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I start a new job in NYC next month and my family and I have been planning a move down there. We have a 4yr old and a 1yr old and currently live in West Hartford, CT. WH is a great place to raise children but very few job opportunities up here. We're looking at Westchester so we can live in a house instead of apartment and hopefully live in a town with good schools.
Our range for a house is 475-500k, with ~12k/year in taxes. We've been looking at New Rochelle, but are also considering other communities. We're basically looking for two things: jewish community and good schools. Hopefully we'll also find a place not on a busy street. I guess my definition of "good school district" is one that is safe and can adequately prepare my kids for college. I don't care if the schools are competitive or have 100s of AP classes. Average curriculum and safety are my concerns.
What towns meet those criteria? Is it realistic to find a sub $500k house in a good school district near synagogues?
There are definitely some houses in Hartsdale that meet this criteria. I live in Hartsdale and would definitely recommend it. Commuting to GC takes about a half hour during rush hour. Schools would meet your criteria.
Not to get off-track, but there is no such thing as "not Larchmont, but the Larchmont side of Mamaroneck." Larchmont is a village within the town of Mamaroneck, and it is nowhere near the listings you were linking to that were near the Mamaroneck train station. It's got nothing to do with status, you were truly confusing me. Larchmont also doesn't have their own school district - it's all within Mamaroneck (although technically Chatsworth is in Larchmont proper).
Nothing I said was incorrect - if you want to live in Mamaroneck in that range ANYWHERE, you will be in a shoebox, a flood plain, a busy street, or on top of the train tracks. The listings you linked to seemed to support that. I was just trying to be helpful in encouraging them to look north, as I'm fairly certain that they weren't looking for any of the aforementioned houses having come from an area where you get a ton more for your money.
Anyway..
As I was saying, if you look on the Larchmont side of Mamaroneck your kids will be in the same school district as Larchmont residents but the homes will be half the price. The Larchmont synagogue (corner Boston Post Rd. and Larchmont Ave. is a 5 minute drive from the Palmer ave. house, according to Google maps.)
As for Harstdale mentioned above - while there are some lovely houses and the commute is good - those zoned for the Greenburgh central school district might not be so happy. Make sure you know which district the house is in.
Last edited by bg7; 09-30-2011 at 07:29 AM..
Reason: typo
Thanks for the replies. That's what I was afraid of hearing . Westchester is just drastically different from what were used to. However, we have seen some houses in Scarsdale with the school districts in Eastchester. We've also upped our housing search limit to $550k, assuming we can actually get the house for $490k.
The school/town borders are something I don't understand at all. In central CT, you have a town/city, and the school district is always within that town/city boundary. There are special cases where towns share a school district, but it seems in Westchester, your address could be in 1 town, but your school is in a different one. There are at least 3 houses in our price range that have an address in Scarsdale, but the schools are in either New Rochelle or Eastchester.
Were still looking for a house, but we just signed a 3 month lease at the Avalon place in New Rochelle. I know people have given it terrible reviews in the past, but its the only place we could find with 3 bedrooms and a 3 month lease while we search for a house.
Coming from West Hartford to NYC, this is the most stressful thing I've ever done. I hope this change is worth it!!! Are there any redeeming qualities about living in Westchester?
Do you need a community that is walking distance to a synagogue? Or, do you need one that's close for social life, but can be conveniently accessed via vehicle?
Right around $500k, you could potentially find a smaller house in Dobbs Ferry, sub-2000 square foot in size. You could also consider Briarcliff Manor, where around $500k there are options (on the $400k side of $500k). The tax bills can vary widely, so you would have to check an individual house and perhaps see if the taxes can be grieved, especially if you are purchasing lower than the last assessment. Eastchester and Tuckahoe would also have houses to consider, though some might be on the smaller side, the closer they are to the train station. Schools in all of these areas are fine, so I would not worry about one district over another, but would focus on the house you could get for the money, condition, and importantly, the taxes! Around $500k is not impossible, but you might have to make concessions on lot size, or preferred house style, etc.
