[arctichomesteader]

I don't care for having a big house, but I do want land. VT is over-regulated, over-taxed and overpriced. I hope the people arguing for more regulations and such realize that all this regulation and government programs creates the problem. That, and a reliance on tourism/ski related industry, attracts these out of staters who drive up the prices. Many native VT'ers have gotten hostile towards outsiders moving in and such (I'm one of them myself in fact, I'm disgusted with what's happened) but honestly, the right time for that, to keep them away, was 30-40 years ago when the state was invaded by outsiders.

[Lilybeans]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Smaller homes, postage stamp lots = lower cost housing and lower taxes = affordability. Place a covenance on these properties that they can not become rental units in order to ensure reasonably priced homes in the future.

The problem is that the very people that need homes like this don't want to live in homes like this. They want the big house with all the amenities. The people that would like these homes are the ones that don't need the job.

[ME-Evergreen]

This is a very interesting thread. We are living in Scotland now and plan a trip to Maine in 10 days to house hunt. Vermont sounds like it is experiencing similar problems along with New Hampshire. We are academics and so far from what we can tell, jobs are not so scarce in our areas of expertise and the universities have been very welcoming.

We decided to expand our search to Vermont and New Hampshire as well.

Heath insurance is the biggest concern and winter heating costs.

Thanks for the information--keep it coming!

[bloovis]

I'm finding this discussion quite interesting, since I'm a disillusioned life-long Californian looking to move to Vermont. I first started visiting VT in January 2005 and have been returning for a couple of weeks each year since then (visited three times last year), and have friends there now. My intent is to build a very modest cottage (approx. 600 SF) and provide much of the labor myself -- I'm not doing the typical ex-Californian thing and buying a gigantic mansion in Stowe on flipper-house profit. The last two homes I owned here were mobiles, the most recent being 360 SF.

The complaints about housing prices versus income are universal, I have to say. I know it's hard to believe, but it's much worse here in California, the supposed land of opportunity. Look at city-data.com profiles for the city I work in, Palo Alto, CA, and compare with Bennington, VT, the Vermont town I am most familiar with. Here in Palo Alto the ratio of median income to median home price in 2005 was 13 to 1. In Bennington it was about 4.6 to 1. The most laughable example of the insanity here is a 700 SF house just down the street from my mobile home that was selling for just under $700K the last time I checked.

I am trying not to look at this with rose-colored glasses. I do know about the winters and the cost of heating. But at this point, I have been priced out of the California home market and Vermont is looking pretty good.

There's more to the equation than cost, too. Vermont just feels better to me in many other ways, and I probably don't need to enumerate those here.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by bloovis

There's more to the equation than cost, too. Vermont just feels better to me in many other ways, and I probably don't need to enumerate those here.

This is exactly how my husband and I experience Vermont. We've both lived many places. We're happy here and will pay more to live here if that's what it takes.

We enjoy contributing to Vermont through volunteering, working in advocacy organizations, and operating our small business. We work steadily, earning enough to get by and save some. Vermont has treated us well. We have no plans to leave Vermont. We feel very much at home here.

VT is not for everyone, but nowhere is, eh?

[mustmove]

[quote=bloovis;4840403

There's more to the equation than cost, too. Vermont just feels better to me in many other ways, and I probably don't need to enumerate those here.[/quote]
I've become convinced that the most important thing is not weather or pretty mountains or big malls but rather agreeing with the politics. I bet most of the grumpy trying to leave VT'ers are conservatives that would be happier in a red state regardless of how ugly/hot it may be. Likewise there is the 'it's too hot in TX I want to move to Seattle or VT' I bet it isn't the heat(especially when people have lived there for years) but more so the politics. Often there is a little note like the above quote that gives away some feeling. All this is fine except that places like VT are not sustainable without federal $$$$ assistance. Someday the feds might just cut the purse strings and it'll get even harder here.

[Alt Dach]

Originally Posted by Lilybeans

The problem is that the very people that need homes like this don't want to live in homes like this. They want the big house with all the amenities. The people that would like these homes are the ones that don't need the job.

A lot of truth in this post! If every one did go to little houses though they'd just raise the tax rates on those.

[free2roam]

My question is a bit off the subject, but I couldn't find a better thread and didn't want to start a new one. I'm interested in retiring to Vermont, but need to research Vermont towns and villages before going on an exploratory trip. Does anyone know a website where I can learn about different Vermon towns and villages? I can get demographics on Wikipedia and the Census websites, what I'm looking for is a way to get a good feel for the culture, people, lifestyles, etc. Also, what are the attitudes toward newcomers to VT these days? Thanks.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by free2roam

I can get demographics on Wikipedia and the Census websites, what I'm looking for is a way to get a good feel for the culture, people, lifestyles, etc. Also, what are the attitudes toward newcomers to VT these days? Thanks.

People's experiences are totally subjective. So even reading about a town/village from people who have relocated there will give you only their viewpoints. I've read countless posts on this forum that don't gel with my experiences of Vermont at all! (Sometimes reading those posts, I wonder if they live in a parallel universe of Vermont from the one I inhabit.)

So I think the only way to get a good feel for the culture, people, lifestyles, etc. are 1. Visit and stay as long as you can and 2. Meet a few people who live in the area, people you can relate to, and become penpals so you can ask questions and they can share their experiences.

As for how Vermonters treat newcomers, I think it depends where in Vermont you're talking about and also what kind of newcomer you mean. I've lived in Rutland for the past 12 years and have felt completely welcome here. If anyone has ever treated me lesser for being "from away," I didn't notice.

I think being a newcomer was more noticeable before I got deeply involved with the community and volunteering. Also, my husband and I own a small business, and I'm an organizer for an advocacy organization, so we connect with a lot of local people.

And this is Rutland. Many transplants live here. I hear it's very different, for example, in the Northeast Kingdom and the much smaller towns where a newcomer will always be noticed.

[68vette]

As far as feeling welcome depends on where you live. If you move to an area where transplants settle, ie Burlington, Rutland, etc. no one will care or even notice. I lived in a small town(under a pop. of 2000) and some people paid more attention to where I came from. I was never attacked or anything like that. For the most part the worst is being called a flatlander or being blamed for the changes Vermont has gone through in the last thirty years. At this point it doesn't even matter. More than 50% of the population is from out of state or has roots from out of state.
The only way you will get a good feel for a town is by visiting.