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I am currently living in Washington, DC, and will soon be relocating to NYC for work... I am looking in the Fairfield County area, and am between the Stamford area, and the town of Fairfield, and Trumbull to a lesser extent. I know towns like Darien, Greenwich, and Westport are currently out of my price range, but there seems to be some middle ground... I grew up in Rhode Island, and have spent a lot of time in Connecticut, but am not too familiar with Fairfield county. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I am mostly concerned with commuting time to GCT (don't want it to be much over an hour) and home costs (single family home ~$400k).
It all depends on what you expect to get for the $400k. If you want excellent schools and don't mind a modest home, then I would say Fairfield or Trumbull. If you do not need good schools and don't mind a modest home or condo, then check out either Norwalk or Stamford. You could find a something there in your price range. Another option may be Stratford or even Bridgeport if you want the most home for your money. If you want the most home for your money in a good town with very good schools, then check out Milford. But be aware Milford is well over an hour from New York City. Good luck, Jay
Thanks a lot for the input... I have heard great things about Trumbull; the only thing that worries me is that there isn't a train station within a close distance... I will be commuting to NYC daily, so I am hoping to limit the drive to the station in an effort to ultimately limit my total commute...
I'm also glad that there are some sensible hockey moms out there
Thanks a lot Jay.. Those are all definitely things I have been considering. Schools aren't a major concern right now, but I am newly married and they will surely become more important in the years to come. I would like to make the $400k go as far as possible... and would like a single family home, if at all possible. My biggest concern is commute, but living in DC, I am used to a long commute.... so all things are relative
A lot of young couples buy their first homes in less-desirable towns and move on before their children get into the middle or high school levels because that is where the differences really start to show. If Norwalk or Stamford are not to your liking then definitely check out Fairfield. It has a very nice downtown with a lot of nice stores and restaurants plus there is a neat old theater there that runs second-run movies and there is a train station. The schools are considered to be excellent. Plus the town has a lot of beautiful neighborhoods and a pretty wde range of housing options (everything from modest starter apartments to mansions). As I have said on this board before, I know peoiple that moved to Fairfield because it was more affordable than towns in lower Fairfield County but then liked it so much that they stayed when their fortunes improved. Jay
Thanks again Jay... great advice, and I really appreciate it. I really do like Stamford, and Fairfield... the only thing that would make me lean towards Stamford is the commute issue. Is it an insane commute from Fairfield? I don't mind an hour long commute, but after dealing with the Metro is DC for a number of years, I would hope for something slightly less stressful.
Look into Milford and Trumbull. Milford has some dirty areas but Trumbull is very nice. We almost moved there.
Just to clarify for the OP if she's interested in Milford: The "dirty areas" that LHM referenced are likely to be in Devon. I wouldn't characterize Devon as dirty per se. It's an older, more affordable section of the city that has commercial more closely intertwined with residential, hence the possible perception of grittiness.
Thanks again Jay... great advice, and I really appreciate it. I really do like Stamford, and Fairfield... the only thing that would make me lean towards Stamford is the commute issue. Is it an insane commute from Fairfield? I don't mind an hour long commute, but after dealing with the Metro is DC for a number of years, I would hope for something slightly less stressful.
Insanity is in the mind of the beholder. It is about 1 hour 15 minutes by train from Fairfield station to Grand Central. On top of that is the drive from your home to the station and then the walk/ride from Grand Central to your office. If those add another 15 minutes, you are talking an hour and a half. Is that insane? You are the only one to judge that.
Stamford is about 20 to 30 minutes less of a commute, so it could be done in about an hour. Jay
Fairfield will add a good 30 minutes to your commute on top of Stamford, but I'd recommend it nonetheless. I think on average the trains are one hour ten minutes to Grand Central. I didn't mind it a bit. It didn't feel like a "stressful" commute.
I rented in Greenwich for years but when it came time to buy my first home, Fairfield was that "middle ground" for me.
It is an excellent time to buy. There are some great deals now, and you should be able to find a SF home for about 400K - it will probably be a little dated!
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