[CTartist&musician]

Originally Posted by Hazelsky

Hi there,

We are looking to make the move out of NYC in the next couple of months. We have explored Westchester and are now looking at CT. We are not familiar with CT at all so we're hoping to get some advice here

We are a young family with two children ages 3 and 1. We're looking to spend about $700,000 or rent for $3500, which I understand doesn't go far in many parts of CT. My husband is willing to commute up to 1.25 hours since his hours are somewhat flexible. We prefer older homes, not afraid of major renovations, smaller lot is fine, would love a walkable downtown area and schools are a priority.

Advice on where to start looking would be much appreciated!

Thanks so much!

Both of my sister-in-laws are from Greenwich and all my boyfriends (except my husband) were from Greenwich. They are middle to upper-middle class, not wealthy. Here are some places you might be able to find a house in Greenwich for 700,000 to 850,000.....

Old Greenwich
Riverside
Byram
Glenville

It is worth a look and you just might find a good deal. Your commute would so much better than upper Fairfield. When I lived in Stamford I would always drive to the Greenwich train station to go into NYC and that was an enjoyable trip.

[toddb]

For the OP - I did the commute from Fairfield to NYC for around 4 yrs. My office was, for most of that time, 2 blocks from Grand Central (on 41st and Madison). A good day took me only 1h20m door to door. Most of the time, though, it was closer to 1h45m. Parking was an issue (I got a new job about a month before the new station opened) so I had to be at the station by 6:40 or there wasn't a daily spot. But even when my wife started dropping me off, it was still 7 mins to get to the station, at least 5 mins of waiting (train was rarely right on time), 1h10m-1h20m of train time on a good day, then a 5m walk. When I had to find parking and walk 1/4 mile that added at least 5m.

Short version - for quality of life live as close as you can and sacrifice a few hundred sq ft of house or a bit of land... commuting is an awful, soul-sucking experience that wears you down. Switching to a new job where I *only* drive 45m gave me almost 2 hrs of every day back so I actually get to see my kids every day.

That being said - if you don't mind the commute, feel free to DM me - we're going to be re-listing our house in Fairfield in a few months and it's right in your range.

[Henry10]

Many years ago I commuted from Hartford to Manhattan everyday (3rd and 51st). Bus to Port Authority. 4 hours door-to-door. I did it for three months only. A fellow commuter had done it for 2 years, and he told me about another guy who had done it for 9 years and after 7 years his wife had divorced him. Your weekends are times to catch up with sleep and you're too tired for anything else.

Many people do two hours, but their QOL suffers. Don't do it if you can help it.

[SailCT]

Try ROWAYTON!!! Great seaside village; like old time New England. It is officially part of Norwalk; same way that Larchmont (another choice-better commute) is part of Mamaroneck. The kids would go to the local elementary school which is right in the neighborhood. The train station is an easy walk from most of Rowayton or a short drive. To get there either drive up 95 North to Exit 12 make right and drive south you run right into it on The 5 mile River. Or by train it is the 3rd stop past Stamford. For middle school most kids either do private school or move to Darien or Westport. But you will have plenty of time to figure out the area. My advice would be to rent for a year in Rowayton as close to the water as possible. The small village as everything you need; and Darien and all the big box stores are a short drive up to Route 1 in Norwalk; including a Super Stop & Shop about 2 miles away.

[jesse_f]

Don't forget Rowayton Seafood!

[nonny]

Commuting long distances is really bad for your health, especially if you need to be in during rush hour. If you can work at home one or two days a week, or go in on off-hours, it is worth it. There are many fine towns and school districts in CT. Otherwise, you are probably better off in Westchester. Even Rockland may be OK with the new bridge.

[Meglion]

My spouse and I both commute into NYC for work and have been struggling with this same issue. We currently live in Southport, and our commute, including subway, is a solid 1 hour 15 mins to 1 hour 45 minutes depending on train delays, subway delays, etc. It's stressful, but the reward is that this area still feels laid-back in a way that Scarsdale, Larchmont, and other areas closer to NYC just don't. We've pretty much made peace with the notion that we're going to have to suffer the long commute to get to an area that doesn't feel commuter-crazed. Around the FF area, Easton and Weston feel like seriously rural countryside: it's a great environment.

[Hazelsky]

Quick update: we spent this past Saturday in Fairfield and Westport. Both really beautiful towns!!! Drawn slightly more to Fairfield as it just seems to have a more relaxed vibe, but thought Westport was stunning as well. If only the commute wasn't quite so long, but then they would be just like any of the other closer towns I suppose. Ahh, the trade-off…

A relator acquaintance in Greenwich suggested we check out her area. She said there are quite a few nice rentals right now. Not sure it's quite right for us, but willing to check it out given the shorter commute.

This week is going to be a busy one checking out more towns (Greenwich, Rye Neck, Pleasantville, Katonah) and revisiting ones we looked at a few weeks ago (Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow, Hastings/Dobbs/Irvington, Larchmont). Whew!

Thanks, everyone, for your advice/suggestions!!!

[Hazelsky]

Meglion- A friend who grew up in Westin suggested we look at Southport. We got her message just as we were heading home. We are going to check it out next time.

[jesse_f]

Originally Posted by Hazelsky

Quick update: This week is going to be a busy one checking out more towns (Greenwich, Rye Neck, Pleasantville, Katonah) and revisiting ones we looked at a few weeks ago (Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow, Hastings/Dobbs/Irvington, Larchmont). Whew!

Just keep in mind the tax effects of Westchester vs CT. We started our search in Dobbs Ferry, did the whole river town tour like you, then up around Pleasantville, etc. However, when we thought about how on say a $700k house, CT taxes will be around $10k a year while any of the NY towns you mentioned would be $20-30k, CT was the clear winner.

On a 4% mortgage, it's about $600 a month per $100k borrowed. So if you're paying another $10-15k a year in taxes, that's like borrowing at least another $200k in principal, minus the interest tax deduction - so more like $250k. So for the same net payments, you can have a $500k house in NY or a $750k house in CT. Plus, a higher percentage of your payment is going towards equity, rather than taxes, so there's that too. Try finding a house in the towns you mentioned for $500k and you'll see how easy the decision is.

Either way, makes no diff to me where you buy, but just wanted to point that out. Best of luck no matter where you end up.