[SalSabes]

Hi there! We are a young couple looking to buy in CT. Hoping for an hour-ish train commute to NYC and he works in Stamford so ideally less than 20 minute drive to work?

Also a note, we are an interracial couple, 33yrs old and planning to have a baby within the year. Safety and general tolerance is a huge priority. We are hoping to find a town that is not desolate, but still hoping for some space/privacy - a yard for our 2 dogs is ideal.

Ideally we'd love a location pretty close to a "main street" type of area - parks, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. Budget is 400k(ish) and we need a 3 br/2 bath.

Hope that doesn't sound too unreasonable or impossible... just wanted to share all the deets! We live in Bayside, Queens at the moment and know nothing of CT other than his commute to Stamford for work but I am sure there are adorable towns nearby. Any and all help would be appreciated - a million thanks in advance!!

[mlassoff]

Really need to know more about your price range before I can give any suggestions. This is one of the most expensive areas of the country, so if you can give us what you can pay for a home (either monthly rental rate o sale price) we can provide better guidance.

Good luck

[Leilani Vasquez]

I don't think tolerance will be an issue anywhere you go in Connecticut. People here tend to be more open minded.

I was also in an interracial marriage (divorced now and kids are teenagers). We experienced the worst when we lived in NYC. We got a lot of dirty looks and snares. Never experienced anything like that in CT.

[SalSabes]

Thanks for the quick replies! This is my first forum post so very encouraging. Budget approx 400k to buy home - 3bd/2bath ideally.

[mlassoff]

Im not sure you're going to find what you want within :20 minutes of Stamford. Perhaps start with looking in Fairfield. You might be able to sneak in to a house there that meets your needs. It will likely need some updating, but Fairfield is a wonderful town. It has great schools, a nice, walkable downtown with restaurants, a few bars and lots of shops. You can drive to Stamford without traffic in about 20 minutes, but there is quite a bit of traffic on I 95 and the Merritt between Fairfield and Stamford. One option that many take is to use the Metro North Commuter Railroad which has over 30 trains a day in both directions between Stamford and Fairfield.

[kidyankee764]

With 400k to spend on a house, head north instead of east. 400k won't buy you much in Fairfield and with morning traffic, assuming you'd be commuting during rush hour, it could take you an hour or more to get to Stamford.

I'd suggest looking in Bethel. You won't hit too much traffic (you can take 53 south instead of Rt 7), it will take you about 45-50 minutes, but the home in Bethel for 400k will be much nicer than what you can get in Fairfield. Once you figure out which back roads you can take to avoid the highway, your life will be much easier.

That said, if you don't mind a small condo, then the possibility of you getting into a decent town within 20 minutes of Stamford is much greater.

[SalSabes]

That's really great info, the downtown area sounds like just what we are looking for. I think my husband can manage with a 30 minute driving commute to Stamford if needed, but also having the option of a commuter train is huge as he doesn't love driving in everyday. We figured we would likely have to put about 20k - 30k of work into whatever we buy so that sounds promising. If we expanded that driving commute to about 30 min does that open up any other similar options for us? It would be great to have a few towns to include in the search.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by SalSabes

. If we expanded that driving commute to about 30 min does that open up any other similar options for us? It would be great to have a few towns to include in the search.

None that I could think of. I would also look into Bethel as stated my another poster...

Fairfield gives you a town with more to offer, but and more transportation options, but you will get more house for your money in Bethel. You have to decide whats important to you.

[kidyankee764]

IMO Bethel has just as much to offer as Fairfield except the beach.

Bethel also has a beautiful, walkable downtown, great restaurants, plenty of shopping and is a 5-10 minute drive from everything Danbury has to offer as well (huge mall, restaurants/pubs, any shopping you would need, bus/train service). You can also take the train from Bethel to Stamford - though you'd have to switch in Norwalk I believe.

You might want to see what you can get for your money in Ridgefield, but that's a very expensive town like Fairfield. Actually, I think it may be more expensive than Fairfield. Great downtown though.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

IMO Bethel has just as much to offer as Fairfield except the beach.

Bethel also has a beautiful, walkable downtown, great restaurants, plenty of shopping .

I haven't been to Bethel since I was a kid. That's interesting information. What does the Bethel downtown have?