What's considered upper class in weschester? (house hunting help!) (Yonkers: for sale, how much)

[thespeakerbox]

Every weekend I've been traveling to LI to check out properties but still haven't found anything our family likes. What are some good neighborhoods in Westchester with houses in the 600K-1.2M dollar range? I'm really looking for a lot of at least .50 acres near some decent shopping. Does it exist above the city?

[havoc315]

That's a rather large price range. In Westchester's "better" neighborhoods, the 600k will buy a smallish house, with nicer homes easily going for over a million.

Most of the more upscale towns are very residential, with small downtown areas. Most of the major shopping is located within a few hubs -- White Plains, Yonkers, New Rochelle, Jefferson Valley.

Southern Westchester is closer to the bulk of the shopping, but even $1.2 million doesn't buy a big piece of property, in places like Scarsdale, Irvington, Bronxville.

I would suggest the more central and northern Westchester towns. Armonk, Chappaqua, Briarcliff Manor. These are very upscale areas, but 1.2 million will buy a nice house on an acre. Major shopping isn't far, with White Plains only about 20 minutes from these areas. And other smaller shopping options closer. (for example, Mt Kisco, bordering Chappaqua, has a good amount of shopping. Hawthorne has a lot of big stores, just a bit south of Briarcliff)

[bmwguydc]

If you don't mind a slightly longer commute, check into Pound Ridge, Bedford, and Katonah. You should be able to find a decent property that meets your specifications in these areas. Bedford and Katonah have some shopping in them, and are adjacent to Mount Kisco for many needs. It's a little further afield in Pound Ridge to get to Mount Kisco or Connecticut for shopping (Stamford), but it's not more than 20 minutes or so.

Closer-in, places like Harrison, Larchmont, and Pelham might have something at the upper end of your range, though the 1/2 acre or more of land might be hard to find that close in under $1.2M. Purchase might be a good bet as well. I would say that Harrison/Purchase would offer the best bet for a nice piece of land, not too far out. If you can deal with something between 1/3 and 1/2 acre, parts of Larchmont and Pelham might have something that you'd like.

If you don't need to use the public school system, check into parts of New Rochelle, especially the areas that have a Scarsdale zip code where you can find a nice house on a decent lot in your price range. New Rochelle has some decent schools at lower grade levels, but then they get huge at the middle and high school level, which tends to have performance gaps when compared to neighboring districts.

Rye is going to be difficult, not so much for the price, but for the land with the price. $1.2 is going to realistically be on a city/town lot, which could be 8,000 square feet. Larger properties do exist, but they do tend to be more expensive, but it's worth a look to see if there's anything on the market that might meet your specs.

[Viralmd]

That won't buy much in Bedford. And you need to consider the taxes, as well.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by thespeakerbox

<<<snip>>>... near some decent shopping. Does it exist above the city?

What are you looking for in shopping? No-service big boxes or high service boutiques?

By the way, be very wary of what people say about taxes in N Westchester, or at least Pound Ridge. They vary more than you'd ever believe. It's all about when it was reassessed and there's no regular schedule to it. A 'good friend' lives in a 3800 sq ft California ranch ranch on 2 acres on a private road and taxes are about $11k. Their neighbor has a virtually identical setup and they pay $6700. try to find that in southern westchester!

[dma1250]

It really depends on what kind of house, setting, and general area you are after. Especially in the northern areas, house prices will vary a lot depending on size, the amount of property, and the specifics of the house. On my street right now there are about 4 houses for sale, ranging in price from 650K to 2.25 Million--and they're all relatively modest homes on a few acres. Even in the nicest parts of Bedford you can now find some lovely houses for well under a million--as well as estates for a fortune.

[ardsley]

OK, I'm partial to Ardsley....but then I grew up there. Good school system, nice village and easy access to shopping, NYC, etc. I suggest a day to drive through the town, it's small and has a small town feel to it. Check it out, it is a small village in the shadow of a great city. Just my $.02

[mfenimore]

Depends on a lot of factors-are the schools important to you, how far do you want to commute? Also your price range is rather broad. How much can you afford in taxes? White Plains is main shopping hub in Westchester, there is also a lot of stuff on Central Avenue in Yonkers, and there is the Palisades mall in Rockland. All about a 20 minute drive from Central Westchester.

[msamoyedny]

Look into Thornwood. It is about 10 min from white plains and has beautiful homes on large pieces of land in that price range. i grew up there and my parent's home is very large and worth about 1 million and is on 1 acre. The school are good also.

[DITC]

Sorry but that range is not "upper class" in Westchester. The 600k - 1.2m range (although pricey) gets you a home that would be considered middle class.

Originally Posted by thespeakerbox

Every weekend I've been traveling to LI to check out properties but still haven't found anything our family likes. What are some good neighborhoods in Westchester with houses in the 600K-1.2M dollar range? I'm really looking for a lot of at least .50 acres near some decent shopping. Does it exist above the city?