Looking in Westchester...suggestions? (Yonkers, White Plains: for sale, real estate, crime rates)

[Down2ert]

Hi,

I see similar questions asked on different threads here but many of the replies are from 2006-2008. With all the craziness that has happened in the economy in the past 6 months or so, I'm wondering if some of the responses may have changed.

My girlfriend and I both 33 yrs old, grew up in Manhattan (not the nice parts). We are both mature professionals looking to invest in our first home. We both have the love/hate relationship with NYC so want to move into a more suburban area but still be close enough to the city to come back with a quick drive on the weekends. I work on the east side of midtown Manhattan, she works in the Bronx. I am looking for a relatively quick commute to the city (60 mins or less) door to door.

I know a major concern of where to move includes the quality of the school district. We currently have no children but do have plans to change that in the year 2 years, house comes first. This means that we will probably have about 4-5 years before the kid will start school. By then we may, or may not look to move to a different house or location, depending on our needs and affordability. So while schools are not the primary importance now, I would prefer not having the bottom of the barrel just in case we can't afford to move later on.

We are possibly looking at a $500k budget, give or take a few dollars. Looking for a quiet neighborhood (not close to any ghetto areas). Just a little friendly piece and quiet.

House expectations are:
Single Family
Close to train/Metro (preferrably close to major highways)
Reasonable taxes
3+ Bedrooms (preferred Master Bedroom with Bath) Walk-in closet
2.5 Baths
At least 1 car garage (2 preferred)
Patio a plus
No more than 1 or 2 steps for front door entrance
Level property not on any hills
No attached houses, would like a bit of space between houses

I have a friend who lives in Scarsdale and it seems perfect but it is very much out of my price range. I know someone else who lives in Yonkers. It seems like there is nice parts of Yonkers and not so nice parts of Yonkers. Some have suggested looking at places near Scarsdale such as Eastchester. Does anyone have suggestions based on my budget and expectations?

At this point I have just been searching through a few websites and doing a drive by to see some of the houses and neighborhoods. Is this the norm or does it make more sense to go to a real estate agent and tell them what I am looking for? Any suggestions of good websites to search for homes or a reputable and trustworthy real estate agent/company?

Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[nonny]

You should try real estate agents. But go to more than one company.

[havoc315]

You're doing the right thing to start, driving through the neighborhoods, looking around. Ultimately, let a realtor show you around as well. On the plus side, they know the best parts of town to show off and impress you. Of course, they may try not to show you the lesser aspects of the town.

To be honest, in your price range, that's a pretty tall order. If you're willing to have a commute over an hour, you can look in some of the far northern parts of the county. But when paying under 500k in Westchester, you are going to have to make compromises usually.

[josephrand]

I agree with most of the advice above, which is to look on your own, and then find a real estate agent you like to show you around. I also think that with most of the broker websites you can look at properties that might fit your pricing criteria on a map (with addresses), with the google satellite feature, which can give you a pretty good sense of the neighborhood if that's important to you. Remember that agents are under some pretty severe restrictions about what they can say about neighborhoods (a federal fair housing issue, not a sales-oriented "every neighborhood is great!" thing), so you can't really ask them about that. This site here gives you good statistical information about schools and crime rates.

Given what you said about your needs, Yonkers works for you really well, I think. Taxes tend to be lower than other parts of Westchester, because of the commercial base. And it's close to the city, and to the Bronx. There are good and not-so-great areas of every town in America, so drive yourself around and get a feel for the areas.

As for an agent, I disagree with the advice to use more than one agent. I dont' think that works well. Research agents the way you'd research anything, and then have them take you out. If you like them, then work with them. Every agent in Westchester can show you every property for sale in the local multiple listing system, so you don't need to shop agents. More importantly, it's helpful to work with an agent so that she or he gets to know your preferences -- your likes and dislikes -- rather than have to start from scratch every time. And if you like him or her, why would you go try out someone else.

It's different if you're selling, since selling involves marketing services that might be different between companies, and after you make an initial decision you tend to have a long relationship. But with a buyer agent, you're always free to break off the relationship if you find you're not getting what you want. As long as you are, I would try to be monogomous. It's a better experience for you, and more fair to the agent who is schlepping you around for days on end...

[jyyanks]

I think the one line that caught my eye with your list of wants is "decent taxes". Not sure what you would consider "decent" but most of Westchester has really high taxes. You may be able to fid a home for $500K, expect about $8-$12K in taxes in most Westchester neighborhoods, if not more. Harrison and White Plains tend to have "lower" taxes than other towns.

Since you are not looking into schools anytime soon, why not try Hartsdale (schools can be an issue later on), White Plains, Eastchester or Tarrytown. I haven't looked at home prices in awhile so I am not even sure if there are things within your price range but a quick search on realtor dot com should do the trick. Some areas of Northeast Yonkers are nice, but schools can be an issue later on.

I definitely recommend driving around and getting a feel for the different neighborhoods and if you find one that gives you that "warm and fuzzy" feeling, see if you can look for a local real estate agency to find out more about that area. Good Luck.

[Dockside]

Originally Posted by Down2ert

I know someone else who lives in Yonkers. It seems like there is nice parts of Yonkers and not so nice parts of Yonkers.

Yonkers can be tricky. Pay careful attention to which school district you are going to be in, then go check out those schools.

[jyyanks]

Actually in Yonkers, the schools are by lottery so even if School 15 is walking distance from you, you may end up in School 8 or School 32. I lived in Yonkers for a short time and my daughter actually got shut out of pre-school. There wasn't enough room in the districts I requested, so I was wait-listed. The woman at the Board of Ed said that they would call me in Oct if there were any openings. I never got the call. It's a good thing I had already enrolled my daughter in private school.

There are beautiful areas of NE Yonkers (Crestwood, Colonial Heights, Westchester Hills, Sprain Lake Knolls) but the school situation leaves much to be desired.

[lindasmith6677]

Hartsdale is not bad for you. School is not great but much better than yonkers. low tax and nice neighborhood. have to look hard for anything below 5