Yorktown heights or Katonah? (Poughkeepsie, Ossining: best town, mortgages, good credit)

[Asil65]

Thanks again! My husband has done the commute from Norwalk to White Plains and he does not want to do that again. We had thought about Ct. schools but the commute would stink. I looked at Briar Cliff too but BMWguy you hit the nail on the head. The schools look great there but I am not sure if that is the right fit for our family. Will Katonah and Yorktown Heights be about the same commute to Tarrytown for my DH? Mileage wise they are about 15 miles so I was thinking it would be comparable. A friend of mine recommended Cortlandt Manor. There is a ton of housing inventory there but it seems like the schools are down a notch from the other two I am thinking about. She did say that she had some great friends there and there are a lot of families. A realtor I spoke with thouth Pleasantville would be a good fit for us. What is your take on Pleasantville and Cortlandt Manor?

[bmwguydc]

Pleasantville is a nice, real community, not a neighborhood where one needs to keep up with the prevailing trends in German SUVs or Swedish station wagons. It's an easy commute to Tarrytown, and the Pleasantville Union Free Schools are highly regarded. Housing ranges from mid-century modernist to 1970s splits and some newer houses, a diverse mix that's not solely McMansions on tiny lots with people who apparently live their floorplan's idealized lifestyle. It would be a good fit, I believe. There are also a large number of older houses in Pleasantville as well, though they might be a tad more expensive, especially on any sort of acreage.

Cortlandt Manor is a good area, and is very convenient for Tarrytown via rail or driving. It's an area that saw a good deal of development in the last fifteen years, with larger houses for your money. The schools are a notch below Katonah, Yorktown, and Pleasantville, however. This area does tend to lack a little of the character of older Westchester towns, such as Katonah and Pleasantville, but there are reasons to consider it, especially for the relative newness of the housing stock and generally larger house size. Since it's largely been reshaped in the last few years, it's a community without long-standing rules and families who have lived there for generations, so it can be easier to make friends. That said, if you have children, that's the key in many Westchester towns, you should be able to make friends in Katonah, Yorktown, and Pleasantville as well.

It's not a bad drive from Katonah or Yorktown to Tarrytown, though when it rains heavily the Saw Mill does flood, and that can mean a bit of extra drive time. Overall, though, it's not too bad of a drive on a daily basis.

[Asil65]

Thanks bmwguy! Interesting info about the saw mill flooding. Never heard that before. I am glad that we have a few options in different towns -ie Yorktown Heights, Pleasantville and Katonah. You are right about Pleasantville. The houses in our price range are not very attractive. I think that the taxes are higher there as well. I am still trying to figure out why the taxes are so high in NY. We live in Virginia in a 3000 square foot house in a safe neighborhood with a great school but only pay a little over 4,000 dollars a year. Why is there such a difference in taxes? It is looking like we will be moving at the beginning of the year. I have noticed that some housing prices have dropped. Hopefully for our sake the trend will continue.
Brookside looks like a really great school. One of the better websites. I think I read that dma child would be going there.

[dma1250]

Yes, my son is currently at French Hill, which is K-2, and will be going to Brookside for grades 3-5. We love French Hill, and have heard great things about Brookside.

On the commute to Tarrytown, from most of southern Yorktown you can easily drive to the Coton-Harmon station and catch the train to Tarrytown. I drive to the station daily, and it takes about 10 minutes (I give it 12 to be safe). You also have the option of driving to Croton and taking 9A to tarrytown, or taking the Taconic and the Saw Mill (which does totally flood in heavy rains, as bmwguydc says).

[SLP247]

@Asil65

This area: All the towns hamlets and towns that have been previously, are all wonderful in their own regards though very different as well. When speaking of Yorktown, it is a HUGE town. The southern most point of Yorktown hits Ossining. It is very diverse and has many of the characteristics you are looking for. Cortlandt Manor is the same way.

I think what would be best is for you to tour some homes in different locations with the Realtor providing you with info as to which train station is closest to that particular house and what school district it falls in. This is something I typically do for my out of area buyers. As you begin to find areas you like and dislike, your Realtor should be able to narrow in the search, At that point I would suggest having your Realtor set up an appointment with the schools your children will be attending.

I was born and raised in Yorktown and understand its desirability, but there are many great locals in this area so it will be a tough choice.

[Asil65]

Thanks dma and SLP,
All of your information is really helpful. dma- have you lived in YH all of your life or did you move from somewhere else? The reason that I ask is that I wondered if you found it easy to meet others and for your son to meet friends?
SLP- I appreciate your input as well. Housing wise I think I would chose Cortlandt Manor because of the huge inventory and newer houses. I do think that the schools are not rated as well as the other areas that I have been looking at.We may settle for a little less of a house to be in a school district that will work for our kids. I also was not very impressed with the Ossining schools. I am glad to hear that realtors will set up meetings with various schools. I wondered how receptive principals were to these kind of visits?

[dma1250]

Originally Posted by Asil65

dma- have you lived in YH all of your life or did you move from somewhere else? The reason that I ask is that I wondered if you found it easy to meet others and for your son to meet friends?

We moved from New York City (the Park Slope section of Brooklyn) almost 7 years ago. The transition from the city (where both my wife and I were born and raised and lived until our mid 30's) to a relatively rural area was rough at times, though wonderful most of the time. Although we moved to an area with lots of privacy and no sidewalks, all of our neighbors came over to introduce themselves in our first week, and many invited us over to their houses. Our area has an active community association which has regular pot luck get togethers, so we met everyone in the area quite quickly. My son was just 2 (or younger, actually), but we quickly connected with an informal playgroup in our area of same-age kids, and my wife (who was home at first) joined formal play groups in Croton and in Yorktown Heights. Since he started Kindergarten, school has been the primary source of friends--but he has good friends in the area (and we have semi-regular "bus parties" for all the kids on the school bus route). Between all of the above, we've made plenty of friends, as has our son.

[SLP247]

I have yet to have a Principal give me grief over such a visit. It may be just me and my experience working with Buyers new to the area or it might be just how it is, but I know that if it were my kids, I would insist on a school visit.

As far as your children making friends; There is a tremendous opportunity for children to meet others either through school or local events and teams. Unless the child is very introverted, there will be lots of opportunity for them. Even with those (like myself) who are born and raised in an area, it is usually through attending class with someone or the sports team that we meet and make our friends. Parents run the same lines. It is usually through school and social events that parents meet other parents and start friendships.

[Asil65]

Thanks SLP. I noticed that you are a realtor. I had heard that NY realtors are not legally allowed to recommend towns to clients with regards to schools. Is this true? Also can you tell me why a buyer would choose to use a buyers agent vs. your typical realtor? I had also heard that in NY there is more lawyer involvement with buying a house. Can you elaborate?
Dma- Yorktown heights looks like it suits you. Sounds like you are in a great neighborhood.

[houseshopping]

Asil65,
We just moved to Somers. We are actually 3.5 miles north of Yorktown Heights but pay less taxes due to IBM and Pepsi in Somers. The area is great! The schools are great! We love it! There are some deals to be had right now as far as real estate prices go. Obviously the credit approval for the mortgage is the hard part right now. With less taxes, you qualify for more house/land price. We got 1.5 acres, 1884 farmhouse fully remodeled, taxes under $10K. Good luck and happy house hunting!