[Marilena78]

Hi, I am looking to buy a Condo or a small house under $500,000.00 in CT. I work Midtown NY, so I would love not to commute for more than 1 hour.
Is it too much to ask?
What area do you suggest I start looking? I have no clue!
Thank you.
Maria

[jdhall1]

Maybe check out Danbury. There are a ton of great new/newer townhomes for sale in that price range. Good luck!

[jad2000]

You can find a nice condo in the Norwalk area for $500k, or a very small starter house. Danbury is also a good suggestion, but it's a longer commute to NYC that can get tiring pretty quickly. For 500k, you can get a nice home in Danbury.

[JayCT]

Marilena78 - Welcome to Connecticut. For $500k you should be able to get a nice condo or modest home in Stamford. Check realtor.com for listings to get an idea of what that price will get you. I think you will be surprised (I was). Very nice looking 1,200 s.f.+, 2 bedroom, 2 bath condos on or near the water. Look pretty nice. The train from Stamford would take under an hour depending on the train you take (there are many, some are direct). Stamford is a beautiful small city with a lot of great amenities. Good shopping, entertainment and restaurants. I think you will like it. Jay

[texags02]

I think buying a townhome ( I assume that's what most of you mean..townhome/condo) is a great way to start out. That's what my fiancee and I are planning on doing. We're 27, and are about to start our careers in the next few months (lawyers, NYC). We'd like to buy about 3 years from that point, and start off with a nice townhome. Stay there about 5-6 years, and then opt for the family home. On realtor.com they have some really great colonial-style townhomes in the $500-$600 range; new, stainless stell, hardwood floors, fireplace...everything you'd want. That's our plan anyway. Hope it doesn't sound stupid.

[jdhall1]

Originally Posted by texags02

I think buying a townhome ( I assume that's what most of you mean..townhome/condo) is a great way to start out. That's what my fiancee and I are planning on doing. We're 27, and are about to start our careers in the next few months (lawyers, NYC). We'd like to buy about 3 years from that point, and start off with a nice townhome. Stay there about 5-6 years, and then opt for the family home. On realtor.com they have some really great colonial-style townhomes in the $500-$600 range; new, stainless stell, hardwood floors, fireplace...everything you'd want. That's our plan anyway. Hope it doesn't sound stupid.

Condos are good ways to start out. You can generally get a condo for with more space than a single family home at the same price point. Also, you pay monthly dues to cover things like exterior maintence, landscaping, whatever the communtiy amenties are (pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, etc) and have some of the money saved for the future for big repairs (like a new roof). There are some great pretty much new large 3 or 4 level townhomes for sale in Danbury that sellers are having some hard times selling. The current market time for condos over 2000 square feet in Danbury (per CMLS) is just 127 days compared to 84 days for all single family homes in Danbury. Good luck!

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Marilena78 - Welcome to Connecticut. For $500k you should be able to get a nice condo or modest home in Stamford. Check realtor.com for listings to get an idea of what that price will get you. I think you will be surprised (I was). Very nice looking 1,200 s.f.+, 2 bedroom, 2 bath condos on or near the water. Look pretty nice. The train from Stamford would take under an hour depending on the train you take (there are many, some are direct). Stamford is a beautiful small city with a lot of great amenities. Good shopping, entertainment and restaurants. I think you will like it. Jay

I confirm Jay's post. Stamford has some surprising "bargains" for Fairfield County--but taking into account that a person doesn't need a 3,000 square foot brand new home for under $500k. That's not gonna happen in Stamford! But, Stamford is 45 mins by train, about an hour by car from Manhattan. You can get a good size house (1500-1800 sq ft) with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths for under $500k in Stamford. Stamford is a very safe city with almost every neighborhood being a stable and safe one (the major exception being pockets on the West Side). Check out this house in the neighborhood I live in:
1. property details connecticut real estate from william raveis real estate, one of the leading real estate agencies in connecticut, featuring homes for sale in ct: fairfield, ridgefield, hartford, greenwich, stamford, litchfield
Or this one:
2. property details connecticut real estate from william raveis real estate, one of the leading real estate agencies in connecticut, featuring homes for sale in ct: fairfield, ridgefield, hartford, greenwich, stamford, litchfield

Best of luck!