[Suzet2262]

Originally Posted by MRVphotog

Like most national survey's when one looks abit deeper you see that the info should be taken with a healthy grain of salt.

Regarding Ct, the info is gathered from participating cities...no data was provided by any cities in Ct. I definately agree with your comment that if Ct was on the list it would most certainly be near the top.

Based on how the data was collected the Vermont numbers represent Burlington, not Vermont. All the state data was derived from data from cities in each state.

Back to the CA vs Vt thing. The average price of a home in CA is much higher than Vermont which then equates to lower property taxes. So, on average housing is much cheaper in Vermont than CA. Some examples in CA, Santa Barbara - 1.7m, San Diego - 642,000, Bakersfield(the cheapest) - 411,000. In Vermont, Burlington - 371,000.
Home-price comparison, state by state - Sep. 27, 2006

Santa Barbara is very beautiful, but also very expensive. The beach is just gorgeous! There is a huge pier that you can drive on, to go to restaurants and shops. Very artsy also. There are many venders that sell their products on the boardwalk. Bakersfield is an armpit. Lol. I hate it there. Very hot and ugly, that is why it is inexpensive, plus it runs along the San Andreas fault line....No thank you!!

[Suzet2262]

If anyone wants to check out my town I live in Santa Clarita Valley. Dont let the pictures online fool ya, they only show the good stuff...Haha. It is a really pretty valley, but my god it is soooo crowed I cant stand it!! A lot of us old Claritians are moving out of here. Our town, well it is a city now, just isnt the same. I have no idea where all these people are coming from, but they are coming in droves!!

City of Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita Valley Real Estate, Santa Clarita Homes, MLS

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by Suzet2262

If anyone wants to check out my town I live in Santa Clarita Valley. Dont let the pictures online fool ya, they only show the good stuff...Haha. It is a really pretty valley, but my god it is soooo crowed I cant stand it!! A lot of us old Claritians are moving out of here. Our town, well it is a city now, just isnt the same. I have no idea where all these people are coming from, but they are coming in droves!!

City of Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita Valley Real Estate, Santa Clarita Homes, MLS

That CNN information is a bit weird on state home prices.
Home prices in CT are much lower then those stated. A better site on metro home prices would be at the NAR web site.

Median home price for a single family home in Tolland county CT (east oh Hartford) is less 250K- Metro Hartford is 255k.

