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I have to apologize in advance for the somewhat long post - but without doing it I can't really ask my questions.
Myself and my girlfriend (we're both in late 20th) have finally had enough of the fast pace corporate NYC jobs and are now looking to simplify our lives.
We want to be able to maintain lifestyle without NYC's stress and pollution, be physically active several hours daily, spent more time together, and later with our future kids. We also want to be able to take few months off from home every year to travel. And yet we want to remain in the relative proximity (1.5 hr driving) of NYC, where all of our families and friends are.
To reach the above goals we want to decrease our dependence on jobs.
- locate the area with lower property taxes and lower cost of living in the region outside of the NYC commuter zone (which are influenced by NYC's high incomes)
- buy a property (under $200K) with cheaper/smaller/older house but with bigger lot (1-2 acres+).
- have the organic garden, orchard, chicken coop, possibly keep bees, etc.
- get a local part time job (I’m skilled in various areas: from car mechanics to wood carving to corporate scale network security)
Please do not start criticizing our plans, its not what we're here for.
Currently, we're looking in the general areas of the Greenwood Lake / Warwick/ Monroe. Please also keep in mind that in the next few years we're planning to have kids so decent school is a concern.
So here are the questions (Finally!).
Are we overlooking any areas that fit our requirements? Maybe NJ's Sussex or Northern Passaic counties?
How likely are we to fit in these areas with our goals?
Does anyone know people pursuing the same goals in these areas?
Looking forward to your answers,
Aleks
Last edited by SimpleLifeNY; 11-17-2007 at 04:22 PM..
I've also been in search of countryside life in the NYC vicinity.
I dont think you would find a house for under $200k. If you do it's either going to be very small or be a fixer upper. If you buy a big house for around $200k in Warwick, rent the movie Money Pit before signing anything.
As far as Sussex goes.. I drove out there a few times over the summer and all the towns seemed to be run by harley guys.
I would pick Orange county over Sussex. Warwick's residents seem to be mostly commuters, which is nice because they are more educated and it's a safer/better place to live, but it drives the real estate up.
I've also been in search of countryside life in the NYC vicinity.
and what is the outcome?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvanripe10
I dont think you would find a house for under $200k. If you do it's either going to be very small or be a fixer upper. If you buy a big house for around $200k in Warwick, rent the movie Money Pit before signing anything.
It is one of my all time favorite movies! In fact, a fixer upper is my favorite kind of a house - I'm planning to do most of the work myself to ensure quality work. Plus, we're planning to add things like living roof, active solar heat, solar panels, rainwater collection for garden, orchard & showers, radiant floors, solar heated hot water, etc, etc. I'll add a lot of insulation (up to R60).
So it makes a lot more sence to start with a fixer upper rather then demolish a big chunk of a good house.
I had the same idea. The smart thing would have been to expand my search range. Finally I bought a lot in Norwalk, CT but it wasn't cheap. Unless you're willing to get a major rehab and do most of the work yourself you'll have a tough time finding what you want. Do yourselves a favor and go out 2+ hours. The upper Hudson Valley is great. NEPA (MIlford, Matamoras, Shohola) is just as great with lower taxes.
Warwick is a good area. It's actually becoming a "civil service" kind of area; a lot of cops, firemen, court officers, corrections officers moving up there and commuting to the city.
I'd avoid Monroe at this point; it's growing too fast and the cost of living is increasing quickly up there.
Try looking into the area of Walden (south of Poughkeepsie and New Paltz, north of Newburgh). I helped a buddy move up there and it's quiet, lots of land and good houses at a still decent price. There were chickens in his neighbor's yard, heh.
Warwick is an awesome town, though very expensive....200k will buy you a condo ..forget monroe...just as expensive, crowded and the hasids are taking over....not to mention property taxes..most homes in my development are over 10k a yr...my reccomendation is take rt 84 towards matamoras pa. a little further away but taxes are a third and homes are less than half...good luck!
We are getting ready to move to Greenwood Lake, and are very excited about it. I hear what you're saying about the "simple life." Having looked for a while here, though, I also agree that you probably won't find what you're looking for in the Warwick area under $200K. We were also looking for a fixer-upper, but anything we saw in that range was so much of a fixer-upper, it would have been best to tear the whole thing down and start from scratch. I looked online a lot but didn't get a sense of it until a realtor actually took us around. (Of course, Greenwood Lake has a lot of places that used to be summer cottages--but it looks like some of them are getting redone nicely.) I do think you could get a fixer-upper if you upped your price $50-$75K, though.
Good luck! Hope you move to the area... I love ex-NYCers who want to have the organic garden, solar panels, etc.
We also want to be able to take few months off from home every year to travel.
-we want to decrease our dependence on jobs.
-buy a property (under $200K) with cheaper/smaller/older house but with bigger lot (1-2 acres
-have the organic garden, orchard, chicken coop, possibly keep bees, etc.
-get a local part time job
haha, yeah me too. Yeah, i want to live in a big house on a big lot in the countryside, have a nice garden, not work as much, vacation a lot. Please tell me how.
Everyone wants this but a very lucky few actually get it. The American Dream
But as far as advice/reality check goes, you can't buy a decent house in Warwick for under 400k even.
If you find a big house ona big lot in Warwick for under 400k, go rent the movie 'The Money Pit'.
Your dream is an increasingly popular one! I take that as a good sign for the health of humanity and the planet.
You'll be lucky to find what you are looking for within two hours of NYC. The 'magic' radius seems to be 2.5 hours at which point prices drop fast (though it varies depending on direction from the city- the Hudson Valley stays pretty pricey, as does CT; heading north-west things come down quicker). If you don't have to maintain relatively easy access to NYC for career reasons you may not mind being farther away before too long!
Bear in mind that some of the things you want to do as far as a house (living roof, do all the work yourself, etc.) can be problematic in terms of permits and code enforcement. The more rural the setting the more you can 'get away with.'
As much as I'd like to go further away from NYC, I really can't - both myself and my gf have family and friends in/near NYC.
I've visited Warwick - and I loved it! Regardless of all the new construction in the area, it does not have the sprawl feel to it.
Does anyone know if there are dairy farms nearby?
I also got a suggestion to look at the Sugar Loaf. Any info on that town?
Thanks,
Aleks
Last edited by SimpleLifeNY; 12-05-2007 at 08:11 AM..
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