Most people searching in Connecticut are searching in the wrong places. If I were moving right now, there are nine towns I'd look at — not the ones everybody's talking about, but the ones that actually deliver. Buyers are settling for less house for their money while, across four counties, there are towns where the lifestyle is just as good, the numbers make more sense, and the people who live there would never leave.

I'm Dave Jones, broker/owner of Dave Jones Realty. Here are nine of them.

A quick note on the numbers: these reflect early-2026 year-to-date Smart MLS data and current mill rates. These are small, low-volume markets where figures move quickly, so treat them as a snapshot and reach out for current numbers.

1. Goshen — One of the Lowest Tax Rates in the State

16.7 mills. That's one of the lowest property tax rates in all of Connecticut, and it belongs to Goshen, a small town in the northwest corner of Litchfield County most buyers have never seriously considered. In a state where mill rates routinely hit 30 or 40, 16.7 quietly reshapes your financial picture in a real, compounding way over time.

But Goshen earns its place for more than taxes. Mohawk State Forest runs through the area — over 4,000 acres of protected land, 15 miles of trails, and a mountaintop at 1,683 feet with views into the Berkshires. And the Goshen Fair is one of the oldest and largest agricultural fairs in the state, drawing tens of thousands every Labor Day weekend. This is a town with an identity rooted in the land, and residents are proud of it.

Right now there are only about seven single-family homes for sale, and days on market are down roughly 45% year over year. When the right home comes up here, it moves — the people buying in Goshen aren't settling, they're choosing.

2. Morris — Lakefront Litchfield County

Morris is the town people who really know Connecticut real estate have had on their radar for years. The year-to-date median is a little over $1 million, in a small Litchfield County town with a mill rate under 20, and buyers are transacting in seven figures.

Much of that is Bantam Lake — the largest natural lake in Connecticut at just under a thousand acres, spanning parts of Morris and Litchfield. It's home to the Bantam Lake Ski Club, the oldest continually operating water-ski club in the entire United States — the kind of detail that tells you this community has been showing up for a long time. Buyers here aren't coming for a deal; they're coming because it's exactly where they want to be. With about eight homes on the market and a mill rate under 20, the math for lakefront Litchfield County living is hard to argue with.

3. Woodbury — The Antique Capital of Connecticut

Woodbury has an identity all its own — it's the antique capital of Connecticut, and that's a working title, not a marketing one. Main Street is one of the most distinctive commercial corridors in New England, with antique dealers, galleries, design shops, and restaurants tucked into historic buildings. People drive from Fairfield County to spend weekends here, then get back in the car wondering why they don't just live there.

The residential side backs it up: historic colonial homes on real land, a deep equestrian community, and an intentional pace of life. Homes here average about 96 days on market — not a panic market; buyers take their time because the homes are worth it. The year-to-date average sale price is about $754,000, with around 25 single-family homes currently available (more options than there have been recently) and a mill rate of 23.62. If you appreciate craft, history, and a town with genuine point of view, Woodbury makes sense the minute you drive down Main Street.

(Before the next six: you can search what's available in every one of these towns at searchallcthomes.com — save your favorites, and when you're ready to talk, my team is here to guide you.)

4. Simsbury — Walkability, Views, and Real Demand

Simsbury keeps landing on "best places to live" lists, and time there shows why. The village center has walkability and charm that's rare in suburban Connecticut — independent restaurants, real shops, and a historic feel that isn't manufactured. Minutes later you're at Talcott Mountain State Park hiking to Heublein Tower, a 165-foot landmark from 1914 sitting 1,000 feet above the Farmington Valley, with views to Long Island Sound on a clear day.

The market is telling us something: year-to-date median prices are up around 17% versus a year earlier, sellers are getting about 105% of asking, and homes move in about 28 days. That's real, sustained demand. The mill rate of about 33 is an honest trade-off, but most people in Simsbury will tell you it's worth it — top-rated schools, a town center you'll actually use, nature outside your door, and an easy Hartford commute. If Hartford County is your target, Simsbury is where the conversation should start.

5. Granby — Actual Rural Character

Granby doesn't get talked about enough. It sits at the very top of Hartford County against the Massachusetts border, which makes it feel almost off the map to buyers searching from the south. But Granby has something most Connecticut towns have quietly lost: genuine rural character that isn't performative. This isn't a suburb trying to feel like the country — it is the country.

The McLean Game Refuge anchors the town — 4,400 acres of forest, fields, and streams set aside in 1932 by former governor and senator George McLean, with instructions in his actual will that it remain a place where people can find peace in mind and body. There are over 20 miles of trails, free to the public year-round — the kind of resource towns spend generations trying to create and almost never do.

Days on market dropped from about 66 to just 26 year over year — a 61% reduction. Buyers who find Granby aren't hesitating. The recent median is around $452,000 with sellers getting over asking. The window where the lifestyle is exceptional and the pricing still makes sense is open right now, but it won't stay open.

