Help. Moving from ATX to NYC-ish (Yonkers, Levittown: renting, condo, mortgage)

[New2NYU]

Hello all. I have been searching these forums all weekend and figured it would be easier to just post myself. I received admission to NYU for this September-last spot on a wait list so I JUST found out like 2 weeks ago. Moving from Austin TX (thank god I am getting out of here) to the area ASAP.

I have like 1.5 months to sell my house here and find a house somewhere out there. There are so many choices! Here are my specs and any suggestions would be very helpful!

-moving myself, my wife and our 7 pets. (yes, 7. all rescues from the street and I am not moving without them so renting is out of the question.)

-I will be on a fellowship so our combined income will allow about a 300K house at most.

-we want to walk the dogs at night and not worry about it so much.

-no more than an hour commute. I will only be on campus like 2-3 days a week so commuting no biggie

I think thats it. I have looked everywhere (LI, Westchester, Jersey) and it seems like everything has mixed reviews. oy.

help!

[bmwguydc]

Wow...$300k can be tough in the NYC environs, especially an hour or so out of the city., but not completely impossible. My best recommendations would be to stay in Rockland County, especially around Nyack. There may not be many homes in the price range, but you can find some village homes that come right around the $300k mark. I would also check towns on the way out to Suffern, such as Nanuet, Pearl River, and the like, but Nyack might have the most housing stock at that price for a smaller home. Further to the north, you can find something in Chester or Monroe, easily, but the commute is a long one, and you would have to take the bus into the city. Monroe has a lot of second homes, so the lower priced houses there will be cottages that are seasonal use. Chester and Monroe are a bit futher out, but are closer to country lifestyle than Rockland County areas.

Closer to the city, you can look in Yonkers or Peekskill in Westchester, though they can have some areas that are not especially nice, and are rough in parts of Yonkers. The taxes in Westchester also tend to be higher than Rockland, but that depends largely upon the town. Also, check into Ossining, as there might be something around that price point for a single family home, but this is also a river town that has its share of issues and parts are more up and coming than others.

Parts of New Jersey are also nice, as are parts of Long Island, but you would likely be looking in a first suburb in both locations, something along the lines of Levittown on Long Island. These areas are more congested than a Nyack or Westchester river town, and have their own share of issues.

I am basing these recommendations on a single family home purchase, since condominums would be a problem with the pets sometimes. You can also check for some non-condo ownership townhouses in these areas, and even some closer in, to see if there's anything that would be a good mix.

[Viralmd]

If you're in school at NYU, Rockland County is a royal pain: other side of the river AND north.

You could likely do better in Yonkers (be careful about neighborhoods, though) or somewhere in NJ.

You want to be somewhere that won't require such a long commute...

[dma1250]

Definitely check out Peekskill. The commute by train is under an hour to NYC, there are lots of restaurants, galleries, coffee houses, a performing art center/film center, a museum, etc. There is a large population of artists and many young professionals and families moving up from the city. 300K is tough, but you can still get a small but nice old house in a good area for that. Look in the Fort Hill Historic District and the Mortgage Hill area. Peekskill has a stunning riverfront park and is next to 1,500 acre blue mountain reservation--so you can live in a lovely, walkable town and also stroll into the woods. Also you'll be close to many other towns, close to the city, and close to tremendous natural beauty and nature preserves.

[mead]

You're not going to find a regular house in a nice area that isn't totally way out in the middle of nowhere for $300k. So I think you should just get that thought out of your head now.

Perhaps you should look into a co-op, condo or a townhouse. Or short of that you might just consider renting.

Even in my area of the Bronx, while nice, is probably about as cheap as you can go without the neighborhood being dangerous, and 3br houses run for $400k+. And we're talking about older houses from the 1920s that might be in need of repairs.