Where in PA should I move? Husband got job in Wilmington,DE (Philadelphia: real estate, mortgage)

[KatherineT]

My husband got a job in Wilmington, DE. We've decided we'd like to live in Pennsylvania (within 30 minutes or so of Wilmington). Where is the best place to move?

Our priorities:

3 or 4 bedroom house in the $200,000-300,000 range (rent or own)
Good school system
Family oriented area
Easy access to playgrounds, good community center etc.

We were looking at Chadds Ford and Kennett Square but I'm starting to think those areas are out of our price range...

Any help would be appreciated.

[Don163]

If taxes are an issue for you you may want to reconsider living in PA. Your husband's wages would be subject to a higher DE income tax, and if you purchased a home in PA your PA property taxes would be greater then a comparable house in DE.

[Pocopsonite]

Will he be working in downtown Wilmington? Or somewhere closer to the PA border?

Have you considered the Garnet Valley School District in Delaware County? Much better than Kennett Consolidated SD, though not as good as Unionville-Chadds Ford SD.

Garnet Valley serves students in the Borough of Chester Heights (NOT to be confused with the City of Chester!) and in Bethel and Concord Townships.

West Chester School District is also a possibility; West Chester is a cute college town with some nice parks.

[Mimidae]

I would also consider how far away you want to be from Philadelphia. I like to visit Kennett Square and West Chester, but they're far enough west that they are *more* of a haul to Philly than North Wilmington is. So then you'd be a half hour from Wilmington, but still potentially 45 minutes to an hour from Philly. I'm the kind of person who, if I have to have a half hour commute to work, I at least want to be closer to the next big city. But if you don't see yourself needing to spend much time in Philly, maybe it doesn't matter.

If you reconsider Delaware, I would look at Arden and the neighborhoods west of there, in North Wilmington. Brandywine School District is decent, definitely better than Christina and Red Clay (although both of those districts have a couple of very nice high schools). It's a 15 minute commute to downtown Wilmington, and 35-40 minutes to Center City.

I can't speak much on the boroughs on the Pennsylvania side, but I know there are some areas there, not too far west of I-95, that probably have what you're looking for.

[PhilliesPhan2013]

If you want an urban setting, you should consider either Media or West Chester. Media is the county seat of Delaware County (the PA county that borders Delaware), so the county courthouse, administrative offices, etc. are located there along beautiful Main Street. It is also served by the Route 101 trolley and the Media/Elwyn line. With West Chester, you would be looking at moving into Chester County, which is northwest of Delaware County. West Chester is a nice college town with historical neighborhoods. To get to Philly, consider taking the Paoli/Thorndale line at Exton. The school districts are excellent for both.

If you want more of a suburban feel, check out Aston in Delaware County. Aston has nice, spacious homes (a lot of which were constructed between 0 and 20 years ago). It is also close to major roadways, such as US 322 and I-95.

[cpomp]

You are going to have a hard time finding a 4 bedroom near Media for 200-300k that isn't extremely small or outdated...

West Chester you would have more luck.

[sophiabilinsky]

You can definitely find something in the Kennett and Avon Grove school districts for $200 - $300 K but not in the UCF school district. Garnet Valley is very expensive -- higher than or on par with UCF.
Both Kennett and Avon Grove areas border DE and there are lot's of Wilm. DE based employees who live in those areas.
DE County and West Chester are much longer commutes in to Wilmington IMO because of the 202 traffic. Many of the people that I see are trying to get into any of the adjoining PA school districts because they feel they are better than what is available in DE. Check any of the public web sites for school rankings and more detailed information before you make a decision. The higher real estate taxes in PA are balanced out by the fact that you get much more house for you money than in DE. Working in both areas extensively and the bottom line monthly mortgage plus real estate tax payment balances out for a like property.

[jf3971]

Garnet Valley more expensive than Chadds Ford?
I don't think so.

[sophiabilinsky]

Like quality homes are just as expensive as Chadds Ford.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by sophiabilinsky

The higher real estate taxes in PA are balanced out by the fact that you get much more house for you money than in DE. Working in both areas extensively and the bottom line monthly mortgage plus real estate tax payment balances out for a like property.

Wow, I don't work in real estate but I find that very hard to believe. You are telling us that, for a like property, in a similar location, the house is more expensive in DE? I'm not talking about a house in extreme rural Chester County vs. Greenville. I mean a similar situation.

Where DE can be more costly is the personal income tax, which can go well over 6%, more than twice PA's flat rate of 3.07%.

I won't fight you because you are the expert but I am surprised at your statement.