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Old 10-29-2011, 09:06 AM
 
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I know this is the same type of question asked all the time, but this is the only place to find a kind, honest answer!

Moving from Minneapolis for a job in Manhattan. We love our lakes, trees and outdoors in general. And love the East coast as there are many aspects of it that remind us of MN. So here's the question...ideally, we would have a 35-45 minute commute and great schools. Budget is 1.5-2 million. Can anyone recommend the best place to start looking anywhere within that commute-time radius of Manhattan? Thanks so much!
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Old 10-29-2011, 10:23 AM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,752 posts, read 28,086,032 times
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Because of traffic, commute times are usually geared towards train commutes. Theoretically, you can get to Manhattan in 25 minutes from Greenwich, but not with rush hour traffic. The tri-state area has some of the worst traffic in the nation.

What you're looking for in CT might not exist. It depends if you're talking about total commute time, or train time. If train time, there's only 2 places in CT that have a train commute in that vicinity. Stamford and Greenwich.

Greenwich would likely be your best bet for what you're looking for.

In NY, you could look at towns like Irvington (one of my personal favorites), Hastings-on-Hudson, Rye, Larchmont, Scarsdale. Keep in mind property taxes are usually much higher than in CT.

In NJ, maybe Short Hills, or if you don't mind a little traffic going in - Alpine, Englewood Cliffs. I'm not as familiar with NJ towns like you describe, just the ones I mentioned and places that don't fit your bill: Jersey City, Hoboken, Union City, Leonia, etc.

There's even some places in Long Island that you might like. I'm thinking in/around Oyster Bay.

A lot depends on where your husband works too, and if you consider that a TOTAL commute door-to-door or train/car time.

What you're asking for in that commute comes very expensive and is rare. Don't expect a ton of house, even with your budget. You'd be surprised how little that buys within that criteria. Once you open up your commute time, the options pour in. People accept much longer commutes working in NYC than many smaller cities.

Get intimately familiar with train times. Keep in mind you need to look at weekday commute times as weekend and off-peak travel times are longer:

http://www.njtransit.com/
http://mta.info/mnr/
http://mta.info/lirr/
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Old 10-29-2011, 12:56 PM
 
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Thank you Stylo, this helps a lot! And I was afraid this is what I was going to hear, based on the little research I've done myself. I guess it's going to come down to figuring out how much of your life you want to spend getting to your destination and at what cost. You mentioned Irvington; is that a car or train commute? I know we're not going to get a ton of house, hoping for 4 bedrooms anyway. Plausible?
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Old 10-29-2011, 01:26 PM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,752 posts, read 28,086,032 times
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As long as you're realistic about what you're getting for the money, you should be able to get a nice 4BR at your budget. Irvington is train, about 40 minutes.

Realtor.com will give you a good idea of prices.

Westport in CT has excellent schools and your money will go a bit further than Greenwich, and the property taxes are reasonable. I believe train time is just under an hour at peak.
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Old 10-29-2011, 02:07 PM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,752 posts, read 28,086,032 times
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For example in Westchester county you get a bit more house for the money, but just make sure the very high taxes don't offset your affordability. They will be MUCH more than you're used to in Minnie.

Example: 20 Strawberry Ln Irvington NY - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #3029583 - Realtor.com®

Great house for the price. Very respectable. But taxes on a property like that will likely run between $35,000 and $40,000 a year. Then again, you can get a very respectable place in a town like Irvington for a million. But again, taxes will be very high.

In Greenwich, you'll definitely get a nice, larger 4BR-5BR for your budget with lower taxes, as long as you're prepared for the sticker shock as they'll look like places in Minneapolis metro that go for $300-400k.
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Old 10-29-2011, 02:11 PM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,752 posts, read 28,086,032 times
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Westport Real Estate - Homes for Sale in Westport, - Realtor.com®
Greenwich Real Estate - Listings of Homes for Sale in Greenwich, CT - Realtor.com®

That'll show you just how much more house you can get in Westport for the money. That, with relatively low taxes, excellent schools, great shopping/downtown, nice parks and beaches nearby makes it a high recommendation in my book - as long as the commute can be tolerated. If the job is in the financial district in lower Manhattan, that can add a lot of time as Grand Central is in midtown.
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Old 10-30-2011, 10:09 AM
 
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Awesome info. Thank you so much! I checked out the house you sent and realtor.com. This is a great start until we can get out there and physically see everything in person. Long road ahead I think...here we go! Thanks again!
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Old 10-30-2011, 03:54 PM
 
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Definitely focus your search on Greenwich. Greenwich is absolutely beautiful with plenty of parks, beaches, great shopping and restaurants, and you can afford a nice home in your price range. The commute from Westport would be 30 min longer than Greenwich, and the towns are similar -- but Greenwich is bigger, with a larger population, more traffic, etc. If you want a smaller community, the only other town in CT that I'd suggest is Darien. If you cant find anything in CT, try Rye, Larchmont or Bronxville in Westchester or the north shore of Long Island.
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Old 10-30-2011, 08:39 PM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,752 posts, read 28,086,032 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jax12479 View Post
Definitely focus your search on Greenwich. Greenwich is absolutely beautiful with plenty of parks, beaches, great shopping and restaurants, and you can afford a nice home in your price range. The commute from Westport would be 30 min longer than Greenwich, and the towns are similar -- but Greenwich is bigger, with a larger population, more traffic, etc. If you want a smaller community, the only other town in CT that I'd suggest is Darien. If you cant find anything in CT, try Rye, Larchmont or Bronxville in Westchester or the north shore of Long Island.
Westport has plenty of traffic. Route 1 is really busy and that stretch of 95 can get really jammed up. That's pretty much a given anywhere generally within 40 miles of NYC though. Westport is about 20 minutes slower than Greenwich, but still "reasonable" considering what a lot of people put up with in the tri-state area.

Greenwich is a good place to look, just important to realize that your money doesn't go quite as far as in a town further up the line like Westport. And technically, the schools aren't as highly rated (I personally think either would be more than sufficient).
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Old 11-03-2011, 12:45 PM
 
Location: Connecticut
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I agree that Greenwich is a good place to start. Other towns you might want to consider would be New Canaan and Darien. They are a little further but not much with some of the express trains into Manhattan. If you are willing to travel further, Westport, Wilton and Weston are good options. Fairfield will give you a great house on a large lot for your money but you are talking an hour 15 minute commute. Jay
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