Orange County (Monroe, Warwick, Montgomery: townhome, purchasing, construction)

[telisha101297]

Looking into purchasing a home next year have 3 kids and my husband works in the city and will be driving to and from work. I was wondering which towns are the best for raisng a family. Looking into Harriman since it is close to the city. And how are property taxes determined or shall I say what are the averages in prperty taxes. Thanks any help would be great.

[CoachMelanie]

My husband and I also have 3 kids and are looking too. We are looking in Goshen and Westtown. My concerns are commute; childcare and schools. what have you found out so far?

[ocnymonty]

Commute from Harriman by car to NYC during the 'rush' will be 1 1/2 hrs to 2 1/2hrs... depending on where you need to be. Door to door by train could be 1:45 -2:00 by train (or longer). I just worked a trade show at the Javits Center on Friday, and I left my house in Montgomery at 8am... and I didn't park my car on 34st until 10:25. Any way you slice it commuting from OC is 3-4 hours round trip at a minimum.

Property taxes range from town to town... median taxes have OC pegged between $5-6K however that accounts all the homeowners who have lived in OC for years. On older homes expect to pay that much... on newer construction expect to pay as much as $8K and up. In the town of Montgomery a 2400sq ft colonial on a 1/4 acre built in 2004 is listing on the market for $389K. The taxes are listed at $11,300. My parents are on the STAR for seniors and pay $6500 on a 1900 sg ft bilevel built in 1976 on 1 acre in Warwick.

[colorsofspring]

The commute times vary depending on where in the city you are going and at what time.
My husband commutes to the Bx and commutes mid-day. He can make it to his job in 1 hr 15 minutes. His late night commute home can sometimes be as short as 1 hour flat. We live 15 minutes further than Harriman. Harriman falls in the Monroe -Woodbury school district which is highly sought after. Property taxes reflect this.
Expect to pay upwards of $6000- $8000 in that district.
We pay considerably less, for a townhome in another much smaller district.