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Hello folks, I am planning to move from Framingham, MA to CT. My office will be in South Windsor, CT.
I am thinking on buying a house in Ellington or South Windsor.
My budget is 300-350 K and ideally looking for 3 bedroom.
I am married, no kid yet.
Would like to hear how these two towns compare in terms of property taxes, community life and access to highways and shopping area. Any new construction going on in these towns?
Also read in the forum that there is a distinct smell in certain areas of Ellington so if there are areas to avoid, please let me know, thanks.
Hello folks, I am planning to move from Framingham, MA to CT. My office will be in South Windsor, CT.
I am thinking on buying a house in Ellington or South Windsor.
My budget is 300-350 K and ideally looking for 3 bedroom.
I am married, no kid yet.
Would like to hear how these two towns compare in terms of property taxes, community life and access to highways and shopping area. Any new construction going on in these towns?
Also read in the forum that there is a distinct smell in certain areas of Ellington so if there are areas to avoid, please let me know, thanks.
Overall I think South Windsor is a better town. The mill rate in South Windsor is 29 while Ellington is 27. The Mill rate is the amount of tax payable per dollar of the assessed value of a property. The mill rate is based on "mills", so each mill is one-thousandth of a currency unit, one mill is equivalent to one-tenth of a cent. It's not a huge difference but I think it'll be more convenient being closer to work and closer to the highway. Being in South Windsor means you're closer to the mall in Manchester, closer to Interstate 84 which leads you to Boston or Hartford, restaurants, businesses, and you're closer to work. Home prices are almost the same and IMO more homes in Ellington are newer. The newest homes in South Windsor are right by Evergreen Walk which is an outdoor shopping mall. Most of these homes were built in the 90's and construction for newer homes has slowed down during the past few years. More homes are being built closer to Ellington. The demographics are nearly the same in both towns. Crime is low in both of these towns but I find Ellington to be safer. Schools are good in both towns but I prefer South Windsor. A new elementary school is being built next to the older one (Orchard Hill Elementary School and it should be finished soon). South Windsor has a more diverse school system since there are many kids coming from Hartford and East Hartford. All in all though, I prefer South Windsor but if you're looking for a more quiet and peaceful town I'd go for Ellington. Ellington is an older farm town that has been building newer styled homes since the 90's. South Windsor is nearly the same but is more dense and filled in. Hope that helped? Any other questions?
Either town, they both have very good schools. The Ellington "smell" is because of farming . If you like a town that still has some rural living it won't bother you.
Taxes are very similar- mill rate in Ellington is 30 and some change, South Windsor 29 +. Not much difference.
Ellington is not as near highways as is South Windsor. South Windsor has RT 84 running just to the south of it and Rt 291 running through the south west corner. 291 takes you across the CT River without going through Hartford.
South Windsor is probably more convenient to things and is very close to big mall shopping / restaurants, etc. in Manchester just to the south. But really you can't go wrong in either town. It's just a matter of preference.
Thanks Humpday for the insight. I will start looking next month. Is 300-350 K a decent budget for 3 bed room, 2000 sq fts?
I notice most homes in South Windsor that were built from the 60's - 80's have 3 bedrooms. Those homes will range from 250k-400k depending on the condition and the number of baths. Newer construction will have 4-5 bedrooms nearly 85% of the time and those homes can go for around 400-600k. If you're able to find a 3 bed room house that's in good condition and built from 1990+ then that's a good deal. I highly doubt you'll be able to find a house for that price with 3 baths. You should have no problem finding a house built in the 60's - 80's with 3 bedrooms under 300k in decent condition but newer construction for that price will be very limited.
I have family that lives in the southeast part of town by Vernon and Manchester. Many homes in that area are for sale and nearly all of them were built and completed by the 60's. 3 bedrooms are common in this area as well. On the other hand, if you're bringing kids into your family in the future then remember you're within walking distance to the towns Middle School and the newly constructed Elementary School. Just something to keep in mind.
South Windsor better meets your description, with easy access to shopping restaurants etc. Plenty of 2000 sq ft 3 bedrooms in that price range but as mentioned most will be older construction. In most of CT you see very little new construction under 350k in my experience. Ellington will be more rural but there was a lot of development in the early 2000's during the bubble. Most of those houses seem to be on the high end of your budget when they come up for sale. If you want to get somewhere quick Ellington is not the best choice as mentioned no major highways nearby. If your not worried about schools you can often find better priced realestate just over town lines in CT. For instance crossing the townline into Vernon or Manchester will drop the value of a house, but the neighborhood will be similar to the higher priced town. The drop is mostly equated to school system but some to mill rate.
Hello folks, I am planning to move from Framingham, MA to CT. My office will be in South Windsor, CT.
I am thinking on buying a house in Ellington or South Windsor.
My budget is 300-350 K and ideally looking for 3 bedroom.
I am married, no kid yet.
Would like to hear how these two towns compare in terms of property taxes, community life and access to highways and shopping area. Any new construction going on in these towns?
Also read in the forum that there is a distinct smell in certain areas of Ellington so if there are areas to avoid, please let me know, thanks.
You might be able to find a newer home in these towns but I doubt there is new single family in that price range. Still you can look. I agree with what others have said, if you want to be nearer to shopping then South Windsor is the better choice. Still Ellington has a sort of rural charm to it since much of it is still farm land. That is changing though. Jay
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