Moving To VT!!!! (Soon, I hope)

[Ski Diva]

Well, we finally did it -- we put our house in PA on the market, and as soon as it sells, we'll be moving to Vermont full time. As it stands now, we're there Sunday through Wednesday throughout the winter . But this'll be ALL VERMONT, ALL THE TIME!!!!

I'm so excited. Wish us luck!!

 

[riverc0il]

best of luck! i am a recent transplant from MA, no regrets. but you do sacrifice a lot, you don't really know what you have til' it is gone. but definitely no regrets. where abouts are you moving to in VT?

 

[nelsapbm]

Ditto to Riv's comments...where are you moving to? Do you have jobs lined up? Welcome!

 

[skibum1321]

Burlington area is a great place to live. I don't know if I could deal with the rest of VT as a full time residence...

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Burlington area is a great place to live. I don't know if I could deal with the rest of VT as a full time residence...

Vermont is the greatest place to live but I know I could not deal with the traffic and crowds as a full time resident of Burlington. We drive there for the shopping and a night out once in awhile but then it's back to the small towns, calming views, mellow attitude and the peace and quiet of living on a dirt road. Depends on what your personal preferences are.

 

[nelsapbm]

Observer...I always have a chuckle when I hear folks complain about traffic in Burlington. After living in Boston for 6 years before coming back, I sure as heck don't complain about traffic in Burlington LOL! It's all relative. I find the traffic in Williston the worst-Tafts Corners has got to be the biggest planning you-know-what in the state of Vermont! I actually live out in the country as thats what I prefer (I spend a LOT of time in SBurl though, hence the location on my profile).

 

[riverc0il]

as much as i love burlington, i definitely wouldn't want to reside in the city. i could probably deal with commuting from 10 miles out where all the suburb development stops (the burbs of VT, lol). just read the front page of the free press last week which featured an article about property values doubling and tripling in the area. it is the same in the NEK, but prices are rediculous in burlington for real estate! a lot of the land values in burlington area are higher than many typical suberb neighborhoods of boston, unreal. and the development keeps a going, cause everyone seems to realize it is a great area of VT that puts a city right next to amazing recreational persuits. not too mention it is the most progressive city this side of san francisco, heh! regarding the traffic, i don't know if i could deal with it after having lived without traffic for a year now. even though it is minor compared to boston, it just doesn't sit right with me up here whereas in boston i have come to expect and accept traffic issues. everything is relative, so burlington traffic could actually feel worse than boston to a boston native.

 

[thetrailboss]

a lot of the land values in burlington area are higher than many typical suberb neighborhoods of boston, unreal.

Where did you see this? If you are referring to certain places, like Ferrisburgh or Shelburne, yes, the values are high. But Boston is in a class of its own and MUCH higher than VT. In our Boston suburb, houses that needed work were going for no less than $500,000. In VT, the same house might go for $300K or so in Chittenden County.

Now if you are referring to the handful of "sucker priced" houses featured in VT Life, you're right. There are some very expensive places outside Burlington, but drawing this large of a generalization is not warranted. I don't think that Chittenden County is more than Wellesley, Needham, Natick, or Medford properties. Rentals are less that is for sure!

 

[Ski Diva]

Thanks for all your good wishes! We have a house in Plymouth (between Killington and Okemo) where we already spend a lot of time, and that's where we'll be moving. Right now our primary residence is in suburban Philadelphia, and we've watched the area change from semi-rural to a congested, traffic-ridden nightmare. It's just no fun living here anymore. I know we'll be giving up a number of things -- convenience to shopping, I guess, is number one -- but to us, that's also a plus.

Right now I'm not sure what we'll be doing, in terms of jobs. My husband has a novel coming out next February; it's being published by Random House, and they say it's going to be their lead title for the spring. So we'll have to see what happens with that. Hopefully, we'll get enough for our house here to see us through. The "For Sale" sign isn't even up yet, and I know the market's soft, so we'll just have to wait and see....

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Observer...I always have a chuckle when I hear folks complain about traffic in Burlington. After living in Boston for 6 years before coming back, I sure as heck don't complain about traffic in Burlington LOL! It's all relative. I find the traffic in Williston the worst-Tafts Corners has got to be the biggest planning you-know-what in the state of Vermont! I actually live out in the country as thats what I prefer (I spend a LOT of time in SBurl though, hence the location on my profile).

As was writing that I was thinking " I hope b_t_y doesn't take it personally". Your right, just got back from Boston, it's all relative. Laramie, Wy(pop 25,000) is the biggest town I have ever lived in so I guess I am a real hick. If I am driving up to Burlington from NY I always forget about the traffic and get stuck on Rt 7 crawling along those last 10 miles into town. The Rt 2 mess is also bad but not as long as coming into town on Rt 7 from the south during rushour.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Where did you see this? If you are referring to certain places, like Ferrisburgh or Shelburne, yes, the values are high. But Boston is in a class of its own and MUCH higher than VT. In our Boston suburb, houses that needed work were going for no less than $500,000. In VT, the same house might go for $300K or so in Chittenden County.

