Commute Rockland/Orange to White Plains (New York, Yorktown: renting, condo, new home)

[Ken03M3]

Hello we are moving from Florida and I am not familier with NY at all. My wife's job is relocating us to White Plains and we are looking for insight as to what the best affordable place to live would be.

We are looking to be under 400k on a 3+ bedroom 2 bath home withinn 50 miles of White Plains. The more affordable areas seem to be north or west in Rockland and Orange counties, such as Stony Point, Peekskill etc. Are these areas commutable to white Plains? and if so how long of a commute would they be.

Any insight as to where to live would be great.

[rusty78]

I would shop school system....before deciding where to move to...different parts of Rockland have horrible schools...and if you do not like crossing a bridge to get to work....I would consider Putnam County...north of Westchester...

[Viralmd]

The Tappan Zee Bridge, while beautiful, is a major bottleneck on the road to White Plains. Add in the sun glare going to work AND coming home and it's the perfect setup for daily migraines.

[Ken03M3]

He is 11 months old and we will be relocating again within 3-5 years so schools are not important.

[bmwguydc]

I would also second the notion of going to Putnam over Orange, since the commute is so much easier when one does not have to deal with 287 and the Tappan Zee Bridge. The congestion can be a nightmare on this cross Westchester route, especially with the seemingly perpetual road construction in the area. For ease of commute, I recommend the 684 corridor, which also gives the option of taking the train to White Plains on days you don't want to drive.

Some areas worth checking in this area of Putnam County would include Carmel, Mahopac, and the greater Brewster area, though some parts of Brewster are not the nicest. Carmel is about a 45 minute drive, Mahopac about 40 minutes, and Brewster is about 40 mintues as well.

If you don't mind a few miutes extra drive time, I would also check into some of the values that can be had in the greater Danbury, CT area. Danbury is about 45-50 minutes drive time from White Plains, on 684 and 84. And, Danbury should have a good selection of houses in your price range.

One of the better commutes would be from the Yorktown area, staying in Westchester County, though the selection of houses would tend to be more limited at the price point. Right around $400k, though, or a little less, you should be able to find a split level house from the 1960s. That commute would take about 30 minutes on the Taconic and Sprain Parkways.

[rusty78]

Originally Posted by Ken03M3

He is 11 months old and we will be relocating again within 3-5 years so schools are not important.

Purchasing a home in a good school system is about the most important decision you can make......the school system you select will have an effect on the purchase price and selling price when you decide to sell...and homes with a good school system usually hold their value better and sell faster in a buyer's market......so school systems do matter!!!

If you are going to be relocating again in 3 years...you might consider renting instead of buying in this market....5 years..is a toss up...the housing market in Rockland has been depreciating and still is...so, anything you buy will definately not be worth what you pay for it to in 2 to 3 years down the road...depending upon who you choose to believe..

I would definately consider Putnam County over Rockland...only because of the bridge - Tappan Zee - it can take 10 minutes to cross or two hours depending upon the time of day...and Friday nights coming from Westchester to Rockland is a nightmare......

[mead]

Originally Posted by Ken03M3

Hello we are moving from Florida and I am not familier with NY at all. My wife's job is relocating us to White Plains and we are looking for insight as to what the best affordable place to live would be.

We are looking to be under 400k on a 3+ bedroom 2 bath home withinn 50 miles of White Plains. The more affordable areas seem to be north or west in Rockland and Orange counties, such as Stony Point, Peekskill etc. Are these areas commutable to white Plains? and if so how long of a commute would they be.

Any insight as to where to live would be great.

Within 50 miles? LOL. With these gas prices?

I think you need to change your criteria. 400k doesn't buy much in the NYC metro area in terms of housing.

The traffic going to and from Rockland to White Plains during rush hour is God-awful at best, and suicide-inducing at worst. (The Tappan Zee Bridge is one of the most frequently used places for suicide in the state of New York). Its not just the Tappan Zee which is a problem but all of 287 from the Palisades Mall all the way to White Plains is generally backed up during rush hour. Then exit 5 into downtown White Plains is always backed up as well (so that adds another 10-15 minutes onto your commute).

I would seriously reccomend that you change your criteria. Look for smaller houses or a condo/co-op closer to White Plains.

A smaller living space is a small price to pay to keep from losing your sanity (and your financial soundness) from doing a long-haul commute.

[Ken03M3]

Rusty, at first I wasn't thinking about school systems for re-sale value, I agree 100% my first thought was just my son's education.

Mead, Luckily for us she has a company car so gas is paid for, that is why we have to live within 50 miles though that is there rule. As far as my criteria goes, I am kind of in shock with the prices I am seeing, here in Florida I built a new home in 2005 which is a 4 bed 3 bath right around 3000sqft. with a lot of upgrades for just under 330,000. I thought for 400k I would be able to get something around the same or maybe a little bigger, yeah as we all now know that isn't going to happen

BMWGuy I will look into those areas in a few minutes, I hope they plow the 684 cause the M3 has never seen the snow lol.

[bmwguydc]

Yes, 684 is usually well taken care of in snow. I've never gotten stuck on it with anything German or Swedish, even a rear drive model. Coming from Florida, it's sticker shock to see the price and size of a house that you get for a similar price.

[Sarah3910]

Tappan Zee traffic isn't that horrible if you can manage to wake up really early in the morning to get to the bride before 7am. Otherwise, I agree with the other posts, the traffic on the bridge is a nightmare. I live in Orange County, NY and had two jobs in the past in which I went through the Tappan Zee. The first one was in Westchester and I would commute right in the middle of rush hour. It would take me about an hour and a half. On Friday nights coming home would sometimes take 2 hours. The traffic was the reason I left that job. I had another short-term internship in the Bronx which was further away but would only take me an hour to get to. I was usuing a carpool and had no choice but to wake up early or I'd miss my ride. The first place was about 50 miles away and the second about 60 miles away. I have been living in a condo community in Orange County, NY for the last 6 years and though the commute is difficult, housing is definitely much more affordable than Rockland and Westchester counties.