NAR 1st quarter 2007 home prices
Metro Area State Median Price
1Q 2007 (000s) % Change
(1-yr)
Akron OH 111.0 6.5%
Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY 201.8 6.3%
Albuquerque NM 193.7 12.7%
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ 247.3 5.8%
Amarillo TX 112.9 4.2%
Anaheim-Santa Ana CA 697.3 -2.1%
Appleton WI 126.6 N/A
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta GA 170.4 1.2%
Atlantic City NJ 264.6 5.1%
Austin-Round Rock TX 176.2 5.4%
Baltimore-Towson MD 278.8 4.9%
Barnstable Town MA 372.2 -3.5%
Baton Rouge LA 169.4 9.7%
Beaumont-Port Arthur TX 115.8 16.5%
Binghamton NY 98.1 8.9%
Birmingham-Hoover AL 157.5 -3.6%
Bismarck ND 149.4 14.1%
Bloomington-Normal IL 147.2 -0.5%
Boise City-Nampa ID 204.1 N/A
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA-NH 387.4 -1.0%
Boulder CO 371.4 2.9%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk CT 470.9 -0.2%
Buffalo-Niagara Falls NY 91.6 -3.1%
Canton-Massillon OH 100.6 -3.6%
Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL 256.9 -3.9%
Cedar Rapids IA 129.3 -3.9%
Champaign-Urbana IL 145.4 9.2%
Charleston-North Charleston SC 219.5 5.7%
Charleston WV 115.2 -3.0%
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord NC-SC 185.6 6.4%
Chattanooga TN-GA 129.6 -0.5%
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet IL 267.3 1.4%
Cincinnati-Middletown OH-KY-IN 136.8 -0.7%
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor OH 122.9 -2.1%
Colordo Springs CO 212.3 1.4%
Columbia SC 142.5 4.9%
Columbus OH 141.6 -0.1%
Corpus Christi TX 130.4 2.8%
Cumberland MD-WV 100.0 17.1%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX 145.5 -0.6%
Danville IL N/A N/A
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL 107.1 -6.4%
Dayton OH N/A N/A
Decatur IL 76.2 -4.8%
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach FL 197.0 -7.3%
Denver-Aurora CO 239.4 -2.0%
Des Moines IA 144.5 3.5%
Detroit-Warren-Livonia MI N/A N/A
Dover DE 197.9 -1.1%
Durham NC-SC 177.3 8.8%
Elmira NY 75.3 -14.9%
El Paso TX 124.0 3.3%
Erie PA 92.5 -3.5%
Eugene-Springfield OR 236.8 5.9%
Fargo ND-MN 137.4 3.0%
Farmington NM 178.8 12.0%
Ft. Wayne IN 92.4 -3.1%
Gainesville FL 216.4 3.0%
Gary-Hammond IN 126.2 3.2%
Glens Falls NY 151.5 3.9%
Grand Rapids MI 129.7 -3.1%
Green Bay WI 145.2 -7.5%
Greensboro-High Point NC 145.1 1.5%
Greenville SC 145.7 -1.2%
Gulfport-Biloxi MS 153.7 15.7%
Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV 209.2 -5.6%
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT 255.0 1.8%
Honolulu HI 620.0 -0.8%
Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land TX 147.2 3.4%
Indianapolis IN 112.5 -0.9%
Jackson MS 142.0 -1.3%
Jacksonville FL 197.6 1.0%
Kalamazoo-Portage MI N/A N/A
Kankakee-Bradley IL 129.7 5.4%
Kansas City MO-KS 145.7 -2.9%
Kennewick-Richlandsco WA 163.3 7.4%
Kingston NY 248.6 -0.1%
Knoxville TN 150.0 4.9%
Lansing-E.Lansing MI 126.7 -1.2%
Las Vegasradise NV 310.1 -2.5%
Lexington-Fayette KY 147.4 1.9%
Lincoln NE 134.4 -0.4%
Little Rock-N. Little Rock AR 122.5 -1.1%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA 589.9 4.6%
Louisville KY-IN 133.3 1.7%
Madison WI 221.0 1.7%
Memphis TN-MS-AR 135.9 0.0%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach FL 385.3 2.0%
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis WI 201.8 -5.8%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI 222.5 -5.2%
Mobile AL 130.4 -3.3%
Montgomery AL 132.6 -3.8%
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro TN N/A N/A
New Haven-Milford CT 282.2 2.1%
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner LA 155.9 -10.9%
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island NY-NJ-PA 463.7 1.0%
New York-Wayne-White Plains NY-NJ 521.4 2.1%
NY: Edison NJ 363.5 -3.4%
NY: Nassau-Suffolk NY 479.8 0.8%
NY: Newark-Union NJ-PA 423.7 4.5%
Norwich-New London CT N/A N/A
Ocala FL 167.9 5.1%
Oklahoma City OK 134.4 12.1%
Omaha NE-IA 134.2 0.5%
Orlando FL 267.0 2.5%
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL 191.3 -8.0%
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent FL 163.1 -0.2%
Peoria IL 107.8 4.2%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD 222.5 1.3%
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale AZ 262.5 -2.2%
Pittsburgh PA 109.0 1.2%
Pittsfield MA 210.8 -0.8%
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford ME 234.8 -3.5%
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton OR-WA 289.9 8.9%
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River RI-MA 286.6 -0.2%
Raleigh-Cary NC 212.2 6.3%
Reading PA 141.3 7.3%
Reno-Sparks NV 325.7 -8.9%
Richmond VA 223.2 6.2%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA 404.4 2.4%
Rochester NY 106.9 1.1%
Rockford IL 113.1 -1.5%
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville CA 365.5 -2.8%
Saginaw-Saginaw Township North MI N/A N/A
Saint Louis MO-IL 134.4 -2.0%
Salem OR 221.6 15.6%
Salt Lake City UT 206.9 12.3%
San Antonio TX 148.3 11.2%
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA 595.2 -2.0%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA 748.1 2.2%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA 788.0 4.4%
Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice FL 337.0 -12.0%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA 380.2 12.3%
Shreveport-Bossier City LA 129.0 -0.2%
Sioux Falls SD N/A N/A
South Bend-Mishawaka IN 85.6 4.6%
Spartanburg SC 118.4 -5.1%
Spokane WA 181.8 5.6%
Springfield IL 102.9 0.7%
Springfield MA 207.2 3.2%
Springfield MO N/A N/A
Syracuse NY 107.5 3.0%
Tallahassee FL 183.8 4.0%
Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater FL 203.2 -2.0%
Toledo OH 104.1 1.1%
Topeka KS 106.3 1.0%
Trenton-Ewing NJ 283.8 7.1%
Tucson AZ 242.4 -2.5%
Tulsa OK 126.2 0.4%
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News VA-NC 234.2 5.9%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV 427.8 1.2%
Waterloo/Cedar Falls IA 103.9 -5.3%
Wichita KS 108.4 4.3%
Worcester MA 270.8 -2.8%
Yakima WA 136.1 3.3%
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman OH-PA 78.3 -3.5%
U.S. 212.3 -1.8%
NORTHEAST 268.9 -2.5%
MIDWEST 154.6 -2.8%
SOUTH 177.8 -0.6%
WEST 336.2 -1.8
Source: National Association of Realtors®