Now if you are referring to the handful of "sucker priced" houses featured in VT Life, you're right. There are some very expensive places outside Burlington, but drawing this large of a generalization is not warranted. I don't think that Chittenden County is more than Wellesley, Needham, Natick, or Medford properties. Rentals are less that is for sure!

As several have stated, it's all reletive. The most expensive areas in Boston are more expensive than the highest in Vermont but reletive to Vermont, Burlington, Jericho, Shelburne and Manchester are pretty expensive.

Our daughter had a soccer tournament in Mass over this past weekend. Games were at Babson College and Wellseley. Nice areas, gorgeous campuses and obsene real estate prices. The commuting would probably have me slitting my wrists within a week...lol

 

[nelsapbm]

The article River was talking about probalby referred to the reassesment in South Burlington. Many property values have doubled and tripled since '96. Starter homes in SB go for just over $200K. You can still get a condo here for under $200k, but they are usually older and smaller. I think there are now 8 million dollar properties now, most, if not all 8 on Vermont National.
Observer...there are ways to avoid Route 7...pm me for the details!
Anyway...to get back on topic...hope you guys have a successful move. If you need to find jobs, as you know, you'll most likely have to commute a ways and don't expect the payscales you would get down in the City.

 

[thetrailboss]

The article River was talking about probalby referred to the reassesment in South Burlington. Many property values have doubled and tripled since '96. Starter homes in SB go for just over $200K. You can still get a condo here for under $200k, but they are usually older and smaller. I think there are now 8 million dollar properties now, most, if not all 8 on Vermont National.

Same house in the Boston Market still pulls over $500k. Boston is more expensive.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Thanks for all your good wishes! We have a house in Plymouth (between Killington and Okemo) where we already spend a lot of time, and that's where we'll be moving. Right now our primary residence is in suburban Philadelphia, and we've watched the area change from semi-rural to a congested, traffic-ridden nightmare. It's just no fun living here anymore. I know we'll be giving up a number of things -- convenience to shopping, I guess, is number one -- but to us, that's also a plus.

Right now I'm not sure what we'll be doing, in terms of jobs. My husband has a novel coming out next February; it's being published by Random House, and they say it's going to be their lead title for the spring. So we'll have to see what happens with that. Hopefully, we'll get enough for our house here to see us through. The "For Sale" sign isn't even up yet, and I know the market's soft, so we'll just have to wait and see....

Sounds like you have things well in hand. I always considered Plymouth a sweet respite just far enough from traffic on Rt 4. Because of it's important place in Vermont's as well as the country's history I doubt it will ever change very much. It's a short drive to shopping and to skiing.

Keep us posted on your progress!

 

[skibum1321]

Same house in the Boston Market still pulls over $500k. Boston is more expensive.

Absolutely - it's not even close.

As everyone has said, it's all relative. Having grown up in the suburbs and now living in a city close to Boston (Malden), I could never imagine being so far from all the conveniences and entertainment that I've grown up with. That's why I love Burlington and its surrounding burbs - it's a fun place to live plus it has all the benefits of being really close to great skiing, biking and hiking.

 

[nelsapbm]

Boston is absolutly more expansive...it's all relative. A $250K house here in the Burlington area is out of reach for many, many folks. Salaries have not kept up with housing costs.
Anywho...maybe we should continue this discussion in misc
Re: Plymouth.....it's been years since I've been there. Not sure I've even ever been to the Coolidge homestead. Guess I better put that on my to do list for this summer!

 

[thetrailboss]

Misc. Good idea. This has not taken a skiing route. Moving now... :wink:

 

[riverc0il]

Where did you see this? If you are referring to certain places, like Ferrisburgh or Shelburne, yes, the values are high. But Boston is in a class of its own and MUCH higher than VT. In our Boston suburb, houses that needed work were going for no less than $500,000. In VT, the same house might go for $300K or so in Chittenden County.

tons of housing on the northshore was around $300k........

 

[riverc0il]

Same house in the Boston Market still pulls over $500k. Boston is more expensive.

true, but i never compared to the boston market. i was comparing burlington to some boston suburbs. just to clerify, i don't consider anything within the 128 belt as a boston suburb, that is all boston metro area.

 

[thetrailboss]

a lot of the land values in burlington area are higher than many typical suberb neighborhoods of boston, unreal.

tons of housing on the northshore was around $300k........

That's still higher.