Moving from TN and we want unrestricted land... is this possible? (Chester: condo, low crime)

[mad4mickeymouse]

Good Morning,
My husband is thinking about accepting a job in Wayne, PA.However I have some concerns that we will not find what we are looking for in a home and therefore should not accept this position. We are very lucky where we live now in that we are in a home with land in a desirable area, close to shopping, and in a decent school district… we would be looking for relatively the same thing in PA.
The specifics :
When are you moving? This summer
Where are you coming from? Knoxville TN
Why are you moving? New job & company.
Where will you be working? Wayne, PA, downtown
Have you been here yet? NO – a visit is scheduled soon

Will you buy or rent? Buy
If buying,are you looking for a house or a condo? Single family home/Townhome Single Family Home of approx. 4 bed2 bath, 2000+ square feet
How much can you spend? Around 500K

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? PA


Are you married or single? Married Do you have children? Yes, small babies and a 15 yr old son. We are concerned about him starting 10th grade in a new school, he is very shy.
Do you prefer public or private schools? Public
Do you have pets? Yes. 1 large (140 lb dog) and a cat.
Do you want or need a yard? Without question. We currently live on a few acres and have a barn, chicken coop, duck coop, pasture land, a workshop and a shed in addition to our home for a price that considerably cheaper than what I am seeing in PA!! Our current land is unrestricted and zoned agriculture. We would be looking for something similar in PA. Approx 5 acres (although we would accept a minimum of 2 acres) that would allow for chickens (including roosters) and other farm animals. I have been doing research and am having a hard time finding whether townships/disctrics allow this. (we only have city and county to contend with and since we live in the county…we only have to go by one set of rules)
Are you keeping a car? Yes 2 of them
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Calm & quiet!

What do you want to be closest to? Job for husband. He has to work 10 hour days and I don’t want his commute taking up too much of the family time he does have. Ideally it would be around 30 min or less, but we can maybe do a bit more. In TN we don’t have trains and such, so I am not sure how that works in the commute. I will be a stay at home mom so commute is of no issue for me.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexualpreference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Don’t care as long as it is a safe, low crime area, with good schools, and land

Coke or Pepsi? Coke!


Thanks so much for any input you may have.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

There will be very few houses that have 2+ acres with a short commute to Wayne. It would be difficult to pinpoint a specific area. How long is your husband willing to commute?


It sounds like you want a rural TN lifestyle not the lifestyle of someone who lives in a major metropolitan area.

[tall oaks]

A friend of mine lives in Wayne. She has chickens and keeps bees. I don't think you'll find that kind of acreage within thirty minutes of your husbands job at your price point. Additionally, any Philly area commute is two to three times in minutes to the mileage. (eg. 30 miles -- sixty to 90 minutes -- on a good day).

[rainrock]

Incredulously you arent allowed to post links on this site but google PA Horse Farms. Click on Montgomery County and Chester County .

You will see a ton of options if you dont mind a daily commute to Wayne.

Good luck.

[1ondoner]

I believe you can get all this in Chester County but certainly not for $500K.

You have 3 options
- pay much more
- have a long commute, at least an hour each way
- adopt a new lifestyle.

Originally Posted by mad4mickeymouse

[font=Calibri]
If buying,are you looking for a house or a condo? Single family home/Townhome Single Family Home of approx. 4 bed2 bath, 2000+ square feet
How much can you spend? Around 500K

Do you want or need a yard? Without question. We currently live on a few acres and have a barn, chicken coop, duck coop, pasture land, a workshop and a shed in addition to our home for a price that considerably cheaper than what I am seeing in PA!! Our current land is unrestricted and zoned agriculture. We would be looking for something similar in PA. Approx 5 acres (although we would accept a minimum of 2 acres) that would allow for chickens (including roosters) and other farm animals. I have been doing research and am having a hard time finding whether townships/disctrics allow this. (we only have city and county to contend with and since we live in the county…we only have to go by one set of rules)

[Duderino]

It's true that you're going to have to expand your scope, most likely to the outer-areas of Chester County.

FYI, Wayne and surrounding areas are among some of the most exclusive/wealthiest areas of the country, let alone the Philly area, so with that comes housing and plots of land that are a pretty penny. Also, if your son is on the shy side, you likely wouldn't want to consider the immediate area (known as the "Main Line"), which can be socially intimidating for outsiders that may not be "cued in" to the local culture.

I'm thinking of somewhere around Coatesville or Thorndale, focusing on the Route 202 corridor for a relatively easy commute to Wayne. Your price point may be more doable around there given the land you're looking for.

Good luck!

[car0401]

Your unlikely to find anything with 2+ Acres under 500K within 10 miles of Wayne as its pretty suburban. Try Montgomery County or Chester County or even Bucks County if you want more land. If you want a shorter commute you will probably have to sacrifice the land. To me it sounds like your lifestyle fits where you live pretty well and you might want to reconsider moving to Southeast PA but im sure you could make it work if you try

[car0401]

Also I grew up in Wayne and I have never heard of anyone owning farm animals around here so its unlikely its zoned for agriculture. Also your neighbors might complain and look down on you as this is the Mainline

[car0401]

You could consider Malvern, PA. There are a few houses that have a couple acres and are under 500K and the commute would be 45 minutes in traffic or 30 minutes without



Hope this helped