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We have finally decided to move out of the 5 boroughs!
At this point we have hit a rock and a hard place. The dream of owning a decent home with yard space, not breathing down your neighbors neck (we live in the land of attached homes and apartments) and AFFORDABLE seems to not be attainable.
We have yet to get a broker or pre-approved as we cannot move until after feb/march. But from what we see a decent area will cost us a pretty penny.
are we being realistic in looking for a home in the under 200k category but still desire a little bit of quality of life??? We are a single income family of 4 with a yearly income of about 70-75k.... but we want to live within our means. We make too much money to qualify for any home buyer programs but not enough to live the high life lol.... We have excellent credit and under 3k debt.
Which areas would you recommend that have decent (not stellar we can't afford that) schools and moderately priced homes in orange county.
We have finally decided to move out of the 5 boroughs!
At this point we have hit a rock and a hard place. The dream of owning a decent home with yard space, not breathing down your neighbors neck (we live in the land of attached homes and apartments) and AFFORDABLE seems to not be attainable.
We have yet to get a broker or pre-approved as we cannot move until after feb/march. But from what we see a decent area will cost us a pretty penny.
are we being realistic in looking for a home in the under 200k category but still desire a little bit of quality of life??? We are a single income family of 4 with a yearly income of about 70-75k.... but we want to live within our means. We make too much money to qualify for any home buyer programs but not enough to live the high life lol.... We have excellent credit and under 3k debt.
Which areas would you recommend that have decent (not stellar we can't afford that) schools and moderately priced homes in orange county.
You said "upstate" then you said Orange County, that's Downstate next door to New York City. Real Upstate NY is north of Kingston and north of Hancock NY. I could help you with information about Real Upstate NY but someone from Downstate will have to help you with Orange County just outside of New York City.
Thank you! I fixed the title. To me that was upstate... That's the thing with us city folk w forget how large NYS really is and think anything past Yonkers is upstate. =)
And we are open to other areas a long as they are 2hrs or less drive to the city. We just don't knower where to look and want to have a clear idea of a target area when we are ready to find an agent and take the plunge.
Dreamshot would be able to be of better help, but I know the Monroe-Woodbury SD seems to be hot right now. Goshen, Warwick, Cornwall, Highland Falls and Montgomery are some other communities that come to mind.
Orange County will certainly be a huge change from NYC - but, we are still within the NYC MSA: This means MTA service, commutable, semi-rural but still offering good amenities, NYC news channels, radio stations, etc.
Good quality of life is certainly possible on 70-75k.
Avoid the Cities of Middletown, Newburgh, and Port Jervis. I'd advise avoiding Newburgh & Port Jervis City Schools; Middletown is actually quite good.
Otherwise, have a look at: Town of Wallkill, Montgomery, Town of Newburgh, Maybrook, Washingtonville, Goshen, Chester, Monroe, Central Valley, and Cornwall.
If working in NYC, you do not necessarily have to drive in. Use MNRR (Beacon Station) if working in Midtown. Use NJT (Stations at Middletown, Campbell Hall, Salisbury Mills-Cornwall, Harriman, Tuxedo in Orange Cty) if working Lower.
Let me know if you have any other specific questions!
Actually Scranton, PA might be an option. It's a fairly big metro area 500K+, but you can get nice yardspace and a gorgeous home for under 200K. It's got nice suburbs and is about 2 hrs away from NYC.
Commute To NY City From Putnam-Orange-Dutchess NYS Counties
Quote:
Originally Posted by OutofNYC
Thank you! I fixed the title. To me that was upstate... That's the thing with us city folk w forget how large NYS really is and think anything past Yonkers is upstate. =)
And we are open to other areas a long as they are 2hrs or less drive to the city. We just don't knower where to look and want to have a clear idea of a target area when we are ready to find an agent and take the plunge.
Thanks for any help.
Hello ONYC,
I did not want to leave you will any possible bad impression that I was disrespecting or criticizing you=yourself or your labeling Orange County as "upstate". When people ask me for information about Upstate New York I try to gather and give them the most detailed info and my best possible objective advice that I can. So if I offended you at all, I am sorry; that was not my intent.
Knowing that you want to find a nice decent place to live outside NY City but still reasonably close to NYC for work, I'll give you my best possible advice; but naturally you have to make the final decisions.
City-Data Member "Dreamshot" I'm sure knows the Lower Hudson River Valley well and can probably give you great advice about towns which might be best for you to consider. I agree that you should avoid the areas of Newburgh, Middletown, and Port Jervis areas. They may continue to become even more undesireable areas as time proceeds and you don't want your family to have to live in such places. There are so many other decent towns, small and large, in the Lower Hudson that you don't need to consider those 3 cities areas.
