[Irish49872]

Talk to me about areas around Sikorsky. Where would ya'll live? Looking for a safe, great area that is not more than a 30 minute commute. Could go condo or sfh, ideally would like to stay under 600K and want an area that has good restaurants and the like. Schools while important for resale not an issue as no school age children would probably be in the area 5-10 years.

[Irish49872]

I'm trying to get a handle on the CT Real Estate Market. Honestly it seems all over the map, with the $300-450 market seeming to be hotter in "most general areas". I have read a few outlooks for 2019 that Bridgeport seems to be a "hot" market...is this actually true? In general I find this hard to believe but I really do not understand the CT market coming from Northern Virginia and San Diego, CA. Have been reading as many posts as I can find about this but am curious about what the locals think. Thanks.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by Irish49872

Talk to me about areas around Sikorsky. Where would ya'll live? Looking for a safe, great area that is not more than a 30 minute commute. Could go condo or sfh, ideally would like to stay under 600K and want an area that has good restaurants and the like. Schools while important for resale not an issue as no school age children would probably be in the area 5-10 years.

I live in Trumbull and that would be a great place for you. Igor Sikorsky himself lived in Trumbull in four different houses. He lived in the historic Nichols area. The helicopter was invented in Nichols CT.
Here are all the historic houses in Nichols.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Nichols-...=page_internal

Here are a few Sikorsky houses.
https://www.facebook.com/18561442819...type=1&theater (From this house to Sikorsky is 10 minutes)
https://www.facebook.com/18561442819...type=3&theater

Fairfield and Milford would be good too. They have lots of restaurants and both are on the water.

[Stylo]

Sounds like you'd like Milford. Has restaurants, safe, lot of bang for buck (really nice homes 600k and under), beautiful coast, beaches/parks, community events, walkable downtown, train, good schools for resale. Stable taxes and a growing grand list. It's a town that's trending in the right direction for sure. Attractive for Millennial buyers. Plus, it's a super quick commute. I made a 15% gain on my house in less than 8 years.

Fairfield has similar benefits and is a great town, but is also more expensive. It's hard to recommend if you're not going to use the schools, and are not commuting to points south like NYC.

[JayCT]

A lot would depend on the type of community you would like. If you want a larger more diverse community with access to beaches, then Milford would be good. If you want a more affluent suburban type town you might consider Trumbull or Orange. If lower taxes are a concern or you want newer housing, you might want to look into Shelton.

You mention condos. Shelton has a number of nice condominium developments you may be interested in. Milford has several too. If you are over 55 you might want to look at Oronoque Village which is a beautiful condominium development built around a golf course. It is right near Sikorsky in Stratford. Jay

[cttransplant85]

I would look in Milford, Trumbull or Shelton. I would stay away from Stratford, where Sikorsky is located, there are some nice parts but the city as a whole can get a little dicey higher crime than you’re probably looking for. The Devon section of Milford is much of the same as Stratford, Downtown and Woodmont are generally considered the nicer areas.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by Irish49872

I have read a few outlooks for 2019 that Bridgeport seems to be a "hot" market...is this actually true? In general I find this hard to believe but I really do not understand the CT market coming from Northern Virginia and San Diego, CA. Have been reading as many posts as I can find about this but am curious about what the locals think. Thanks.

If you have $600,000 to spend on a house you don't have to think or write the word Bridgeport again. Most CT cities are not the greatest, have high crime, bad schools and Bridgeport is no exception. Look at the crime in some of the cities mentioned.


Crime (US average is 280)
Bridgeport 341
Trumbull 153
Milford 121
Fairfield 92

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by CTartist

If you have $600,000 to spend on a house you don't have to think or write the word Bridgeport again. Most CT cities are not the greatest, have high crime, bad schools and Bridgeport is no exception. Look at the crime in some of the cities mentioned.


Crime (US average is 280)
Bridgeport 341
Trumbull 153
Milford 121
Fairfield 92

Check out new crime ratings on City Data. Many down in 2017. Milford is now below 100! Progress.

Also, Milford, Trumbull, AND Fairfield crime ratings are driven up by retail attractions. So it's not even really a measure of "danger".

Edit: for some reason the 2017 data only appears when using my phone to access the pages.

[Stepfordct]

Stylo's 15% gain is quite the exception. If you like the idea of flipping, buying ugly houses etc then buy live in for 2 years...rinse and repeat. For Capital gain purposes. Otherwise with a 5-10 exit scenario rent.
This market is nothing like your previous experience. Its worse with talk of a national recession looming.
Most likely you will sell at a loss, pay conveyance tax, realtor fees, and maybe still own when you are headed out of Ct.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by cttransplant85

I would look in Milford, Trumbull or Shelton. I would stay away from Stratford, where Sikorsky is located, there are some nice parts but the city as a whole can get a little dicey higher crime than you’re probably looking for. The Devon section of Milford is much of the same as Stratford, Downtown and Woodmont are generally considered the nicer areas.

Shelton, Milford, Trumbull in that order.

The Putney area of Stratford is nicer than the rest of the town, and is super close to Sikorsky and the shopping in Trumbull and Shelton. You could live there and rarely venture to the other parts of Stratford. Property taxes will be higher in Stratford though.

He could even take a peek at Fairfield with his budget.