JerseyJeff

My fiancee and I are going to northern Delaware this weekend to check out the area for a possible move next year. I am looking to live in/near Wilmington. We are interested in purchasing a new home. Do any of you know of any builders or new communities that we should check out? Any areas I should avoid?

I am totally clueless when it comes to Delaware so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The ridiculous property taxes and general cost of living so close to NYC is the main reason for the move.

anothercls

Have you considered living in the Beckett area in NJ? This would keep you in NJ, and in convenient location for access to DE and PA. I would only suggest the area if you need to be close to things but also want a less congested area than DE.

JerseyJeff

Well I would rather live in northern Delaware than commute from NJ because of the tax breaks. I'll check it out though.

Thanks!

zeroday

I live in North Wilmington. Bought a house there last year. Not many new communities being built other than a few townhomes and 600k$+ toll brothers houses. The problem is for the most part, they've run out of land to build on. Most homes in North Delaware are 40-50 years old. There was a housing boom back then in the area and they pretty much used up all the land. There aren't too many houses for sale right now, but if you look hard you'll find some. Most houses in my neighborhood sell within a few days of being put on the market...but this time of year things slow down a little. What's your price range? That plays a huge role in determining where you should look.

JerseyJeff

Wilmington is one area where we are looking along with Newark and New Castle. My max price is around 350K.

We are meeting up with a new home builder on Saturday that has a community in Newark.

zeroday

You def. get more for your $ in newark and newcastle. wilmington is more expensive because of its proximity to philly etc. My buddy lives in Newark and he's very happy there. He loves all the college girls

elliot

I was born in Wilmington and went to school in Newark. My cousins and grandmother live in Wilmington still. Can't beat it! Beautiful suburban town.

My fiancee and I are looking into downtown Philly on Saturday (with a realtor) to get out of NJ. Property taxes are nuts up here and Philly real estate market is relatively cheap.

Look at <= 385.

JerseyJeff

I found some brand new communities in Newark and it does look like you get more for your money there. Hopefully I'll see something good on Saturday. College girls, eh?

JerseyJeff

I'm sure the property taxes in West Orange are high also. I don't think I would consider the Philly area. My plan is to move away from the big cities to a slightly more relaxed environment. Right now, I'm 10 minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel and it's a great location so close to the city and so much to do but I need a change.

ric

Philly's real estate taxes are great, but be careful about the implications of the City Wage Tax on residents. That may come close to "making up the difference".

That said, take a look at Fairmount (sometimes still called Brewerytown)(north of Fairmount Avenue running to Poplar/Girard and, variously, running east to Broad Street., the Art Museum District (Below Fairmount to the Parkway), Northern Liberties (only if you both have cars) - (A pocket of gentrification surrounded by crapped out industrial detritus and slums) and Bella Vista/Queen's Villiage (south and west of Queen's Village). Most of Center City is priced out for individual homes. We just sold our home in Fairmount.......for a little more than 4x what we paid for it.

Assets to urban living: Walk a lot, get to places easily, "urban village"
Limits: parking is insane and/or expensive, some people are edgy about crime (we weren't after we installed an alarm system), and the city is dusty and for some, noisy.

We moved from the Fairmount district to a highrise for health reasons, but at this point, wouldn't live anywhere else but in Center City or its immediate environs.

ric

There is a section of Wilminton called Trolley Square, I believe, that has a nice mix of old homes and some new construction. Older "urban neighborhood", located next to a park, close to freeway access. Myw ife and I looked there when I was considering a job in Baltimore and she would have continued to work in Philly.

JerseyJeff

Thanks, I'll check that out.