Erik

Hi, John: Sorry to hear about your tardy builder; Lord knows, that can be a nightmere. One reason why I'm hoping for Westerly/Charlestown is I currently live just north of New York City, in Westchester County, and the drive to those two towns is almost exactly two hours. The further north I go, the more of a problem it becomes for me. Our plan at the moment is to buy a place and probably rent it out during the summer, go there the other times, and move there in a few years, once our 16-year-old heads out the door.
You are right, though: the market is extremely tight and inventory of homes is extremely low. The two places we missed last year came on the market at the same time and were sold in two days. My wife and I saw them on the first day, got into a little tiff about which one to bid on, made a decision late on the second day -- and they were both gone. Sigh.
Well, I'll keep looking ...