[MRVphotog]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

That CNN information is a bit weird on state home prices.
Home prices in CT are much lower then those stated. A better site on metro home prices would be at the NAR web site.

Median home price for a single family home in Tolland county CT (east oh Hartford) is less 250K- Metro Hartford is 255k.

NAR 1st quarter 2007 home prices
Metro Area State Median Price
1Q 2007 (000s) % Change
(1-yr)
Akron OH 111.0 6.5%
Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY 201.8 6.3%
Albuquerque NM 193.7 12.7%
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ 247.3 5.8%
Amarillo TX 112.9 4.2%
Anaheim-Santa Ana CA 697.3 -2.1%
Appleton WI 126.6 N/A
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta GA 170.4 1.2%
Atlantic City NJ 264.6 5.1%
Austin-Round Rock TX 176.2 5.4%
Baltimore-Towson MD 278.8 4.9%
Barnstable Town MA 372.2 -3.5%
Baton Rouge LA 169.4 9.7%
Beaumont-Port Arthur TX 115.8 16.5%
Binghamton NY 98.1 8.9%
Birmingham-Hoover AL 157.5 -3.6%
Bismarck ND 149.4 14.1%
Bloomington-Normal IL 147.2 -0.5%
Boise City-Nampa ID 204.1 N/A
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA-NH 387.4 -1.0%
Boulder CO 371.4 2.9%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk CT 470.9 -0.2%
Buffalo-Niagara Falls NY 91.6 -3.1%
Canton-Massillon OH 100.6 -3.6%
Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL 256.9 -3.9%
Cedar Rapids IA 129.3 -3.9%
Champaign-Urbana IL 145.4 9.2%
Charleston-North Charleston SC 219.5 5.7%
Charleston WV 115.2 -3.0%
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord NC-SC 185.6 6.4%
Chattanooga TN-GA 129.6 -0.5%
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet IL 267.3 1.4%
Cincinnati-Middletown OH-KY-IN 136.8 -0.7%
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor OH 122.9 -2.1%
Colordo Springs CO 212.3 1.4%
Columbia SC 142.5 4.9%
Columbus OH 141.6 -0.1%
Corpus Christi TX 130.4 2.8%
Cumberland MD-WV 100.0 17.1%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX 145.5 -0.6%
Danville IL N/A N/A
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL 107.1 -6.4%
Dayton OH N/A N/A
Decatur IL 76.2 -4.8%
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach FL 197.0 -7.3%
Denver-Aurora CO 239.4 -2.0%
Des Moines IA 144.5 3.5%
Detroit-Warren-Livonia MI N/A N/A
Dover DE 197.9 -1.1%
Durham NC-SC 177.3 8.8%
Elmira NY 75.3 -14.9%
El Paso TX 124.0 3.3%
Erie PA 92.5 -3.5%
Eugene-Springfield OR 236.8 5.9%
Fargo ND-MN 137.4 3.0%
Farmington NM 178.8 12.0%
Ft. Wayne IN 92.4 -3.1%
Gainesville FL 216.4 3.0%
Gary-Hammond IN 126.2 3.2%
Glens Falls NY 151.5 3.9%
Grand Rapids MI 129.7 -3.1%
Green Bay WI 145.2 -7.5%
Greensboro-High Point NC 145.1 1.5%
Greenville SC 145.7 -1.2%
Gulfport-Biloxi MS 153.7 15.7%
Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV 209.2 -5.6%
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT 255.0 1.8%
Honolulu HI 620.0 -0.8%
Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land TX 147.2 3.4%
Indianapolis IN 112.5 -0.9%
Jackson MS 142.0 -1.3%
Jacksonville FL 197.6 1.0%
Kalamazoo-Portage MI N/A N/A
Kankakee-Bradley IL 129.7 5.4%
Kansas City MO-KS 145.7 -2.9%
Kennewick-Richlandsco WA 163.3 7.4%
Kingston NY 248.6 -0.1%
Knoxville TN 150.0 4.9%
Lansing-E.Lansing MI 126.7 -1.2%
Las Vegasradise NV 310.1 -2.5%
Lexington-Fayette KY 147.4 1.9%
Lincoln NE 134.4 -0.4%
