Delaware! Have you considered it?

[Catrina]

Hello!

Has anyone considered retiring/relocating to Delaware? It is very appealing due to its location (within in 2 hours to the Major East Coast Metropolitan Areas), low cost of living and it's tax structure. People tend to focus on states with no income tax, such as Florida, Texas and Nevada. However, when retiring, it seems as though the the biggest burden is property taxes and sales tax. There's no state sales tax, property taxes are relatively low, and homeowners 65 and older qualify for a tax credit on half of their school taxes, up to $500. Delaware does have a maximum state income tax of 5.95%, but Social Security benefits are exempt.


Delaware has also had a presence in the "Best Places to Retire" Lists as well as Where To Retire Magazine's "Tax Heaven and Tax Hells" under Best Tax Heavens (beat by Anchorage, Alaska - but the climate is much colder there!)

I am curious to hear your thoughts, there seems to be alot of interest in retirees in the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach (annual property taxes about 1000) area as well as Kent County (annual property taxes range from 600 to 800)

Would love to hear what you think If so, why and where? If not, why not?

Thank you!

 

[haha]

Is Rehoboth Beach like the Jersey shore?

If so, I think it would be really fun in summer, and not too bad in winter. Realistically, how far to Philadelphia?

Ha

 

[Catrina]

Rehoboth Beach is similar to the Jersey Shore. If you are familiar with Cape May, you may be familiar with the Cape May-Lewes Ferry which docks in Lewes, the neighboring town to Rehoboth Beach. The Delaware Beaches are very popular in the summer, but have events year round as well. They have a nice variety of restaurants, things to do, activities and state parks.

Philadelphia is within 2 hours from the Delaware Beaches. Kent County is within an hour and thirty minutes. What is nice about Delaware is that when you travel, 20 miles is 20 minutes!

Don't forget Delaware has Tax Free Shopping!

www.southerndelawaretourism.com is a good site if you have not been to the Delaware Beaches. Visit Delaware is a good one to check out.

 

[brewer12345]

I live less than 2 hours away but have never been to Rehonoth Beach. Been meaning to get there for a while, since the beaches are reported to be nice and one of my favorite breweries (Dogfish Head) is there.

I would guess that Delaware is within a day trip or weekend to NYC, Philly, and DC.

 

[Catrina]

Oh really, Are you in Maryland?

You definitely should check out Rehoboth Beach! It is a very nice little town. Popular for the sandy beaches, cuisine and the Tanger Outlets (over 175 stores, tax free). There really is alot to do, it just depends on what you like to get into.

Lewes is nice too, people who like Rehoboth Beach are moving into the area, close to the beach, yet not to the traffic and are within minutes from the beach without the multi million dollar price tag.

People are starting to purchase and/or build homes now, so that they can vacation in the meantime, become familiar with the area and then relocate when they are ready to retire.

Dogfish Head is great too! There is one right in town in Rehoboth.

 

[brewer12345]

I'm in central NJ, so beaches are less of a reason for me to drive than might otherwise be the case. But vive la difference...

 

[Catrina]

Ah, yes we have quite the interest from New Jersey people because of the taxes! Central Jersey is not too far from here.

 

[Catrina]

Thanks

 

[Notmuchlonger]

I just assumed the winters were harsh and horrible. Never bothered to put it on the list of possible places to retire.

 

[Walt34]

My older sister just E-mailed today that she & hubby are moving to DE next spring. Another relative moved there last winter, both for the nicer area away from Washington, D.C. traffic and lower taxes.

 

[donheff]

DW and I were in a group beach house in Rehobeth for several years in the early 80s. Nice, friendly town, good beaches, great restaurants. The problem (for us) is that we would want to be close to the water and that costs big bucks. If you don't mind living a few miles from the beach and driving into town to go out to restaurants, etc. my guess is you could get a nice house pretty cheap. There are some very pretty small towns full of Victorian houses on the roads to Rehobeth from DC.

Keep in mind, the whole strip of coast along there is mobbed on summer weekends. Traffic can be a nightmare.

 

[Andre1969]

I currently live in Prince George's County, Maryland, about 10 miles east of DC. I've thought about Delaware, or perhaps somewhere on Maryland's eastern shore. Someplace where it would be cheaper to live and less crowded, but still not TOO far out of my element.

I remember one of the towns I've been through, Georgetown, I think? All I remember is that it had a traffic circle, and it was on the way to the beach. Anyway, there were some really cool old Victorian houses in that area. I'd love to have something like that, although I imagine they'd require a lot of upkeep.

 

[FlaRan]

I owned a home at Rehoboth Beach for a couple of years and I loved it. I worked in Philly and spent weekends at the beach. Delaware is a wonderful state. The beaches are nice and the people are friendly. Also, the taxes are low as discussed earlier. Rehoboth does get crowded in the summer, but that is part of the fun. If you are looking, now is a decent time to buy since there has been some price compression. If I didn't love Florida so much, my plan would be to retire there. Check it out.

 

[donheff]

I remember one of the towns I've been through, Georgetown, I think? All I remember is that it had a traffic circle, and it was on the way to the beach.

That sounds like Georgetown. It is one of the ones I remember having a lot of pretty Victorians.

