The $400K question (New Rochelle, Yorktown, Cortland: real estate, townhouses, neighborhoods)

[BigPoppa1]

I am looking to relocate my young family from Brooklyn to the suburbs and can probably afford to pay about $400K (ideally less) for a home. At the risk of sounding naive, I'd like to know if there any towns or cities in Westchester (or NJ) that might be a good fit that would also meet some or all of the following criteria:

-- good schools
-- good commute to midtown (ideally by train and less than say 50 mins)
-- diverse community
-- great place to live
-- near parks or hiking areas

Forgive me for asking such a basic question, but I would be very grateful for any direction people could provide in terms of where to start looking. Thank you very much for your help!

Best,
BP1

[Viralmd]

You'll get the most bang for the buck with a longer commute. Someplace like Yorktown Heights. And watch out for the real estate taxes...

[dma1250]

Croton and the surrounding area is the first that jumps to mind. It meets your criteria on almost all fronts (not very diverse racially, but there is ethnic and socio-economic diversity). Good schools, nice community, very close to excellent hiking trails and beautiful country as well as to all of the cultural neccesitiies (art films, good restaurants, etc.). The same goes for the neighboring areas of Yorktown Heights and Cortland Manor. We moved up from the Park Slope area and you'll find lots of former Brooklynites up here. 400K for a house is very tight, but possible. It depends on what you have in mind. There are smaller vintage homes in Croton village for low 400's and there are smaller vintage homes and 60's and 70's ranches and more suburban houses around Croton and scattered all over the area in that range. So, depending on what criteria are important to you, you might or might not be able to find what you want in that price range. But it's worth taking a look.

[havoc315]

As mentioned, for that budget, in a good area, you are going to need to start working you way north. You will need to start to stretch the reasonableness of the commute. You will also find alot more bang for your buck, if you are willing to look at townhouses, as opposed to single family houses.
Croton was mentioned, which is nice because there are 45 minute express trains. You can find single-family houses around 400, or something perhaps a bit nicer in a townhouse.

You will have a few motion options in the Yorktown area. But commuting becomes a bit longer. Yorktown doesn't have it's own train station, so you need to drive to the nearest station. Depending from where in Yorktown, could be 15-20+ minutes to the nearest train station, which then might be Croton, or Purdys, Mount Kisco, or some others.

Mount Kisco is not quite as far north. You may find a townhouse in your price range. A bit more diversity. Schools are still pretty good, but not as elite as some others. Train ride is about 50 minutes.

There may be a few smaller options in the Somers/Katonah areas, but your commute will be a bit longer. Somers has a huge townhouse inventory known as Heritage Hills. 3 bedroom townhouses can go for around 400k. It's very close to the Purdys train station... but the Purdys train ride is about 65-70 minutes, if I remember correctly.

[BigPoppa1]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

[popham]

New Rochelle?

[BigPoppa1]

How are the schools in New Rochelle?

[havoc315]

New Rochelle schools are so-so. Especially at the high school level, many opt for private schools. You may find some small houses and townhouses in your price range, but you would want to check on the ratings of the elementary school servicing those particular neighborhoods.

[tommya]

LIke DMA1250 said, I think Croton-on-Hudson is worth checking out. Its a bit up north, but has a large train station with frequent express trains, so it's quicker/more convenient than many of the neighboring towns. In my opinion, the biggest con is that its close to Indian Point but some people don't think this is a big deal.

[bkhakis]

How about Suffern NY?