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My wife and I are living in Port Chester, NY and are looking to move into CT due to getting a little more land/bigger house, lowering our taxes and finding a good school for our future children
Not knowing much about the areas we're bordering on the Fairfield line, which keeps us relatively close to NY. Right now i work out of Stamford and my wife is a teacher with a little more flexibility of moving her job
Are there any resources out there to tell us about some of these areas?
Right now we're looking at Bethel, Ridgefield, Redding, Weston, Wilton. Even a little more East with Milford/Shelton.
We're trying to prioritize the school district due to our want for kids, but also don't want to pay too high in property taxes.
Any information would be helpful as we're just starting out.
- Can you commute by train? Is your work walkable to the train station? A train commute is always easier to Stamford if doable. Traffic can be a nightmare.
- What do you want for a home and what's your budget?
- What do you prefer in a town? Rural? Lively? Walkability? Coastal? Woods? The towns you've listed are dramatically different.
Budget and lifestyle preferences are always useful as you cast a pretty huge net there. But for a commute into Stamford everyday I'd personally cut out Shelton from your search and even Milford if you aren't able to take the train everyday. That commute by car is one of the worst in the country, pretty much all hours nowadays as well.
But for a commute into Stamford everyday I'd personally cut out Shelton from your search and even Milford if you aren't able to take the train everyday. That commute by car is one of the worst in the country, pretty much all hours nowadays as well.
Yes agree. I'd also personally cut Bethel regardless. It's a bad commute by train or car.
If train is an option, then Milford/Shelton are totally viable options and offer a great bang for the buck with low taxes.
However, if you don't mind being in a quieter, rural area - Easton/Weston/Redding have some steals these days as buyers are just not gravitating to those towns as much. (Which, also makes resale a slight concern)
Without a budget and what you want for that budget, it’s hard to make a recommendation. Also how large of a lot do you want? I will say that the first town that is not crazy expensive is Fairfield. You might also consider Easton and Trumbull too. These three have very good to excellent schools and are commutable to Stamford. Jay
Unfortunately both of our jobs are via car - not much in the way of a train for both of us. I do tend to get up early enough to beat any form of traffic as i tend to work my days between the hours of 7:30 to 4 (with the option of working from home more often in my new house). Is the commute that bad even pre 9am? I always assumed Zillow was joking stating the commute could be over an hour from Shelton because when I look at it at 7:15 AM (when i normally leave for work) and it still shows about 45-50 minutes.
Our budget is under 700k and probably 4 beds with a square footage of about 2000. She wants 3 kids so we're kind of starting at this point and working our way up/down as needed.
We'd like a lively town but not a city. We both kind of grew up in the "city" coming from Staten Island/Long island. We certainly do not mind a more quiet rural area with the option to drive to a larger city/ mall / fair as needed
I unfortunately don't know anything about any of these towns at all (primarily the reason I'm here). We started looking at some open houses in Bethel (new construction) along with some in Redding/ridgefield this weekend. Its tough to get a feel for an area when you're in it for such a short time
Decent commute, decent cost or decent schools. Pick two.
At 700k, you can get an entry level modest home in Greenwich, New Canaan or Darien. It will get you a decent home in Wilton, which is my suggestion to you. You can take back roads through Vista/New Canaan if you need to avoid the Merritt Parkway. The schools are excellent.
Since train is not an option, I would completely avoid anything northeast of Westport since that puts you on some of the most congested highways in the country. It will regularly take you about an hour from exit 6 to the Fairfield exits on 95. Throw in rain, add 20 minutes. Throw in snow, add on a few hours. It’s not fun.
Keep in mind that Greenwich has some of the lowest property taxes in the state. Coming over from Westchester might allow you to bump up your budget a bit since you’ll be paying about half in property taxes, allowing you to put it toward your monthly mortgage payment.
Unfortunately both of our jobs are via car - not much in the way of a train for both of us. I do tend to get up early enough to beat any form of traffic as i tend to work my days between the hours of 7:30 to 4 (with the option of working from home more often in my new house). Is the commute that bad even pre 9am? I always assumed Zillow was joking stating the commute could be over an hour from Shelton because when I look at it at 7:15 AM (when i normally leave for work) and it still shows about 45-50 minutes.
Our budget is under 700k and probably 4 beds with a square footage of about 2000. She wants 3 kids so we're kind of starting at this point and working our way up/down as needed.
We'd like a lively town but not a city. We both kind of grew up in the "city" coming from Staten Island/Long island. We certainly do not mind a more quiet rural area with the option to drive to a larger city/ mall / fair as needed
I unfortunately don't know anything about any of these towns at all (primarily the reason I'm here). We started looking at some open houses in Bethel (new construction) along with some in Redding/ridgefield this weekend. Its tough to get a feel for an area when you're in it for such a short time
I would strongly advise against Shelton or anywhere that far out.
Wilton provides a central location, very good schools, many nice homes ranging from the 400s to 600s, and a decent commute to Stamford via the Merrit Parkway if you were to leave early. You'll get on in New Canaan and hit some slow downs through NC and into Stamford but really not that bad depending where the office is located.
It is imperative that you work from home on snowstorm forecasted days.
Decent commute, decent cost or decent schools. Pick two.
At 700k, you can get an entry level modest home in Greenwich, New Canaan or Darien. It will get you a decent home in Wilton, which is my suggestion to you. You can take back roads through Vista/New Canaan if you need to avoid the Merritt Parkway. The schools are excellent.
Since train is not an option, I would completely avoid anything northeast of Westport since that puts you on some of the most congested highways in the country. It will regularly take you about an hour from exit 6 to the Fairfield exits on 95. Throw in rain, add 20 minutes. Throw in snow, add on a few hours. It’s not fun.
Keep in mind that Greenwich has some of the lowest property taxes in the state. Coming over from Westchester might allow you to bump up your budget a bit since you’ll be paying about half in property taxes, allowing you to put it toward your monthly mortgage payment.
I agree but I would say Fairfield is still an option as long as he realizes the traffic he will face. It’s a balance of travel time verses home size, condition and features.
Your point on Greenwich is a good one. The low taxes there could mean the OP is able to afford a higher home price. They would have to run the numbers to see.
I would begin by looking at Greenwich to see if your budget gets you enough home. Be sure to run the actual numbers because taxes will make a difference. Also talk to a good mortgage broker. They can guide you.
If Greenwich does not work, I would then move on to Darien and New Canaan. I suspect that if Greenwich does not work, these wouldn’t either. If those don’t work then I would look at Wilton, Weston and Westport. I am pretty sure you could find a nice home in Wilton. Finally if none of those have homes to your liking I would consider Fairfield. Jay
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