Moving from Florida back home. NY (Monroe, Warwick: for sale, condos, credit)

[troya]

Hello first of all i want to thank the person who started this web site, has lots of great information.
I'de like to know more information on Orange County. I have two teenagers starting HS. I'de like to know where the best HS are, how is the comute to NYC, house prices and taxes. I'de like to find a 3 bedroom house with a least 2 bathrooms ( have two girls, 2 bathrooms is a must).
What towns in Orange County does anyone recommend the most. Miss family too much, and the heat down here in Florida is just sometimes to much.

I know prices are really high up, max budget for my wife and I for a house is no more than $425,000. (Sorry if I am asking for too much information.)

Thank you vey much in advance for any information.

[Glen NY]

Take a look at Warwick. It is a beautiful small town in Orange county and you can do well in your price range. It has a very pretty small New England like village and huge restored victorian homes. It is a bit off the beaten path and sometimes that is a disadvantage but it is real pretty and in you budget with great schools and community. Good Luck

[Phish Head]

I agree with Glen, I love Warwick and would move there if I could afford it. Check taxes there before you decide- they are quite high.

[troya]

thank you very much for the inputs. If anyone else has any more info it would really be great. Transportation wise, public or personal, from warwick to NYC, how good or bad is it? Any other towns to consider besides warwick?
my major concern is schools, i have two girls going to hs, so i'de like to know how the hs are ?

Work wise, my wife is RN, Diabetes educator and, i am Hyundai Tech. Any inputs about jobs?

Again thank you very much for the answers.

[joannabee]

Can't answer for the schools - I am single but I have been looking for a condo in Warwick - I love it there. Unfortunately there's not much in my budget ($225K). I agree - it is the best in Orange County for the $400k range. If you drive up from NY it is a bit out of the way because you have to drive over the mountains - 17A - which is beautiful but 1-lane, curvy and hilly. But there aren't many towns as interesting AND elegant in Orange County. I ended up looking a little bit further North - in Chester. It is actually easier to get to because you go just a bit further north but take a 2-lane "hiway" west. The development I bought in - Whispering Hills - has 2 and 3-bedroom units for $200-275k and they offer a lot - garages, laundry in-unit, firplace etc. There is an express bus to NYC (Coach/Shortline - makes other stops too) directly from the development! I don't know too much about the private house prices here - didn't look at where the well-priced ones were located but there is a very old "historic" area that looks just a little bit dicey.

Between Warwick and Chester there is also a condo development (Kings Estates) that offers a lot for the price (more than Chester) but beware - it's not the best. My realtor told me they've gotten a bad rep in the past few years because the local police are always there for minor family disputes etc.

Getting back to Warwick - they also have a few options for travel to NYC. There is a bus operated by New Jersey Transit - it makes quite a few stops in Orange Cty but I'm not sure if it goes direct to NY Port Authority or if you transfer at NJ's Journal Square to the PATH train. You should find the info on NJTransit's web (it's bus line # 196/197 I think).

I did look at a few houses in Warwick. The ones under $300k probably are either located on a really bad block or are in dire need of renovation. Many many houses in Orange County were built like factorey homes - 2 or 3 miniscule rooms, poorest quality construction and little or no attention to finishes/aesthetics. Add to them 50 or 75 years of living with almost no remodelling and you'll be amazed people live in them. The 400k price range should buy you a nice 2-3 bedroom home, vintage 1940-50's with some renovation is a safe (not fancy) area.

Homestead Village is very nice - a development of condos and private homes - the 2 bedrm condos are in the $200's so you might get one of the houses for $450k and the Park and Ride for NJT is across the road from the development.

I do not recommend Port Jervis - it is the town time forgot! Very rundown, very sad. Ditto Monticello. Middletown is possible but more "risky" - probably harder to find something in your range in a nice location, in good condition. There are a lot of quirky houses in Greenwood Lake in that price range. I would love GL for a family - it has a nice friendly feel. I knew a few people who lived there a dozen years ago and they were all characters - but in a good way! You have to be careful here that the house you see is not just a seasonal cottage but there are a lot that have been converted for year-round use and may just need cosmetic work.

The commute is about 1-1/2 to 2 hrs to NYC no matter the method...and a bit pricey too. I think the regular 1-way fare is about $15-20 but if you buy the everyday commuter book it's probably something like half or 2/3 the cost. Driving will kill you - especially with the price of gas now - it's about 65-70 miles depending on your final destination - and I think about $13.00 in tolls.