Ardsley should also be a consideration, since there are some good values in the current market. Since it's off the train, Ardsley tends to be slightly less expensive than neighboring areas in terms of purchase price. The schools are fine, but you may need to consider the commute if you plan to take the train. Eastchester proper is also off the train, but not far from Scarsdale, Tuckahoe, Crestwood, and Bronxville, depending upon the part of the hamlet you're considering.
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I was looking in exact same price range as you and it will be hard to find anything in lower Westchester for $500,000. I saw a few houses in Mamaroneck in that price range but I wasn't crazy about the school district (it's a great district but too big for my taste). I saw several houses in Eastchester and Harrison in that range but I don't think either area has a large Jewish population.
You would find a lot of properties in Yorktown in your price range. I didn't look in Yorktown but it is affordable. You can get a decent house in the $450,000-500,000 range. I also saw houses in Bedford and Mt Kisco in that price range. I ended up in Pleasantville. I love it here but it more suburban and backyards are small. I prefer that to more spread out areas but I know that is not for everyone.
Add Croton-on-Hudson, Yorktown and Cortlandt Manor to your search as another poster said. You can definitely find a house sub 550k and there are synagogues up here and a solid Jewish community and you can get the train to the city at Croton. Taxes vary but it shouldn't be hard to find it somewhere around 12k.
You should also add Mt. Pleasant (Hawthorne, Thornwood & Valhalla) to your list. Moderately priced fixers in the $550 range, with very reasonable taxes and decent schools.
Yikes, those places are far. So far, were looking at Eastchester, Scarsdale (not the school system, just the address), Mamaroneck, Larchmont, and Harrison. I'm interested in Ardsley, but my wife is concerned about the Jewish population.
We don't need to walk to Synagogue, but were interested in being at most 5-8 miles from a Reform temple, and would prefer our kids to go to public school with a least a few other jews.
We're still thinking about New Rochelle, but I'm wondering about the school system, especially the high school. How urban is it, is it safe, is the education good? My wife and I both grew up in suburban, upper middle class, predominantly white schools, where the main problem was kids being bored. I'm wondering if I should even be concerned about an urban school? New Rochelle seems to have two halves to it: the rich north and the poor south. How does that work out in the schools? Does the rich/poor dichotomy impact learning for anyone? Should I even really be concerned about that? Do a lot of families send their kids to private school in NR?
Yikes, those places are far. So far, were looking at Eastchester, Scarsdale (not the school system, just the address), Mamaroneck, Larchmont, and Harrison. I'm interested in Ardsley, but my wife is concerned about the Jewish population.
We don't need to walk to Synagogue, but were interested in being at most 5-8 miles from a Reform temple, and would prefer our kids to go to public school with a least a few other jews.
We're still thinking about New Rochelle, but I'm wondering about the school system, especially the high school. How urban is it, is it safe, is the education good? My wife and I both grew up in suburban, upper middle class, predominantly white schools, where the main problem was kids being bored. I'm wondering if I should even be concerned about an urban school? New Rochelle seems to have two halves to it: the rich north and the poor south. How does that work out in the schools? Does the rich/poor dichotomy impact learning for anyone? Should I even really be concerned about that? Do a lot of families send their kids to private school in NR?
Far from what? Valhalla, Hawthorne and Pleasantville are 38, 42 and 46 min to Grand Central, respectively. You will be hard pressed to find something in the nicer part of New Rochelle in your budget. The High School is diverse, which is refreshing for Westchester, but overall, the district is just mediocre. It's also a very urban for Westchester. Nice pockets are very safe, but area around us1 , north ave can get sketchy. The wealthier pockets are more likely to send kids to private, especially on the High School level.
Jewish population in Ardsley is nowhere near what it is in Scarsdale or Eastchester, but you can always go to temple in Scarsdale, but I hear that the "scene" there is very stand-offish (I.e if you don't live and play with the $carsdale elite, you are looked down upon).
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. Westchester is just drastically different from what were used to. However, we have seen some houses in Scarsdale with the school districts in Eastchester. We've also upped our housing search limit to $550k, assuming we can actually get the house for $490k.
Around $500k is not impossible, but you might have to make concessions on lot size, or preferred house style, etc. 
