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Today, a family of three shares how they moved to South Windsor, Connecticut, one of the hottest ZIP codes of 2025, to stretch their budget and cut down their commute time.
The basics
Age: 46
Household setup: Married with a daughter and a dog
Occupation: Higher education administrator
Household income: $150,000
What was your home experience when you were growing up?
My parents owned our home, and I always assumed I would, too.
Was this your first time owning a home?
No. I got married in 2009, and we purchased our first home in 2010, at the urging of my father. My dad warned us that interest rates were rising and that we should buy. I’m glad he did.
When did you start thinking about buying again?
After living in Boston for 30 years, we’d been stewing over the idea of moving to Connecticut to be closer to family and get more value for our money. When some health issues came up in the family, our timeline sped up.
What areas were you considering?
We knew we had to be east of the river because my husband was still commuting once a week to his job in Boston. We were choosing between South Windsor and Glastonbury. The more we looked, the more I realized that I didn’t want to be in Glastonbury. It’s fancier, and I didn’t want to worry about keeping up with the Joneses. We have a kid and didn’t want to be the only ones not doing things like ski trips. I’d heard good things about South Windsor, and it’s only 20 minutes from my mom, so we focused our search there.
Did you have any non-negotiables?
We wanted more room than our current 1,300-square-foot home, and ideally, we wanted a condo or townhouse in a planned urban development community where someone else would be responsible for landscaping and plowing. We also wanted to find something that had already been upgraded. My husband and I learned that we are not fixer-upper people.
What was your search like?
We looked online at everything that came on the market. We quickly found there aren’t many townhouse communities in South Windsor. The ones we saw were close to high-tension wires carrying high voltage. Other townhomes were right on top of each other and had no yard. There was a neighborhood we wanted to buy in, but nothing was available. We found another community where too many units were for sale, and that made us nervous. After that, we decided to look at single-family homes.
How many homes did you see in person?
About a dozen. We mainly went to open houses.
How long were you looking?
We were in a short-term rental for about six weeks before we saw this home.
How did you find this home?
It came online at 11 a.m., and we made an appointment with our real estate agent to see it at 3 p.m. We’d done enough searching at that point to know the market.
How did you know this was the one?
It had been built in the 1960s, but all the bigger-ticket stuff had already been taken care of: It had a new roof, new kitchen, new bathrooms, new windows, and a new oil tank. It also had a finished basement and a private yard. We saw it, and put in an offer while we were still standing in the driveway.
What offer did you make?
We offered $481,000 with a $50,000 deposit. Our offer didn’t have any contingencies. We asked our real estate agent’s guidance, and she suggested we waive the home inspection to be competitive. We could tell from the photos that this was well maintained, so we did.
Where did the down payment come from?
Our house in Boston had already sold, so we were able to put down $260,000 and mortgage the remainder.
Were there any financial curveballs?
We didn’t get as much home as we thought. Plus, the numbers surprised us. When we left Boston, we had a 2.5% interest rate. Now we are at 5.9%. We had anticipated that interest rates would go down last year, and they didn’t. When we got 5.9% and locked that in, we thought rates would go down before we closed but instead, they went up. Our mortgage is $700 more than it was for our Boston home.
Are you happy with your move?
We feel very lucky that we were able to get in when we did and how we did. My only complaint is that we did not downgrade our amount of lawn care and landscaping.
What do you like most about South Windsor?
My commute in Boston was 90 minutes each way to travel 10 miles. Here in South Windsor, I’m able to leave work, go to the dentist, walk the dog, make dinner, eat dinner, and wash the dishes—all by the same time that I would normally just be getting home in Boston. So, I’m very happy to have ditched all the driving. We’re also pleased how much the city spends on schools, parks and recreation, and the library. Our former town did not put as much money into those things. And South Windsor has a good mix of industry and residential, which helps your tax rate.
What do you like about your neighborhood?
We are on a safer road with less traffic. Even though there are no sidewalks, we can easily walk the dog. In Boston, we had sidewalks, but there was so much traffic that it felt dangerous.
What is your favorite thing about the house?
We love the extra space. In Boston, we were in a very small cape. The kitchen and living room were one space. I’d walk in and see my family at once. This home is big and open, and we love the layout. Here, we have more space to spread out and relax, which is exactly what we wanted.
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