[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by CTartist

....Here is a 1500 sf house in Mystic for $330,000 and the taxes are $3,777.
https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/...r/pid_42803523

*I know West Hartford has taxes like that though.

OK, I may be wrong about Mystic taxes. I'd suggest Old Saybrook also. It has many houses listed under $500K, with taxes in the $3000-4000/annual range.

[ayoskillz]

Originally Posted by macalan

We have been thinking for some time of relocating back closer to home (MA). We are in a burb right now of Charleston, SC and for a number of reasons - hurricanes, politics, abundance of venomous snakes - it's likely not our long-term home.

Initially we were looking near the coast because mild winters as we age are a huge consideration and still are not ruling that out, but we want to expand our search a bit so when we come out we have other places to look at and compare as well.

My husband is retired (early 70s), I (early 60s) own my own business and work remotely, so commute is not an issue.

Here's our wish list -

Friendly and accepting of outsiders, not "snooty" (some people thought Newburyport, MA where we are from was snooty. I never felt that. It was certainly upscale and yuppie but was not unfriendly)

A walkable town - i.e. a core downtown where you can park the car and walk to various shops and restaurants, as well as neighborhoods with sidewalks

Self-sustaining town - i.e. has all the services one would need - fire, police, dentists, doctors, veterinarian, library, gym, grocery store(s), pharmacy, etc. and access to big box stores - Lowes/Home Depot, Costco, Whole Foods - within a 30-min drive

Within a 30 min drive to Yale-New Haven hospital, and ideally a small hospital in the town itself, as well as easy access to specialists (within the town or 30-min drive)

Within 30 min drive of a 24-hr vet

Safe - a town a woman would feel safe walking a dog at night

NOT rural - we prefer more of a "dense suburban" or even "urban suburban" town, and our sweet spot population wise is between 10K and 50K, because we've found under 10K doesn't usually have all the services, and over 50K usually is too crazy with traffic, etc., but we are keeping an open mind.

We also don't want a town that is isolated. One thing we loved about where we lived in MA (Newburyport) was all the places we could go for a day or weekend trip - out to the farms in Newbury and West Newbury for fresh vegetables, apple picking in Amesbury, to the Cape/Nantucket for the weekend, up to Maine or Portsmouth for the day, to Rockport, Marblehead, or Gloucester for lunch, to the Crane Estate or North Shore Music Theatre for events, to Providence for Waterfire, to Boston for the day via the train in town. Or just walk the rail trail in Newburyport with our dog and then have dinner and see a movie in town or hang out on Plum Island Reservation for the day. Or walk to the Irish pub in town for a Guinness and some live Irish music. So much to do within a very short distance.

Vibrant and charming - this is difficult to describe - Newburyport to me was vibrant and charming - aesthetically beautiful, lots to do, always festivals and things going on, artsy, live theatre, quirky independent movie theatre, great farmer's market, weekly concerts on the water in the summer.

Sense of community - this can be had in either the town or the development - we don't have it here in the town we are in as it's way too big (90K) but we have a great community that rallies around people when they are sick, in need, etc. in the development where we live

Politics - we do not want to be in a red county. Had enough of that here with the non-believers of science and the freedom fighters. I don't consider us liberal, we're more moderate and not even really political, but we are health focused and far-right politics aren't a fit. MA suited us just fine.

Weather - I know we are going to have to bend here, but the less snow and ice the better

Property Taxes - A town without a really high mill rate. We looked at West Hartford as that seemed to tick a lot of boxes, but it's got very high property taxes.

Our budget is probably @ 500K depending on the property taxes. We want something small (1,500 sf or under) - preferably something on one floor. We'd consider a condo as long as the regime/HOA wasn't astronomical. We'd prefer a newish build, but am not sure that's as abundant as it is in the south. We'd probably rent for a while before we buy, so a place with nice, modern apartments would be a plus.

We'd move back to Newburyport in a heartbeat, as the quality of life was great, but we are priced out of that market now. I was looking at Wallingford, seems on the surface to be a possibility? Essex looks adorable but maybe too small to offer all we want?

Just curious - where is the nearest international airport? We do like to travel now and then domestically and to Europe and here very few of the flights are direct since the airport, although "international" is tiny.

Macalan, the town you live in now is very hard to beat as far as what you get for the cost and friendliness. West Hartford actually comes close to similar what you are use to. If I am not mistaken you sre in Mount p right? Taxes sre higher but similar beauty is there with being close to airport, hospital ect. Right after West Hartford it would be between Fairfield and milford. Milford cheaper but both won't be a drastic change other than traffic in 95 which makes hwy17 and 526 a cakewalk.

[macalan]

Originally Posted by ayoskillz

Macalan, the town you live in now is very hard to beat as far as what you get for the cost and friendliness. West Hartford actually comes close to similar what you are use to. If I am not mistaken you sre in Mount p right? Taxes sre higher but similar beauty is there with being close to airport, hospital ect. Right after West Hartford it would be between Fairfield and milford. Milford cheaper but both won't be a drastic change other than traffic in 95 which makes hwy17 and 526 a cakewalk.

