Moving from Upper West Side to Suburbs (New York, Yonkers: fit in, apartments)

[Tofusensei]

Hi all.

I could use some advice on where to begin looking for a suitable place to move. I guess I'll describe my situation here and hopefully some of you forumers can give me some good suggestions/direction!

I'd be a first-time home-buyer. I am currently working right around the corner from Wall Street making approximately $110-125K/year (fluctuates with commission checks). I am renting now in the upper west side. My credit score is mid-high 700s.

When my lease expires in August of next year I'm going to be moving in with my girlfriend/future-wife. I cannot afford to buy in Manhattan as I will be the main breadwinner for the family. She'll cover her own expenses but I'm pretty sure I'll cover the bulk of the housing costs. From my calculations I can probably afford something in the $350-450K range.

I am looking for a decent place not too far from the city with a reasonable commute to grand central station. I'm from CT originally and would love to live in New Haven County but the commute would be too long. Fairfield county may be too pricey considering the distance of the commute... Ideally want something in Westchester, close to Bronxville if possible. My gf is very Japanese and would definitely need reasonable access to Asian supermarkets, etc... Hence why Bronxville would be perfect but probably too expensive.

I am not open to NJ or LI... I lived in Queens for 5 years (Flushing/Bayside) and that might be an option as well.

Any ideas?

-Ken

[mead]

Look into lower Westchester county. You're not going to be able to afford a house on that budget, but you could probably get a co-op with 2 or 3 brs.

The reason I reccomend Westchester is because it has an unusually large Japanese population. On the whole it isn't that big, but Westchester basically has the most Japanese people (per capita) on the entire East Coast. This is largely due to Keio University operating a Japanese High School on the edge of Manhattanville college's campus over in Purchase. Keio Academy of New York > Home

In White Plains they have Daido supermarket (Home), which I believe is the largest Japanese market in Westchester. There is also an attached sushi bar that is supposed to be really good, got written up in the NY Times last year (DINING/WHITE PLAINS; Authentic and Exciting, Right Down to the Soy Sauce - New York Times)

There is also a concentration of Japanese stores in Hartsdale around the intersection of Central Park Ave & Hartsdale Ave. There is a Japanese Market, a Sake shop, a Japanese bookstore, a Japanese language center/social club, a Japanese restaurant (run by Japanese people, not a Korean joint), and there is also a pretty good sushi restaurant in Hartsdale itself (I think the name is Azuma).

In Scarsdale there is a Japanese market and a Japanese deli/sushi type place on 22.

In Tuckahoe there is a Japanese language church: New York Japanese Church.

I'm sure you guys already know about Mitsua in Edgewater, NJ. That place is the largest Japanese supermarket in the NYC area. It also has a pretty good food court. If you go on the weekends go early because its hard to find a parking spot for most of the day.

There are a bunch of other places scattered throughout the area. PM me if you need anymore details.

[Tofusensei]

Thanks for the very informative reply. She speaks very little english (I speak fluent Japanese) so I certainly want her to be in a comfortable environment where she can find good work to do as well.

Any thoughts on Fleetwood or Crestwood?

[NJ Chutzpah]

You would not consider the Jersey

Because we have big Mitsuwa Japanese Supermarket and shopping center in Edgewater just cross the HUD

[Tofusensei]

Originally Posted by NJ Chutzpah

You would not consider the Jersey

Because we have big Mitsuwa Japanese Supermarket and shopping center in Edgewater just cross the HUD

Thank you. I am very aware of Mitsuwa but we can certainly drive there from Westchester any time we'd like to.

Just personal reasons, neither myself nor her want to live in NJ. I used to work in Bergen County and had enough of it

[mead]

Oh I just remembered. Soka Gakkai has a center in White Plains as well, if you guys are into that kind of thing. (I mention this and the Church because of the socializing aspects).

Fleetwood and Crestwood are both pretty nice. Personally I prefer Yonkers over Mount Vernon, but Fleetwood is nice.

You might also want to look into Garth Rd in Scarsdale. Its this big development of Co-ops that were built back in the day. There is very good access to downtown Scarsdale and the Scarsdale train station. Garth Rd is zoned for Eastchester's school district though, so the prices are cheaper than in Scarsdale.

Similar situation applies for Hartsdale. The area on Hartsdale Ave with all of the apartments/co-ops is really nice, but I believe they are zoned for Greenburgh's schools. Eastchester's schools are pretty nice though, but of course they aren't Scarsdale/Bronxville quality.

[YasminD]

Hi there,
I used to live in Brooklyn (now in Boston) but have lots of Japanese friends who live in Westchester.
They are all over Westchester...since you decided to focus on Westchester, you might want to pick a town depending on what kind of friends your wife wants. You are in Manhattan all day but your wife will be in Westchester all day- pick a right place for her

Scarsdale/Harrison/Rye tend to be more for ex-pats.
White plains/Hartsdale seems to be more for those who are married to Americans.

Hudson line is not quite popular as New Haven line among Japanese.

Ex pats' wives tend to do everything in Japanese way.
However, you can not maintain long term friendship because they come and go within 5 years.

Your wife to be might be better off with other long term residents b/c they will have so much more in common.

Good luck with finding a right place for you guys to live- I am Japanese and am having a hard time finding the "right place" for us around Boston. Difficult to find a place to fit in, especially if you want to be a part of local community.