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My wife and I are starting to look into a move to the tri-state area. I've traveled to NY for work for about 6 months and have enjoyed it. Moving to the area will be more difficult because I'm not familiar with the surrounding area.
I plan to fly in each week while my family remains in Ohio getting the house sold. I want to use the time in the NY area to check out possible towns where we might live. I'm open to suggestions on where to start.
Our desires:
welcoming neighbors: we're your basic friendly Midwesterners
train access: I would like to find a location within a one hour commute to NYC, express train if possible
House prices: around 400k, perhaps more for the right place
lot: we would like up to an acre to allow for gardening. (We have 7 now, which is too much.)
schools: good, of course. Our children are 4 an 8.
parks and organized sports: soccer and baseball
church: an ELCA Lutheran Church (I can find these online)
Also, any information about income / property tax rates.
I've read good things about:
Fairfield, CT
Irvington, NY
Tarrytown, NY
I've seen a couple of properties that look nice in Newtown, CT.
Bill - finding a decent home on an acre of land within an hour of New York for $400k is going to be difficult. This is a common problem for people relocating from the midwest. They do not realize how expensive property near the city can be. Fairfield is an excellent town and has very good train service to Manhattan. It has excellent schools and great activities for families, but $400k will not get you a lot of house. I would suggest checking realtor.com for listings within your price range. Also, Newtown is a beautiful rural town as well but it is well over an hour and a half to the city.
As for Irvington and Tarrytown, I know Irvington is very nice, but I doubt that you will be able to get much there either for $400k. Good luck, Jay
I second JayCT's advice. Southwestern CT is very high priced for real estate.
400K in many parts of greater Hartford gets a beautiful home- a mere 60 miles to the southwest- not much. Ct for such a tiny state has more variation then many believe.
Thanks. I knew this was going to be the big issue. It's the main reason why this has been a difficult call for us. Central Ohio is about 10% beneath the national cost of living. Our 7+ acres with 150 year old brick farmhouse was less than $300k. If the right job opportunities were still here I wouldn't leave.
It looks like the ride from Hartford would be too long.
no problem- we are here to help. Many folks from the Midwest have sticker shock, when they look at real estate here. In Hartford's eastern suburbs you can buy a new home for as low 218K- but the same home in central Ohio might be half that. While in Fairfield county it would be double what it is in eastern CT.
I fully understand the commuting distances you wish to keep within an hour-
Soutbury is quite a commute to NYC by the way- its a nice home also. But an hour from NYC that home would be 600K
You might be able to find something decent in Brookfield, CT for about the money you are talking about. The commute would be to travel to Brewster North railroad station in Brewster NY, which is about a 20 min ride from Brookfield, and then take the express train to the city, which can be approximately 70 minutes. Brookfield has good schools and plenty to do. The other option could be Danbury, CT. Danbury has a railroad station, but the commute to NYC would require you to change trains. That is why most folks from that area go to Brewster North. Also try Bethel and New Fairfield CT.
Because of your land and schools requirements, Fairfield, CT is out of the question. The other two towns you mentioned are in Westchester County in NY, which have pretty high real estate taxes. Practically any home will pay $10 grand a year in taxes. And honestly, I don't think you can find a decent house in any of the two for the amount you are looking to spend.
These are in Monroe, would have to take train from Bridgeport which is about 15 minutes...
this one needs renovations (it's right near me and I also have 4 & 8 year olds) BIG backyard. On kind of busy street. But in the middle of easy access to all of town
Momfromct- I know you mean well in helping the OP- but no ads are allowed from realtor.com
Thanks for the kind effort and research by the way.
We can suggest towns and refer the OP to realtor.com
Location: somewhere between Florida and New England
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Bill,
Almost anywhere in Fairfield County won't be affordable for you unless you downsize a bit to a small townhouse or a condo. Towns like Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Weston and Ridgefield are among the most affluent zip codes in the nation thus you will pay dearly to live there (think $1m and up for a starter home in many towns).
There are towns within a 1.5 hour commute that would meet your standards. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Stratford - I know the town has many nice parts and is home to very friendly and down to earth people. For 400k, I think you can find what you're looking for. The commute to Manhattan via Metro-North is about an hour and 20. Shelton is also pretty affordable for Fairfield county though its still very expensive compared to the Midwest and even Eastern Connecticut. Schools in both Stratford and Shelton are good - not the best in CT but certainly not the worst. If I were to guess, I'd say average. I'm sure others can comment more on this topic.
Other towns in your range within 1.5 hours of the city with a good quality of life are Milford, Orange, Seymour, Monroe and Oxford. In these towns, starter homes are around $350-400k with larger colonials probably being well out of your price range. Excluding Milford and Seymour, the others have homes on relatively larger lots that offer a great deal of privacy. These towns are 'outer-ring' suburbs of NYC that have recently gained popularity with commuters. People do it from there - I personally wouldn't however.
You can also check out the Danbury area. Danbury itself, while pricey, is cheaper than lower Fairfield County. Danbury is a nice city but does have a large illegal immigration problem. It's mostly concentrated downtown, but you should be able to find a home in your price range in the Mill Plain area of Danbury. This is a 10 minute drive from the Southeast train station in Brewster, NY and the train ride is about 80 minutes. Also consider Bethel and Brookfield. Further out, but you can probably find what you want.
If you have any questions on a specific town, please post about it and I will do my best to help you out.
Many people have the same problem you do regarding sticker shock. Southwestern CT is very expensive - one of the most expensive markets in the nation. Quality of life is excellent and, in my opinion, you do get what you pay for. Top notch public education, access to both NYC (1 hour), Boston (2.5 hours), Philadelphia (3 hours) and Washington DC (5 hours). You will have some of the best pizza you ever tasted (try Pepe's in New Haven or Fairfield), quality Deli's, the sound, the mountains and world-class casinos.
Good luck with your move. I'm sure you will love Connecticut because it has so much to offer.
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