 

[sarahsays]

My parents own a beach house in Rehoboth (bought last year) and we've been going there for family vacations for years. Yes, it is very crowded in the summer, but the restaurants are great and there are a lot of things to do in the winter (chocolate festival and Sea Witch festival are 2 biggees). However, Rehoboth has become way more expensive even in the last 10 years or so. Most of the restaurants have entrees in the $30 range.
If you want to retire to the beach, I would say Dewey or Bethany would end up a better value. But overall Delaware is great so long as you don't live along the normal routes to the beach (Georgetown being one of those, you can sit for 30+ mins just trying to get around the circle).

 

[Orchidflower]

I, for one, have done TONS of digging on Delaware as the tax situation is great--except for the 5.95% on earnings for the State income tax; but, still, it's not bad there.
The problem I found was a lack of things to do, which won't bother me that much as you are about a 1 to 2 hour drive from DC, Philly, NYC, etc.
The big problem was the overpriced real estate. It isn't cheap there, alot seems to be on the older side and the crime in Wilmington is pretty bad. When posts on city-data.com say "bring your mace" when you go to Wilmington, I think you can assume it's pretty rough there.
You can tell by postings that the north of Delaware has a NYC in-your-face and what's it to you attitude. The Dover area in the south is genteel and more Southern, but there is no industry and few jobs there except for government. This influences who moves there. Many retirees around Dover, lots of antique shops, malls.
The winters are nothing to me. One gal said she was cutting the grass in December, and cutting it again in March. That is no winter to someone who has lived in Illinois half their life, so, to me, it was a non-issue. The winters are pretty mild there.
One thing I picked up from the southern end of Delaware is that there seem to be few roads down that way. People complain about the back-up driving to Wilmington (aka the big city there).
Believe it or not, food is high there. Yes, food! I guess little is grown there but soybeans. However, you can always hit a farmer's market in Philly which is an hour or so away.
I surely have not counted it totally out, but am not jumping for joy about the lifestyle there either.
May I suggest you dig into the Delaware board on city-data.com and maybe skyscrapercity.com for more on the area. That will help you alot.
**I see people on this board are rooting for the southern end of Delaware, so that should give you some suggestion as to where retirees should look.

 

[Lagniappe]

I worked in Delaware for three years, and lived in Wilmington for one of the three. I really enjoyed the area, but at that time in my life there wasn't enough to do in Wilmington. I moved to Philadelphia, which is a 30 minute drive away. If you choose Wilmington, be aware that there is a city "wage" tax on top of the state taxes. I found housing to be relatively cheap, the weather mild, and things like beaches, horse country and golf within an easy drive. Lots of friends had places at Dewey, Lewes, and Rehobeth, and I really enjoyed the older parts of those towns.

I hadn't thought before about it as a retirement location, but given all that I remember, plus the fact that I still have lots of friends in northern Maryland, Delaware and Philadelphia, it's going on my list.

 

[Orchidflower]

I've looked at alot of condos there for around $150K as I just do not want to pay for more (call me cheap...I don't care). I found little--compared to what you can find in Texas, Alabama and other historically "cheap" low cost of living states. Seems as if some Delaware people say it's high and others say its low. Me, I have no idea until I get there.
As for nothing to do, I've heard this over and over on city-data.com. Now that must be true, since everyone agrees.
There's always NYC, DC and Philly close by...

 

[Texarkandy]

Hello!

Has anyone considered retiring/relocating to Delaware? It is very appealing due to its location (within in 2 hours to the Major East Coast Metropolitan Areas),

Ummmm, for some of us that would be a reason NOT to live there.

 

[brewer12345]

Ummmm, for some of us that would be a reason NOT to live there.

And do us all a favor and stay in flyover country.

 

[Orchidflower]

Yesterday I sat down and figured out the difference in moving to Alabama and Delaware. The State tax does a state in every single time for me. I may end up there, myself. With Delaware's insanely low property tax rate (similar to Alabama, really) for those over 65, which is fast approaching for me, and no sales tax, the State income tax of 5.95% is tolerable.
Their insurance costs don't seem to be that high either.

 

[W2R]

Yesterday I sat down and figured out the difference in moving to Alabama and Delaware. The State tax does a state in every single time for me. I may end up there, myself. With Delaware's insanely low property tax rate (similar to Alabama, really) for those over 65, which is fast approaching for me, and no sales tax, the State income tax of 5.95% is tolerable.
Their insurance costs don't seem to be that high either.

Orchidflower, we visited Huntsville, Alabama last year and I really think you might like it there, a lot! When you get a break from your caretaker responsibilities, I would urge you to spend a week to go there and check it out.

We had been considering Huntsville for retirement, but even though it seems like a great place to live we wanted someplace a little more remote and lazy/sedate. But I think it is a great town and could be a contender on your list if you are thinking about Alabama.

 

[Moemg]

.
The problem I found was a lack of things to do, which won't bother me that much as you are about a 1 to 2 hour drive from DC, Philly, NYC, etc.

I always knew it was close to Philadelphia but was surprized it wasn't that far from NYC . According to map quest Lewes Beach , De. is a little over two hours to Phila. and Washington D.C and three and a half hours to NYC . Not a bad distance for a week end jaunt .

 

[Texarkandy]

And do us all a favor and stay in flyover country.

You mean "gods country" don't you - don't worry, I get around though, never know where you might bump into me - I might be sitting next to you right now!!!

YouTube - Beach Boys - I Get Around


"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe." Thomas Jefferson

 

[Orchidflower]

I've pretty much narrowed it down to certain Florida cities (no State income tax is appealing plus lots of geezers there), Alabama and Delaware. All good for retiring or while still working taxwise. I've done my homework aplenty....now to visit when I am thru with my duty here.
And thanks for the Huntsville tip, Want2retire.