Job Possibility in West Chester PA (Lancaster, King of Prussia: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[Mayvenne]

You have gotten lots of good advice here. I did want to mention that "West Chester" is a pretty broadly used name. With that, it really depends on where you will be working. Some of the areas that might work better for you might not actually be such bad commutes and might have the facilities you need/want.

What I am saying is it might actually be feasible .( My mailing address is West Chester, but I can be 20 minutes or more from friends who also have a West Chester address)

[1ondoner]

Try Downingtown, Coatesville or Parkesburg. Housing is going to be your biggest cost and if you want to be among liberals it's going to cost you more if you find such communities in these locations. The more west you go from West Chester the more conservative it gets.

[selhars]

1) OP, when are you thinking of making this move, which of course has a lot of factors:
-- is there a decision deadline by which you have to tell your company....how long after that would they want you in WC......you have a baby coming, what's the timing of THAT with the move? I know you have mom, and this would be a career move...but would you also be moving away from other family that could help you with the baby?

2) OP draw a 45 minute commute circle around your job (or a hospital) and take your search from there. Everything in the circle is fair game...outside the circle is not. At least that could be a starting point.

3) The OP said, "We don't care for a yard to upkeep." I took that to mean they're NOT interested in "a decent sized yard." Whatever size that is, is very subjective.

Usually a "decent sized yard" just sort of comes with a rancher/rambler layout of home, as they need larger lot sizes by default. Unlike town houses.....I've never seen a zero lot line rancher.

4) I know you you've heard this but your budget will be tight -- if not down right unrealistic -- for your wish list. Just depends on how hard you dig to find something no one else hears about to outbid you. And how long of a commute you really want to commit to.

5) As was said "west Chester" can be kind of a broad area. OP without giving the company name obviously, can you at least say which highways intersect near where you'll be working? That would help get better suggestions also.

[Avalon08]

One big problem I see is your requirement that the home be single-story or have a first-floor master. There are ranch houses but in your price range, they're probably not going to have 4 bedroom / 2 bath. And the two-story homes usually have all the bedrooms upstairs. And as someone else said, in your price range it might have to be a townhouse.

What about some of the Delaware County towns, like Brookhaven, Aston, etc.? Prices are certainly lower than in Chester County, and it's not that far from West Chester. I mean, these are blue-collar communities with 60s housing stock, but it is what it is, when your budget is that low. Most of them also have big yards that would have to be maintained, including raking leaves in the fall. And check the property taxes -- they can be high in Delaware County.

Wherever you are in the Philly suburbs, you'll be near good medical care.

[selhars]

Avalon, makes some excellent points and the post is right on the money.

I was going to suggest some parts of Delaware County, also. But some people (ignorant of the truth) act and respond like most of DelCo is an armpit....and I've drawn tired of that nonsense.

[lindseyb.]

Thanks for all of the input.

Just to answer a few questions.

-Our family is all over North Carolina, unless we head back there, we aren’t looking at family support. We have gained some friends in the 5 years we’ve been in San Antonio that we could call for emergencies, but not day to day support.

- We recognize our budget is low. This may increase but at this time, I’m considering this move as if nothing would change since I don’t know what that change is yet and I have additional costs heading my way with baby. There are some homes that I’ve found in the Delaware/Jersey/Coatesville areas that could potentially work, but I worry about the medical care for my mother.

-My commute wouldn’t be daily, which is why I wouldn’t mind a longer commute. My position holds a bit of flexibility with scheduling, so I could also wisely choose my hours to go to the office.

-The closest highways to my office would be 202/323? I’ve visited this area several times before but I’m not sure of the names.

- The opportunity would be a career move in a huge way for me. I don’t hold a college degree and this is a fairly large advancement, possibly overseeing global work. This isn’t for a small career move. It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around often for me. I don’t have to take it, but I’d like to.

- Timing is flexible. I’m considering late 2021- after baby is born. Potentially early 2022. Most likely I would begin the work here and then move once people begin to return to the office on a more regular basis.

-And for the yard, what I mean is that I don’t need a yard at all.

[DXBtoFL]

Well, I did see this in Downingtown:

https://www.redfin.com/PA/Downingtow.../home/38423824

Probably will get multiple offers, FYI.

It does seem like that this job offer is a potential major career advancement that could really springboard you further. It makes more sense to take it and swallow any housing discomfort as temporary. You can find housing in your budget with flexibility (look further afield, there are scores of smaller old towns and hamlets and you can probably find a modest townhouse or an older rambler). It may also be realistic to rent for a year or so and use that time to explore the region.

[selhars]

Yes, perhaps rent for a year. Or do some darn good research and make some scouting visits here if you can. I can perfectly understand -- with pregnancy and a baby -- that you wouldn't want to move twice.
But, if the move isn't until late '21, early '22, you are doing the right thing in thinking ahead.

I suppose in your case, you're right to go for the career advancement.

As for the house location, don't ask me why -- maybe because I slept on it, I know know -- but I'm thinking you just might luck out and find something. Especially being as flexible as you are with your commute time.

Again, draw a circle around your job -- last time I suggested 45 mins, but go a head and stretch it to an hour -- and start -- now -- following the housing listed in that circle. Follow the prices, how long they stay on the market, track down the final sales price. I'm feeling confident for you.

If you want a rancher/rambler you WILL have a bigger yard. But you'll see that in the pictures as you follow the housing inventory and sales. I'd say a small lot for a rancher is about 1/5 of an acre. Not the largest lot in the world. However lot sizes would go up from there. You're going to have to accept you'll have more yard -- front/back and side -- than you really want. I had a yard service mow and trim my landscaping. Just par for the course, if you or your husband don't want to deal with it. The cost of owning that kind of house.

As for health/medical care for your mom. Let me brag about Phila and its suburbs/exurbs as far as that goes. Level and vicinity of care shouldn't be problem. Just do the due diligence on proximity to the houses you're looking at.

[Avalon08]

Ditto to what Selhars said about the medical care. The only thing I'm not sure about is how many dialysis centers are in any given area. If your requirement is to be within 5-10 minutes, that will certainly cut down on your options. Otherwise, there are good doctors and hospitals all over the Philadelphia metro area.

I don't blame you for wanting to take that promotion! I don't have a degree either, and worked as a secretary at an information technology company. Luckily, in those days if you were smart and worked hard, you could go anywhere in the company. They relocated me out to California (big promotion) and then, two years later when I wanted to come home to Philly, they relocated me back, all expenses paid both ways. Shortly after, we were acquired by a big German conglomerate that was all about the letters after your name.

Good luck to you!

[Mayvenne]

Ok so rt 202 and 322 generally would be West Goshen, just to get an idea of what is meant by West Chester. I
do think you will have options for sure as you head west from there, and I also agree that renting initially would probably make the most sense. As far as the dialysis, I don't see that being a problem unless as Avalon said if you need to be 5 to 10 minutes from it that would limit it.
Generally, there are dialysis centers all over. I don't usually pay attention to them but they are in many many shopping centers and strip malls. ( My mom used to get dialysis so I remember noticing them).Just one other small point- will you need services to bring your mom to dialysis because that would probably be a county service though I don't know, and it would be available but of course require a little bit more coordinating.

Maybe just search for dialysis centers in Chester County ( or Delaware County, and Lancaster County) and you will get a feel for how available they are.