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Looks like I am moving to work in Western MA, I am looking on the internet and notice living over the border in CT gets you better school Districts so I am greatly considering the extra commute.
I have twin 4 year old boys and a 1 year old baby girl, schools are very important. My wife and I are looking for a community (Prefer a Newer One) that have other younger families. So far I have targeted Cider Hill Heights and Powder Mill Lane in Granby and Stratton Farms in Suffield, any other information you could pass on would be greatly appreciated.
We are open to other towns with great school on the border with decent commute to the Springfield area, but have only really looked into these 2 so far.
For new homes in Granby, try Ken Kuhl or Don Barrett. They seem to do a lot of new homes and know the builders. Here is a link to their web site: Home
Jay
I grew up in Granby and it's a wonderful place to raise children. I feel fortunate to be "from there". School system was and still is excellent. Much time spent in Suffield while growing up - more rural but closer to Enfield, CT which has lots of shopping/restaurants/movies.
When shopping for new construction I would recommend that you select an agent to work with, that isn't affiliated with the builder of the home(s) you're interested in. That way you have a better chance of not being involved in a conflict of interest, or things being done sloppily or even illegally. Also a good idea to have a real estate attorney in your back pocket to help clarify anything questionable like property lines, easements, building permits, etc. etc. There is a community called "Buckingham" in Avon, and I believe they have completed the construction there, but the homes are newer. There are a few resales on the market currently. It is a planned community with a playground and ball field if I remember correctly. Avon has excellent, excellent schools. Avon is further south on highway 10 from Granby. Simsbury is also nice with excellent schools, but I can't think of any newer communities in your price range. You might consider Canton, and I think there are some new homes here and there. These are all "Farmington Valley" towns, all with great schools. If you are interested in Granby, Simsbury, Avon, Canton or Farmington, ask your real estate agent for a copy of "The Valley Book". This is an excellent resource for shopping, services, etc. in the area. Happy house hunting
Last edited by itscolduphere; 11-12-2010 at 04:09 PM..
Reason: forgot a word.
Excellent advice, I have heard about some that have used the Builders agent, never a good thing.
We went out yesterday and drove around, we really like Western Suffield, Granby, and East Granby. Sometime in the next few weeks I will be put in touch with my Companies relocation team, they will assign and agent to me that deals with mostly Relocations, they are usually the best agents.
Granby is very nice... (and so is Suffield and E. Granby).
Since these areas are more open/country than say, Avon, I would recommend that when home shopping you be aware of what is around you (try to visit different times of day and/or talk to people you see out and about in the neighborhood). I know that Granby in particular has some areas that have had a few problems with noise as far as people on ATVs. In some instances there are some who have had homes up for sale for years and can't sell them because of this. One extra way to check for this is to click on the "see on map" thingy when on the internet looking at listings. Many times you can actually see ATV or dirtbike trails from the aerial or hybrid view. These are generally in a few unlucky spots in Granby, but many places are great. One poster on this board did say that their parents live in a private Granby neighborhood (private road I'm assuming), and even though the covenants state they can't have such animals, they have a rooster that crows at all hours. So do be careful about these "hazards" of living in the country if they bother you. Good luck to you... you are relocating to in my opinion, one of the nicest areas of the country!
Great advice, funny you say that, I am currently in a very nice neighborhood, but there is a Dirt Bike trail in the area that is annoying when they are riding, there is also a barking dog all through the night.
I will definately talk to folks in the neighborhoods I look in to see what they have to say.
Don't forget that the "newish community" will be filled with "newish" families like yours. And like yours, you have no idea what their little kids are going to be like when they're old enough for dirt bikes. You could live there happy and joyful, peace and quiet except for the occasional screams of happy and joy on the playground - and then the next door neighbor's kid turns 11. And daddy gets him a mini-bike for Christmas.
You now will have to either endure the next 7 years of the hell that is a neighbor's kid and his mini-bike, and possibly even dad's middle-age crisis purchase of a big loud burly Harley Davidson...
Or you'll have to move.
I totally would not count on any "new," non-established neighborhood being the same in 5 years as it is now. Personally I'd recommend you look for a well-established neighborhood.
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