Westchester Woes (Yorktown, Somers, Bedford: houses, buy, school districts)

[BonoBD93]

Thanks for taking the time to hear yet another complaint about the outrageous Westchester housing market.This is probably the most common question on this site but with a twist. I am looking for a single family home for 650-800k in Westchester. I am primarly looking for a home that will see a solid return, excellent elementary schools, and close proximity to the railroad (only to help in resale). The twist is that I don't really need to live in any specific area and have a zero dependence upon the train. I was hoping to stay above 287 because I travel to the Dutchess, Putnam, and Orange County Areas. I am looking to have kids in the next year and a half but am not planning to stay in the NY area more than 10 to 15 years. I didn't grow up in this area and don't have any relatives that did so I don't have any knowledge about Preschools and Kindergarten. Sorry about being long winded. Thanks to all.

[Viralmd]

Your requests are pretty much in line with everyone else...but your 'twist' is a little odd: you either do or don't want to be near the train. Which one is it?

[BonoBD93]

I would like to be close to the train for resale value and the occasional weekend trip to the city for my wife or when visitors are in town. Otherwise it is more important for me to be close to the Highways.

I guess it comes back to home return on investment. If it will not affect the resale value and tthe appreciation then I can care less. However, if it there is a positive correlation then I will be just fine living closer to the train. Thanks.

[bmwguydc]

You can certainly find something that meets your requirements in Northern Westchester. Some towns to check into include Katonah, Somers, South Salem, and Cross River. Somers has its own schools, and Katonah and Cross River are in the Katonah-Lewisoboro District, both of which are well regarded. In town, you can find a house in your price range in Katonah, though it might be on the smaller side, but values are generally pretty strong in this region. The train can be a selling point for some, but many in Northern Westchester don't mind driving a few minutes to town to get to the train. People in the area don't have the same mindset as Lower Westchester where walking distance is preferred because the area quickly turns semi-rural outside of town in Northeastern Westchester.

[dma1250]

I second bmwguydc's recommendations. I'd also add southern Yorktown. It has great schools, and you can be 10 minutes from the train and minutes (or less) from the Taconic. I'd also suggest looking at Croton. Depending on what kind of house you want, you should be able to find something in your price range in both towns.

[havoc315]

In that price range, and those factors, you might be happiest in Somers and Katonah, possibly Yorktown. Train access is a bit of a long commute, but you are near major highways, and you're near the northern border.

You can get a lot of house in that price range in those towns.

Those three school districts are all very good. And as an added bonus, taxes in Somers are fairly low.

Look up homes in Baldwin Place (Somers schools)-- I saw a magnificent home listed at 819,000 with reasonable taxes. (In the current market, I'd offer $750 on a home like that).

[Viralmd]

Sorry, but Katonah won't give you much house for that money. Maybe in other areas, but not Katonah.

[havoc315]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

Sorry, but Katonah won't give you much house for that money. Maybe in other areas, but not Katonah.

I guess everything is relative. I've seen some very nice homes in Katonah around that price range. Not McMansions, but move-in condition, 2500+ square feet, homes.

[bmwguydc]

Katonah won't have too much for under $800k, even today. In the hamlet, you can find places from $550k for houses that will not require much, if any work, but that's why I mentioned the relative size of the house that one would be anticipating between $650k and $800k. Even in town, larger houses easily fetch seven figures on in-town lots, not acerage. And, outside the "town" it's not easy to find a house on acerage below a seven figure price point.

You can, however, find a Katonah zip code in Somers that will tend to offer a larger house than at the same price point in Katonah proper. 10536 straddles the border near the reservoir, but while you have the Katonah mailing address, it's Somers taxes and schools, not the Town of Bedford. The eastern shore of the reservoir is Katonah, roughly from the intersection of Route 35 & Cherry Street to the east. Mind you, Somers schools are fine, but where this comes into play is in the train station parking lot, since residents get preference for lots in Katonah as it's managed by the Town of Bedford, not MetroNorth's contractor.

Somers does not have a train station, so it's sometimes a hassle, and more expensive, to get a parking permit. While this does not affect the OP too much as the lots do open for general parking on weekends and after certain times during the day, it can be a factor in resale, which is why you can sometimes find houses in town that are little more than 1200 square foot cottages on regular-sized lots in the $500s in Katonah proper. For a 2000 square foot residence, you would be looking in the low-mid $600s, and then for about 2400-2700 square feet you'd be closing in on the $700-$800k territory, today. Anything larger than that is going to be out of range, unless it's in terrible condition, which is a rarity in the area. And, of course, all of these are reflective of condition, since you can spend mid-upper $600s on a 1500-1800 square foot residence in the hamlet that has been renovated. While there might be some wiggle room in the prices, the area does attract a healthy premium, but some areas allow you to walk into town, which is pretty nice. You might not have a huge selection in your price range, but it's definitely worth a look, especialy if you want a "small town" type of place.

You definitely get more for your money in Somers and over into Yorktown and Croton, which dma1250 recommended. They are all good for your situation as you have highway access to points north, and train access for weekends, though Yorktown is not on a train line any longer (closed in the 1950s/1960s if I am remembering my history properly), but many drive to Croton which has sufficient parking. The selling point on Katonah is the downtown, which is one of the most charming in the region, not to mention the schools and train.

[somersmom]

most somers residents use the goldens bridge train station, which is managed by an outside vendor for metro-north. don't know if there is a wait for parking permits, but it's much easier to get one there than in bedford from what i remember when dh got his several years ago.
as for the school situation, both districts (somers and bedford central) are well-regarded, however when you start getting into the middle/high schools, BC will be more diverse as it includes mount kisco, which has a higher number of hispanic students. somers schools were also named one of 8 best buy districts by the journal news for the education offered for the taxes.