OT: Real Estate Question - Toms River/Brick and area

[e5fdny]

In Wilmington- part of the higher DE tax cost is that they do have the largest FD in the State, one of the largest PD's etc...I am looking at a HOA that does do the garbage collection. HOA is only $300 a year.
Self-contained neighborhood- restaurants, stores, etc - the only downside is that the lots are very small. But the homes have a ton of character. It feels like you walked into a X-Mas movie.

For you two, as it's what you're used to. For others, I bet it's fine.

And I linked all those things for others in the thread. Every agency is paid, not volunteer.

So even if you weren't in a HOA or a gated community...your trash gets picked up, a cop drives by your house and if you have something else, a fire or a medical emergency, your wait time will be reasonable.

Not bad for $4K a year.

 

[jaydogsmooth1]

Don't say I didn't warn you. HOA stands for Horrific Overreacting Autocrats.

Good luck with that. Never again. I'd rather live in a slum than a place run by an HOA.

Like most things in life, it depends on individual experiences
My parents moved down to FL and have been in 2 separate neighborhoods w/HOA's

Both have been great, good people running them, and nobody gets out of line, yentas kept to a minimum
Yards look pristine, houses in order, nobody parking on the street, trash comes at 8am and cans have to be in by noon

Annoying at times, but like a certain organization that flourished until Guiliani came along, as long as everybody stays in line and plays by the rules, there's no issues

The elephant in the room are twofold - new leadership which will eventually come in, and the monthly costs

like taxes, the monthly HOA costs only go up - and unlike taxes, you can't write them off
And you're not getting more bang for your buck - they still cut the lawn 1/x week, trim trees 1/quarter, etc.

If new leadership comes in and starts w/their own agenda, it could spell trouble

Those are the two great unknowns
What is known though is the neighborhood will always be neat and orderly, without any idiots mucking things up

 

[Knight Shift]

For you two, as it's what you're used to. For others, I bet it's fine.

And I linked all those things for others in the thread. Every agency is paid, not volunteer.

So even if you weren't in a HOA or a gated community...your trash gets picked up, a cop drives by your house and if you have something else, a fire or a medical emergency, your wait time will be reasonable.

Not bad for $4K a year.

In Sedona, we have all of the above.
Never seen a police officer drive through our neighborhood. Rarely see them anywhere.
Fire stations are fairly spread out and response times vary.
Nearest hospital is quite a distance from most of Sedona, and if you need a doctor for a medical emergency, that makes a difference.
The last one is our bigggest concern.

Not sure about Wilmington.

 

[greenknight]

Myself- I have no issue with the Orthodox and their religion. (OK- nothing to do with religion (as it is more of a hostile take over business to them)but some of the lifestyle is bothersome) But, if I am going to purchase a home- the market does get affected by what happens in areas they target to take over. The local government also gets taken over completely. Public Parks and lands also become mismanaged.
I just wouldn't want to spend $500k + and have the headache of it all and then, not be able to sell.

Problem is they are awful drivers and lack car insurance so going that direction plan to play bumper cars. My wife's cousin & my friend from work live side by side in Anchorage section lagoon by the bay. It's very nice there. Are the biker gangs/section 8' still in that area

 

[fsg2]

In Sedona, we have all of the above.
Never seen a police officer drive through our neighborhood. Rarely see them anywhere.
Fire stations are fairly spread out and response times vary.
Nearest hospital is quite a distance from most of Sedona, and if you need a doctor for a medical emergency, that makes a difference.
The last one is our bigggest concern.

Not sure about Wilmington.

So can you shoot the javelinas yourself if needed?

 

[Knight Shift]

So can you shoot the javelinas yourself if needed?

Think they are bullet proof. Things are scarier than mountain lions.

 

[e5fdny]

In Sedona, we have all of the above.
Never seen a police officer drive through our neighborhood. Rarely see them anywhere.
Fire stations are fairly spread out and response times vary.
Nearest hospital is quite a distance from most of Sedona, and if you need a doctor for a medical emergency, that makes a difference.
The last one is our bigggest concern.

Not sure about Wilmington.

Not really an issue vs. the Wild West and the space.

 

[yesrutgers01]

For you two, as it's what you're used to. For others, I bet it's fine.

And I linked all those things for others in the thread. Every agency is paid, not volunteer.

So even if you weren't in a HOA or a gated community...your trash gets picked up, a cop drives by your house and if you have something else, a fire or a medical emergency, your wait time will be reasonable.

Not bad for $4K a year.

many of the lots are under .23 acre...and the houses are large. They do their best to make sure the neighbor does not have a window space directly in your outside space. It isn't what I am used to but this specific neighborhood has so much unique character, it may be worth it.

The HOA is literally $30 a month. And they don't restrict too much. Certain types of fences. Any after build addon's do need to fit the footprint of the "lot" and what could have been an option on the new construction. These are brand new homes, so you have already pretty much selected most things you want anyway.

 

[jaydogsmooth1]

many of the lots are under .23 acre...and the houses are large. They do their best to make sure the neighbor does not have a window space directly in your outside space. It isn't what I am used to but this specific neighborhood has so much unique character, it may be worth it.

The HOA is literally $30 a month. And they don't restrict too much. Certain types of fences. Any after build addon's do need to fit the footprint of the "lot" and what could have been an option on the new construction. These are brand new homes, so you have already pretty much selected most things you want anyway.

Even if it went up 10x in the next ~15 years, it's still feasible and that (along with your property taxes in DE) would be a fraction of what you'd be paying in NJ
Win/win in my book