“Looking for the perfect neighbourhood please help!" (New City, Monroe: house, to buy)

[Emma E]

My Husband and I are looking to buy our first house and start a family! You may think my concerns are premature but we have always been a couple whom plan. For the past two years we have rented a house in the lovely town of Forest Hills NY however the property prices and outdoor area you get for your money is less than we would like ( we like to enjoy our home and spend all our time weather permitted outdoors. So we are looking to move further upstate either, Westchester, Rockland, or New Jersey and possibly the beginning of Orange county. My husband and I do need to be within one hour and a half commute of the city for family and work. Our dream is to be lakeside and as my husband is a builder and I am an interior designer, the thought of a house with a little land to extend and renovate does not scare us, in fact we would love the opportunity to profit from our home in the future. I know we may be asking for a lot, so our main priority would be that we buy in an area that we could stay and raise our new family for at least the next five to ten years, this means good schools, health services, supermarkets, good community, etc... To sum it up we do not want to be completely isolated out in the sticks! After all, families like to be near other families.
If anyone can advise and help us narrow, our search down it would be appreciated. By the way, we would be looking to spend between 500K and 700K. Thank you so much in advance. Emma.

[joeymarine]

There is a lot out there in your price range....i would recommend something like New City down in Rockland, possibly Monroe/Woodbury Area, or even Warwick.

[Dixiebound]

Try Lake Lucille in New City(Rockland). It's a very small lake, but a nice community.

Try some of the lake communities in Putnam county above Westchester. I forget most of their names; there are a few.

Good Luck.

[Natalpaz]

You can try South Salem, Lake Katonah and Somers in Northern Westchester and Mahopac in Putnam county. There are small lakes all over the area, and your price range can afford a nice house with good potential. Commute to the city is easy on Metro North/Harlem line, trains arrive to Grand Central.

[Emma E]

Thank you for your replies we will look at all your suggestions and let you know how we do.

[Emma E]

Our first priority is good schools,any suggestions? Thank you

[joeymarine]

Originally Posted by Emma E

Our first priority is good schools,any suggestions? Thank you

In Southern Orange, you can still get a pretty good bang for your buck and still have a great school district. Monroe-Woodbury is very good and there are several lakes throughout.

~Joey

[Natalpaz]

All Westchester/Putnam towns I mentioned above are in excellent school districts: John Jay (South Salem, Katonah), Somers (Somers), Mahopac (Mahopac).