[anirba]

Our family will be relocated to Connecticut to take a job in Hartford. We have two kids, one in middle school and one in high school, so schools are important to us. We also have 3 dogs and a cat that will move with us, so we need to be aware of laws regarding pets and want to avoid areas that are not pet friendly.

We are from the south. We do not get snow here. My kids have only seen snow ONCE! We barely need heat in the winter, usually do not get below freezing, and are use to 100°+ in the summer. We realize that we will be moving to a very different climate. Is there any advice on adjusting to the new client? What type of heat source should we look for when buying a home?

We will likely buy a home. What is the housing market like? What should we look for in a home for the climate? Again, this is going to be a very different thing for us and I realize different climates have different home needs.

I am use to a 45 minute commute, but my spouse is use to a 15 minute commute. We'd like to only commute 30 minutes if possible. Are there any suggestions on locations? Are there areas to avoid moving to with a family?

Are there any areas that you suggest, especially areas with good schools? My daughter is an athlete. Here cross country and soccer are different seasons, but I did notice that a lot of other states have them the same season. If she had to pick a sport, she'd stay in cross country. She's also interested in track, but chose soccer here because it was the same season as track. My son is in the gifted program here. Do the schools there have a gifted program?

We aren't sure when we will be moving. Should we prepare for the cold weather before moving? We really don't have a lot of cold weather gear down here, but we don't want to get up there without being prepared.

I am a career creative, so are there any areas that would appeal to an artist/designer/creative?

Any other advice or tips?

[JayCT]

Welcome. Hartford is a great metropolitan area to live in. So you understand the City of Hartford is small in area (17 square miles) that is the dense urban core of a metropolitan area of more the 1.4 million people. The city is surrounded by a number of fiercely independent towns that serve as Hartford's suburbs.

Where to live depends on a number of things including the location of the job, your budget, what you would like for that budget and the type of community (urban, suburban, rural) that you would like to live in.

Schools in our state our state are generally considered to be among the very best in the country. Generally each town has its own school system with only a couple of regional school districts serving smaller towns. The quality of schools more or less impacts the price of homes with towns like West Hartford, Farmington, Avon, Simsbury and Glastonbury considered the most desirable places to live. That said, these towns also are surprisingly affordable with home and housing options open to wide range of families and incomes. Other towns in the Hartford area have very good schools as well and should not be dismissed. Near Hartford towns like Wethersfield, Newington, Rocky Hill and South Windsor might also be good for your family. Again it all depends on where your job is located. You do not want to be working west of Hartford and living east of it because that means you must deal with traffic heading into the city each day for no good reason.

As to the type of heat, natural gas is generally considered to be the most affordable heating option. A lot of homes here are heated with oil though but they tend to be more where natural gas is not available. Electric heat is considered to be the most expensive. I hope this helps. Jay

[willow wind]

All of CT is pet friendly. However, all towns have leash laws and you will be expected to keep your pets on your property. It will be near impossible to find rentals that will permit three dogs and a cat. Those that permit pets are limited to maybe two pets - either cats or small dogs.

Do you have a budget in mind for what you can pay for a house- and what you expect to get for that price point ? This is going to help point you to possible locations.

In buying a home, keep in mind that CT summers can be uncomfortably warm and humid. If home doesn't have central air ( and most don't) you'll need to be able to put in window air conditioners or mini splits, etc.

Times two on what JayCT suggested on central heat. Natural gas is the cheapest if you can find it. You'll want a home with good insulation and hopefully newer thermal windows. Look for a home with a furnace in good condition. ( have a thorough home inspection done as part of your purchase) .You'll like a fairly level lot to limit the difficulty of snow shoveling and driveway access in the winter. You'll want decent off street parking, so you don't have to park on the street and have your cars covered by snow from city snow plowing.

It would probably be cheapest for you to move during the spring or summer. That will give you time to save up money to winter clothes before the season arrives.

[anirba]

Thank you both for the input.

I am not sure of our budget. I think we'd be comfortable up to $400,000 for a home. Thank you for the information regarding the type of heat, central air, level lots, windows, and parking. This will definitely help us narrow down our search.

We currently live in a rural area and would like to be closer to things. Having to drive 20 minutes to get gas gets old. However, since we aren't use to living in a city, I would think that something in between would be a good idea.

Also, are farmers markets or community based agriculture program common?

We will likely try to plan a move between school years, likely next year. My spouse may move up before we do, because I do not want to pull the kids out of schools mid-semester and moving in between semesters will be tough because our school year runs differently. We go from the first week of August to mid-May here. Plus the advice moving in the warmer months is great!

