Retirement towns along the maryland and delaware coast (Long Neck, Rehoboth Beach: for sale, leasing)

[fawltynote]

I live in Philly and want to retire to a slightly warmer climate so i'm considering the area between Rehoboth Beach Delaware and Ocean City Maryland. Living by the water is ideal but I would prefer the bay over the beach since I plan to have a small boat. I want to live in a safe place away from those larger resort towns. I'm willing to live with neighbors close by in exchange for a spot on the water. Being able to work for a few years is something that interests me while remaining not too far from Philly. I look forward to comments.

[longneckone]

First of all I would suggest that you take the time to read through the similar threads here on CD. There is a lot of info here on the Delaware forum. I moved to Delaware from the Phila area many years ago.What type of housing are you looking for? I live on Long Neck which is a peninsula between Indian River Bay and Rehoboth Bay. This area is mostly upscale mobile home communities. First we do have ground rent and it does go up every year. Our park offers 1200 boat slips. I very much enjoy walking my dogs along the bay during the shoulder seasons when it is less crowded. I know what many folks think when they hear mobile home park. The major operator in this area is Tunnel Communities (PotNets.com).They do some serious checking before leasing a lot to someone. There are strict requirements for maintaining a property. There are many ponds, trails,pools,some nice marsh areas and of course Paradise Grill providing waterfront food ,drink and live entertainment in season. The public areas are beautifully maintained and landscaped. For someone who wants to work the are many sesonal jobs. Not so much year around.
Hope this helps.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by fawltynote

I live in Philly and want to retire to a slightly warmer climate so i'm considering the area between Rehoboth Beach Delaware and Ocean City Maryland. Living by the water is ideal but I would prefer the bay over the beach since I plan to have a small boat. I want to live in a safe place away from those larger resort towns. I'm willing to live with neighbors close by in exchange for a spot on the water. Being able to work for a few years is something that interests me while remaining not too far from Philly. I look forward to comments.

I remember when Southside Johnny sold his place at Kitts Hummock along the Delaware Bay. We locals didn't even know he lived there until the sale showed up in the multi list. There are a lot of little beaches along the bay in Delaware, and the ones I'm mentioning are not considered "resort" or "high class" places. Since they are not, you can buy a nice bungalow on the water for $125,000, sometimes less, depending upon condition. (Woodland Beach, Kitts Hummock, Leipsic, Pickering Beach, Slaughter Beach, Bowers Beach, and so on as you head towards Sussex County). You own the land, the views are gorgeous, but these are not lah-de-dah places. Within the past few years, the tiny cottages have begun to be replaced by 2-3 story new homes on piers. There are also Bay front lots for sale, and they run about $100,000 on up. I guess the downfall of these places I mention is, the horseshoe crabs that wash up on the shore certain times. But I'd rather have horseshoe crabs than a resort area with crowded beaches and shoulder-to-shoulder people. To each his own.

[fawltynote]

Appreciate your feedback and i was not aware initially about the ground rent but finding out it increases every year is kind of a turnoff but if it's a reasonable fee i could make it work. Sounds like a nice community so i'm going to research it more and will check out the Delaware forum also. I will be adopting a dog when i finally retire so just wondering if the properties have fenced in yards. I'm not retiring for several years but thanks again for the info provided.

[fawltynote]

Thanks for the info because i have not heard of these places so this is exactly what i need to help with my choice.

[longneckone]

Originally Posted by fawltynote

Appreciate your feedback and i was not aware initially about the ground rent but finding out it increases every year is kind of a turnoff but if it's a reasonable fee i could make it work. Sounds like a nice community so i'm going to research it more and will check out the Delaware forum also. I will be adopting a dog when i finally retire so just wondering if the properties have fenced in yards. I'm not retiring for several years but thanks again for the info provided.

Yes there are fenced properties. No privacy fences and height limits.

[nuts2uiam]

I will only comment on the temperature. Generally speaking I on average we are 2 degrees warmer. It seems like Philly is a lot colder but two sights I looked at seem to indicate it is only 2 degrees. Could of fooled me.

[fawltynote]

Originally I was considering NC which could still be a possibility but southern DE or northern MD will provide milder and shorter winters and very little snow.

[EnjoyEveryDay]

Rehoboth Beach has averaged 9.6" of snowfall a year over the past 30 years, with 74% of that falling during January and February. Philadelphia has averaged 22.4" annually over the same period.

The snow tends to melt pretty quickly here so most of the time one sees grass, not snow, in the winter. Makes sense given the average high/low Rehoboth Beach temperature is 45/28 degrees in January, and 47/30 degrees in February.

[rdlr]

Here's a snow report for the 2016 blizzard. In Kent County, Woodside had 17 inches. Still nothing like in my younger years when we had 2-3-4 feet of snow, with drifts half way up the side of the barn. And, nothing like being snowed in on a farm, with a L-O-N-G lane, and due to have a baby!
Maryland & Delaware Snow Totals Winter Storm Jonas 2016 | Heavy.com