Have you seen this great mls site for OC :
[url]

All I know for now.

If anyone else is listening out there in NYOC - I am looking for a personal recommendation for a home inspector. Thanks if you can help.

[hjlacey]

I live in Monroe by Walton Lake and will be selling next year. Husband and I are moving to TN. Longer spring, Summer, and fall. Winters are getting too much. Median price for houses run in the $300,000 range, many new homes in the 600k-700k range. good luck

[winnie]

For jobs - look at St. Luke Cornwall hospital in Newburgh, Orange Regional Medical center in Middletown or there are 2 hospitals in Warwick. I would not recommend 2 people commuting to the city as you have kids.

Now for homes. Home prices are falling in Orange County. I am familiar with that area for 24 years now and am quite familiar with good places to live. My dad commutes daily to various parts of NYC. You can get a newer to new built big home for around the 400K mark. Go to realtor.com and do a search. Prices are about 15% lower than they were last year. And they seem to be falling still. Taxes are a bear though - 3200 for every 100K assessed value is not out of the norm for homes up there. So figure about 7-9000/yr for a home in your price range as not all towns assess at market value. It depends on the town. Be sure to put in the paperwork for the STAR discount ahead of tax billing season - I think it gives you a 500 dollar break for every 100K assessed value.

The key for happy commuting is living close to 17, 84 or the Thruway, the train in Beacon or the park and ride in Monroe. It takes my father abot 1:30 to get from his house in Walden to most areas of NYC. He sometimes drives if the work hours are right.

So for good, clean towns with access to good schools and good commute, look at southern Wallkill, the outskirts of Newburgh that have Wallkill schools, Montgomery (eastern areas of) ,Walden, Goshen, Minisink Valley (outskirts of middletown), Monroe, Warwick and Greenwood Lake.

Stay away from Newburgh city, Middletown, Wappingers Falls and I would say Beacon too.

I have posted about this area countless times, you may want to go back and read some of them by searching for all my posts in this forum.

[Delray Patty]

Walden is nice, Chester is nice, don't know how far you want to go. New Paltz is a great antique town. Marlboro (outside of Newburgh) closer to
Gardiner is a nice very family oriented little town not far from 84 and you can
hop on that to the Thruway. Marlboro has good schools, my niece went there
for all her schooling and earned 28 college credits in ap classes for college.
she got a scholarship to SUNY at Binghampton and loves it...stay away from
Monroe, not so nice any more.

[winnie]

Doing a quick search on the realtor website:

Warwick:
$369,899
3 Bed, 2.5 Bath
2,060 Sq. Ft.
1.5 Acres
Built 1987 - pretty house and property and it includes 5K cash back and lawn equipment with sale

Washingtonville:
$388,000
3 Bed, 3 Bath
2,800 Sq. Ft.
0.62 Acres
5 year old home (enough bathrooms for you troya??? )

Monroe:
$399,900
4 Bed, 3 Bath
1,967 Sq. Ft.
0.6 Acres
This is brand new built!

All these have 2 car garages.

I personally have not written off Monroe as an OK place to live yet. I had several friends go through the Monroe Woodbury School district and they did just fine. I think downtown Monroe is quite pretty near the green with the lake. They also have a wonderful Italian deli...

Surprisingly enough, a LOT of the Hudson Valley schools are having a little turmoil with drugs and fights these last few years. The main difference is that some districts have been more open about these problems than others to try to protect their reputation. I doubt that any of these schools districts I mentioned have risen to the problems NFA had back in the early 90's...but if they have I sure would like to know about it!

And you can always homeschool or private school. Southern NY is LOADED with great schools.. These last homes I pulled up are way under your budget, and if you decide to look further north you should be able to find even cheaper schools!

[headed4nc]

Originally Posted by Delray Patty

Walden is nice, Chester is nice, don't know how far you want to go. New Paltz is a great antique town. Marlboro (outside of Newburgh) closer to
Gardiner is a nice very family oriented little town not far from 84 and you can
hop on that to the Thruway. Marlboro has good schools, my niece went there
for all her schooling and earned 28 college credits in ap classes for college.
she got a scholarship to SUNY at Binghampton and loves it...stay away from
Monroe, not so nice any more.

I grew up in Walden and have been gone along time but I hear it is still good and homes are still affordable. I saw my old home for sale on the mls for mid 200's. My parents bought it for 32,000 in 1976, Nice home right across from the park.