[CT2021]

After narrowing my search, I am interested in buying a condo/townhouse in Glastonbury in the coming months. Any suggestions for particular developments to look into or avoid with the following considerations:

1. Commuter-friendly (convenient) to downtown Hartford as I will be commuting daily for work.
2. Looking for a 2-bedroom unit for a maximum of 250K-275K with reasonable HOA fees.
3. Would be nice to be in walking distance to grocery stores, shops, and restaurants.
4. Safe neighborhood (I would imagine that most neighborhoods in Glastonbury would be relative safe.)
5. Stable home association with a majority of full-time residents, not AirBnB units.

Any help would be much appreciated. I enjoy a bit more "greenery" and open space which is why I prefer Glastonbury over West Hartford or Farmington. Is Glastonbury a "doable" commute in comparison to West Hartford or Farmington? Should I be looking at a condo/townhouse in a different town? Thanks in advance!

[JayCT]

To answer some of your questions/comments:

- Pretty much all of Glastonbury is convenient to downtown Hartford since Route 2 bisects the town and takes you right into the heart of downtown near Constitution Plaza.

- All of Glastonbury is safe so you don’t need to be concerned about that.

- It’s hard to comment on a condo’s HOA unless you live there or are involved so I’m not sure anyone can tell you this with any certainty. You would need to ask to see the associations financials to know their stability.

- I’m not sure what your definition of reasonable HOA fees is. Only you can decide that.

Off hand the complex that most closely meets your location criteria is Glen Lochen on New London Turnpike and Main Street. It’s right in the middle of Glastonbury Center so it’s walkable to all the stores and restaurants there including Whole Foods. I’m not sure if there are any units available there. They seem to sell fast.

Across New London Turnpike from them, off Grove Street are two small complexes I think called Glen Lochen II and III. They are on Newbury Lane and Whitney Lane. Another complex that is walkable to Main Street businesses is Willowbrook on Spring Street. And there is a small brand new complex on Naubuc Avenue near Katz Hardware but I think they are above your price range.

Down in South Glastonbury there is Southgate. You can walk to the village from there. We had friends that lived there. They liked it and their unit was surprisingly large.

Just off New London Turnpike on Williams Street East are a couple very small town house complexes. You can walk to CVS and Stop & Shop from them. I’m not sure what their names are.

Out near Bucks Corner at the intersection of New London Turnpike and chestnut Hill. It’s a nice community of townhouses. There are a couple shops and restaurants across the street. There’s no grocery store there but there is a convenience store. I can’t think of any more around town that you can easily walk to stores. I hope this helps. Good luck, Jay

[CT2021]

Thanks Jay!

[Reilly1017]

“Reasonable” HOA definitely is subjective. What does it include? Just trash removal and snow removal? Sewer fees? Entertainment like a pool or tennis courts?

Look at the reserve funds and if/when special assessments were last done. Big ticket items like paving and roofs are big deals. If either is 20+ years older, be prepared for a possible expense there. Also, like a particular unit that has privacy trees? Be careful, if the trees are old or come down in a storm, you will lose privacy. Nothing to be worried about but you own the building not usually the land and you don’t have say in that type of stuff. This isn’t specific to Connecticut but advice in general as a former condo owner. Lastly, what percentage of units are FHA mortgaged and rented out in general you want more owners rather than renters.

[CT2021]

Thanks for the good information Reilly 1017!