[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

Thanks for your input Kid. I purposely left off the Fairfield, Greenwich, Westport, Ridgefield area because whether I can afford it or not, I have no desire to live such an expensive lifestyle. For those who can and choose to, that's great; I prefer a simpler way of life.

As I said, I'm in the homework stage, and I'm no spring chicken. Obviously no matter where one lives, COL is more than a mortgage payment and taxes. So far though, all my comparisons of where I am now, to what I've seen so far in CT... I'm looking at a considerable savings.

I'm at the age where naivete is pretty much non-existent. No one should make a move without doing their due diligence, which is why I'm quite comfortable with the time it takes to do a thorough search.

Good that you're doing your homework. I cringe when people up and move their lives and either end up hating it or have much less disposable income than they thought. I'm going through a similar process and spent hours researching and number crunching. I, too, believe I'll be saving quite a bit (and I'll be 15 minutes from a major airport, as opposed to an hour an 15 minutes).

Hartford area, even though property taxes are pretty hefty, does have some bargain housing. It's not cheap when compared nationally, but when stacked against NYC/southern CT and Boston, it's relatively affordable.

That being said, I would not suggest East Hartford.

[bridgerider]

Thanks everyone! It helps to read your opinions on towns, because from the car, most of them look pretty quaint. Seymour, Wethersfield and Cromwell are now on the list because of your suggestions. I looked into Newington and Rocky Hill on a previous visit. Didn't find much, but liked the towns. Since the inventory will likely be much different by the time I've decided, they can stay on the list. The photo thread has also been a great help in showing not only some great scenery, but cute main street areas too.

I was surprised to find several affordable homes in Avon (and Simsbury too - just looked over my notes and forgot I scouted that out).

Interesting tidbit Stylo...I was skimming the TV last night and landed on a show about Daryl Hall restoring an old home in Seymour. Beautiful.

One thing I am hoping to better understand as I go forward , is mill rates. I end up looking at the bottom line on taxes, but not sure how mill rates influence tax increases.

[GoHuskies]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

One thing I am hoping to better understand as I go forward , is mill rates. I end up looking at the bottom line on taxes, but not sure how mill rates influence tax increases.

The mill rate determines what you pay for property and auto tax. Each town assess a different mill rate so all else being equal a higher mill rate = higher taxes on home/auto. All else is rarely equal however as some of the most expensive towns to buy property in benefit from a relatively low mill rate. If home shopping across town lines this can be important to consider.

OPM: Mill Rates

A mill is equal to $1.00 of tax for each $1,000 of assessment. To calculate the property tax, multiply the assessment of the property by the mill rate and divide by 1,000. For example, a property with an assessed value of $50,000 located in a municipality with a mill rate of 20 mills would have a property tax bill of $1,000 per year

[bridgerider]

Thank you GoHuskies for that explanation!!

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

Thanks everyone! It helps to read your opinions on towns, because from the car, most of them look pretty quaint. Seymour, Wethersfield and Cromwell are now on the list because of your suggestions. I looked into Newington and Rocky Hill on a previous visit. Didn't find much, but liked the towns. Since the inventory will likely be much different by the time I've decided, they can stay on the list. The photo thread has also been a great help in showing not only some great scenery, but cute main street areas too.

I was surprised to find several affordable homes in Avon (and Simsbury too - just looked over my notes and forgot I scouted that out).

Interesting tidbit Stylo...I was skimming the TV last night and landed on a show about Daryl Hall restoring an old home in Seymour. Beautiful.

One thing I am hoping to better understand as I go forward , is mill rates. I end up looking at the bottom line on taxes, but not sure how mill rates influence tax increases.

I personally like Simsbury over Avon. It's got a great town center, with destination dining, weekly concerts, and the bike path which runs north/south through town. You may find more options in Simsbury in your price range.

[bridgerider]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

I personally like Simsbury over Avon. It's got a great town center, with destination dining, weekly concerts, and the bike path which runs north/south through town. You may find more options in Simsbury in your price range.

That bike path is beautiful, if it's the one I'm thinking of. Is there a gorgeous planked pedestrian bridge - with lush hanging baskets of mixed flowers - that forks off from the path?

[ayoskillz]

I'm surprised a poster from Danbury hasnt chimed it on the hippest city in ct lol

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by bridgerider

That bike path is beautiful, if it's the one I'm thinking of. Is there a gorgeous planked pedestrian bridge - with lush hanging baskets of mixed flowers - that forks off from the path?

That's correct! Another highlight is the somewhat hidden Lake Basile, off the bike path just north of town.

[Lincolnian]

I grew up and lived in East Hartford for many years. Many of relatives still live there. There are many beautiful neighborhoods. Yes, the schools are not top performing but that is what happens when you have a economically diverse population including larger numbers of people in poverty. Most areas of East Hartford are very safe. Areas with high concentration of affordable rents have more problems because there are higher concentrations of people living at the poverty level there.

[Lincolnian]

Originally Posted by JayCT

This kind of says it all. Forbes Street is very busy. It is a major street through a denser suburban area so there is a lot of traffic, day and night. Schools in East Hartford do not generally perform well so it is not considered to be a desirable town. That is why the price is so low. Not knowing your budget and what wantor need, it is hard to make a recommendation of where to look. Jay

Jay, LaCava built many indentical homes in East Hartford and Glastonbury at the same exact time. Berkley Estates and Buttonball were building at the same time as were Eastbury estates on the East Hartford/Glastonbury line.