In late 20's, moving to Westchester - Where to look? (Buffalo: sales, apartment)

[littlec]

I am in my late 20's and may be relocating to Westchester County or nearby Fairfield county. I realize there are a lot of postings about these areas but they are primarily about schools, family-friendly areas, etc. I do not have any kids. I would be moving from Chicago and have NO idea about this area. My job will take my down to Columbia and up to upstate NY so I would like to live in an area that is easy to get to both those places. My price range is around $400,000. Where are fairly affordable areas that have a "younger" or more "trendy" feel to them? White Plains is an option but it doesn't seem like $400K will take me very far! I would prefer to have 3 Bedrooms, but could deal with 2. PLEASE HELP!

[mead]

$400k isn't going to take you very far anywhere in Westchester County. Have you looked into Co-Ops or the rental market?

White Plains would probably be a good choice. Do you have kids though? The towns with the best schools are quite expensive.

[eileen824]

Columbia where? South Carolina? If so, that is a very far reach from Westchester/Fairfield counties. Is your main office in Westchester? Do you live in Chicago city limits? Are you looking for urban or suburbs? For a young professional, single, no kids look at (in best to worst order):

1. Stamford, CT
2. Fairfield, CT
3. Danbury, CT
4. Norwalk CT
5. New Rochelle, NY
6. White Plains, NY

These are the best if you are looking for more trendy and schools are not a concern. Honestly, Fairfield county has the better options overall. I like Fairfield as it is a college town, young professionals, beaches, near Westport, Ct which is ritzy, but also has Black Rock which borders Bridgeport(not so good) you can get to Stamford and New Haven for a night out too. Stamford is the largest and most like a city. Plenty of clubs/young professionals. Many of us here in Westchester go out to party in Stamford as White Plains was always more boring - this is changing now(I am a mom w/ kids now too!). New Rochelle is the new hot place on the Westchester side - it is still a work in progress downtown, but even Trump is building high rise there, so change may be happening fast. For hip places for less money, I would suggest some of the small cities OUTSIDE of Westchester / Fairfield, but that would depend on where you have to commute to. One last thing, DO NOT consider northern Fairfield county if you are commuting to Westchester, and DO NOT consider Westchester if you are commuting to an office past Stamford - traffic for these commutes is Terrible!!!!! Try to stay in the city nearest to where your office is - you can always drive to these other towns to go out! Good Luck!

[littlec]

Thank you so much for the suggestions! I am a sales manager and my office will be out of my home. The representatives that will work for me will all over: As far south as the Bronx and basically the rest of the state of NY, aside from Buffalo and Rochester. Most of our business will be toward NYC and the Westchester area. How bad is traffic to upstate NY around Fairfield? I've heard that it is hard to get to parts of NY from Stamford because of the traffic, although that does look like a good place for me. Again, thanks for the help!

[eileen824]

littlec - since you are working out of a home office, you may have more freedom of choice as you might be able to travel at different driving times to avoid the worst. Many of those who live in Northern Fairfield county work in Stamford and Greenwich (and even Westchester) so the a.m. traffic going south is TERRIBLE. If you can juggle your appointments accordingly, you will get a far better housing deal in Northern Fairfield county as well as more young / trendy options. But if most of your business is in NY / Westchester, I probably wouldn't go much further than Stamford. You will be over the NY border in about 15 minutes with no traffic. Anything in these areas is going to be hard at a 400K price point, maybe you should even check into The lifesaver building in Portchester - or rent at any of the buildings in New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Stamford, etc. with the word "Avalon" in the complex name. this developer builds upscale "young professional" oriented apartment compounds in more "urban" suburban areas. These complexes are all fairly new, nice, with gyms and pool on site. Rent is expensive, but you will probably be in good company with a lot of other transferees and professionals and these buildings can be very social. I knew a coworker who rented in one of the Stamford Avalons has met a lot of people (and even a girlfriend!) there. Renting might also be a good option for you to get a feel for where your best hub would be. Welcome to the area!

[Annieproductions]

Hi Little C

I lived in Yonkers, NY thru my teens and 20's. People will complain it has a high crime rate but it IS a CITY and has many people living there, so of course there is a crime rate. There are nice parts of Yonkers (nice meaning quiet streets, with ample parking). Yonkers is a mere 20 minutes from Manhattan (upper West side) so you will have lots to do in Yonkers and for more city fun (comedy clubs, dance clubs, etc) you have Manhattan right there. White Plains also has lots of nightlife as they try to portray themselves as a mini-manhattan.

For 400K and less you are looking at condos in those areas. Between 150-250K you are looking at co-ops (2 bdrm, 1 bath).

Moderator cut: removed
Or feel free to contact me with more ?'s as I have spent the last 25 years in Westchester county and would be happy to share my views. Have a great day!

[acip]

Have you considered Rockland Great area for the young in Nyack and plenty of affordable housing in your price range in the county Moderator cut: realtor soliciting Good Luck