Yes, we are in Mt P. Not everyone here is friendly. There's a lot of the "Yankee Go Home" stuff from the locals that goes on and people thinking you are a left wing Louie because you're from New England. Luckily our subdivision is mostly transplants so very welcoming. Everyone wants to make friends.

But yes, the RE prices and property taxes are way lower - we pay @ $1,600 for a 1,500 sf house. There are also numerous exemptions - 15K credit on income tax if over 65, and 50K off home assessment for property tax if over 65. I know that CT taxes social security which is a bummer. If I remember, it's over 100K AGI for a couple and some sort of credit but I don't remember the details.

So we have to factor all of this in - is it worth moving for a more amenable social/political climate, with no hurricanes to speak of and fewer venomous snakes, in exchange for snowy and cold winters, higher property taxes and housing prices, less newer housing options, and social security taxes? Always a tough decision.

We aren't about to doing anything during COVID. We'll likely plan a trip next year and just see what things look like. We're in no hurry.

[Stylo]

We get hurricanes, just not as often.

[missionhill]

A similar macalan thread: Vibrant towns on the Connecticut shoreline. You've really been working hard to escape from South Carolina. I love Newburyport too, and had a pleasant family get-together in Portsmouth earlier this summer. Such nice places to live. I might like Newburyport even more than Portsmouth; it's so beautiful and livable and, relative to most places in the US, has survived the past 80 years of automobile-centric urban planning with minimal damage. Good luck; with all the work you put into it these past few years you deserve the best Newburyport equivalent you can find.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

We get hurricanes, just not as often.

And as evidenced by recent events, as well as a pattern of events in the past decade or so, the northeast has many severe weather events that can often be worse than a low category hurricane.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by macalan

So we have to factor all of this in - is it worth moving for a more amenable social/political climate, with no hurricanes to speak of and fewer venomous snakes, in exchange for snowy and cold winters, higher property taxes and housing prices, less newer housing options, and social security taxes? Always a tough decision.

Will your retirment savings and income be substantial enough to afford northeast taxes and COL comfortably? only you can answer that question
Have you looked into the Myrtle Beach area? Very liberal relatives moved there last year and love it. From my observations it's less church and more accepting to outsiders. There is also quite a bit of racial diversity and harmony than the usual southern stereotypes. More so than even CT which has zero interracial connections.

Originally Posted by ayoskillz

Macalan, the town you live in now is very hard to beat as far as what you get for the cost and friendliness. West Hartford actually comes close to similar what you are use to. If I am not mistaken you sre in Mount p right? Taxes sre higher but similar beauty is there with being close to airport, hospital ect. Right after West Hartford it would be between Fairfield and milford. Milford cheaper but both won't be a drastic change other than traffic in 95 which makes hwy17 and 526 a cakewalk.

If the 50K popluation is a hard stop, Milford, Fairfield and W Hartford are out. They surpass 50K and look and feel even bigger, though Milford post rd would feel right at home if they're used to the 17 Business thorofare.
You don't get anything in Fairfeld worth its weight in salt under 5. Maybe in the densest areas where you look out the front window and 7 people are staring you in the face.

[Stylo]

Population alone isn’t a thorough indicator. Both Fairfield and Milford have lower population density than Newburyport.

[macalan]

Originally Posted by missionhill

A similar macalan thread: Vibrant towns on the Connecticut shoreline. You've really been working hard to escape from South Carolina. I love Newburyport too, and had a pleasant family get-together in Portsmouth earlier this summer. Such nice places to live. I might like Newburyport even more than Portsmouth; it's so beautiful and livable and, relative to most places in the US, has survived the past 80 years of automobile-centric urban planning with minimal damage. Good luck; with all the work you put into it these past few years you deserve the best Newburyport equivalent you can find.

Ha ha. Stalking me are you?

Newburyport is a special place. Wishing now we had rented our house instead of selling it and we would just come back. I don't think a milder weather Newburyport exists.

[macalan]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Will your retirment savings and income be substantial enough to afford northeast taxes and COL comfortably? only you can answer that question
Have you looked into the Myrtle Beach area? Very liberal relatives moved there last year and love it. From my observations it's less church and more accepting to outsiders. There is also quite a bit of racial diversity and harmony than the usual southern stereotypes. More so than even CT which has zero interracial connections.




If the 50K popluation is a hard stop, Milford, Fairfield and W Hartford are out. They surpass 50K and look and feel even bigger, though Milford post rd would feel right at home if they're used to the 17 Business thorofare.
You don't get anything in Fairfeld worth its weight in salt under 5. Maybe in the densest areas where you look out the front window and 7 people are staring you in the face.

Thx for the info. Not a fan of Myrtle Beach.