West Hartford to Glastonbury
Many of the buyers I work with are hell bent on living in West Hartford. Well, at least they start out that way. West Hartford is attractive as a town for many reasons. It provides fairly good highway and major road access for commuting to Hartford and other towns. There are several shopping areas sprinkled throughout town that offer just about any store or restaurant cuisine you could want. There are lots of parks. The neighborhoods are walkable. Many buyers like the school system and just the feel that the town offers.
Then we start looking at houses in their price range, whatever that may be. We look at house after house and they determine that they can’t get one or two of the major things that they want in their price range. A family room. Or a larger yard. Or two and a half bathrooms. Or an updated kitchen. Or a 2-car garage. Or air conditioning. They start to feel like they can’t get what they want for the money they can spend. What to do? Typically they ratchet down their house expectations or give up on West Hartford and try to find a similar town where they can get more for their money.
And the town I find that competes the most with West Hartford when folks are in this situation? Glastonbury. Over the past few years I’ve seen this occur time and time again. My buyers pound their fists on the table that they’re so excited to buy in West Hartford. They eventually get depressed when they can’t find a house that meets their expectations and their budget. A colleague tells them that they live in Glastonbury and they should look there. So we do. And they end up buying in Glastonbury.
Glastonbury is similar to West Hartford in many respects; good road access for commuting, shopping and restaurants in town, walkable neighborhoods, nice parks. It is geographically larger than West Hartford (51 square miles versus 22 square miles) so more driving here and there is usually necessary. But typically it seems you can get more house (and a larger lot) for the money in Glastonbury. The average price per square foot for 2009 in Glastonbury was $163, compared to $167 in West Hartford. Property taxes are generally lower for houses of a similar size with similar amenities.
I’ve found this interesting over the years and am still seeing it today. Has anyone out there had similar experiences during their search?
I’ve recently been following your blog and find your entries pretty useful. With regard to this entry, I can totally agree with your view. I grew up in WH and owned a home there up until 2 yrs ago when we decided we needed to upgrade to accomodate our growing family. We opted to not look within WH due to the high cost and wanted a newer larger home w/some land. SWe started in Glastonbury, however,it seemed that we were seeing similiar homes as in WH that needed uodating, but did have more room to spreadout outside. Well, after 1 1/2 yrs searching various towns, we settled in colchester!! HOWEVER, we were missing WH before we even left. although we have a newer, larger, beautiful home, with acreage, we’re despretely missing the walkable neighborhoods, great food and shopping options as well as a more cultured community. It’s been a difficult 2 years and we’re still trying to adjust. We’ve talked about moving again and once again we’re back to considering WH and Glastonbury, but would prefer glastonbury for it’s more rural feel. We’ve been casually looking at homes, however, seem a bit discouraged in the offerings. All in all, having searched for homes 2 years ago and current listings, glastonbury seems to offer more for the $$ and you can in due time find a home with more newer options then in WH. Wish us luck!
Jennifer- thanks for reading and the feedback. Hope you end up wherever you’d be happiest.
This is interesting. I feel like West Hartford feels much more down to earth and accessible, and Glastonbury feels more like Avon, i.e. expensive tacky McMansions and need a car to get anywhere. Also, just my perception, West Hartford feels much more diverse. As a lifelong resident of Hartford, I would possibly consider moving to West Hartford if I found a really fabulous home in a great location, but I don’t think I would ever think about Glastonbury. Part of it is the east-of-the-river thing, part that Glastonbury just feels too much like the stereotypical ‘burbs, part that there just does not seem to be anything there. I do have a friend who, after looking at just about everything she could afford in Hartford, West Hartford, Newington, etc. bought a two bedroom at the Soap Factory condominium in Glastonbury and seems happy there. If I was dying for West Hartford but could not afford it, I would probably look at Bloomfield, or Hartford neighborhoods close to the West Hartford border.
Josh- I feel like the center area of Glastonbury is somewhat like West Hartford and the neighborhoods around that area are similar to West Hartford. Once you get to the southern or eastern part of town, it does feel more like Avon and Simsbury- to me because it’s more rural and there are the pockets with new developments.
My wife and I live in Glastonbury, very close to the “center” of the Town’s commercial area at the intersection of Hebron Ave. and Main St.
Many of Josh’s points are accurate. Personally, I think my wife and I would be a better fit for West Hartford or even the west end of Hartford. Walk-ability is only a realistic option if you live within a mile radius of the Hebron Ave. and Main St. intersection. Also, the Glastonbury Blvd. area near the East Hartford Border doesn’t feel to be a part of Glastonbury. There is certainly more character and identity to West Hartford than Glastonbury.
One of the very nice things we have enjoyed in Glastonbury is the access to the Fruit Orchards in the southern portion of the Town.