[synchem]

Originally Posted by anirba

Thank you both for the input.

I am not sure of our budget. I think we'd be comfortable up to $400,000 for a home. Thank you for the information regarding the type of heat, central air, level lots, windows, and parking. This will definitely help us narrow down our search.

We currently live in a rural area and would like to be closer to things. Having to drive 20 minutes to get gas gets old. However, since we aren't use to living in a city, I would think that something in between would be a good idea.

Also, are farmers markets or community based agriculture program common?

We will likely try to plan a move between school years, likely next year. My spouse may move up before we do, because I do not want to pull the kids out of schools mid-semester and moving in between semesters will be tough because our school year runs differently. We go from the first week of August to mid-May here. Plus the advice moving in the warmer months is great!

Farmer's markets and CSA programs are common.

This site has a list of farms that have CSA's. Most probably run 16 weeks from June to September, some you can find go until November. You'd want to look for ones in Hartford County.

https://ctnofa.org/CSAs.htm

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by anirba

Thank you both for the input.

I am not sure of our budget. I think we'd be comfortable up to $400,000 for a home. Thank you for the information regarding the type of heat, central air, level lots, windows, and parking. This will definitely help us narrow down our search.

We currently live in a rural area and would like to be closer to things. Having to drive 20 minutes to get gas gets old. However, since we aren't use to living in a city, I would think that something in between would be a good idea.

Also, are farmers markets or community based agriculture program common?

We will likely try to plan a move between school years, likely next year. My spouse may move up before we do, because I do not want to pull the kids out of schools mid-semester and moving in between semesters will be tough because our school year runs differently. We go from the first week of August to mid-May here. Plus the advice moving in the warmer months is great!

I do not think you will have a problem finding a home with that price range. Since you like more rural areas, I would probably eliminate West Hartford and the towns immediately surrounding Hartford since they tend to be more dense. Still before we can direct you somewhere, it would be best to know where the job is located.

That said, I think you might like the Farmington River Valley towns west of Hartford. The valley is located over a line of small mountains west of the city and includes the towns of Avon, Simsbury, Farmington, Canton, Burlington and Granby. These towns have a more rural feel to them since they are less dense than towns immediately adjacent to the city. There are no highways to them though which makes commuting a bit difficult but it also gives them a sort of shang-ra-la feel to the area. Many people love it there. While it feels a bit remote, most of your shopping needs are located there so it is rare you even have to leave the valley for anything except major mall type shopping. Whether this area works or not depends on the location of your husband's job. If he works downtown, west, north or south of it, the commute would not be bad. But if his job is east of downtown, you might be better to consider the suburbs east of the Connecticut River including Glastonbury, South Windsor, Hebron, Marlborough or Bolton. These towns are more suburban to rural in character and offer good schools and a lot of great family activities. Jay

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by anirba

Thank you both for the input.

I am not sure of our budget. I think we'd be comfortable up to $400,000 for a home. Thank you for the information regarding the type of heat, central air, level lots, windows, and parking. This will definitely help us narrow down our search.

We currently live in a rural area and would like to be closer to things. Having to drive 20 minutes to get gas gets old. However, since we aren't use to living in a city, I would think that something in between would be a good idea.

Also, are farmers markets or community based agriculture program common?

We will likely try to plan a move between school years, likely next year. My spouse may move up before we do, because I do not want to pull the kids out of schools mid-semester and moving in between semesters will be tough because our school year runs differently. We go from the first week of August to mid-May here. Plus the advice moving in the warmer months is great!

Before you purchase a home be sure to check into the property taxes in each town. They will differ from town to town. They are likely much higher than you paid in the South.

Simsbury for example. My former hometown. I know people that have spent as much as $10,000 a year in property taxes on homes that were perhaps 1500 to 2000 square feet. Someone that I know that owns a small ranch in Tariffville which is a part of Simsbury had a property tax bill that exceeded $3,000 a year as of ten years ago.

[Stylo]

Glastonbury is a really well-rounded town and a good value. For a more rural feel, Marlborough and Hebron are good options.

Avon, Simsbury, Farmington are all excellent towns on the other side of the river. More expensive but the region does offer a lot. Canton and New Hartford are worth exploring in that area for the rural feel. Both have small, but charming town centers (Collinsville in Canton).

The housing market is a bit soft and not appreciating much, which is good for buyers. It's interesting as home prices in the best areas of the south increase, the Hartford seems more and more reasonable for what you get.

[anirba]

Thank you all for the advice.

[anirba]

Looking at house listings, there seem to be quite a few with pools. How does freezing weather affect pool maintenance there? Should we avoid those homes?