Brooklyn couple (no kids yet) looking to relocate to Westchester/Putnam (White Plains: 2013, rent)
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Hi- I've read through a bunch of threads debating the various merits of towns- but it's a lot of dated information. Any advice on good, balanced areas to buy would be appreciated.
We are in our mid-30s, looking to start a family. DH owns his own marketing agency and will work from home primarily, and I'm in finance and will be commuting daily to mid-town. Looking for a total door-to-door commute to mid-town in no more than 1 hr 45 minutes (so, driving, parking, train, and walking total).
We want decent schools, at least 1 acre of land (privacy), and a character home (no cookie cutter houses), at least 3+ bd and 2+ baths. Our budget is up to $600k, with no more than $16k in property taxes. Prefer to be close-ish (15-20 mins) to restaurants, bars, nightlife and culture. Diversity would be nice; I'm half-Asian, and I'm leery of too-competitive schools with helicopter moms. We're both successful, educated professionals who appreciate food, music and creativity and would ideally like to join a community of like-minded individuals.
Also can anyone elaborate on how their property values have held up over the past decade? Any insights on resale, what sells, etc? DH and I have had numerous debates about buying a longer-term home or a 3-5 year plan home.
I was in a very similar situation two years ago - coming from Brooklyn. We focused on northeastern Westchester - Bedford and Katonah specifically. The schools are excellent, and the lifestyle and natural beauty of the area cant be beat. Most homes are on 1+ acres (except the Katonah village area, which has stately Victorians and Dutch colonials on smaller plots) The door to door to midtown is no more than 1 1/2 hours.
Hi- I've read through a bunch of threads debating the various merits of towns- but it's a lot of dated information. Any advice on good, balanced areas to buy would be appreciated.
We are in our mid-30s, looking to start a family. DH owns his own marketing agency and will work from home primarily, and I'm in finance and will be commuting daily to mid-town. Looking for a total door-to-door commute to mid-town in no more than 1 hr 45 minutes (so, driving, parking, train, and walking total).
We want decent schools, at least 1 acre of land (privacy), and a character home (no cookie cutter houses), at least 3+ bd and 2+ baths. Our budget is up to $600k, with no more than $16k in property taxes. Prefer to be close-ish (15-20 mins) to restaurants, bars, nightlife and culture. Diversity would be nice; I'm half-Asian, and I'm leery of too-competitive schools with helicopter moms. We're both successful, educated professionals who appreciate food, music and creativity and would ideally like to join a community of like-minded individuals.
Also can anyone elaborate on how their property values have held up over the past decade? Any insights on resale, what sells, etc? DH and I have had numerous debates about buying a longer-term home or a 3-5 year plan home.
I would look at Croton and BEdford, areas where you can find large lots with the other priorities you discussed. Schools are good, commutes are well under 90 minutes and the communities are strong.
Property values in northern westchester followed most of the US the past decade. Prices peeked in the early 2003 - 2005, then went down when the economy tanked and the bubble burst. They were slow to recover taking until 2013 to hot their 2002 levels in many places. they are back to where they were in most areas before they tanked, but in some they are still lower and in others higher.
I would tell you to buy a home in an area you love. You can modify the home later, but don't look to buy a starter home in this area, with the insanely high mortgage tax and closing costs, it can take 3-5 to recover those costs alone. for such a short term, I would rent rather than buy if you are not sold on the area yet.
I would look at Croton and BEdford, areas where you can find large lots with the other priorities you discussed. Schools are good, commutes are well under 90 minutes and the communities are strong.
Property values in northern westchester followed most of the US the past decade. Prices peeked in the early 2003 - 2005, then went down when the economy tanked and the bubble burst. They were slow to recover taking until 2013 to hot their 2002 levels in many places. they are back to where they were in most areas before they tanked, but in some they are still lower and in others higher.
I would tell you to buy a home in an area you love. You can modify the home later, but don't look to buy a starter home in this area, with the insanely high mortgage tax and closing costs, it can take 3-5 to recover those costs alone. for such a short term, I would rent rather than buy if you are not sold on the area yet.
