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We are a family of four (two young kids) looking to buy a house or townhome (no co-ops) in Westchester for under the low-500s (more accurately, we can afford around 3,800/mo between mortgage and property taxes). In order of importance, we want:
(1) A solid school district (good reputation, good test scores through high school). We are not interested in the larger districts (e.g., White Plains, New Rochelle). Please no lecturers about the importance of other measures of school quality - we are trying to keep things simple (think Westchester districts that score in the upper half in terms of SAT performance).
(2) An easy commute to NYC (under 45 min on the MNR to GC).
(3) A town that has some Jewish presence (e.g., we don't want the kids to be the only Jewish kids in their classes).
(4) To be within walking distance of some shops and MNR.
(5) A town that tends to lean left of center politically.
In terms of the home, we don't need anything fancy; a basic 3BR/2BA house that isn't in need of massive work and has a small but functional yard would be great. Thus far, the homes that we've seen have either been in total states of disrepair and/or are in need of massive updating (e.g., wood paneled walls, 30 year-old carpets, atrocious bathrooms, etc.).
We've mainly looked in Ardsley, Irvington, Hastings and Pleasantville (we've crossed Croton off our list). Is the above just out of our reach in this county? Should we start to look elsewhere? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
I'm not sure you will ever find anything to fit your budget in one of the more "solid" school districts with a <45 min commute. Just not going to happen! What you have seen is what you are going to get for that price in this area: a real fixer-upper.
By the way, #s 3 and 5 are pretty much a given anywhere in Westchester (save maybe the Jewish presence in some of the more urban schools in White Plains, New Rochelle, Port Chester, etc). But the entire county has voted Democrat for a long time now...
Have you looked elsewhere in Mt Pleasant like Thornwood or Hawthorne? The school district is definitely respectable, nice communities and you may find something decent in your range. Also try Valhalla/North White Plains. Valhalla and Hawthorne both have train stations with around a 40 min commute.
Have you looked elsewhere in Mt Pleasant like Thornwood or Hawthorne? The school district is definitely respectable, nice communities and you may find something decent in your range. Also try Valhalla/North White Plains. Valhalla and Hawthorne both have train stations with around a 40 min commute.
Will not satisfy the OP's criteria numbered 2-5.
To the OP: I am sorry to say your expectations are a bit unrealistic. For what you want, still in this economy look to spend between 700 and 800.
You could find something in your price range in this economy but it won't have marble bathrooms and/or a Sub Zero and a Viking.
Thanks for the straight-forward responses. Cali_to_NJ, thanks for the suggestions re: Thornwood and Hawthorne. Unfortunately, I think ponytrekker is right; we've looked at both and found them to have a different vibe than we'd like (albeit, I'm sure the school systems are fine). The sad thing is that we would settle for much less than sub zero appliances and marble, but aren't even coming close to that. It's disheartening that a half-million dollars and taxes north of $1,000 a month yield so little house here. It's wild that, despite being two highly-educated and fairly well-compensated professionals, to make our suburban fantasy come true (we need to stay in or close to Westchester), our choices boil down to: (a) be house poor and ignore other "responsible" adult obligations (e.g. retirement and college savings); (b) never see the kids on account of long work hours and long commutes; or (c) buy a "real fixer-upper" for which we will have no money to fix. The NY metro area really sucks sometimes. Anyway... sorry to whine - we're just frustrated with the housing front (but very happy other otherwise ). Thanks again for the replies.
You just need to temper your expectations a little bit. Either that or try your hand at online poker to come up with another 300k to put down. Also I wouldn't compromise on 1; 2 or 4 are easy to compromise a little.
My advice is to remember the three rules of real estate and find a workable house in the absolute best location possible.
Something fundamentally sound but in need of internal cosmetic updating. If something has paneling or an old functional bathroom, you deal with it. You can repair it yourself a little at a time if you're handy; if you're not you can chip away at stuff over time by hiring to do one project a year. There is a glut of houses like this.
You should be able to find something, albeit nothing very fancy, in Pleasantville or, if you're prepared to go another stop and up the trip to 50 minutes, in Chappaqua (if you want to be able to walk to the train, the houses closer to town tend to be more affordable.)
You can get a house in Pleasantville that meets all of your criteria. I just moved here in that price range. I did have to remove paneling but it took my husband an hour at most!
Its going to be hard to find somewhere that meets all your qualifications in Lower/Mid Westchester. You may have to give on one or two of your items like walking distance to shops/Metro North or no updating. I have seen a lot of houses and most do require some updating. The good thing is you can suit it to your taste. Have you looked in Briarcliff? Most would be out of you range but we used to live in a section with manily ranch style 3 BR's in your price range I think. Schools are good and its walking distance to town.
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). Thanks again for the replies.
