[csw]

My husband will most likely take on a job in Stamford within the next couple of weeks already. That means that I have to organize our move from San Jose to Stamford without ever having been to the area.
We have to small kids (4 yrs and 8 mo) and are looking for details on the different areas. Looks like housing is as expensive as it is here.
Any advice with respect to how to start the relo process/research is highly appreciated!

Thanks!
Claudia

[jjbradleynyc]

Hm..that's tricky. You can't fly here first, take care of the housing, and fly back? It would be great for you to see the area you are moving to, before deciding. There may be so many things wrong with the house and neighborhood, once you actually move in.
But, if this isn't an option, that settles that. Are you renting?
Stamford's only "seedy" areas are pockets on the south end and the west side. Everywhere else is mostly safe and quiet. It is one of the safest cities for its size in the US, so "issues" here are minimal.
North Stamford is the more expensive area of the city--as well as Shippan Point. There are luxury homes and luxury condos that have gone up all over the city, and it is changing. Stamford is very corporate and has a huge presence for a city its size. It is just 44 minutes by train to NYC. Most of the shopping/businesses are located downtown, and there are a lot of new highrises going up downtown, too.
Try to get here first and take a look before moving. It's a wonderful quality of life.

[hsw]

Some upsides of Greenwich area over Woodside/Atherton/PaloAlto....much cheaper land, so many typical houses are on Atherton/Woodside-sized parcels....and many public schools are actually competent/safe, unlike 99% of public schools in SF/LA suburban regions, so can avoid costs of CA's almost-mandatory pvt schools....also, IIRC, CT's state inc tx is notably lower than CA's...

CA's near-perfect weather/topography and food (even simple produce) will likely be sorely missed in Greenwich....

But, just like SF Peninsula, Greenwich corridor has lots of very smart guys (in finance instead of tech) and a deep-seated appreciation of educational/career achievement....both are great environments to raise kids IMO....

[skytrekker]

NAR first quarter 2008 preliminary estimates for median home prices in Stamford are 449K compared to 780K For San Jose

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by csw

My husband will most likely take on a job in Stamford within the next couple of weeks already. That means that I have to organize our move from San Jose to Stamford without ever having been to the area.
We have to small kids (4 yrs and 8 mo) and are looking for details on the different areas. Looks like housing is as expensive as it is here.
Any advice with respect to how to start the relo process/research is highly appreciated!

Thanks!
Claudia

If you can afford it, the schools in the suburbs surrounding Stamford (Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Westport, Wilton) are among the best in the country. All of the towns are very expensive though, with average home prices around $1m.

Stamford is a great city with an excellent quality of life. Home prices will be lower in Stamford and Norwalk than the rest of lower Fairfield County, and the schools in both have some occasional urban issues but are not bad IMO.

[skytrekker]

I agree with KidY

Median home prices as I gave above include 'greater' Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport.
Along with other local towns that may include Fairfield, Stratford & Trumbull.

The other towns like New Canaan, Greenwich, Westport and Darien will be considerably higher- good luck in your move from San Jose Ca. to Connecticut.

[jdhall1]

You should also consider northern Fairfield County (Danbury, Bethel, New Fairfield, Newtown and Brookfield) area if the prices scare you away from Stamford, since the area is typically about 30% more affordable than Stamford. Good luck

[Rich Lee]

Here's a link for data on Stamford from the Greater Fairfield County MLS:

http://www.ct-mls.com/GeneralInfo/ec...idated1q08.pdf

Data for the first quarter of 2008 is as follows (ZIP 069xx - Stamford)

.ZIP. .AVG_S_P. #_UNITS
06902 $1026,100 21
06903 $1082,400 18
06904 $1975,000 +1
06905 $ 696,500 21
06906 $ 610,400 10
06907 $ 600,600 +8

City average: $867,615 (slightly higher than San Jose)

[skytrekker]

Rich- those are for Stamford only- the information from the NAR encompasses a far greater geographic area- which includes not only Stamford, but Bridgeport, Stratford, Fairfield, Norwalk, and Trumbull.

San Jose itself is 780K- even though the population of San Jose is over 850K- Nearby Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Atherton and Campbell will have median home prices far exceeding 867K. With median home prices far exceeding 1-2 million dollars.

A median home price which encompasses all of greater San Jose at 780K is still higher then Stamford/Norwalk/Fairfield/Bridgeport at 449K. I think this is the premise I am trying to make- the NAR's definition of home prices is their definition of a metropolitan region.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Rich- those are for Stamford only- the information from the NAR encompasses a far greater geographic area- which includes not only Stamford, but Bridgeport, Stratford, Fairfield, Norwalk, and Trumbull.

San Jose itself is 780K- Nearby Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Atherton and Campbell will have median home prices far exceeding 867K. With median home prices far exceeding 1-2 million dollars.

A median home price which encompasses all of greater San Jose at 780K is still higher then Stamford/Norwalk/Fairfield/Bridgeport at 449K. I think this is the premise I am trying to make- the NAR's definition of home prices in their definition of a metropolitan region.

Why are we using Stratford and Bridgeport prices to prove that the immediate Stamford area is affordable, when greater Bridgeport will be an hour away during rush hour?? Same goes for the Danbury area.

Skytrekker - do you have the average home prices for the easily commutable towns around Stamford? New Canaan, Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Westport, Norwalk.

Apples to apples, skytrekker!