Branford, CT...Is it a good town? (Bridgeport, New Haven: condominium, house)
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I was at the Branford Festival today and we took a ride through all the condos near the water. I have decided even though my husband does not want to live near the water I do. Most of the condos seem out of our price range except for the Harbor Village Townhouses (1200 to 1300 sf) that are a little further away from the water. I would like to know what everyone's opinion is of the townhouses there and the Harbor Village condos in general. Thanks all.
Harbour Village is in Short Beach almost on the East Haven town line. Other than the decent location, I don't know anything about them. They are a bit of a trek from downtown though.
Harbour Village is rather nice. There are a variety of prices. They have a beach, pool, clubhouse, putting green. My only concern with them may be the condo monthly fee, which depending one the unit may be about $ 400-450 a month. That plus a $ 3800- 4500 yearly tax bill on the smaller units may be pushing the finances of many people.
Obviously you pay for the common features , amenities and any flood insurance for the complex as a whole would also be included in that. You should check on one of the real estate websites, find out what is for sale and see for yourself if it's worth it.
It is a very convenient location as its just half a mile or so down the road from the intersection of Main St. & Short Beach Rd. ( or half a mile from Kohl's) so it's just a few minutes drive to the town hall area.
I looked at some info on the Harborview condos that I didn't before because we were focusing away from the water and you are correct. There is a townhouse for $235,000, yearly taxes $3605 and fees of $400. But I bet all the insurance rates for the condos/homes along the water went higher after Hurricane Sandy and that is reflected in the $400 fee. Here is how I look at it. The fees for the Watch Hill condos (that we also like) off Hemlock up north are are about $300 so I would be willing to pay another $100 to live near the water.
Here is what I think is happening to the condos near the water in Branford. This is from the perspective of somene that lived in Stamford near the water. My first property was a 1 bedroom condo down Shippan. It was a 10 minute walk to the marina. I could not even afford a 2 bedroom condo down Shippan so we moved and bought a home in Trumbull. To give you a perspective on prices my house in Trumbull was the same price as my 1 bedroom down Shippan. I still have have friends and family down Shippan and I can tell you the condo prices and taxes are astronomical now. So when someone like me looks at taxes of $3605 with fees of $400 a month that seems very good to live near the water. The people from lower FFC are now most likely starting to price out long time residents of the Branford beach areas. That happened to me when the people from New York priced me out of Shippan.
The other thing is the taxes on my 1300 SF home in Trumbull are almost twice as much for the Harborview condos. From that perspective the taxes seem pretty good too. Here is another question.
Does Branford give tax relief to seniors? My husband will be 65 when we get there so a tax break would make it even more affordable for us.
Once again thanks willowwind and kidyankee for all you advice as it is most invaluable.
Last edited by CTartist&musician; 06-16-2013 at 11:53 AM..
What's your budget? I know it's not Branford, but I've also seen a lot of $200k and under condos in Milford near the water.
My husband and I want to leave the rat race from Stamford to New Haven. Once you get past New Haven into Branford and Guilford and beyond it seems like a different world. I was thinking of going even further up the CT coastline but right now I feel like I need to be close enough to NYC to take the train in for the day. I also want to be close enough to New Haven so I can drive in on the back roads.
My husband and I are going to be taking day trips to the little towns on the coastline past New Haven and we might want to go further up than Branford & Guilford. I will keep you posted on my travels on the beautiful CT coast.
Stylo my price range is about $200,000 to 250,000. I don't need to be right on the water (although it would be nice) but I do want to be in a coastal town north of New Haven.
I find it very relaxed in Milford, as long as you don't count Route 1. I'm writing this post from the harbor watching the boats drift by. The reason I mentioned it is the decent amount of condo stock near the water. It's certainly more relaxed than the Norwalk/Stamford area. But I know what you mean. Clinton and Westbrook could be good. Or Niantic, East Lyme. Old Saybrook. If you don't need to be in job centers those are great, relatively inexpensive towns. Old Saybrook has impressively low taxes and I bet you could do a nice, small single family home for your budget.
Living in a condo complex might offset the point of being in a relaxed area. The denseness, snoopy neighbors, and high turnover of residents can be a buzzkill.
I find it very relaxed in Milford, as long as you don't count Route 1. I'm writing this post from the harbor watching the boats drift by. The reason I mentioned it is the decent amount of condo stock near the water. It's certainly more relaxed than the Norwalk/Stamford area. But I know what you mean. Clinton and Westbrook could be good. Or Niantic, East Lyme. Old Saybrook. If you don't need to be in job centers those are great, relatively inexpensive towns. Old Saybrook has impressively low taxes and I bet you could do a nice, small single family home for your budget.
Living in a condo complex might offset the point of being in a relaxed area. The denseness, snoopy neighbors, and high turnover of residents can be a buzzkill.
Sorry but as a major shopping destination for many in greater New Haven and Bridgeport, I do not think Milford is relaxed at all. I find it to be busy and fast paced, even on side streets. JMO. Also there will not be a high turnover rate in owner occupied units, and as beautiful as they are, there will not be many condos in towns like East Lyme or Old Saybrook.
I think Branford is a good starting point for the OP.
I lived in an "owner-occupied" condo complex for about 6 years and the only neighbor that was there for more than 2-3 years was my upstairs neighbor. The others stayed a short time, they were either renters or moved to a SFH or bigger place. One condo had 3 different owners in that timespan. There will a couple retirees that remained constant down the street, but most of the tenants were not around terribly long.
That particular condo was built in the 80's cheaply and the HOA fees were crazy at $450. Condos aren't always a better deal financially. I'd recommend going further east and getting a SFH.
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