[Capital Guy]

What makes Easton so expensive? I see signs for it but never really been there. All the towns around it seem so much cheaper so what makes it so great?

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Capital Guy

What makes Easton so expensive? I see signs for it but never really been there. All the towns around it seem so much cheaper so what makes it so great?

Location. You're mistaken about the surrounding towns. It borders Weston, Fairfield and Redding which are all expensive.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Milford's mill rate is 28.89, not 34. Also, the way property is valued is different from other towns like Trumbull and Monroe. I only pay $5,400 a year for a $355,000 house, which is not high for CT.

Looking at a home recently sold for $340,000 in Shelton, taxes were $4,952 last year. In Oxford, a $360,000 home paid $5,301. In Monroe (which has the same mill rate as Milford), a $340,000 home paid $8,539 in taxes. And you're not getting garbage pickup in those towns and free city sewer. In fact, comparatively priced homes in Milford are paying less in taxes than in Branford. It all has to do with how the town does their valuations.

And I still hold that Woodbridge is more affordable than Monroe, Trumbull, Fairfield, and Easton. You'd never get a home like this for $475k in those towns. OK, maybe in Monroe.

75 Ansonia Rd, Woodbridge, CT 06525 - Zillow

Correction, I was looking at 2009 mil rates.

For 2011, they are as follows (from highest mil rate to lowest):

Woodbridge: $604,557; mil rate 33
Orange: $423,253; mil rate 30
Milford: $343,288; mil rate 29
Monroe: $492,789; mil rate 29
Bethany: $418,021; mil rate 28
Trumbull: $526,982; mil rate 25
Easton: $899,122; mil rate 23
Oxford: $421,374; mil rate 23
Fairfield: $540,579; mil rate 22
Shelton: $360,069; mil rate 18.5

Shelton is still the best bang for your buck, as the mil rate is more than 10 lower then Milford. I still stand by my assessment that the difference in school performance between Milford/Shelton is not great enough to justify the extra taxes.

Oxford, Easton and Fairfield have pretty low taxes as well, but Easton and Fairfield have much higher assessed values so your bill will likely be very high. Woodbridge would probably, over 10 or so years, have the highest cost of living on the list.

I'm not going to get into what my home is assessed at or my tax bill, but looking at comparable homes online in Milford, my tax bill is substantially less.

[Stylo]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Milford does not assess homes like Shelton so the taxes on homes are close. All it took was a quick look on Zillow at recently sold homes to compare the real tax costs. Monroe residents pay a lot more than either town. Mill rates only tell part of the story. And it doesn't mean that home values are different in Monroe, it means the method of assessed valuation is completely different.

Vehicle taxes will be slightly higher.

[Lintu]

Oxford and Woodbridge are clear winners for schools, but the convenience of living on the coast is really nice as well. I know a lot of people aren't keen on Stratford schools, but I love it here. Orange might be a good compromise...great schools and convenient. Commute shouldn't be too bad (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Milford does not assess homes like Shelton so the taxes on homes are close. All it took was a quick look on Zillow at recently sold homes to compare the real tax costs. Monroe residents pay a lot more than either town. Mill rates only tell part of the story. And it doesn't mean that home values are different in Monroe, it means the method of assessed valuation is completely different.

A house in Shelton assessed at 256,500 in 2011 carried a tax bill of 4,774.

A house in Milford assessed at 173,868 in 2011 carried a tax bill of 5,023.

Originally Posted by Lintu

Oxford and Woodbridge are clear winners for schools, but the convenience of living on the coast is really nice as well. I know a lot of people aren't keen on Stratford schools, but I love it here. Orange might be a good compromise...great schools and convenient. Commute shouldn't be too bad (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

For the price, yes. But Easton and Fairfield have fantastic schools but are borderline pressure-cooker. When comparing Oxford, Shelton, Milford and Amity (Woodbridge/Orange), then I agree, Oxford and Amity are the winners.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

A house in Shelton assessed at 256,500 in 2011 carried a tax bill of 4,774.

A house in Milford assessed at 173,868 in 2011 carried a tax bill of 5,023.

Right, but I bet the actual value/selling price of both of those places is close.

For instance, my home was a little over $350,000 at closing last year. Tax assessed value about $190,000, taxes about $5,400 a year.

In Shelton, a home that was recently sold at $340,000 assessed at $282,660 and paid $5,260 in taxes.

The assessment method is different. I'm guessing Milford is assessing the structure and not the property whereas other towns are assessing both. Apples and oranges.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Monroe residents pay a lot more than either town.

I wouldn't say a LOT more. For instance, in Monroe a house assessed at $226,000 would pay $6483 this year. And most of the homes in Monroe are on an acre or more, and the schools are very good. What would the same house in Milford be assessed at? I feel like we are splitting hairs.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

I wouldn't say a LOT more. For instance, in Monroe a house assessed at $226,000 would pay $6483 this year. And most of the homes in Monroe are on an acre or more, and the schools are very good. What would the same house in Milford be assessed at? I feel like we are splitting hairs.

See my previous posts. A home that recently sold in Monroe for $350k is around $8,500 in taxes vs. in Milford a $350k recently sold home is around $5,500. Again has to do with how the town does their assessments, as well as mill rate. That's why people often complain about Trumbull taxes despite the relatively low mill rate. Milford has a lot more industrial and commercial tax income, hence the lower taxes on homes.

All of this information is public record and available on Zillow.com. See for yourself.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

I feel like we are splitting hairs.

I agree, and the OP didn't even ask a tax question. Speaking of - where is the OP?