Hi All..Looking for a House under 350 in Putnam..help! (White Plains: low crime, mortgage)

[Looking4MyHouse]

I was wondering if anybody could reccomend areas I should be focusing on. My fiance needs to travel to the bronx and I work on wall street for our daily commutes. (looking for an hour commute). We'd like a racially diverse area with low crime and affordable houses. I think Putnam fits this but I'm not sure. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Natalpaz]

Pretty much any place in Putnam county will fit the bill - Mahopac, Carmel, Brewster, Patterson, Putnam Valley. With housing prices dropping you can definitely find something in this price range. The commute is a different story - while your fiance will comfortably have under 1-hour ride to work, yours will most likely be 1.5-2 hours door to door.

[OCNYISHOME]

try southern orange county.........should meet price and commuting req's

[SLP247]

Are either of you taking the train or will you be commuting by car? In Putnam there are two Rail Lines: Hudson Line (follows the Hudson River and the Harlem Line which follows the Eastern edge of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.

If you are driving, I would suggest something close to I-684 or The Taconic State Parkway. Rt. 9 would be way too slow until you got to White Plains and were able to pick up 87 or one of the other Parkways.

[Looking4MyHouse]

I intend to take the train. How are the taxes in Putnam?

[SLP247]

Taxes are relative. There are numerous Towns in Putnam and taxes will vary in each. However, Taxes take up a huge portion of your mortgage money so it is important to figure out what your housing budget is and then search based on that.

For instance: A $300k house in one neighborhood can easily work out to be as expensive as a $400 home in another. Why? The purchase price is spread out over 15-40 years. Taxes are every year.

With your desire to take the train, I'd want you to look along the Eastern and Western borders of Putnam. Stay out of the middle for the simple reason that it can be as long a drive to get to the train as it is to drive to the city.

Here is a cool Map Search feature that will enable you to search either all of Putnam County or specific locations. MAP SEARCH

Here is info on Putnam County: PUTNAM COUNTY