City-Data Member "ckhthankgod" often has good information about statewide New York State good school districts.
The above 2 C-D members offer good knowledgeable information.
If I were looking for a nice town/place to live in the countryside area just north of New York City, I think that I'd search for a nice/decent/safe town/area on the East side of the Hudson River (then you don't have to deal with the Tappan Zee Bridge or the George Washington Bridge when driving to NYC) reasonably close to the Metro-North Transit line which has two routes that operate up through Westchester, Putnam, into Dutchess Counties. Check the Metro-North Transit hours of operation to see if those hours coincide/match Your commute-time requirements. Westchester is probably too expensive but there's lots of countryside areas in Putnam & Dutchess Counties. Just check the Transit schedules to determine how far away from NYC that you can move to still be within your travel-time limits. If you are near one of the Metro-North Transit lines then you can commute to NYC without the hassle of vehicle traffic/traffic jams/tolls OR you can occasionally drive your own vehicle into NYC. Man if I were commuting to NYC, I'd appreciate being able to just sit back on the train and let the Transit system take me there/do the driving.
If you look on the West side of the Hudson River then I'd search for a DECENT town/place somewhere along the Metro-North/NJ Transit line which operates in Orange County.
I'm sure if you do a good thorough search for an affordable home within your price range that you can find a nice/decent/safe home and town and school district in which to live "Out Of NY City".
Check out these counties>>
... Putnam .... Orange .... Dutchess
Good luck to you and your family finding that nice home in the more relaxed (than NYC) Lower Hudson River Valley.
Thanks, not offended at all! I appreciate the tip, it probably makes it easier to get the response I'm looking for.
We are firm believers that a child's success story begins at home so if we give the right support and values or children well flourish in any district. So good schools are a must but that doesn't mean a blue ribbon school district. A place where teachers care andthe schools have a gym and music classes. In nyc there are to many schools lacking those.
Train access would be nice but it isn't a must. It would mostly be needed for visiting family or going to the city for drinks twice a year.... But my husband drives for work and depending when we move he might not need to head to the city as he's getting a transfer to the orange county area. So if he does need to come it will only be for less than 2 months.
Thanks, not offended at all! I appreciate the tip, it probably makes it easier to get the response I'm looking for.
We are firm believers that a child's success story begins at home so if we give the right support and values or children well flourish in any district. So good schools are a must but that doesn't mean a blue ribbon school district. A place where teachers care andthe schools have a gym and music classes. In nyc there are to many schools lacking those.
Train access would be nice but it isn't a must. It would mostly be needed for visiting family or going to the city for drinks twice a year.... But my husband drives for work and depending when we move he might not need to head to the city as he's getting a transfer to the orange county area. So if he does need to come it will only be for less than 2 months.
Hello ONYC,
Glad to hear your response. I'm sure you can find a nice/decent/safe town/place in Orange County in the Lower Hudson River Valley area where you will be able to buy a home you'll be happy with. Be sure to avoid those 3 cities we mentioned; Newburgh, Middletown, & Port Jervis and you should do well. Don't let a realtor talk you into buying a place in those towns just because the home price might be low. Don't let a realtor "pressure" you into buying a home that you don't like; you can always work with a few different realtors in far apart towns if necessary. Buy something where your family can be safe and happy for the long-term. You, your husband and children deserve a nice town and home.
Today I've been working on finding 25 homes for a City-Data Inquiring family to consider because they want to move to my Metro Syracuse area. I think that I've found them 10 perfect places which match their requirements.
Anyway again, best of luck to your family finding a nice home to enjoy for years to come.
Here's a list of the best schools within the County:
Valley Central CSD (serving Montgomery, Maybrook, Walden, Town of Newburgh)
Washingtonville CSD (Washingtonville and surrounding area)
Monroe-Woodbury CSD (Monroe, Central Valley, Harriman and surrounding area)
Goshen CSD (Goshen and surrounding area)
Minisink Valley CSD (Slate Hill, areas south and east of Middletown, parts of N NJ)
Pine Bush CSD (Pine Bush, SW Ulster County)
Chester Union Free SD (Chester and surrounding area)
Florida and Warwick are good too.
Middletown City Schools are quite good. It is a city-school district, though.
No to Newburgh and Port Jervis.
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Commute To NY City From Putnam-Orange-Dutchess NYS Counties
