Towns to live close to Exton PA...good schools, house prices around $200k...where do we look? (Chester: sale, renting) - Philadelphia - Pennsylvania - City-Data Forum

batters27 · 10-01-2015, 08:07 AM

My wife and I currently live in Collegeville (having just relocated from VA). I work in Exton. We need to find cheaper housing and it seems buying versus renting is the cheaper option. We are actively trying to conceive now so expect (hopefully) to have to think about school systems in the not too distant future.

Where do we look? We love collegeville and Phoenixville but I don't feel that we will get much for our money there. Where else can we look? As I mentioned we are very new to the area so have no background knowledge to use.

Thanks for any help!

toobusytoday · 10-01-2015, 09:03 AM

If anything, I think the school districts closer to Exton will be more expensive than where you are right now. I would do a Zillow search just to get an idea. If this is your first home, I would suggest just looking for something small. No reason to get into a big house right off the bat.

batters27 · 10-01-2015, 09:55 AM

Yup we are looking for small, we just don't know WHERE to look. We don't want to live in Exton..would prefer something with a main street and shops etc. Have looked at Downingtown which is a possibility, just wanted to know if there are other areas we should look into?

pman · 10-01-2015, 09:58 AM

Downingtown is probably your best bet, great district, pretty quiet but it's close to west chester, has had a great district, and a mix of home prices. It also has a train station and if they ever move it they may build a larger town center with it. Phoenixville is a great town imo. Malvern is a great town but may be too expensive

toobusytoday · 10-01-2015, 11:20 AM

Downingtown is a straight shot to Exton. Good school district, nice main street. I just didn't think the houses were less expensive there. I could be wrong though! We lived there for four years when our kids were very small. We loved their fourth of July celebration.

PLyons13 · 10-02-2015, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batters27

My wife and I currently live in Collegeville (having just relocated from VA). I work in Exton. We need to find cheaper housing and it seems buying versus renting is the cheaper option. We are actively trying to conceive now so expect (hopefully) to have to think about school systems in the not too distant future.

Where do we look? We love collegeville and Phoenixville but I don't feel that we will get much for our money there. Where else can we look? As I mentioned we are very new to the area so have no background knowledge to use.

Thanks for any help!

West Chester is nice and some housing is expensive, but there are a lot of great "steals" there. I would suggest living on the side of main street opposite the campus. However, some of the houses closer to campus are cheaper, but you'll have the college students to contend with.

The town of West Chester is very quaint and accessible. Exton is not far away either.

Good Luck!

everyday · 10-03-2015, 08:45 AM

I really think it depends on your your minimum requirements in a house. 200K is not going to get you much. I would be very cautious of "steals" in this area as there is most likely something wrong with them. Do you homework and get a good inspection. We almost bought a "steal" and it turned out to be adjacent to a superfund site. The seller didn't need to disclose that and my realtor was too interested in making a sale to say anything. Which is another suggestion, try to get a realtor you personally know so they tell you the real truth about a property.

With that said, I also say West Chester seems like it would be closest to what you are looking for but I question if it is in your price range. I can't say that 200 would go far in Phoenixville or Downingtown either. You may need to look into further west on the turnpike past Exton. Better commute and bigger yards.

pman · 10-05-2015, 04:09 PM

I think you mean worse commute and bigger yards

chicagoliz · 10-06-2015, 07:02 AM

I'm in Collegeville, and I don't see how you're going to find something more affordable in a good area. West Chester has a very cute downtown area but parts of it are just as expensive if not more expensive than Collegeville (although other parts are less).

What, exactly, are you looking for and what do you want to spend?

batters27 · 10-07-2015, 08:17 AM

In an ideal world we would like 3 bedrooms and at least 1.5 bathrooms with a yard (doesn't matter how small) and within walking distance...not necessarily TOO anything but I'm a runner and love to be able to run from my front door as opposed to having to drive somewhere first..

I know we may not get much..we want to stuck to 220k as a max but realise we may have to forgo some things on our wish list.

We do not have kids yet but are actively trying to conceive now so ideally school districts MAY not be an issue for at least 3/4 years BUT it worries me buying in a non decent school district because of potential resale value on the house if/when we need to move to accomodate the kids..