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I posted on here before about moving from Smalltown Uk and got some great advice about places to look at. We visited last week and saw a few of the schools - we didn't have as much time as we'd like. She liked Briarcliff Middle and Mildred Strang, wasn't too keen on Rye City. She clearly preferred Briarcliff as it was smaller and then Strang because there was an option to study Latin etc.
We got a little spooked though as the rentals seemed like they were going like gold dust and a lot of the stuff left on the market wasn't disimilar to places I lived in as a student.
We're moving for good on June 3rd so my question is this: do we take the ok house we've found in Briarcliff (major downsides are busy street and no garden) or take the risk of being in temporary accommodation for longer and come over ready to look at Bedford, Pleasantville and Katonah...?
Oh what I'd give for a crystal ball right now.......
What is your budget? Briarcliff has good housing stock if you're willing to pay the right price. I don't know the tax situation there but my guess is it could be really high even by Westchester standards given the size of the district and community.
I moved to Westchester in June 2009 under similar circumstances but from the Los Angeles area. We ended up renting in Pleasantville and ultimately bought in Chappaqua. Even though my daughter had to switch elementary schools, it wasn't that big of a deal since there are multiple classes per grade so she would have made new friends even staying in the same school, and we were able to get used to the area and wait to buy until we found a house we really loved.
Conversely, my best friend did a similar move last summer, from CA to Chatham, NJ. They ended up settling and buying one of the last homes on the market there, and have already listed that house for sale (at a loss) just to get into a house that they really want to live in long term. So all in all I have to recommend renting first if you can, especially moving from overseas. There are neighborhood nuances even within the same town that you will have no way of knowing about until you actually live here for awhile. Good luck! You really can't go wrong in any of the towns you mentioned!
Last edited by cali_to_nj; 05-22-2012 at 09:10 AM..
But the prices are down right now. It's a good time to buy, and Briarcliff is a nobrainer. It's a great town. If a house is next to a busy road, it might be hard to sell again, though.
What is your budget? Briarcliff has good housing stock if you're willing to pay the right price. I don't know the tax situation there but my guess is it could be really high even by Westchester standards given the size of the district and community.
Briarcliff taxes are _very_ high. We live in Chappaqua. A comparable home in Briarcliff will be taxed 50-100% higher than one in Chappaqua.
Consider Chappaqua, Mt. Kisco, and Bedford on your list of places to live (in addition to Pleasantville, Katonah and Briarcliff). All have train stations and all have good schools.
Chappaqua seems to have a bad reputation in Westchester (and a bit beyond). The vast majority of the people here are friendly, down-to-earth, and modest. And, there is plenty of train parking!
Thanks everyone - we are looking at renting not buying. The problem is there's just not many options. Budget has edged up to around 5k/month but we've lost out on 2 this week - I did go for this one in the end but they accepted an offer from someone else without a dog... We don't need trains but we did like the school.
Chappaqua does seem lovely but I'm bringing a 6th grader with me and the middle school start at the 5th - if she goes to another school, they'll all be new to the school together.
If you're renting and dead-set on Briarcliff, there's no reason why you can't settle for an OK house and buy a good one after 1 or 2 years. You don't have the burden of reselling it anyway.
But consider what CIC said about the tax environment and the implications once you finally own a home there.
If you don't need a train, why not expand your search past towns without easy train access? That alone will get you at least 20-30% more for your money bare minimum.
Have you thought of Ridgefield, CT - great schools, town and much lower taxes than NY.
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