1.       Delaware By Hand Arts & Crafts Show, Sat., 5/28, 10 am – 5 pm, Zwaanendael Museum, Lewes, DE

2.       Visit the Horseshoe Crab|Shorebird Festival, Sat., 5/28, 10 am – 4 pm, Downtown Milton and Prime Hook Refuge

3.       Shop the Historic Lewes Farmers Market, Sat., 5/28, 8am – 12 Noon, Lewes Historical Society Complex

4.       Find fresh produce and more at the new Milton Farmers Market, Fri., 5/27, 3pm – 6 pm, Milton Historical Society (more…)

Are lower taxes enough of a reason to relocate? Maybe not, but it can be the main motivating factor for many Boomers who are preparing for retirement.  If you live in New Jersey, a state with one of the highest sales taxes or New York, one of the 5 least tax-friendly states, Delaware is worth a look. Delaware ranks a low 47th when considering tax burden as a percentage of income. With no sales tax and very low property tax, Delaware always makes the list of Tax Friendly states for retirees.

Low taxes alone however will not make you happy. I always tell my real estate clients that we don’t become different people when we retire. We may have more time to do the things we enjoy and we may take up a new hobby or sport, but we will still be the same people. If you like living in the heart of the action where you can walk to everything, you won’t be happy in a remote community an hour away from the things you enjoy. In Delaware, you would be more content living in a town like Lewes, Rehoboth or Milton. If you love being near the beach with access to great restaurants and shops, these are wonderful places to live. And, the taxes on a multi-million dollar beach house here are probably less than you pay now on a $400,000 home in New Jersey. Something to think about!

In date order here are our Top Ten Holiday Events for 2008!

This year our home in Milton is on the Holiday House Tour December 13^th. That would be a great weekend to visit Milton and get a feel for this town and its new and historic homes. Happy Holidays -

1. Sounds of Christmas at the Theatre of the Arts, Rehoboth Beach – November 23rd – December 20^th – sure to become an annual holiday event!
2. Tanger Outlets After Thanksgiving Sale – November 28^th All Tanger Outlet stores are open at midnight on Thanksgiving night!
3. Holiday Tree Lighting and Sing-a-long & Boardwalk of Lights – November 28^th, Rehoboth Beach Bandstand
4. Milton Christmas Parade – December 3^rd at 7 p.m. in Downtown Milton
5. Scrooge! A Clear Space Holiday Tradition – December 4^th, 7 p.m. – Delaware Technical & Community College, Georgetown
6. Lewes Hospitality Night – December 4^th, 6 p.m. – Lewes merchants host shopping, entertainment and complimentary refreshments.
7. Lewes Historical Society House Tour – December 6^th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Self-guided tour of private homes and historical sites. Visit www.historiclewes.org for more information.
8. Christmas Parade and caroling in Zwaanendael Park (right across the street from the RE/MAX office in Lewes) – December 6^th at 5 p.m..
9. Milton Holly Festival – December 13^th, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Milton Fire Hall and Goshen Hall in the heart of town.
10. Milton Holiday House Tour – December 13^th, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. to benefit the Milton Theatre.

Active Adult communities are not for everyone. For some, the idea of living in a town where you can walk to shops, restaurants, the public library and more might be more appealing. In towns like Milton, there are some great opportunities in this Buyers’ Market and there is something for everyone. You have town water and town sewer, with an existing infrastructure in place or at least planned for. The variety of housing options include properties in new home communities or the Historic District, homes that have already been renovated or those that need attention, houses that are just right for downsizing, upsizing or rightsizing.

Some of you tell me that you have already done your share of fixer-uppers while others never had the time until they retired. Since Bill is also a General Contractor for new construction as well as major additions and remodeling projects, you know that we have done our share of projects for ourselves as well. When we bought our current home in Milton, I would not even go inside! It was very rundown and the floor was covered by a blanket of mostly dead bees. Now that it is completely renovated and expanded by a large addition and we have been asked to be on the Milton Christmas House Tour this year.

In this market, there are good opportunities in many communities throughout Coastal Delaware, but some of the very best are in towns like Milton or Lewes, for example, that are now priced to make it worth the investment. It may become the home in which you live for many years or it could be a project that will generate a profit when you sell it in the next Sellers’ Market.

As you approach retirement, will you be selling investment properties that you own near your current home and reinvesting those proceeds into similar property? Are you interested in historic renovation hoping to find a diamond in the rough? This is the time to find the best values of our Boomer lifetime.