Little Rock-N. Little Rock AR 122.5 -1.1%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA 589.9 4.6%
Louisville KY-IN 133.3 1.7%
Madison WI 221.0 1.7%
Memphis TN-MS-AR 135.9 0.0%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach FL 385.3 2.0%
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis WI 201.8 -5.8%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI 222.5 -5.2%
Mobile AL 130.4 -3.3%
Montgomery AL 132.6 -3.8%
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro TN N/A N/A
New Haven-Milford CT 282.2 2.1%
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner LA 155.9 -10.9%
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island NY-NJ-PA 463.7 1.0%
New York-Wayne-White Plains NY-NJ 521.4 2.1%
NY: Edison NJ 363.5 -3.4%
NY: Nassau-Suffolk NY 479.8 0.8%
NY: Newark-Union NJ-PA 423.7 4.5%
Norwich-New London CT N/A N/A
Ocala FL 167.9 5.1%
Oklahoma City OK 134.4 12.1%
Omaha NE-IA 134.2 0.5%
Orlando FL 267.0 2.5%
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL 191.3 -8.0%
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent FL 163.1 -0.2%
Peoria IL 107.8 4.2%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD 222.5 1.3%
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale AZ 262.5 -2.2%
Pittsburgh PA 109.0 1.2%
Pittsfield MA 210.8 -0.8%
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford ME 234.8 -3.5%
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton OR-WA 289.9 8.9%
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River RI-MA 286.6 -0.2%
Raleigh-Cary NC 212.2 6.3%
Reading PA 141.3 7.3%
Reno-Sparks NV 325.7 -8.9%
Richmond VA 223.2 6.2%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA 404.4 2.4%
Rochester NY 106.9 1.1%
Rockford IL 113.1 -1.5%
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville CA 365.5 -2.8%
Saginaw-Saginaw Township North MI N/A N/A
Saint Louis MO-IL 134.4 -2.0%
Salem OR 221.6 15.6%
Salt Lake City UT 206.9 12.3%
San Antonio TX 148.3 11.2%
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA 595.2 -2.0%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA 748.1 2.2%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA 788.0 4.4%
Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice FL 337.0 -12.0%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA 380.2 12.3%
Shreveport-Bossier City LA 129.0 -0.2%
Sioux Falls SD N/A N/A
South Bend-Mishawaka IN 85.6 4.6%
Spartanburg SC 118.4 -5.1%
Spokane WA 181.8 5.6%
Springfield IL 102.9 0.7%
Springfield MA 207.2 3.2%
Springfield MO N/A N/A
Syracuse NY 107.5 3.0%
Tallahassee FL 183.8 4.0%
Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater FL 203.2 -2.0%
Toledo OH 104.1 1.1%
Topeka KS 106.3 1.0%
Trenton-Ewing NJ 283.8 7.1%
Tucson AZ 242.4 -2.5%
Tulsa OK 126.2 0.4%
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News VA-NC 234.2 5.9%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV 427.8 1.2%
Waterloo/Cedar Falls IA 103.9 -5.3%
Wichita KS 108.4 4.3%
Worcester MA 270.8 -2.8%
Yakima WA 136.1 3.3%
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman OH-PA 78.3 -3.5%
U.S. 212.3 -1.8%
NORTHEAST 268.9 -2.5%
MIDWEST 154.6 -2.8%
SOUTH 177.8 -0.6%
WEST 336.2 -1.8
Source: National Association of Realtors®

To get a state price for Ct. would you not have to add in the mix the prices from places like Farfield County, not on the list, which are much higher than $255,000? Which would result in a much higher state average?

