[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

I would say Stamford. It's a lot less snobby than the surrounding towns, and 1 mil will get you a lot more than in Greenwich, Darien or New Canaan. It is also much closer to the City than points east (e.g. Fairfield).

Some people may put down Stamford's schools, but the lower average test scores have more to do with a diverse student body and achievement gap between upper and lower class students than the teachers or curricula. However, there are several private school options should you choose to take that route.

Homes in North Stamford(06903) have appreciated quite a bit over the past decade to the point, IMO, that i wouldn't dismiss taking a look at what's available over the line in New Canaan. When you factor in the tax and school equations, the price disparity between the two really shrinks.
Strangely, North Stamford(lowest density) is the most coveted area of Stamford, while the lower density areas of New Canaan are less desirable in that community. The buyer's in New Canaan seem to strongly prefer to live in the town center("the village") area.
My best suggestion would be to look at the best properties in the 06905 and 06907 areas of Stamford if you're looking to stay under 1mil.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

the lower density areas of New Canaan are less desirable in that community. The buyer's in New Canaan seem to strongly prefer to live in the town center("the village") area.

I used to live in New Canaan, and my husband is from New Canaan. I would have to disagree that "buyer's in New Canaan seem to strongly prefer to live in the town center("the village") area".

[Viralmd]

If you've got to fly a lot and you work in downtown Manhattan, I would agree that NJ makes much more sense.

There's NOTHING wrong with saying you live in NJ. Some of the most beautiful areas of the northeast are in the area of Princeton, NJ and in Hunterdon County, where there are estates that not only rival, but surpass the chic areas of Fairfield County in Connecticut. If all you've seen of NJ is what you've seen from the NJ Turnpike, then there's a lot you've not experienced. That's the same as if what you see from the NE Thruway is a fair sampling of Connecticut.

And in NJ it's really a cinch to get to Newark International Airport, with great connections to everywhere.

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

I used to live in New Canaan, and my husband is from New Canaan. I would have to disagree that "buyer's in New Canaan seem to strongly prefer to live in the town center("the village") area".

I agree - I lived in New Canaan when I was younger and most actually seemed to prefer the more rural area of town. More trees, less sidewalks, more privacy. Recently I've heard of people getting into a bidding war over homes in northern NC neighborhoods, where some actually sold for a good amount over the asking price.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

I used to live in New Canaan, and my husband is from New Canaan. I would have to disagree that "buyer's in New Canaan seem to strongly prefer to live in the town center("the village") area".

How long ago did you move out of the community? This has been the trend for the last 3 yrs+. I'm sure there are brokers(i am not one) on this forum whom could enlighten us further on the recent activity(i.e.: teardown mania), that has occured north of the YMCA over the past few years.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

How long ago did you move out of the community? This has been the trend for the last 3+ yrs. I'm sure there are brokers (I am not one) on this forum who could enlighten us further on the recent activity (i.e. teardown mania) that has occurred north of the YMCA over the past few years.

No, we really can't...New Canaan has its own MLS which pretty much excludes agents from the rest of the state unless we want to pay for access to see their properties. Greenwich and Darien are the other two towns with independent MLS's. These three sisters (being kind, of course) operate under an antiquated business model.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

How long ago did you move out of the community? This has been the trend for the last 3 yrs+. I'm sure there are brokers(i am not one) on this forum whom could enlighten us further on the recent activity(i.e.: teardown mania), that has occured north of the YMCA over the past few years.

We still have family and friends all over New Canaan. You will find "teardown mania" happening everywhere in that town, and surrounding towns, too. But the homes in central New Canaan are less expensive than the homes further outside of town, so builders can snap up those "inexpensive" properties, tear down the existing homes, and rebuild McMansions for a tidy profit. New Canaan is very desirable, with excellent schools. You will find a lot of people eager to move into New Canaan who buy in central New Canaan because they can't afford homes on larger lots further outside of town.