From Philly to Lewes in June...REALLY need info from the area residents!!! (Milton: where to stay, real estate)

[LivinLaVidaLoca]

Hi all, I've read ALL the "lower slower", Lewes/Rehoboth, Milton/Lewes/Rehoboth posts (to name a few), but I still have questions and would so greatly appreciate your help!!!

I'm plan to move to Lewes in June 2013, with my 2 sisters (31, 24), niece (11), and daughter (3). We're African American and one sister is gay but none of that is an issue from what I've read. I'm an oncology RN (haven't worked as an RN in 2 years, but have a home based business). I just lost my 22yo son to cancer (last week), my Mom 2 cancer (a year ago) and am ready for a change
. Over the past few years, I've taken care of my Mom and my son...during that time I've lived off my savings (for 2 years) and the past year I had to make some tough choices (of course, I chose paying mortgage over credit card bills). So all that to say...

1. My credit went from 780 to 575...will this prevent me from being able to rent a home in Lewes (maybe a realtor can chime in)?

2. If my poor credit is an issue, would it be possible to pay maybe 6 months rent in advance in order to rent a nice place?

3. I am looking for a 3 to 4 bedroom home with a rent of no more that $1,500 a month. Can anyone recommend a good realtor? (If this is a no, no...please inbox me)

4. I've read that "east of Route 1" is best...how do I determine which properties fall in that category? I am able to map some properties, but others I can't or it's a little confusing. I would like to be close to the beach without the hassle of traffic. I absolutely do not want to be in a shady area or mobile home area (no offense...just my preference). I prefer a single home (or maybe a townhome but being from Philly, I'm so TIRED of neighbors connected on both sides!!!

5. I've read the school districts are very good, however, are there many extra curricular activities for a 3yo and 11yo (they currently are involved in gymnastics, ballet/tap/jazz, and other things)?

6. We do plan to visit within the next 2 weeks to check out the area, any recommendations on where to stay and areas to check out in terms of finding a place to rent?

7. I'm having a realtor come Monday so I can decide if I should rent or sell my current home...If I decided to sell, I'd be able to purchase a home...what would be a good area to live?

8. I've read the job market is poor (as for me, I pray I never have to nurse again...just plain ole burned out), my one sister works with children with mental health problems and has a BS in Psychology. Any recommendations in terms of mental health facilities or programs in the area? Luckily, my other sister is a manager at Applebee's and will be able to transfer. I've read that people have had to travel to MD to work...how long is that commute?

Lastly, sorry for the lengthy post and thanks in advance to anyone who replies...your advice has been truly instrumental for the past week that I have been reading...Longnecker, BeachLiz, Dr. Jeff, and many others. I know my post is long, feel free to chime in on one or all of my extensive questions. Have an awesome day!!!

Dee

[Gone-2-Beach]

Longnecker, BeachLiz, RDLR and others have greater knowledge about the area than I, but I wish to offer my condolences on the loss of your son and your Mom.

[LivinLaVidaLoca]

Originally Posted by Charley

Longnecker, BeachLiz, RDLR and others have greater knowledge about the area than I, but I wish to offer my condolences on the loss of your son and your Mom.

Thanks so much Charley...I truly appreciate your kind sentiments!!!

[nuts2uiam]

Smile there lady, with all you have gone through you deserve a break, my prayers are with you and yours.
Try this it is essentially Multiple Listing for De. SafeMLS Scout Error
Click on
Public Website Access
Then in the Upper left Click on
Find Real Estate
Click on
Residential
Then select what you are looking for on the right side and then hit search in the left side.

Good luck in your search.

[longnecker]

Boy do you have a lot of questions there
Most Not all of the area east of Rt 1 is nice and also expensive. Maybe a 3 bedroom year round in Lewes for $1,500 add poor credit to that and it's not promising. More inland you should be able to find a nice home for that'
There is an AppleBees on Rt1 in the Outlets. I've been there a few times as they do breakfast fund raisers for local school groups.
For activities check out Yoon's Martial Arts on RT 1 .It is on the far end of the shopping center where the movies are. I used to say behind RoadHouse Restaurant but it has changed ownership and names. They have classes for all ages an Mr Tom is great.
I have not had any dealing with Realtors in that area for years.
I can't understand why anyone would move here and drive to Maryland for work. It's a trip and would be really nasty during the summer with traffic.

[LivinLaVidaLoca]

Originally Posted by nuts2uiam

Smile there lady, with all you have gone through you deserve a break, my prayers are with you and yours.
Try this it is essentially Multiple Listing for De. SafeMLS Scout Error
Click on
Public Website Access
Then in the Upper left Click on
Find Real Estate
Click on
Residential
Then select what you are looking for on the right side and then hit search in the left side.

