Trying to decide between Mamaroneck and Pearl River (New City, Harrison: short sales, apartments)

[BeNicePlease]

Hello, I'll try to be as brief as possible.

Would prefer to stay on the east side of the river since I must travel to the city. (Although I love Pearl River and New City but the commute may be tough)

Saw a home online for $305K in Mamaroneck!! Then I thought, what's the catch? It's never that cheap.

I've heard the schools in Mamaroneck are a bit more diverse within the Mamaroneck Avenue school district and less so in the Central district. Is this affecting the school rating?

Are there any less desirable areas in Mamaroneck (more crime, schools lacking etc...) that you'd recommend someone should avoid? Which zone/streets/avenue are recommended (near the Central schools).

Thanks for any input you can provide.

[havoc315]

You will not find a genuine single family house in Mamaroneck for under 400k. If it is under 400k, it has major major major issues. (Browsing the listings myself, the cheapest single family house was 289k-- but it was only 500 square feet, smaller than most studio apartments!, the next cheapest was 369k, small and in need of TLC).

The school districts are the same -- They all feed into Mamaroneck high school. The difference is the elementary schools.
Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School has a very large hispanic population (45%), compared to 16% at Central.

[BeNicePlease]

Originally Posted by havoc315

You will not find a genuine single family house in Mamaroneck for under 400k. If it is under 400k, it has major major major issues. (Browsing the listings myself, the cheapest single family house was 289k-- but it was only 500 square feet, smaller than most studio apartments!, the next cheapest was 369k, small and in need of TLC).

The school districts are the same -- They all feed into Mamaroneck high school. The difference is the elementary schools.
Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School has a very large hispanic population (45%), compared to 16% at Central.

Hi Havoc, thanks for your response. I'm not certain this is allowed and I apologize if I'm not supposed to list but here is the link with the listing Mod cut: NO links to specific properties permitted
Single-Family Home
I thought it sounded too good to be true. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks again.

[havoc315]

When searching by MLS#, that listing does not exist. May have already sold, and just not been updated on trulia. I notice that trulia had no pictures of the interior. I am certain the home had major issues.

The reality is, you will get a much nicer home in your price range in Pearl River, but the commute will be much worse.

[bmwguydc]

Check the Westchester County Board of Realtors' site WCBR2 for a search by town/area. There are properties in Mamaroneck for under $400k, but they are not in the most desirable part of town, and need large amounts of work. Now, perhaps it's not bad to look for a house with upmarket potential, especially if you're handy, but I'd expand the search to Harrison and Pelham as well to see if something might be on the market, though it's more the price of an apartment in that part of the county. Some of the listings are short sales as well, so it's up to the bank as to whether or not it will be accepted.

[AurorainTarrytown]

Parts of Mamaroneck flood pretty badly, maybe that's what was going on with that inexpensive house? I don't know exactly which parts of Mamaroneck are prone to flooding, but it's definitely something to be aware of if you're looking in Mam. I'm sure someone here knows the specific sections.