To make my point from another post, no cities in Vermont, Maine, Montana and Wyoming, maybe others, are on the list at all so the regional stats are inaccurate. The NAR list works great if your moving to one of the cities on the list but not if your moving to Vermont or looking for a state medium price list.

I guess the bottom line is that home prices can vary considerably from town to town, city to city, even neighborhood to neighborhood no matter what state, city or town your looking at so medium prices by state really have little use, anyway.

For anyone moving to an area they are unfamiliar with, hook up with a good realtor, get a buyer broker agreement and they will save you a ton of time and effort, at least that has been my experience.

[Suzet2262]

My city of Santa Clarita isnt on that list either. The average price for a decent home here is $500,000. Mind you that is for a 3+2, and we dont get land with our homes. The backyards are laughable. They are building the homes so close together, you can hear your neighbor flush their toilet One housing tract after another are going up. It is so sad. The city has had to expand our roads from 2 lanes to 4 lanes to 6 lanes. It is crazy. I understand the attraction to Santa Clarita. We literally have anything and everything you could ever need or want right in this city. But to me, it isnt worth it anymore. I want calm, peace, land, 4 actual seasons, as opposed to warm, hot, hotter with smog.

[chaz longue]

Terrific post, MRV...

I like the lack of tolls too - as well as the lack of billboards! They are illegal here...

Originally Posted by MRVphotog

ACCRA is definately one of the most reputable sources of costs, I believe they also produce the CPI which has been the benchmark for the business world for years. My only point since many of these data bases uses data from cities, small rural states like Vermont or another state I lived in, Wyoming, the stats can be skewed. Many state by state databases use cities with a 50,000 pop threshold which neither Vermont or Wyoming has and as a result on alot of these databases vermont or Wyoming aren't even listed.

When it all washes out IMHO CA has a higher cost of living than Vermont. Remember housing costs represents 25% of our monthly cost to live. Another big cost, gasoline, Vermont is cheaper. The thing I really like...no tolls on the interstates in Vermont.

According to salary.com the cost of living in Burlington in 40% less than in LA(suzet lives in southern California) and the salary in Burlington for the same type of work is 13% less than in SC. Both have similar state mandated minimum wages, about $7.50/hr

[skytrekker]

Fairfield county is in 'another world' compared to the rest of Connecticut.

As far as 'averaging' the price of housing in Connecticut- it would be a very hard task. Considering that a single family home of very modest proportions in Greenwich would cost 700K and the same home over here in Tolland county- a mere 75 miles away would cost 240k or even less.

The best thing about CT is that housing is surprisingly cheap-for the wonderful geographic location- if you avoid southwestern CT.
In Coventry CT a NEW colonial on an acre or more 2000 square feet private lot with trees, 3-4 bedrooms 2+baths fireplace, wood floors and double garage, basement starts at 299K

Same home in Fairfield county 750K+ and up.

[Grandma Marty]

Originally Posted by Suzet2262

Santa Barbara is very beautiful, but also very expensive. The beach is just gorgeous! There is a huge pier that you can drive on, to go to restaurants and shops. Very artsy also. There are many venders that sell their products on the boardwalk. Bakersfield is an armpit. Lol. I hate it there. Very hot and ugly, that is why it is inexpensive, plus it runs along the San Andreas fault line....No thank you!!

The question was to compare Calif to VT prices. The Bakersfield that is mentioned is for Bakersfield, VERMONT not Calif. Bakersfield, VT is a beautiful little town where everyone knows everyone else (almost) by first name...a very friendly and lovely town. I was born here, moved to So. Calif. after high school and came back here 22 years ago to retire in a lovely, beautiful, peaceful area...my home town of Bakersfield. Best place to be if you like the 4 seasons and friendly neighbors. It is NOT "hot & ugly" like Bakersfield, Calif.

[jackmccullough]

Welcome to C-D, Grandma.

As you go through the threads, it's useful to note the date of the post you're responding to. While your comments about living in Vermont are well taken, you're responding to a 3 1/2 year old post.

[BickleTravis]

Originally Posted by tkln

Not to mention that the job situation in VT is a lot different!

This is the key.
Cost of living in most places is at least partly based on wages paid. In VT, it's based on wages paid in NYC/NJ.
Dead state.