have been watching for a few months. Cosmetically it needs a good deal of work (am pretty handy myself, have an assortment of power tools, can fix my own car and have 2 relatives that are general contractors in the RI/MA area :-), but mechanically it is sound and it's pretty much what I am looking for and offers a good amount of space. BUT...it's in West Warwick. You noted that parts of it are no good. Is there a general point between a few main roads that you could suggest I steer away from? Reason I ask is this house has been reduced in price for the 4th time or so since I have been watching it (which is not unusual as I have been watching a number of homes do the same) and it's the only one that I find particularly charming. Has a lot of old wordwork and a cute little porch, reminds me of an old craftsman. Does me no good to keep pining over it if it is in a bad section of town.

Thanks for info. on homeowners insurance. I've been using $1000 as my estimated number when doing calculations, so that works out perfectly. Will keep the roof issue in mind as well.

[RISOXFAN]

I recently bought a foreclosure for under 100,00 in Johnston RI . I really like the area and it seems very safe. It's convenient to everything. You can find lots of good foreclosures now for under 150,000 in the areas you have listed. E-mail me if you have any questions.

[confused44]

Thanks, RISoxFan! That's exactly what I am seeing too. Tons of foreclosed/REO properties under the $150k mark. Even homes that sold for $200-250 in 2005/2006 selling for as low as $100-125k. I am going to send you a message. Thanks so much.

[CoventryDude]

If you want to private message me the address of the house in West Warwick I'll map it and let you know about the neighborhood- there are many small bits of crap in with nice neighborhoods in West Warwick. I lived there for a few years and my Mother and sister still live there. Coventry adjoins West Warwick, also.

(I'm not seeking to steal the sale or anything of that nature. If I could afford another house it would be in Florida for vacation/retirement )

I see plenty of great kids that go to Coventry High School via the Boy Scouts. One just started a pre-med program at Northwestern....there are also some problems children there. Parenting is more important in these case than where the kids go to school.

the school at Saints John and Paul is pretty decent (Father Doyle School), the public elementary schools are hit and miss from what I hear.
Western has a good reputation, as does Tiogue.

[confused44]

Thank you very much!

[jonnycakes]

Catholic school can be quite a change if you're not used to it...of course, I went to St. Joseph's C/S back in the 70's (when they were still allowed to beat you unconscious)...but RI is a great state and has the best food anywhere in the country. It's like a big neighborhood and everyone knows everyone. It's changed alot in 30 yrs- but it's still a great place to live.

As far as economy, jobs and employment, with good schools that are safe- NH and MAINE -especially, are great places to raise kids and are very safe -depending on where you live.

Good luck and def check out all the local food joints...IE Del's, weinies, clam cakes ect...

[strawberry85]

I would recommend Warwick or western Cranston. They're both close to Providence and nice areas.

[NY Annie]

Originally Posted by mikey2

There is no way I would live in Pawtucket, Woonsocket, or Providence....especially if you have a child and have to consider school systems, etc.

Mikey

I lived in Providence just before moving to NY - and some sections of Providence are wonderful - but the housing isn't going to be in the OP's price range. Pawtucket, maybe. West Warwick has some nice areas, Warwick is good and so are many of the schools - my grandkids are there now, the last one in high school; North Providence has some wonderful areas, especially the western part. Basically, I'd just do MLS searches for houses in the price range and then check out the location. You can get great "street" views of neighborhoods using maps.google.com; yahoo maps, google earth, and mapquest. See my postings about our housebuying in TN. Don't forget the overviews of neighborhoods to see what else is around.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by confused44

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

Mikey, kind of got that impression of Pawtucket and Woonsocket. Will entirely cross them off the list.

As far as pricing. I've been watching the market very closely since last summer and prices have come down considerably. In all the areas I listed there are homes in the $100-125K range even. Have 20% to put down and another 20-25% in savings - not including retirement, IRA, etc. Technically I can go up to $175k based on my "documented" income for mortgage approval purposes, but the way the market is still declining, I'd rather not. As I feel like in this market it's almost like driving a car off the lot...it's already worth less than you paid for it. Had I planned to retire here, that would be fine, but since I plan to move in 7-8 years, doesn't make much sense. Just looking for a little cape in a decent neighborhood. I know I can find what I am looking for in Coventry, Warwick and West Warwick for sure, just didn't/don't know much if anything about the neighborhoods.

Totally forgot to mention the school situation. I am aware of the school system. Certainly not a plus of moving to this area, especially since we are currently in one of the best school systems in the country. I plan to enroll him in catholic school as from what I have been told even the best schools in RI will still pale in comparison to the district we are in now. Though I must confess, determining the most suitable parochial school is not something I have experience with either. I'd hate to enroll him somewhere and find out this school was not much better than the public schools. Though before I can start that search, I need to know the area we'll be living in.

My business is based online, so I'm mainly concerned about taxes, etc. and from what I googled quickly after making this post, it was easy to find that you are right Imgdoctor, RI is the worst. I found that NY is currently ranked 48 with RI ranked 50 in terms of being the most friendly to small business. Though MA was ranked 34, which is considerable. Any recommendations for comparable areas on MA?

Imgdoctor, I started looking in Mass but most neighborhoods I've glanced at were more expensive, or wayyyyy out in rural areas. Do you have any recommendations in MA?

The TAX FOUNDATION website is an objective 3rd party website with state by state comparisons of every tax imaginable. www.taxfoundation.org

Use that to help you formulate your conclusion.

I doubt Massachusetts has any advantages for the small business owner. One BIG DISADVANTAGE is that if you have a business in Massachusetts, now with the health insurance MANDATE they have you will be FORCED to buy health insurance in Massachusetts and you may also be forced to take what could turn out to be toxic dangerous vaccines. Massachusetts health plans are more expensive and less comprehensive than in "free" states where you can choose if and what you want. If I were you, I'd look at establishing my business either in NH or CT and RI would probably be better than MASS at least from a health insurance perspective--even though you won't have a lot of choice in Rhode Island, as a health insurance agent licensed in Rhode Island, there are ways to get the important coverage you need without spending as much as what most
Rhode Islanders think they have to spend. If you want details, contact me directly.