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Here is our newly wed situation. My wife and I are both 31 and currently live in a studio apartment in NYC. We’re interested in moving to Westchester to rent for a year in May 2011. We want to rent to
explore where we will settle in and buy a home. We are interested Westchester for the following reasons…
1.)Both work in NYC
2.)Don’t want to live on Long Island or NJ
3.)Want no more than a 45 minute train ride
4.)Like the idea of a rurally feel. Had enough of the city.
5.)Schools seem decent for when we start a family
With that said, our budget is 400K for a 3 bedroom.
At first I was considering White Plains, but it seems more urban than the rural feel we want.
You're going to need to increase your budget in a serious way and adjust your tolerance for a longer commute. What you want isn't possible with that budget and only 45 minutes or so from the city because that's what EVERYONE wants.
You're going to need to increase your budget in a serious way and adjust your tolerance for a longer commute. What you want isn't possible with that budget and only 45 minutes or so from the city because that's what EVERYONE wants.
I've been looking on Trulia and finding a lot of houses in the 400K range that fit the description and anticipate more to pop up. IMO home prices will continue to fall and I am not buying until 2012. I am missing something here?
The price point is going to be tough for the commute time desired, unfortunately. White Plains is a city, so I'd suggest the Town of Harrison based upon your criteria, but I don't think you'd find anything livable for $400k.
If you can tolerate a longer commute, I would suggest looking to the north, particularly northeast toward Connecticut in the Town of Lewisboro (The Salems/Cross River), where for your budget it's possible to find a cottage, or a smaller split/ranch home around $400k. The commute through Katonah is about an hour on the train, however, not counting time to drive to/from the station, though there is a bus that comes through South Salem from Connecticut, the HART bus.
Somers and Yorktown Heights might also be worth looking into, though you have to travel to the train from these areas as well. There are a good number of houses in your price range. Even Croton-on-Hudson might be a consideration, and you have the benefit of an express train on the Hudson Line which is 45 minutes to Grand Central, and also in driving distance from Yorktown Heights.
As to which side of the county is preferable, I tend to have a bias toward Northeastern Westchester and Fairfield, since those areas tend to have more of a rural atmosphere, especially because of equestrian pursuits, the reservoirs, and the parkland.
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~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
The price point is going to be tough for the commute time desired, unfortunately. White Plains is a city, so I'd suggest the Town of Harrison based upon your criteria, but I don't think you'd find anything livable for $400k.
If you can tolerate a longer commute, I would suggest looking to the north, particularly northeast toward Connecticut in the Town of Lewisboro (The Salems/Cross River), where for your budget it's possible to find a cottage, or a smaller split/ranch home around $400k. The commute through Katonah is about an hour on the train, however, not counting time to drive to/from the station, though there is a bus that comes through South Salem from Connecticut, the HART bus.
Somers and Yorktown Heights might also be worth looking into, though you have to travel to the train from these areas as well. There are a good number of houses in your price range. Even Croton-on-Hudson might be a consideration, and you have the benefit of an express train on the Hudson Line which is 45 minutes to Grand Central, and also in driving distance from Yorktown Heights.
As to which side of the county is preferable, I tend to have a bias toward Northeastern Westchester and Fairfield, since those areas tend to have more of a rural atmosphere, especially because of equestrian pursuits, the reservoirs, and the parkland.
Thank you for this! Excellent info to get me started! God Bless!
Take a look at Croton-on-Hudson and Yorktown Heights. The train trip to Croton is about 43 minutes on the express train that runs hourly. You'll see a number of 3 bedrooms in your price range and the area has rural elements. These elements include the 500 acre Croton Point Park with scenic views of the Hudson, the 300 foot Croton Dam and the 800 acre Teatown Lake Reservation (something like Central Park in a more natural state). You'll probably find better homes for your money in Yorktown Heights but the commute is an additional 10-20 minutes (depending where in Yorktown Heights) because it has no train station.
Visit a variety of neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods feel more urban with smaller lots near a village while other neighborhoods feel more rural with homes on hills in more wooded areas.
If you want "rural" you should definitely look at Croton, southern Yorktown, Cortlandt Manor, Ossining (township, not the village), Somers, and Katonah. 400K is certainly tight, especially if you want a country feel, but nothing is impossible in the current market. You will certainly be able to find some village houses for that price. Come up and explore the area--it's gorgeous.
paulyc44, in case you are unfamiliar with the local geography:
What people refer to colloquially as "towns" are actually villages and hamlets, which are within actual towns; and, because villages and hamlets are referred to as "towns", then, many times, the error is compounded when actual towns are referred to as "townships".
Also, many colloquially refer to a "downtown business district" in a hamlet as a "village".
NYS Geographic Glossary may be of some help to you in understanding the geography of "New Yawk".
You can get a fact sheet for any city, village or hamlet in New York by going here American FactFinder and input the name of the city, village or hamlet for "city/town" (leave out the ZIP Code) and New York for "State", and then click "GO".
You'll get a lot of demographic, and some economic, statistics for the city, village or hamlet you selected, and if you click on "Reference map" (it's on the right hand side), you'll get a map.
When you do find a house that you like, you can find out in which community (city, village or CDP) that house is actually located, which is oftentimes different from the community named in that house's mailing address, by using the Census Bureau's online address search function. (CDP or Census Designated Place is the Census Bureau equivalent for a hamlet in "New Yawk".)
And, very importantly, among other things, the Census Bureau's online address search function also indicates in which school district an address is located.
Take a look at Croton-on-Hudson and Yorktown Heights. The train trip to Croton is about 43 minutes on the express train that runs hourly. You'll see a number of 3 bedrooms in your price range and the area has rural elements. These elements include the 500 acre Croton Point Park with scenic views of the Hudson, the 300 foot Croton Dam and the 800 acre Teatown Lake Reservation....
I apologize for nitpicking, but the Teatown Lake Reservation is actually in Yorktown (although the PO address is Ossining and parts of it are in Cortlandt).
The area also has a number of other great parks and nature preserves. Some notable ones are Croton Landing (on the Hudson in Croton), Turkey Mountain Nature Preserve in Yorktown, Muscoot Farm in Somers, and the Blue Mountain Reservation in Cortlandt Manor. There are lots more, too...
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Understanding the geography of "New Yawk"
