[arthwys]

I have just landed a job in Winsted, which I am hoping will be the job that enables my wife and I to settle down and start a family.

I find myself at a bit of a loss when it comes to figuring out how to start the process of moving up there. I won't start the position until late June. It's probably that what will happen is that I will come up first to start the job, move into some sort of apartment situation short term, all the while looking for a house to purchase, and my wife will come up and join me when we land something. We're currently in my mother-in-law's house in Virginia, so no worries about selling down here before being able to purchase up there, thank goodness.

Are there any apartments (even studio) within a 30-40 minute commute away from Winsted that would be good for a temporary move until we purchase a home?

Also, we're hoping to find a 3 bedroom home in good condition for under 200,000. Under 160,000 would be even more ideal, is this a realistic hope? I see some options in Winsted and Torrington for those prices, but am unsure if that's because there might be something wrong with them, or if it's a fair price for a decent house.

Any other info or advice about moving to the Northwest of CT, Winsted, Torrington, etc. that anyone would like to toss out would be much appreciated as well!

Thanks!

[AMSS]

You probably could find a house in either Winsted or Torrington for that price. As for starting a family, both towns have gone down hill a little over the years so you probably don't want to be there long. I don't know the area that well, but I'd check out Harwinton if that is possible within your budget. Hopefully someone else will know what surrounding towns are better - Colebrook is pretty, but I'm not sure if it's a good town with decent schools or not. Winsted schools have become a dropping ground for DCF lately which throws their test scores (and stability in general) off. There is a good chance of that changing eventually though. Good luck!

[KH02]

Originally Posted by arthwys

I have just landed a job in Winsted, which I am hoping will be the job that enables my wife and I to settle down and start a family.

I find myself at a bit of a loss when it comes to figuring out how to start the process of moving up there. I won't start the position until late June. It's probably that what will happen is that I will come up first to start the job, move into some sort of apartment situation short term, all the while looking for a house to purchase, and my wife will come up and join me when we land something. We're currently in my mother-in-law's house in Virginia, so no worries about selling down here before being able to purchase up there, thank goodness.

Are there any apartments (even studio) within a 30-40 minute commute away from Winsted that would be good for a temporary move until we purchase a home?

Also, we're hoping to find a 3 bedroom home in good condition for under 200,000. Under 160,000 would be even more ideal, is this a realistic hope? I see some options in Winsted and Torrington for those prices, but am unsure if that's because there might be something wrong with them, or if it's a fair price for a decent house.

Any other info or advice about moving to the Northwest of CT, Winsted, Torrington, etc. that anyone would like to toss out would be much appreciated as well!

Thanks!

If you have to buy around winsted, my suggestion would be to look in Harwinton. It's a rural town but an easy commute to winsted. It has a good school system that way you won't have to move after starting a family. Resale value will likely be better there because of this.

Torrington and winsted are not great places to be if you want good public schools and IMO they are both pretty run down towns overall.

Even in harwinton trying to find a 3 bedroom house for under 160k will be a tough find. If your budget can go up to 200k as you said thatt will likely open up a bit more however, just be aware that any home in that price range will likely need updating and will be lower Sq footage then you may be used to in VA.

Good Luck !!!

[JayCT]

Winsted is a small New England mill town that has seen better days. It is actually a section of the Town of Winchester and is not near any major city or employment center. That said it is still an okay place to live, just don't expect there to be a lot going on there.

I would suggest you look for an apartment or rental in Winsted/Winchester itself or in one of the surrounding towns. Which one really depends on what you want. If you want a more developed community, then look to the south in Torrington. If you want a small town, you could look in neighboring Norfolk or New Hartford. If you want more suburban areas closer to a major city, I would suggest looking in the Farmington River Valley towns that are suburbs of Hartford to the southeast of Winsted. Towns like Canton and Simsbury are very nice.

The OP does not give a budget or what he expects for their rent. He should note that there are not a lot of apartment complexes in the area so you likely will need to find a place owned by an individual owner. Check craigslist or the local paper. Good luck and welcome to Connecticut. Jay

[basehead617]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The OP does not give a budget or what he expects for their rent.

Jay I feel you are losing your mind a bit lately.. LOL.

OP does give a budget.. $160k or less ideally but up to $200k.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by basehead617

Jay I feel you are losing your mind a bit lately.. LOL.

OP does give a budget.. $160k or less ideally but up to $200k.

You are right, I am losing my mind but I meant for a rental. Jay

[arthwys]

JayCT, you're right, didn't give a budget for the rental part of it all. I'd like to limit rent to under 1,000 per month.

I'm mostly aware of the reputation many towns in NW CT have as being run-down, which is warranted when comparing them to their hey-day when the mills were still running and jobs were to be had. Also, compared to places closer to Hartford, or along the coast they can seem very sleepy, with not as much going on. But I grew up in a rural county of Maryland, with plenty of towns just like that, and while as a teenager I wasn't a huge fan, it was still a good place to be a kid, grow up familiar with the countryside and the freedom that brings.

Currently I'm actually in Northern Virginia, less than 15 miles outside of Washington, D.C., in a sea of bedroom community suburbia. The cost of living in this area is atrocious, mostly due to housing costs. My wife and I lived in a 1 bedroom apartment that we paid $2,000 a month for (including parking but not including utils) in Alexandria, where a 3 bedroom home would cost you at least $800,000. Now we're a bit further out, but a 3 bedroom out here with an hour long commute into DC costs around $500,000.

So Winsted may seem like the boonies to some, but being only an hour from Hartford (when it's not rush hour of course) for regular doses of civilization when wanted seems like no issue at all when my current daily commute is over 2 hours round trip.

The point about not so great public schools is a good one. We currently have no children, but plan on starting in on that soon. Norfolk and New Hartford sound like good propositions to me, but of course it's all contingent on finding an affordable home that doesn't need a slew of repairs to make it liveable.

I'm also rather excited for the weather. I hate the heat, and love winter. I'm considered quite crazy down here in the DC area for constantly going out in the snow, be it on foot or driving. Norfolk being the famed "icebox of Connecticut" sounds like heaven to me. I ski, and would love to get into things like snowmobiling and ice fishing, so NW CT might give me a better chance at a decent winter with proper snow. Down in DC we'll get 2-3 inches a few times a year that melt quickly. Once a year or so we'll get 5-7 inches in one storm, and every 7 years get a whopper that dumps 2 feet and everything shuts down for a week. The summers here are hell. Super humid with average highs in the 90s for weeks. Over 100 happens most summers for at least a couple days. Ugh.

[MrGompers]

If you are looking for outdoor activities you should look at Collinsville. It's a section of Canton, I don't think it's a separate town. I'm unsure of rental properties around there, but you never know until you look.

Norfolk is fairly rural still and some areas will emanate a wonderful "manure smell" so be wary of that.

New Hartford has a very small downtown and would be a good compromise. I don't think you will find any 3 bedrooms under 200k in this area unless you want a fixer upper. I wouldn't recommend that unless you can do the work yourself. Contractor prices around here seem to be very high IMO.