Moving to Massachusetts (Andover, Winchester, Florida: rent, employment, new construction)

[CrowGirl]

Originally Posted by Steed3003

Pennsylvania definitely turned out to be nice surprise since we have indeed plenty of options within our requirements, same with Maryland. We're currently revewing options in North Virginia.

I'm a little late to the party here but I have lived in both MA and PA and if your job allows you to live anywhere in the northern East Coast states PA is a great choice. You will get more for your housing dollar and the weather is a bit more moderate. You are also in easy driving distance from all of the major NE US cities. PA is beautiful, and taxes are a bit lower too. Schools are good in both generally. My choice after that would be VA. That's where DH and I are looking to retire. Event more mild climate, better tax structure, access to the Blude Ridge Mountains and other outdoor activities. And even better bang for your housing buck than either MA or PA.

Good luck OP! Like others I love London and appreciate what you are trying to do. My family is from England and I have a cousin that lived in Islington for many years and a dear friend in the Crouch End. You won't find anything comparable in the NE really but pieces of it. Decide what you find most important (eg restaurants, access to great parks, etc.) and go from there. One of the many awesome things here is that the place is so darn big you will have access to pretty much anything depending on how accessible you want. If skiing is important and you have to be on the East Coast, veer not with access to NH and VT. If hiking is the bigger thing, you're OK most placesoutscide of downtown NYC ans Boston. Do you care about the legalization of marijuana? Check out the state, because it varies. Mix and match if you have the choice.

[Hollytree]

Originally Posted by Steed3003

Thank you all for taking the time to make recommendations.

As an earlier poster mentioned, we are looking more than Massachussets, our search area covers from north Massachussets down to north Virginia. From the comments posted here and discussions we had on separate topics on options in other states, we understand Maryland or Pennsylvania will provide better options for our search criteria and our budget than Massachussets will, mostly because of the prices.

Be very careful about neighborhood in both states. A good neighborhood in Virginia is going to cost a lot. The Washington DC commuters go as far out as northern and even West Virginia- a different state- since DC area prices are so high.

PA ranges from the gorgeous to the crime ridden. So be very careful there as well. Of course you're doing your homework, but I can imagine how hard it would be to research moving to a very large foreign country. People think of the US as big and bland, but there is little homogeneity.

Good luck to you.

[Remy11]

All hope might not be lost! Amesbury, MA. (45 minutes north of Boston/Logan airport) is a GREAT town. Cute downtown and close to the local beaches. Also, right off of 495 and 95, which are both major highways.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...3_M42394-87020

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Hollytree

Be very careful about neighborhood in both states. A good neighborhood in Virginia is going to cost a lot. The Washington DC commuters go as far out as northern and even West Virginia- a different state- since DC area prices are so high.

PA ranges from the gorgeous to the crime ridden. So be very careful there as well. Of course you're doing your homework, but I can imagine how hard it would be to research moving to a very large foreign country. People think of the US as big and bland, but there is little homogeneity.

Good luck to you.

How are they different from any other state? And there's a lot more to Virginia than the DC area, much of which is significantly more affordable.

[bizcuit]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

English weather is not perfect but it's not the gray and dreary stereotype either. My husband is from England and he can't stand the summers here, gave up gardening because "it's too hot to grow anything." He only tolerates our winters because he spent three years working in Winnipeg and THAT was cold!

But he first arrived here through immigration on a January day wearing what WE would wear probably in October-November. I remember I had to take him to the Kittery outlet (in Maine) to get him a winter jacket.

I've stayed with my relatives in England and they said they DO get a tiny bit of snow but never enough to prevent them from getting into the car and going somewhere. They probably can sweep the snow away with a broom!

Also, yeh the Brits are in love with the south of Spain and other hot semi tropical locales. There are cheap flights, that's part of it, and it's a getaway, plus they probably do get bored with warmish 70s weather all summer long. Oh, did I say it doesn't get dark until 10pm in the summer? Loooong warm or nearly hot summer days in England.

Due to the pandemic many were forced to stay in their own country and they started to take "stay cations" which, to them, mean going on holiday right there in England. With some of them, little did they know that England has its own gorgeous beaches and campsites, especially if they go to beautiful Cornwall. Most of them know about Devon, in the south of England. Incidentally, dh and I sat outside in late MARCH a few years ago eating our fish and chips by the beach in Devon. Of course it was too cool to go in the water but people were walking the beach and no one was wearing a jacket. Flowers were in full bloom everywhere and palm trees lent a tropical air.

Another relative explained to me that they have a moderate climate--not really hot in summer, not really cold in winter, whereas WE have a climate of extremes. Some Brits think it's all Florida weather here, lol. I met a few at the Cape one Christmas and they looked really confused and asked me where the beaches were. Anyway, they wouldn't like Florida or most east coast weather during the hot muggy summers but they tend to to be naive about the extreme weather conditions on this side of the pond. Better to be fore warned!

The End.

The UK has just about the perfect weather for me. I hate the hot, don't mind the cold as much, but I get tired of all of the snow as it limits getting out to walk with my dogs. I wish it was a simple thing to retire there. I would, if I could!

I am one person who is not hoping to retire to the South anyway. I'm pretty happy with Northampton overall, so I am planning to stay here.

[Hollytree]

Originally Posted by massnative71

How are they different from any other state? And there's a lot more to Virginia than the DC area, much of which is significantly more affordable.

I'm sure the OP understands and interprets what I write very well.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Hollytree

I'm sure the OP understands and interprets what I write very well.

Your post was not confusing to read, but misleading (hence the need to add my own part to that).



To clarify...OP you need to do your due diligence in any state in the USA (including Massachusetts). That said, Pennsylvania and Virginia both provide far better options for your budget.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Your post was not confusing to read, but misleading (hence the need to add my own part to that).



To clarify...OP you need to do your due diligence in any state in the USA (including Massachusetts). That said, Pennsylvania and Virginia both provide far better options for your budget.

I thought it was fairly accurate about NoVA. The blue chip suburbs commutable to DC are really expensive. The OP isn’t going to find a house in horse county that is anywhere near their price point.

Philly has less upper middle class jobs. There are lots of options that meet their price point 45 minutes outside of Philly.

[tovarisch]

Just remember, OP (to echo Bizcuit and some others): Mass. is much more than just the Boston area. House prices go way down as you move west, and there are plenty of fine communities in the other parts of the state.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

Just remember, OP (to echo Bizcuit and some others): Mass. is much more than just the Boston area. House prices go way down as you move west, and there are plenty of fine communities in the other parts of the state.

They want to be within an hour of a good international airport. That limits the options.