Young, expecting, interracial couple hoping for a safe, but not desolate CT town close to NYC and Stamford. (Stratford: real estate, homes)

kidyankee764 · 08-31-2010, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlassoff

I haven't been to Bethel since I was a kid. That's interesting information. What does the Bethel downtown have?

It's a really picturesque, quaint downtown with the typical things most CT downtowns have - train station, library, places of worship, restaurants, bars, shops, etc. It's probably not as big as Fairfield's, but it is very nice and more small-townish.

Taken from Google images...

JViello · 08-31-2010, 01:43 PM

I agree on Bethel...it's come a long way. I was actually checking it out about 8 years ago but we went East instead.

Appias · 08-31-2010, 03:53 PM

Bethel is a really charming town, but the train ride into NYC is insanely long and you would need to transfer in Norwalk. The morning train from Bethel would be 110-120 min long depending on what time you would need to be in. The trains from Fairfield are much more frequent and direct and would be in the 70-80 min range depending on which train you need to take. You should take both the NYC and the Stamford commutes into account. Given that, I'd look along the coast. It's expensive, you can probably find something. Take a look at raveis.com and do a little window shopping.

JViello · 08-31-2010, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Appias

Bethel is a really charming town, but the train ride into NYC is insanely long and you would need to transfer in Norwalk. The morning train from Bethel would be 110-120 min long depending on what time you would need to be in. The trains from Fairfield are much more frequent and direct and would be in the 70-80 min range depending on which train you need to take. You should take both the NYC and the Stamford commutes into account. Given that, I'd look along the coast. It's expensive, you can probably find something. Take a look at raveis.com and do a little window shopping.

I missed the commute to NYC! Good catch. Yes Bethel would be a bit of a struggle.

jdhall1 · 08-31-2010, 06:14 PM

You can always drive from Bethel & take the train from Golden's Bridge or Katonah,NY. The O.P might also want to check out New Fairfield,Brookfield or Danbury to see a good range of homes in their price range.

FLASHcard · 08-31-2010, 06:28 PM

Maybe I'm being naive, but what about the Springdale section of Stamford? It might not be fancy, but it is a good place to get a starter home.

Okay, IMHO, when you have a baby at home, the commute is paramount. When the kids get to be a little older, then sacrifice the commute to gain better schools (like in Fairfield. Bethel and Ridgefield, while completely charming and lovely, are a very tricky commute to NYC.)

arielmina · 08-31-2010, 07:14 PM

I would suggest at least looking in Ridgefield...you're budget is going to be low, but I'm sure you can find a 3 bd 2 bath home in the mid 400s if you have any flexibility. It will be an older (1950-70s) ranch or raised ranch but likely on a decent sized lot and excellent schools, great downtown, tolerant easy going, unpretentious community.

The commute to NYC would be on Metro North's Harlem line, on NYS, to Katonah or Brewster, both stations are relatively close to Ridgefield and are an hour into Grand Central. In your budget you will have to look north and west in town as the south, east homes are going to cost higher due to the closer commute down county. Commuting to Stamford is a breeze on back roads, almost no traffic except for thru downtown Ridgefield (which has gotten better since the control the traffic lights in the am to allow south bound folks to cruise through faster). You will hit traffic in Stamford but it's nothing like sitting on 95 or the Merritt which is just a nightmare during rush hour. Just a thought....

kidyankee764 · 08-31-2010, 08:05 PM

I missed the commute to NYC as well. In that case, I would try to find a house south of Westport and Wilton.

You're probably best off getting a condo or small, outdated house in Norwalk or Stamford. Even Ridgefield is quite a hike to commute daily to NYC.

JayCT · 08-31-2010, 08:46 PM

Staying near Stamford and New York is going to be hard on your budget. This area is one of the most expensive in the country. I agree Fairfield is great but it is a bit further from NY than you indicate. The towns in the Danbury area will have a difficult commute to Stamford. You could check Norwalk or Stamford itself but as noted the schools have issues. Good luck, Jay

kidyankee764 · 08-31-2010, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayCT

Staying near Stamford and New York is going to be hard on your budget. This area is one of the most expensive in the country. I agree Fairfield is great but it is a bit further from NY than you indicate. The towns in the Danbury area will have a difficult commute to Stamford. You could check Norwalk or Stamford itself but as noted the schools have issues. Good luck, Jay

The issues in Stamford and Norwalk are more at the middle and high school level. The OP is expecting so they have years before they have to worry about school quality.

I highly suggest Stamford. JMO.