Good luck in your search.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers...through it all, I do continue to smile. My son was a phenomenal young man and we have started a scholarship fund in his honor to benefit students at his former high school (Charter High School for Architecture and Design) who are battling cancer or any other health crisis ($1,000 per student), as well as giving $500.00 need based grants for medical expenses to ANY young person who is battling cancer to help with medical bills...as we found out while my son was battling, available resources for this age group are virtually non-existent and we hope to fill a gap for as many as possible...we are already at $3,000 in one week's time!!! Sorry, I'm ranting I suppose...

Anywho...thanks for the resource!!! I've already checked it out and see some nice properties. Is there a similar resource available with rental properties?

Again, thanks for your kindness!!!

[LivinLaVidaLoca]

Originally Posted by longnecker

Boy do you have a lot of questions there
Most Not all of the area east of Rt 1 is nice and also expensive. Maybe a 3 bedroom year round in Lewes for $1,500 add poor credit to that and it's not promising. More inland you should be able to find a nice home for that'
There is an AppleBees on Rt1 in the Outlets. I've been there a few times as they do breakfast fund raisers for local school groups.
For activities check out Yoon's Martial Arts on RT 1 .It is on the far end of the shopping center where the movies are. I used to say behind RoadHouse Restaurant but it has changed ownership and names. They have classes for all ages an Mr Tom is great.
I have not had any dealing with Realtors in that area for years.
I can't understand why anyone would move here and drive to Maryland for work. It's a trip and would be really nasty during the summer with traffic.

Yes, my endless questions always drives my family crazy!! It's the researcher in me. I know my credit rating will cause problems...something I prided myself on (when it was good), but I know it will turn around...in this instance, life took over and I made the best of it...but I am willing to pay up to 6 months upfront and am hoping that will help the situation.

I will check into Yoon's...both girls are actually interested in karate so that's a great recommendation!!! The drive to Maryland would solely be a last resort if she was not able to find work in Delaware. She's already applied to a few places so we're hopeful!

Again, thank you for your input...it's greatly appreciated!!!

[nuts2uiam]

Oh! so sorry I thought that had a rental option. Maybe one of the realtors can help.

[LivinLaVidaLoca]

Originally Posted by nuts2uiam

Oh! so sorry I thought that had a rental option. Maybe one of the realtors can help.

It's still a valuable resource should I decide to purchase at some point!

[DelawareLiz]

My condolences on the loss of your son and mother--truly heartbreaking

I can answer some of your questions; I have lived at or near the DE beaches for most of my life, although I know more about Ocean View/Bethany than anywhere else.

Answers to some of your questions:

1 and 2. I think you can still rent with a 575 credit score with a decent down payment. A mortgage may be difficult to obtain, and they really make you jump through hoops now with mortgages. There are MANY renters at the beach areas, and no way in heck do they all have stellar credit scores. I believe landlords are looking for anything that could garnish your wages (medical bills, judgments, court cases) when they run a credit report for a potential renter--at least that's what they were looking for back when I rented. Late credit card payments aren't weighed as heavily in consideration for renting. Being gay or African American won't be an issue at all for you or your family. The beach areas are very tolerant.

4. East of route one is the nicest, yet most expensive area. $1500 will get you a nice townhouse or condo, for sure....but if you want a house, there are plenty of nice housing developments (no mobile homes) just west of route one. Sandy Brae or Plantations comes to mind, which are right off route one near the Superfresh shopping center. These are very peaceful communities that may have smaller homes for rent under $2000. Covey Creek is east of one, right in Lewes and it's a really nice development. That one may be pricier however. Oh, and these communities do not have mobile homes or shady people living there. I totally understand you on that one--I'm the same way. However, I must say there are some nice mobile home communities in the area.

5. Cape Henlopen is a good school district, and they offer many extracurricular activities. You'll find many other children are involved in clubs, sports, etc. and there is no shortage of these activities in and near the Lewes area.

6. My sister stayed in the Sleep Inn, which is just off route one in Lewes and she liked it there--peaceful, affordable, and right near town.

7. Again..Covey Creek, Sandy Brae, Plantations and many other developments are suitable for peaceful people in the Lewes area. Also--a development right behind the Wawa on the route one southbound side in Lewes--that's a good one too.

8. The job market is picking up finally, but many jobs are seasonal at the beach or they don't pay very well. Maybe try for a job in the schools as a school nurse, secretary, or teacher's assistant?? There are nursing jobs in the area as well. There is a mental health (drug treatment maybe?) facility in the Lewes area, but I cannot recall the name.

The realtors in the Lewes area will be more than happy to help you, and I can't think of any to avoid--they're all pretty decent. Hope all of this helps