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Im hoping some of you can answer some questions for us...we are planning a trip next weekend to the Monroe area..we are contemplating relocating to this area from NJ. We are a young married couple 29 and 31 with two children a 7 year old son and an almost 1 year old daughter....In paranthesis I will about what we currently pay.
1. On the average how much is house insurance on lets say a 3/4 bedroom home? ($900/yr)
2. On average how much is auto insurance for a car and minivan? ($2,000/yr)
3. Average for Water/Electric/ Gas for a 3/4 bedroom home?(monthly)-($360/monthly for all 3)
4. Property Tax on 3/4 bedroom home? (Currently we pay $4/yr on a 3 bedroom ranch-we are currently in the middle of a reassessment and are projecting our taxes may reach well over $5,000 a year)
5. How much per gallon is gasoline? ($2.75/gallon)
6. HOA's do they allow fences? We have noticed that a tremendous amount of homes in HOA's do not have fences, we have a dog.
7. How much is the average Nanny/Care center? (We pay $320 a week for 4 days---but are looking for me to stay home atleast part time if we move, so we would be more interested in care centers)
8. How are the Shiloh/Sun Valley Schools? (We have done research on Great Schools and they appear to be excellent)
To answer your questions, I would need to know the approx sq ftg of your home and in what tax district. Also, for utilities, would need to know if there are gas appliances and hot water heater as opposed to electric.
You can get on websites and put in your potential zip code and car make/model/year and get estimates on auto insurance. Can't post a link but can tell you the one w/ the gecko might be a good place to start.
As for fences, this is not always something affected by HOAs, altho some do restrict the type of fences you can have. For example, in my neighborhood, there are no restrictions on whether or not you have a fence or what type you put in (other than chain link - wh/ is prohibited).
Gas is higher here as NC has high gas tax.
Maybe someone else can help w/the other questions re: childcare and schools.
Last edited by brokensky; 02-10-2008 at 08:16 AM..
Reason: add info
Okay - I am not going to be the best source on this, as I do not have gas appliances. I had gas b/f moving here, and from what people have told me, the natural gas here is more expensive than where I lived in the midwest. So I am going to say your utilities will be about what you are paying now, or perhaps a little higher. Water/sewer are definitely higher here than they were for us in the midwest, also. Your homeowner's insurance will probably be about the same, too, but that also depends on the coverage limitations, etc. As for taxes, that is where you will see the biggest difference. Again, I have no way of knowing about such things as your mil rate, fire district, etc. but others have reported that their taxes are half or even less than what they were paying in NJ. You are putting that at nearly $5000 and I would suspect your taxes would be closer to $2000. Again, just a guess.
I hope someone w/ better info will answer your post.
I will add that people from NJ are also reporting that they are having to spend more on groceries here. In addition, I don't know how much it costs you to register vehicles in NJ so you will want to check out the state website here, NC Dept of Motor Vehicles, and compare that. Overall, I do not think the COL is any better here than in most areas of NJ, except that property taxes are lower. It depends on what area of NJ you are presently residing as to how much less expensive homes would be here, but I am assuming you have already checked that out.
Lets say appr. 1800 sq ft....and gas appliances and hot water heater...
StaceyNJ - I'm from NJ and moved to Monroe 2 years ago.
1. My house insurance is about $400 on a nearly 3000 sq ft house.
Monroe may have cheaper rates on homeowners insurance due to the fact that it has a paid fire department. My HO insurance in NJ was higher on a house 1/3rd the size.
2. Car insurance is much cheaper in NC than in NJ. I had NJM in NJ and paid $1000 and now pay $471 on the exact same car. NC does not have the "free" inspection stations that NJ had, you have to pay to get it inspected every year. There is also a property tax on your car in NC, but it will not be much in comparison to what you will save on car insurance.
3. Most HOA do not prohibit fences, but most will have a prohibition against chain link fences and also dog-pens contructed of chain link.
4. Sorry, I can't tell you anything about child care since I don't have any. The schools in Monroe especially the elementary schools will vary in quality with a couple not terribly good scores to average. Monroe middle school is not highly rated but the other schools you mentioned are generally O.K. The best schools in NJ (think Ridgewood, Westfield, Summit) are probably better than the best schools in NC, but the worst schools in NJ (Camden, Newark) are much worse than the worst schools in NC. Hope this helps!
Okay - I am not going to be the best source on this, as I do not have gas appliances. I had gas b/f moving here, and from what people have told me, the natural gas here is more expensive than where I lived in the midwest. So I am going to say your utilities will be about what you are paying now, or perhaps a little higher. Water/sewer are definitely higher here than they were for us in the midwest, also. Your homeowner's insurance will probably be about the same, too, but that also depends on the coverage limitations, etc. As for taxes, that is where you will see the biggest difference. Again, I have no way of knowing about such things as your mil rate, fire district, etc. but others have reported that their taxes are half or even less than what they were paying in NJ. You are putting that at nearly $5000 and I would suspect your taxes would be closer to $2000. Again, just a guess.
I hope someone w/ better info will answer your post.
I will add that people from NJ are also reporting that they are having to spend more on groceries here. In addition, I don't know how much it costs you to register vehicles in NJ so you will want to check out the state website here, NC Dept of Motor Vehicles, and compare that. Overall, I do not think the COL is any better here than in most areas of NJ, except that property taxes are lower. It depends on what area of NJ you are presently residing as to how much less expensive homes would be here, but I am assuming you have already checked that out.
ani is right about the food. Food is more expensive here. Food Lion and Harris Teeter are much more expensive than Shop-Rite or Pathmark. Meat seems to be much higher in particular. I suspect that if those 2 NJ chains had stores down here, Food Lion and Harris Teeter would be out of business in a short time. Natural Gas seems to cost more per therm in NC as opposed to NJ, but the electric rates are lower! I always had a gas oven but I've adjusted to an electric one very easily. I also ended up with an electric dryer which seems to do a great job. With the higher natural gas prices, I'm glad I have the electric stove and dryer. In Monroe, you get a utility bill from the town that includes gas,electric,water,sewer and garbage. so at least you save some stamps!
Last edited by TheEmissary; 02-10-2008 at 09:42 AM..
Reason: sp
EM - I am so surprised. I just pulled out my info and my taxes on this house w/ is about the same sq. ft as yours - right at $3000 and my insurance a little under $1100. You mean my taxes and insurance are that much higher than yours? I had no idea just being inside CLT city limits made that much of a difference. Have not looked at your mil rate. Wowzers.
THE Emissary..Can I ask where you live...Is all of Monroe that reasonable? I had also heard of the lower car /home ins thats why I was very surprised about ani's info..but im sure it varies widely..
I recommend trying to do that before making the move.Too many people make that mistake.
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