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We are a family of four looking to move out of NYC to Westchester for the schools. Kids are lower elementary.
DH works in finance and we get recommended Bronxville, Scarsdale, Rye and Larchmont. We have visited Scarsdale and Rye and while they seem to fit our profile and criteria, we are academic types, very down to earth and, for the lack of a better term, normal. I worry about fitting into those towns; I freelance and am involved with school and activities, and my friends tend to be nonprofit, creative types. Socially I would probably prefer the River Towns, but we need to be within a 20 minute drive to Harrison for a kid activity and the River Towns are too far.
DH is European and I am Asian (but not Tiger Mom!). We prefer a smaller, interesting old house over a large new construction, and we would like to be able to walk or bike to schools and the train station. Where should we look?
Couple of questions that may help some of us, or maybe just me, help you:
- what is your definition of "down to earth"?
- what is your definition of "normal"?
- what makes you think people who are down to earth and normal would have trouble fitting into any or all of Bronxville, Scarsdale, Rye or Larchmont?
- what is a "tiger mom"?
Down to earth and normal being not into status symbols, latest gadgets, designer apparel. Shopping at Old Navy and Target, getting books from the library. It's admittedly responding to stereotypes of, for example, Scarsdale being snobby and materialistic. We want a great school, but we want our kids to be well-rounded and enjoy learning and friendships over getting As at any cost.
Budget is around $1.5m-$1.7m, at least 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We're coming from a 800 sq ft Manhattan apartment without a washer-dryer, so it won't be hard to impress us.
Down to earth and normal being not into status symbols, latest gadgets, designer apparel. Shopping at Old Navy and Target, getting books from the library. It's admittedly responding to stereotypes of, for example, Scarsdale being snobby and materialistic. We want a great school, but we want our kids to be well-rounded and enjoy learning and friendships over getting As at any cost.
Budget is around $1.5m-$1.7m, at least 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We're coming from a 800 sq ft Manhattan apartment without a washer-dryer, so it won't be hard to impress us.
You will be fine in Rye, Scarsdale etc. You can afford a house more than a million and a half. No one in those towns has fancy gadgets or designer apperal different from any other community in Westchester. It’s not like it’s Appalachia in the rest of the county. You can afford to buy way more house than I have. Yet my kids have been on sports teams with kids from all those towns. Those kids wear the same clothes as my kids, have the same iPhone, go to the same sandwich shops after the game. Ect. Maybe you might have to buy your kids Vinyard Vines instead of Old Navy. But that would be true in all of suburban NY. These hyper-rich people from the four towns you have mentioned, at least from what I have experienced, are actually more down to earth and chill than others. When you have that kind of money life is easy and stress free. No matter what happens they have it covered, and I find they go out of there way to fit in with us upper middle class folk. Being super rich but yet “normal†is very in nowadays I think.
Down to earth and normal being not into status symbols, latest gadgets, designer apparel. Shopping at Old Navy and Target, getting books from the library. It's admittedly responding to stereotypes of, for example, Scarsdale being snobby and materialistic. We want a great school, but we want our kids to be well-rounded and enjoy learning and friendships over getting As at any cost.
Budget is around $1.5m-$1.7m, at least 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We're coming from a 800 sq ft Manhattan apartment without a washer-dryer, so it won't be hard to impress us.
Your budget is fine for all of these school districts. You are getting recommended these 3 areas since they are 4 of the wealthiest and have some of the best schools in all of Westchester. I don't know a lot about Bronxville, other than it's ~85% Caucasian and all of the 3 levels of public school share the same building and since it's a smaller school district and town, it can be cliquey and harder to find your group of friends there. You'll be fine for the other 3 towns that you mentioned and just about anywhere else in Westchester.
I still recommend Larchmont. It's a very "hot" market right now in that there are a lot of bidding wars but since it's a hot market a lot of homes are getting listed now. People like Larchmont because it's walkable and close to the water. Larchmont has its own 2 highly ranked elementary schools (Murray Ave & Chatsworth) and shares a 3rd with Mamaroneck (Central). Your kids will then share Hommocks Middle School & Mamaroneck HS with students from Mamaroneck which is economically more diverse. This diversity is often a pro for most people in Larchmont. Larchmont has a lot of wealth but outside of the Manor which is closest to the water, people don't tend to flaunt it as much as in other towns.
I don't know a lot about Pelham but those that live there speak highly of it. It's one of the closest towns to NYC and shares the New Haven Train Line with Harrison. If you search Pelham in this message board, you'll find a lot of people raving about it and trying to "sell" it to other members here.
The Scarsdale schhool district is extremely competitive so there's no hiding that but there are areas that are a little more down-to-earth than others. The Arthur Manor section of the Edgewood Elementary Schoolschool district which borders Eastchester is a little more low-key simply because the house lots and houses are generally smaller (usually 5000 -7500 SF). Most houses range from $700k - ~$1.3mm in this area. There is also a commuter bus that goes to the train station from here. Certain parts of Fox Meadow also have smaller lots and that is generally closest to the train station.
Rye near the water (Milton Elementary School) is uber-wealthy. However, the Osborne Elementary School which is closer to the Harrison Train Station also has smaller 5000 SF lot houses so that area is a little more low-key.
Lastly, I know that Harrison doesn't have a great downtown and isn't the most walkable town but we really liked that area a lot, in particular the Sunnyridge section which has houses that have ~1/3 acre lots. This area is zoned for Harrison Ave Elementary School (I personally wouldn't buy a house zoned for the Parsons Elementary School) and has a lot of young families moving into the area so it's very family friendly.
Our broker, who we loved, specialized in the sound shore (Harrison, Rye, Rye Neck, Rye Brook & Larchmont) but showed us houses in Scarsdale & other towns. I'd be more than happy to share their name if you have any interest.
Please elaborate. What areas of Mamaroneck, if any, should be avoided?
What would you like to avoid?
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