Northern Westchester and Putnam county both offer great options in terms of housing in your price range, and with some land so you have privacy. Katonah and Bedford are beautiful but pricey - you will be looking at houses that need updating. You can find something nice in Somers (with more favorable property taxes), or Mahopac/Carmel/Southeast (near Metro North MTA Harlem Line). No matter where you are - it will be 10-25 mins drive to restaurants and shops. For more active nightlife you'll probably be going to White Plains. If you'll want something artsy - Peekskill is a great place with its art galleries, bars and restaurants and the Paramount Theatre.
Thank you for your replies- I've been trying to steer DH away from his 3-5 year plan. I was originally against certain towns- including Ossining for the usual reasons, but after reading through a lot of threads (many dated) those who live there with kids seem to really like it. Is there anyone who can add more color to the actual experience of having children progress through the school system? There are a couple of houses that are actually close to Croton that we are considering seeing, but they do have Ossining schools. They have acreage, privacy and are both older homes which we really want. They're not in the city at all, so I'm not so worried about hanging out in Ossining a lot.
I've read about parking issues in Katonah. What are the best solutions?
It sounds like you should give White Plains a serious look. It's a very diverse community, has a downtown area with shopping and restaurants, a convenient commute to midtown, and excellent schools. I attended White Plains public schools as a kid, and now my daughter is enrolled in them. Many people I know from growing up in WP are also raising their families here. If you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to talk through them with you.
i agree that you should check out white plains. The commute to NYC is easy, there are restaurants, bars, shopping, theater, etc. There are many old/charming homes, especially in the Highlands. Also, the taxes are lower than some of the other towns around. Let an agent take you around to get a sense of the city since there are so many neighborhoods (it might be hard to do on your own).
My husband and I grew up in White Plains and after living in DC, London and NYC and we have come back because of the community. My kids are in elementary school and we are very happy with the schools, our kids' friends and especially the parents. it is a diverse community, with a down to earth feel. It is not competitive, but the kids are appropriately challenged. My kids love to go to school everyday!!
please let me know if you have any questions, i would be happy to speak with you.
Can we get more commentary about White Plains schools? We really want to consider moving there but have heard such mixed reviews about the schools. We of course want to get our kids a great education. And we also want to raise them in a diverse community (and with minimal snobby-ness). It's hard to find a place that hits on both points. We're mostly considering White Plains versus Larchmont / Mamaroneck.
Our main concern about White Plains is this: I imagine that coming into elementary school, part of the population is more "prepared" than others and reading/math comprehension levels are quite varied from the start. Does that mean that the classroom experience will be too slow for our kids if they come in with a stronger foundation than others?
I hear you and you sound a lot like me. Diversity means many things including the challenge of a wide range of school preparedness and language barriers. My daughter (who is now in 2nd grade) went to preschool for three years, my husband and I went to graduate school and we moved from NYC to WP when she was 3. We grew up in White Plains and moved back here for the reasons you mentioned - the "big picture" of raising in a family in a diverse community. That said, we too were worried about the first couple of years in elementary school for the reasons you mention.
First, we have not had a problem with the classroom being "slow". We have found the the teachers handle the wide range of school preparedness well. The class is often broken up into centers/groups allowing kids needs (remediation or enrichment) to get addressed. So far, i have noticed the kids who do excel feel proud (not boastful) and the teachers subtlety give them the materials they need to stay engaged. Also, these children sometimes help their peers, which deepens their knowledge/mastery.
Second, K-2 classroom sizes are about 21 kids and there is a teaching assistant in every K class, so that gives the classroom teachers more flexibility to meet individual needs.
Third, starting this year, White Plains has free universal pre-k, so that will lower the number of students coming in without any pre-school.
Fourth, there is a period of everyday called "I-block". During this time students from the whole grade are regrouped based on ability in order to address their specific needs (remediation or enrichment). For the younger grades, in our experience, this has been focused on ELA (english language arts). In 1st and 2nd grade my daughter was a part of the enrichment group during "I-block" and they employ a program called Great Books. You can check it out online (The Great Books Foundation | Creating a world of readers & thinkers), but we are impressed. Starting the 3rd grade there are more enrichment programs around math and visual reasoning, i don't have any experience with them yet, so i cannot comment beyond that they are there.
At the higher level, the high school kids are offered so many courses (including many APs) and they are doing amazing things. i am especially impressed with the sciences. i am often reading about WPHS students winning awards - even at the Intel Science awards!
Please reach out again, if there is anything else you would like to talk about.
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