[tpalagan]

My fiancé and I have federal jobs lined up in Williston. We are a young late 20s couple w/out kids moving from DC. We love the VT area and believe it fits our lifestyle better than DC.

We want to find an area that has a walkable town/downtown center w/shops, pubs, etc., while having an opportunity to make new friends through co-ed sports leagues or other means. Moreover, we want to max out our income for savings by living in an area that is not highly taxed and is generally cheaper to live. We can easily live in Burlington, but generally, it appears to be more expensive to live. Montpelier seems to be generally cheaper for groceries and other items. Are there any other pockets out there w/in driving distance to Williston we should look into that meets the criteria listed above? Also, any recommended realtors would be greatly appreciated.

[vter]

Check out Waterbury - located halfway between Montpelier and Burlington. There are a couple really good restaurants & pubs in town.
Bristol might be another option if you don't mind a 45 minute commute on secondary roads. Small, walkable downtown core with good restaurants. Same could be said about Vergennes. About a 45 minutes commute as well.

[mustmove]

Living in VT and saving money- Good luck.

[vter]

Mustmove....we do it. It's not impossible. We both have jobs, have a modest house, and save a lot for the future.

To the OP: One thing to consider is gas prices.....even though housing is more expensive in greater Burlington, keep in mind the amount of gas you'll burn through with a 60 mile round trip commute daily. Gotta do some number crunching.

[flu189]

I work with two folks from Montpelier and their property tax rates are very high. Also, Montpelier apparently has some quirky zoning/permitting regulations which fiscally bite you. One of my colleagues did a basic remodel on his house adding some square footage and the permits, time, and aggravation was literally "taxing." He also was required to install a sprinkler system in the remodeled section. Mind you, this a private home, no business, day care, elder care, etc. Anyway, for some folks it might be wise to research more in depth on rules and regulations which might potentially affect you. Burlington recently had a similar nightmare in the news for a small business owner which converted the old army navy store into a coffee shop. Without getting into details, the basic problem here involved the right not knowing what the left was doing when it comes the multitude of enforcing agencies governing the permitting process. Now for the question of affordability. Only you and you yourself know what your total dependable gross income is from whatever sources it may be derived from. It is absolutely essential that you do a straight forward and honest assessment of your mandatory expenses and then also add a realistic expectation for discretionary spending which of course varies from family to family. Is it possible to save? Yes, if your realistic net income exceeds your mandatory obligations. Please take into account also that many expenses can, have, and will exceed your estimates. Energy, food, and healthcare are good examples which despite my careful accounting and expectations have risen far more in my three years here than I would have dreamed. Also, do not assume that state and local taxes will stabilize, as doing so can very well dent even the most of disciplined budgets. So, in a nutshell, if your income supports your desired lifestyle to include paying yourself first (savings/retirement, etc), then congradulations and best of luck. If not, then you should face reality and assume the risk for your decisions and perhaps alter your desires and plans.

[MRVphotog]

About a year ago Montpelier did a city-wide reappraisal. There was such an outcry over the increases in property taxes due to increased valuations that the City Council totally dropped the reappraisal and will try again at a later date.

[vter]

We don't call it Monpeculiar for nothing

[IrishDavemulleady]

Hello folks,

Congrats on deciding to make the move to Vermont. It's a great place. My wife and I moved back about a year ago. She was born here and wanted to come home. It's also 3000 miles closer to home for me.
MOD CUT: NO realtor advertising
Cheers,
Irish Dave

[citylover94]

You should look at Burlington VT. a very walkable downtown plenty of stores, pubs, etc. One thing to remember is in the more populated parts of our state housing in general can be very expensive onsidering that you could be in a small town and a condo could cost close to 200,000 dollars.

[jenny1951]

I second Burlington and the nearby towns. I wouldn't want to commute from Montpelier to Burlington during the winter months. You have to pass over some high elevations on the interstate. As another poster pointed out, gas is a huge factor these days as well. Good luck on your move! Vermont is a great place to live.