[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by nep321

Are there any "bad" or "sketchy" areas within Greenwich? My mom said there are, but I find it hard to believe, since she is clueless about anything regarding FFC.

Not bad or sketchy, but there is a working class section. Byram. It's the area located south of Route 1 and west of Greenwich Ave.

[Stylo]

No way. Byram looks a little run down in spots, but it's perfectly safe.

Greenwich is great to rent in for a Stamford job IMO, but buying is prohibitively expensive.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

No way. Byram looks a little run down in spots, but it's perfectly safe.

Greenwich is great to rent in for a Stamford job IMO, but buying is prohibitively expensive.

Agreed, it's a great area. I rented in Cos Cob for a bit. The town is great but IMO it can be a little boring.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

Well, excuse us.

I told him EXACTLY where he will find the quietest condo/apartment in Stamford. But, if you're more knowledgeable on this, please correct me.

BTW, finding a rental in North Stamford @$1500 is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack.

I would not take offense to Stylo's remarks. I htink he is just saying this based on nep's past posts over the years. You have a good point. $1,500 does not go far Stamford but only nep can decide if it is worth it or not. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by nep321

Yeah I will probably go down there and check things out and get a feel for the area. People are advising me against Westchester because there is a layer of county level taxes. CT doesn't have county governments, which is nice.

With that said, I accepted the job offer....so this is official! Very excited.

Congratulations nep - Best wishes on your new job. Jay

[nep321]

So I've been comparing the tax implications of living in Westchester vs. FFC. It turns out, that for someone who will be renting an apartment, the differences are extremely minimal, in aggregate.

Westchester sales tax rate is 7.375%. In CT it is 6.35%. Based on my spending history, I would pay about $170 more per year in sales tax in Westchester.

NY income tax rate in my bracket is 6.45%. In CT it is 5.5%. In NY I would have to pay about $300 more per year in income taxes on the NY resident tax return.

There is no motor vehicle property tax in Westchester. In CT, I would have to pay about $370 per year for this, depending on the city or town. However, because of this, I can take a deduction of about $40 per year on the state tax return in CT.

When all is said and done, I would pay about $130 more per year in taxes living in Westchester than in CT, as a renter. Not nearly as much as people in this forum have asserted. But, I could see how it would be a serious consideration for someone who owns property.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

Well, excuse us.

I told him EXACTLY where he will find the quietest condo/apartment in Stamford. But, if you're more knowledgeable on this, please correct me.

BTW, finding a rental in North Stamford @$1500 is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack.

My point wasn't that the advice here is bad, but that nep is pretty fickle and needs to spend time IN PERSON exploring various areas in detail.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by nep321

So I've been comparing the tax implications of living in Westchester vs. FFC. It turns out, that for someone who will be renting an apartment, the differences are extremely minimal, in aggregate.

But what's the advantage to living there and having a worse commute? I'm not seeing it.

[CTbrooktrout]

Nep, did you consider higher gas prices? Around 20-30 cents more expensive than you're accustomed to and it only gets higher as you get closer to NYC and Westchester will be higher than the CT towns on eastward.

Your best bet is probably Stamford for your first year.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by CTbrooktrout

Nep, did you consider higher gas prices? Around 20-30 cents more expensive than you're accustomed to and it only gets higher as you get closer to NYC and Westchester will be higher than the CT towns on eastward.

Your best bet is probably Stamford for your first year.

Well I don't want to move into an apartment only to stay there for 1 year. I want to stay in my next apartment for at least 3 yrs.