6. Oxford — Where the Smart Money's Going

Oxford is having a moment, and the data isn't subtle: year-to-date closed sales up around 91%, and pending sales (homes under contract now) up around 125%. That's not a rounding error — something is happening, and buyers are reacting.

Part of the appeal is position: Oxford gives you access to New Haven County and the Naugatuck Valley without being swallowed by either, with Route 8 right there. The mill rate is about 20 — one of the most favorable in all of New Haven County — and the Waterbury-Oxford Airport in town carries the highest concentration of general aviation activity of any airport in the state. Homes are moving in about 43 days at right around asking — fair market, not a frenzy. If you want value, space, and a low mill rate, Oxford is where the smart money's going.

7. Prospect — The Value Play (and My Hometown)

Prospect is the most affordable town on this list, and I want to be clear what that means. It's a tight, well-kept small town on the ridge between Cheshire and Naugatuck, with a real community identity people here are proud of.

The recent median is about $390,000 — in a state where the overall median just crossed $425,000. That's real value. There are around 13 single-family homes on the market, and when something priced right comes up, it moves. Pending sales are up year over year, buyers are coming in slightly above asking, and the market is active without being irrational. You get real lots, good housing stock, access to Route 68 and Route 69 for commuters, and proximity to Cheshire without Cheshire prices. And because of Prospect's rural designation, some buyers here qualify for a USDA loan — a genuinely useful financing detail worth asking about. Put Prospect on your list.

8. Monroe — The Last Honest Fairfield County Town

I mean that as high praise. Monroe has held onto its residential character while everything around it got more expensive, denser, and more competitive. You can still buy a four-bedroom colonial on an acre here at a price that would be laughable in Westport or Weston — and you're still in Fairfield County, with the access, infrastructure, and school-system tier the county is known for.

Pending sales recently were up around 75% year over year. Buyers are finding Monroe — some priced out of towns to the south, many who got here and realized there's genuine value. The recent median is just over $700,000, which buys a meaningfully different home here than the same number does in Fairfield or Trumbull. The mill rate is 28.67, with around 24 homes on the market — real options, not a feeding frenzy. If you want to feel like you're living in Connecticut rather than a suburb of New York, Monroe is a town I'd walk on a Thursday afternoon just to get a feel for it.

9. Newtown — Character You Can Feel

Newtown earns its place with character as much as data. At the Main Street intersection in the borough stands a 100-foot flagpole that's been there since 1876 — listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its flag visible from blocks away. It sounds like a small thing; it isn't. It tells you everything about this community's relationship with its own identity.

Year-to-date median prices are up around 23% versus last year, sellers are getting about 101% of list, and Newtown has around 58 single-family homes on the market — the most of any town on this list. If you've been frustrated in markets where you can't even schedule a showing before a home is gone, Newtown gives you a bit more room to be a buyer instead of a bidder. The mill rate is 28.74, with easy I-84 access, proximity to Danbury for commuter rail, strong schools, and a quality of life that outperforms its price point compared to the coastal towns.

The Real Takeaway: None of These Are Compromises

Here's what I want you to push back on — the idea that choosing a town outside the famous lists means you settled. That's not what's happening in Goshen, Oxford, or Newtown. What's happening is that buyers are getting smarter: they're looking at mill rates, at lifestyle, at what their money actually buys, and finding places that deliver well past the headlines.

Buyer and Seller Takeaways

If you're buying:

  • Let mill rate do some of the work. Goshen (16.7), Morris (under 20), and Oxford (~20) can save you real money every year that a low sticker price alone won't.
  • Match the town to your budget and life: Prospect for value and USDA-eligible financing, Granby and Woodbury for rural character, Morris for lakefront, Monroe and Newtown for Fairfield County value.
  • Watch inventory as a signal. Tight markets (Goshen ~7 homes, Prospect ~13) reward decisiveness; deeper ones (Newtown ~58, Woodbury ~25) give you room to breathe.
  • In fast-tightening towns (Granby's days-on-market fell 61%, Oxford's sales up 91%), the value window is open now but narrowing.
  • Do your own school and safety research by exact address before committing.

If you're selling in one of these towns:

  • Lead with your town's genuine hook — the tax rate in Goshen and Oxford, the lake in Morris, the antiques corridor in Woodbury, the character and quality-per-dollar in Monroe and Newtown.
  • In low-inventory towns, a well-prepared, correctly priced home can command over asking; in deeper-inventory towns, presentation and pricing matter more to stand out.
  • Price to current comparable sales — these small markets swing on a handful of transactions.

Where Does Your Money Go Furthest?

Nine towns, none of them compromises. These are markets where buyers who do their homework are winning right now.

When you're ready to search, every active listing in every county is at searchallcthomes.com. And if you want a real conversation about where your money goes the furthest in this market, reach out — my team works with buyers and sellers across all the counties. It's what we do.

 

Dave Jones Realty Dave Jones, Broker/Owner 📞 203-910-2638 ✉️ Dave@davejonesrealty.com 🌐 www.searchallcthomes.com