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I have less than two years to retirement and with most of our family and friends still in RI we have toyed with the idea of getting a really small place for the summers to cool off and visit.
A small place anywhere within a mile or two from salt water are considered particularly desirable in the age of Covid-19. Rhode Island's relatively close proximity to high income urban areas & lower prices (still) make it the no-brainer as a get-away spot. Even our lake cottages are getting a look from this crowd.
A small place anywhere within a mile or two from salt water are considered particularly desirable in the age of Covid-19. Rhode Island's relatively close proximity to high income urban areas & lower prices (still) make it the no-brainer as a get-away spot. Even our lake cottages are getting a look from this crowd.
I would love to find a small no frills home in Chepachet or West Greenwich but those days of affordable second homes for the middle class are gone from what I see.
I always think back of those small summer cottages at Johnsons Pond and how inexpensive they were in the 80's.
I would love to find a small no frills home in Chepachet or West Greenwich but those days of affordable second homes for the middle class are gone from what I see.
I always think back of those small summer cottages at Johnsons Pond and how inexpensive they were in the 80's.
inexpensive Johnson's Pond houses may be history, but a small in-the-woods cottage in western RI is still affordable to most budgets. I had a small 1930's log cabin years ago in Glocester. Down a long driveway off of Snake Hill Rd. The living room had a grand 18 ft open ceiling & stone fireplace. Living room, kitchen w/1 bedroom & 1 bathroom. Anyway, they're still out there, it just takes some looking.
Seller's Market. Real Estate 101. Simple to understand.
The fact is, it's not "Real Estate 101" or "simple". Just like the current stock market, the current real estate market doesn't make any damn sense....and nobody could have accurately predicted either.
inexpensive Johnson's Pond houses may be history, but a small in-the-woods cottage in western RI is still affordable to most budgets. I had a small 1930's log cabin years ago in Glocester. Down a long driveway off of Snake Hill Rd. The living room had a grand 18 ft open ceiling & stone fireplace. Living room, kitchen w/1 bedroom & 1 bathroom. Anyway, they're still out there, it just takes some looking.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Originally Posted by independent man
inexpensive Johnson's Pond houses may be history, but a small in-the-woods cottage in western RI is still affordable to most budgets. I had a small 1930's log cabin years ago in Glocester. Down a long driveway off of Snake Hill Rd. The living room had a grand 18 ft open ceiling & stone fireplace. Living room, kitchen w/1 bedroom & 1 bathroom. Anyway, they're still out there, it just takes some looking.
Understanding the current demand is a different story. It's anything but simple.
I posed the question of "current demand" to a successful Jamestown Realtor yesterday. He said he is busier now than at any time in the last 30 years. Why? It was his general view that buyers, who are in a position to buy now, are looking to move to relative safety. From less safe Cavid-19 environments to those perceived to be more safe. He said, Rhode island, and particularly Jamestown are perceived to be "more" safe. To be clear: It's Cavid-19 safety only. Nothing to do with any kind of criminality perception.
Buyers to JTN are coming from everywhere in the northeast. From New York, Boston, Philly, DC & other RI locales. As well as several locals moving around the island. Buyers are for both full time & summer/weekend houses. Prices are reflecting a market with considerably more buyers than sellers. Realtors are begging for sellers. More than ever, a few are even buying virtually, site unseen; with the CDC regulations impacting the ease and safety of on site showings.
This is the view of one Realtor in one town. Purely anecdotal. Other places may be experiencing very different circumstances.
Also, interest rates are at record lows. This allows anyone needing a mortgage to qualify for the lowest monthly payment..... perhaps ever.
FWIW, my wife and I are originally from New York, and moved to RI about two years ago to retire. No place is perfect, but so far it's exceeded our expectations and we love it.
To throw my 2 cents into the mix of comments on your questions -
-What area/s have the best public school districts? Are non-religious private schools common or is the public school system good enough?
As others have said, Barrington and East Greenwich are the best, though other communities are not bad either, such as Bristol/Warren, or many of the communities along the West Bay.
-Are there areas with active Jewish communities? I'm not necessarily expecting Brooklyn, or South Florida, but it is still important for us to have that.
This was important for us as well. We live on the East Bay, and feel comfortable here. The communities will naturally be more active and plentiful in areas with larger populations, such as Providence itself, and the West Bay communities.
-Our ideal 'idea' of a place to live would be within 30 minutes of Providence or Newport where we could have more land, at least half an acre (we're lucky to have 1/8th in the neighborhood we live in), or does that conflict with good school districts / more active Jewish population?
It depends on how much you can afford to spend. In the East Bay communities (Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton, Little Compton, etc.) it's not hard to find almost as much land as you want, 1 acre or more, and be within 30 minutes of both Providence and Newport. Half an acre is doable in the West Bay, but you would have to pay more because of the greater population. It's even possible on Aquidneck Island itself (Newport/Portsmouth/Middletown), but would be expensive.
-Outside of having higher property taxes, and a state income tax, are there any other general cost-of-living things to take into account?
As you should expect, the better the schools, the higher the taxes. Many consider Barrington to have the best public schools in the state, and they also have correspondingly the highest property taxes. You get what you pay for.
-How are the public golf courses?
They exist, there are two within 5 miles of us on the East Bay, but I've never golfed and can't speak to the 'quality'.
We searched the entire east coast from Baltimore to Maine for where to retire. For us, RI was the best combination (again, no place is perfect). On the South Coast (RI coastline and southern MA) the winters are generally mild (it's a nice little micro-climate here). Last year we had about 3" of snow all winter, and the year before about 8" (it's averaged about 20" annually, but all bets are off due to global warming).
We found the towns along both sides of Narragansett Bay (East and West) to be the most appealing. We didn't want to 'hustle and bustle' of 'city' life, even though Providence is a fairly small city. But, we wanted to be close to be able to get to city culture without having to drive too far. The West Bay towns are a little more 'cosmopolitan' and populated than the East Bay, more stores/shopping etc. The East Bay is quieter, less populated, less expensive, more historic charm and quaintness. Boston is about an hour away from either. People have been friendly and accepting, we've made many good friends in a short time (though, like most of New England, unless you're 3rd generation (or more) native, you'll always be 'from away').
Good luck!
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