Affordability and Why are the taxes so high? (New York, White Plains: house, buying)

[PEmom]

Havoc and 7 wishes, do you both live in Westchester? can you share your thoughts behind the decision? My husband works in Westchester and I in the future will likely work in the city or CT. I like CT's vibe and its relatively slightly lower cost of living and hate the fact that in NY you still have to pay rent (i.e. tax) even after you pay off your lofty mortgage. Are people who live in Westchester all working in the city? Or are CT schools really not as good as Westchester (Darien, Westport). I know Newsweek ranks them behind many Westchester schools but I don't really believe the ranking is based on a reliable criteria. Or people living here are just not aware of they have options in CT.

We are looking at many towns here also in CT but still cannot decide where to buy.

[havoc315]

Yes, I live in Westchester. We are fortunate that our property taxes are not outrageous. My wife works in the city, I work in White Plains (but I used to commute into the city).

There are many reasons people may choose Westchester over Connecticut, which may be completely inapplicable to you. For example, my wife and I have a lot of family in Westchester and Rockland.
Some people just prefer the vibe of Westchester over Connecticut. Although the differences in towns may not be huge, I often get the impression that Connecticut has more waspy towns (similar to Bronxville in Westchester), while Westchester has more towns akin to something like Westport in CT.

The schools very well might be just as good in places like Darien and Westport, but not the commute. The drive to Westchester, on crowded I-95, is supposedly a nightmare. The train ride into the city is not as attractive as Westchester. Darien is around 55 minutes, Westport is around 65 minutes -- About the equivalent of far Nothern Westchester.

In the southwestern corner of CT where commuting isn't as bad, the schools are not as reliable. (Stamford, Greenwich).

Although property taxes are pretty consistently worse in Westchester than in CT, you will find wide variations within Westchester. Often in the same town, for the same home price, you may see large variances in propety taxes. For example, in the same home price range, same locality, I have seen property taxes range from $13,000 to $27,000.

[Forest_Hills_Daddy]

If Westchester residents who send their children to private schools were given the option not to pay the public school portion of the taxes, will their tax bill go down significantly? By half or more, perhaps?

[dma1250]

We looked in CT before buying in northern Westchester. To find what we wanted--either an antique or a modern house, on at least a few acres, in a beautiful setting in a 'rural' area, close to towns and not far from the train--was either twice as expensive in CT or a much longer commute. When you took into account the STAR discount the taxes were not much better. And the parts of CT that we looked at gave off a somewhat stuffy, New England feel which we weren't comfortable with. I imagine the relative value of Westchester vs. CT depends on what exactly you are looking for.

[somersmom]

Originally Posted by Forest_Hills_Daddy

If Westchester residents who send their children to private schools were given the option not to pay the public school portion of the taxes, will their tax bill go down significantly? By half or more, perhaps?

School taxes typically make up 2/3 of a property owners tax bill.

[havoc315]

I believe school taxes are about 1/2 of the tax bill for most Westchester residents. The County and Town taxes are typically about 1/3rd. The Village and School taxes are typically the other 2/3rds. (and 2/3rd of that, goes to the schools).

[MomOfToo]

I am originally from Westchester and we bought in CT. The taxes are so high in Westchester because of the county gov't which Fairfield County no longer has. I am 3 miles from the Putnam border, our house isn't huge, it is 1700 sq ft with an acre of land and our taxes are $4500.00 a year, yes I will be able to stay here once we retire...our schools are great and has wonderful services for children with special needs. I couldn't be happier here. Its not your typical "snooty" CT town, alot of people here are original NY'ers....makes it feel more like NY than CT. All my family lives in Westchester and all they do is complain about are the taxes. If you don't have children in school why should you have to pay such high taxes? There are just as many great schools systems here as there are in Westchester...people who commute to NYC prefer Westchester for the obvious reasons. We do have plenty of commuters here as well...their commute is longer but they also have more money left in their pockets at the end of the month. I would never go back to Westchester because of all those silly taxes....families just can't make it there anymore so we don't have much of a choice than to move out. Sure I'd like to be more closer to my family, but I also love owning my own house. My parents are almost retired, they won't be able to pay the 15K in taxes anymore...my sister pays 18K in taxes and her school system isn't one of the best. How do you know "where" those taxes are really going? The county gov't get their raises every year...maybe thats where it goes. I'm not knocking Westchester by any means...just the taxes so please don't take this the wrong way. I moved here 6 years ago...and I see more and more Westchester/Putnam people moving this way....taxes are out of control.

[jdhall1]

I have clients that are looking to move up to the Danbury area from NYC. Prior to my connecting with them, they were looking in Northern Westchester & Putnam at homes around $325,000 on about 1/3rd of an acre where the property taxes are were to close $8000 a year. For the same house, the taxes up here are only around $3400 a year. They would rather drive 10 minutes further each way and save roughly $325 a month on the property taxes.

[PEmom]

We are in this big dilemma now: the houses we are looking at in desirable school districts of W(estchester) towns and F(airfield) towns have tax difference of 10k to 14k (20k in W and 8k in F). That means something to a family (unless you work for Goldman). If we go up north of W (just north of I287) the tax is getting better but still 8k higher than CT and you kind of lose the easy commute to NYC benefit over CT. My hubby works in northern W and I hopefully will find a job in the city or F. Although most lucrative jobs are in the city, I feel sad for people who have to sell their house as their kids are grown and out. I assume they sell because of the high W tax (where the tax goes? check local news about how much public work and county exec are paid) and the kids will lose all the memories in the house they grew up with.

[havoc315]

In terms of "losing the memories in the house"... I guess that could be an issue for some people. But in our culture, it seems far far more frequent to downsize upon retirement, as opposed to houses being passed from generation to generation. But that's a personal choice of course.

When comparing taxes, remember that property taxes are not the only taxes. There are other local and state taxes that need to be brought into the picture, that may actually close the gap a bit. Yes, CT will still be lower, but the gap may be smaller than you are suggesting.

Working in Northern Westchester, the commute from CT might be quite feasible, and it could be a good option. Especially if you are willing to forego NYC employment.

Within Westchester, you may want to consider Somers. Property taxes are consistently lower in Somers than most of the rest of the county. Homes that would have 20k taxes in other parts of Westchester, will be more like 10-15k in Somers. So not significantly more than CT.