1st time home buyer in Rockland County (Ramapo, White Plains: 2013, lease)

[SAgosto]

I am looking into buying my 1st house. My wife and I are planning to move in fall of 2013 when we are out of our lease so I am just starting to educate myself. We currently live in Hartsdale/Scarsdale, NY but I cannot see myself living in Westchester County as the taxes are disgusting. I won't pay NY/NYC another dime in tax so NYC is out of the question. LI is a possible but a very hard sell. CT has a sketchy transit to NYC so that's on the short list. That leaves Rockland County and NJ. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with NJ at all.

I currently work in White Plains, NY and my wife works near WTC. She currently has a 1.5 hour commute from Scarsdale to GCS via Metro-North, subway to WTC and then a walk to her building. She'd like to keep that commute. Can someone give me some safe areas in Rockland County that allow that transit with good school districts (planning to have children in 3-4 years)? Budget around $650K depending on the taxes. I have read very good things about Nanuet/New City. I am concerned about her commute though and conflicting info about the bus that supposedly goes right to WTC (much easier than the current 3 step process of metro north, subway, and walking).

Must haves: not a particular style but prefer newer and in move-in condition/4+BR/2+BR/Central Air/parking for at least 2 cars (prefer garage)/back yard with room for patio and potential pool

[Forest_Hills_Daddy]

Originally Posted by SAgosto

I am looking into buying my 1st house. My wife and I are planning to move in fall of 2013 when we are out of our lease so I am just starting to educate myself. We currently live in Hartsdale/Scarsdale, NY but I cannot see myself living in Westchester County as the taxes are disgusting. I won't pay NY/NYC another dime in tax so NYC is out of the question. LI is a possible but a very hard sell. CT has a sketchy transit to NYC so that's on the short list. That leaves Rockland County and NJ. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with NJ at all.

What's the problem with Hartsdale that would make you move to Nanuet? Taxes there are supposedly reasonable. Do you think taxes will increase substantially over time?

Nanuet spends almost as much to educate a student so expect taxes there to creep up over time.

[SAgosto]

Originally Posted by Forest_Hills_Daddy

What's the problem with Hartsdale that would make you move to Nanuet? Taxes there are supposedly reasonable. Do you think taxes will increase substantially over time?

Nanuet spends almost as much to educate a student so expect taxes there to creep up over time.

The taxes are generally higher in Westchester County but you get a lot more for your money in Rockland. We are looking at several brand new homes in Nanuet in the 7XXK range which doesn't seem to exist here.

[SAgosto]

Ttt

[Forest_Hills_Daddy]

OK I understand. Your preference is for new construction with more space, which I agree is more abundant in Rockland. Try Orange Country also. When we were house hunting a couple of years ago, we saw more newer construction in Warwick, Goshen and Florida. In terms of space for money, OC had much more to offer than Rockland.

Though wehrever you go, keep an eye on school district spending per student vis-a-vis revenues collected. I recalled Nanuet spends almost as much per student as an average Westchester district yet revenue collections are lower - meaning they would borrow to cover the deficit.

[SAgosto]

We started to look at few houses in Rockland but not sure which school districts to stay away from. Generally speaking, are all the schools in Rockland County good except East Ramapo? What school district should we completely stay away from? What school districts should we look for (Nanuet/Clarkstown/?)?

[zakas80]

Pearl River is nice and within good schools. Congers area too I would highly recommend , you should find something more then suitable for your price range in either one.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Your quality of life is going to drop significantly. Both commutes are going to increase dramatically, both in terms of stress and duration. Rockland to WTC is comparable to Westchester in terms of distance but the similarities stop there. Train Service to and from Rockland is a satellite branch so trains are slow and much less frequent. It will also add another leg or two to your wife's commute since you need to change trains to get to Penn before switching to the subway (I assume in NYC). Roughly 2 hours plus door to door. Also, the Tappan Zee Bridge is a nightmare with no improvement in sight. You'll need to budget 50 minutes for your commute and prepare to be late frequently when there is an accident or inclement weather on 287 or the Tap.

Schools are not on par with Westchester either. That said, Pearl River, Clarkstown North and Suffern are the best of the bunch. Taxes are a bit lower, but you also generally get fewer services too. No Whole Foods in the entire county and a really odd dynamic overall. Housing stock is biased to unattractive 1970s raised ranches county wise. It's not known for being well kept or manicured. Odd zoning.

[SAgosto]

Originally Posted by zakas80

Pearl River is nice and within good schools. Congers area too I would highly recommend , you should find something more then suitable for your price range in either one.

What school district is Pearl River? Pearl River? Congers is a bit too north as my wife works near the WTC. Aside from Pearl River, what school district to consider and stay away from?

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

Your quality of life is going to drop significantly. Both commutes are going to increase dramatically, both in terms of stress and duration. Rockland to WTC is comparable to Westchester in terms of distance but the similarities stop there. Train Service to and from Rockland is a satellite branch so trains are slow and much less frequent. It will also add another leg or two to your wife's commute since you need to change trains to get to Penn before switching to the subway (I assume in NYC). Roughly 2 hours plus door to door. Also, the Tappan Zee Bridge is a nightmare with no improvement in sight. You'll need to budget 50 minutes for your commute and prepare to be late frequently when there is an accident or inclement weather on 287 or the Tap.

Wouldn't she be able to take NJ Transit to Hoboken and then PATH right to WTC? It actually would be better for her as she currently needs to take a crowded subway at GCS down to Fulton Street and then walk 10-15 minutes to her building. Per NJ Transit, this should actually be quicker than her current 1:15 commute from Hartsdale/Scarsdale? I am not sure where 2 hours+ is coming from...

I am concerned about Tappan Zee. Several folks at my job do this. I have flexible hours so I am hoping to commute around 7:30ish or earlier.

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

Schools are not on par with Westchester either. That said, Pearl River, Clarkstown North and Suffern are the best of the bunch.

Isn't Nanuet and Orangestown highly ranked too? What to stay away from?

[newbieny]

Yeah I think if you leave around 7 - 7:30 you should be fine to cross TZB..colleagues of mine have been doing it for years