[flyingdaggers]

Originally Posted by tomcio

flyingdaggers,
We have monitored the CT (specifically Stamford, Springdale, and Glenbrook areas) market for around one year now. Last summer/fall we made several trips up there and drove around just to get familiar with those neighborhoods and find out which ones are in walking distance to Metro North stops. We also attended few open houses and saw, I believe 8 houses. We certainly did not research well enough daycare/nanny market which we are planning to do this coming spring/summer as well as deeper investigation of local school system beyond learning from some reports that schools are decent in Stamford area. We are thinking about moving in second half of 2008, but considering recent home prices declines and the general outlook for real estate - we don’t really know. How about you guys?

tomcio, i assume the reason you guys look in these towns to start with was for the ease of commute to nyc?

We have a more tight timeframe. Our lease for this apartment in Queens will expire in a few months. However, we are likely to negotiate with the landlord to extend a few more months but we still need to make a move, buying or continuing renting, no later than may or june for other reasons. The recent housing market condition and trend put me in a dillemma too. Sometimes I almost want just to rent a bigger place for a year or two and wait out this market condition which could potentially save us a lot of $. Anyways, that's a saparate topic.

You mentioned the parking issued in FF too. Have you researched the area near/walkable to the to-be-opened new train station? I heard the eastern part of FF is cheaper. For the same price one gets much nicer homes. I wonder if it's worthwhile to live their and drive hubby to the train daily or pay parking fee until we can use the new train station?

[JayCT]

flyingdaggers - It may be worthwhile to buy on the east side of Fairfield and wait for the new station to open. It is a nice area and already a lot of people are doing this. You should check the area our and see if you like it. Another option may be to share a ride to the station with someone who has a sticker. I know people that have done this as well. Jay

[notjustamom]

Originally Posted by flyingdaggers

Tomcio, what's your preliminary research? A tour around? Do you know about schools there? We do have one kid and possibly more down the road.

Also may someone share the tax differences among these towns? I though it is all very similar within one county?

The elementary schools in Stamford are not bad at all, but the high school leaves much to be desired. Many families in Stamford send their children to private school.

Taxes will vary from town-to-town, and city-to-city throughout Connecticut. The mil rate isn't set by counties, but by individual towns and cities. In general, larger cities have higher taxes than smaller cities and towns. But you will need to check the mil rate for the particular town or city you are interested in.

[tomcio]

Originally Posted by flyingdaggers

tomcio, i assume the reason you guys look in these towns to start with was for the ease of commute to nyc?

We have a more tight timeframe. Our lease for this apartment in Queens will expire in a few months. However, we are likely to negotiate with the landlord to extend a few more months but we still need to make a move, buying or continuing renting, no later than may or june for other reasons. The recent housing market condition and trend put me in a dillemma too. Sometimes I almost want just to rent a bigger place for a year or two and wait out this market condition which could potentially save us a lot of $. Anyways, that's a saparate topic.

You mentioned the parking issued in FF too. Have you researched the area near/walkable to the to-be-opened new train station? I heard the eastern part of FF is cheaper. For the same price one gets much nicer homes. I wonder if it's worthwhile to live their and drive hubby to the train daily or pay parking fee until we can use the new train station?

flyingdaggers,
Our main drivers to move out are similar to yours and typical for the new parents, I guess: more space for our kid, lack of time and enthusiasm to enjoy the city after our son was born. The ease of commute to the city is important too. Our space in Queens is big enough to stay put for a year or two, we just choose to move out of NY.
I can not really advise on parking situation in FF for we are looking to buy a house in walking distance to Metro North station.

[flyingdaggers]

Thank you guys for responding!

What would be the names of the neighborhoods that are nice and more affordable and are closer/walkable to the new station?

Where can I find the Mil Rates for different towns? BTW, mil rate is what you time to the assessed value of a property to calculate what the taxes you pay right?

[flyingdaggers]

Originally Posted by tomcio

flyingdaggers,
Our main drivers to move out are similar to yours and typical for the new parents, I guess: more space for our kid, lack of time and enthusiasm to enjoy the city after our son was born. The ease of commute to the city is important too. Our space in Queens is big enough to stay put for a year or two, we just choose to move out of NY.
I can not really advise on parking situation in FF for we are looking to buy a house in walking distance to Metro North station.

Our Queens apartment is OK for the 3 or us for now too but I plan to bring my parents to stay with us to help babysit until the kid is old enough for preschool. When they do come we will need a bigger place.

Coming back to what we were talking about, I guess I was asking why you guys chose stamford over other places in CT and even, why CT over say NY and NJ. There are plenty of towns that offer more space and easy commute. For us, other than good schools and etc., one of the main reasons was Fairfield county taxes on average is much lower than Long Island and Westchester. I think those taxes are plain ripoffs but that's just us.

[ambarstone]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Another option may be to share a ride to the station with someone who has a sticker. I know people that have done this as well. Jay

Hi JayCT,
Do you know if there is a way around here to get a list of people that are available/willing to share a ride? -with someone that does not have a stiker that is! But I'd be worried for the return, because if timing is not right, I would not know how to get home. There is no public transport that runs bet station and my place.

Flyingdaggers...
At this point, from the Tunxis area, is would be difficult to walk to the new train station when built (over a mile anyway). Sidewalks kind of dissapear. The closest area to the new Train will really be Grassmere...that is walkable and closer to the beach too, but houses are older in that area and do not necessarily represent the most beauty you could find in FF. I did like this neighborhood however.

[JayCT]

ambar371 - You might check Rideshare which is an organizatiuon that arranges such rides. I am not sure if there is a bulliten board at the station but posting a notice around town on local boards would be an option as well. Jay

[tomcio]

Originally Posted by flyingdaggers

Our Queens apartment is OK for the 3 or us for now too but I plan to bring my parents to stay with us to help babysit until the kid is old enough for preschool. When they do come we will need a bigger place.

Coming back to what we were talking about, I guess I was asking why you guys chose stamford over other places in CT and even, why CT over say NY and NJ. There are plenty of towns that offer more space and easy commute. For us, other than good schools and etc., one of the main reasons was Fairfield county taxes on average is much lower than Long Island and Westchester. I think those taxes are plain ripoffs but that's just us.

We simply like CT best for several reasons (one of them being reasonable taxes). We are not big fans of NJ. Long Island's location, taxes and access to/from outside world are not attractive to us. Westchester is still on our list, but our research clearly tells us that you get way more in Stamford area than in Westchester for the same money. Why specifically Stamford? I think it is a mixture of location, taxes, city's size and character and people living in the area.
That is a very BIG help and changes many things if you can bring your parents to help with the baby. We don't have an option for such luxury.

[flyingdaggers]

I was afraid my Qs below are overlooked. Jay, I believe you could give me some names for the first Q? Thanks!

Originally Posted by flyingdaggers

Thank you guys for responding!

What would be the names of the neighborhoods that are nice and more affordable and are closer/walkable to the new station?

Where can I find the Mil Rates for different towns? BTW, mil rate is what you time to the assessed value of a property to calculate what the taxes you pay right?