Moving from NYC & looking into lower Westchester (Yonkers, White Plains: real estate, loan)

[stewart77]

We are looking to move out of Manhattan for our daughter (and eventual second child). We love the city, but feel the suburbs would be better to raise a family in. We've looked at Larchmont, Rye and some of the River towns. We liked Rye very much, but were told to check out Edgemont as well.

Any comments on Edgemont versus Rye would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there is a town we have overlooked, please let me know. The geographic issue lies in the fact that my husband works in Englewood, NJ, so the commute is a concern.

If it helps, we're looking for:

-at least one acre, pre-war, 4-5 BR house
-great public school
-town with amenities and one where time can be spent (weekends, dinners, etc.)

Thank you in advance for any advice you may have.

[Viralmd]

Why not look at NJ? You're not going to do any worse with real estate taxes and there wouldn't be that river to cross every day.

[znycgirl]

1 acre is going to be VERY difficult for you to find in the areas you had mentioned (there may be something...but it would be out of the norm for property in those areas in my opinion)...if land is important, you should look further north.

Go around the areas for yourself & see what the towns are like....they all have a personality of their own.

The river towns are going to be an easier commute for your husband.

[havoc315]

You can fulfill your needs in southern Westchester, including the acreage, but it will be costly. You did not list a budget. In the better southern Westchester towns, most homes are on smaller lots. There are million dollar homes sitting on quarter acres.

You are probably looking at paying an absolute minimum of $1.5 million to get what you are seeking, and quite possibly over $2 million.

Edgemont could be worth checking out. It essentially borders Scarsdale and Yonkers. Bit more diverse and less pretentious than Scarsdale, also smaller, but the schools are renowned.
The river towns could be good bets, especially Hastings, Arsdley and Irvington.

Good luck.

[znycgirl]

Do broaden your search for your idea of over 1 acre of land (or minimize the amt of land...personally I find a LOT less than that too much).

For houses under 2 million...on a very popular real estate site, searching by school district, I found:
1 in Rye Neck
2 in Scarsdale
2 in Mamaroneck (this includes Larchmont)
2 in Rye
5 in Irvington
4 in Edgemont
6 in Ardsley
None in Hastings
But 28 in Croton-Harmon (and those are MUCH nicer houses for your $$)...though the commute will suffer.

Though...if your budget is higher (remember...banks aren't loaning like they used to)...I agree with above...your options are endless.

[stewart77]

We understand the cost of a home will be over 2M. The price comes secondary to the other priorities though. znycgirl, we have actually looked at everything on your list (except for Edgemont and Scarsdale) and Rye was the winner for us. We do want to still see Edgemont though. What is the town like there?

[sallyg]

Edgemont schools are very competitive and most people move there strictly for that reason- because there isnt much there esthetically speaking. There isnt a town center or village and Central Ave runs through it, but you are very close to Scarsdale village. Rye has the water, the train station and a beautiful village, plus great schools. I think the two towns have very different vibes--- but thats just an opinion of course

[gradstudent77]

Originally Posted by stewart77

We are looking to move out of Manhattan for our daughter (and eventual second child). We love the city, but feel the suburbs would be better to raise a family in. We've looked at Larchmont, Rye and some of the River towns. We liked Rye very much, but were told to check out Edgemont as well.

Any comments on Edgemont versus Rye would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there is a town we have overlooked, please let me know. The geographic issue lies in the fact that my husband works in Englewood, NJ, so the commute is a concern.

If it helps, we're looking for:

-at least one acre, pre-war, 4-5 BR house
-great public school
-town with amenities and one where time can be spent (weekends, dinners, etc.)

Thank you in advance for any advice you may have.

You aren't addressing why you are not considering suburban NJ. For a budget of 2 million, take a close look at Tenafly, Alpine, Demarest and other similar towns in that area. You can get the one acre, great public school and your husband's commute to Englewood would be in the 10 to 15 minute range. check out njmls.com if you want to see listings in that area, in my 3 minutes of perusing, I found a house that meets all your criteria except for the fact that it is not located in westchester (and, it was under 2m).

[bmwguydc]

Edgemont (aka Greenville) is an area, not an incorporated jurisdiction. It's a section of the Town of Greenburgh, which spans several villages on your list. The school district is the common denominator among homes in Edgemont, though the area is significantly less pretentious than most of Scarsdale. People who live in Edgemont and spend a good deal of money on a house are doing so not to show off, rather because they have a house and community that meets the needs of their family. Everything in Lower Westchester is pretty close to Edgemont, including: Scarsdale, Bronxville, and even White Plains, plus you're not terribly far from the Sound Shore or the Hudson for recreational opportunities.

The Englewood commute should not be too much of a bother, well under an hour in traffic. Without traffic, I doubt it would take thirty minutes, depending upon the part of Englewood, of course. And, there will be days when inbound is a nightmare, however, since the Yankee games and/or events at the Meadowlands can cause that problem. On those days, check the traffic report, and take the GSP to 287 and cross the Tappan Zee to avoid the gridlock. I would, however, recommend that your husband take the Cross County Parkway to the Henry Hudson, avoiding the Thruway/Deegan which does tend to have more of a traffic issue than the parkway which has a toll before getting to the GWB.

EDIT: While you may have a challenge on the property front, Bronxville would meet all of your criteria, save for the one acre+ lot. That's the same issue that you'd encounter in Pelham as well, though it would likely meet your requirements as well. Purchase might be worth a look, though the character of the area is not as suburban as Rye. If you don't mind a little longer of a drive, I'd look in Harrison near the WCC/Apawamis/Willow Ridge CCs, but properties in this area are on larger pieces of land and don't have a town center that's in walkable proximity, and they're not as convenient to Englewood. You might stand a better chance in Lower Westchester if you look at everything that's on 1/2 acre or more, since you might find soemthing privately situated on 3/4 of an acre that might work in conjunction with neighboring parkland or club to give the feel of a larger property.

[stewart77]

Wow bmwguydc, thanks for the directional advice. And sallyg, you definitely touched on something we were wondering about...a town. That's what we liked so much about Rye. I'd rather not move somewhere with no real town to speak of. Again, I appreciate the NJ suggestions. We actually know the northern parts of the state rather well, but are only looking in NY and CT for this move.