NYC to Montgomery County Move (Philadelphia, Chester: real estate, home, purchase)

[NYCperson]

Hello, everyone!

My husband and I will likely relocate to the Philadelphia suburbs for job-related reasons. We know VERY LITTLE about Philly at all and have a few questions:

1. What are the BEST school districts in Montgomery and Chester counties? (In your opinion)

2. What are the best private schools in the area? Or, perhaps, are the public schools so stellar that there would really be no need for private schools...?

3. We are looking to purchase a home in the 5k range...minimum 3 beds, 2 baths and upgraded as much as possible. Could somebody direct us towards some helpful online search sites for Philly suburbs so that we can get a general idea of home prices?

Thank you so much!!!!

[NYCperson]

oops! i meant 500k, not 5k. sorry and thanks!

[jimthorpe]

Yeah, you wouldn't get a cardboard box for 5k in those areas

[William shivers]

both counties have a couple good public school systems and private ones also. Your price range will allow you to purchase in just about any area of the 2 counties. there is a decent site to check out school systems www.schoolmatters.com

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by NYCperson

Hello, everyone!

My husband and I will likely relocate to the Philadelphia suburbs for job-related reasons. We know VERY LITTLE about Philly at all and have a few questions:

1. What are the BEST school districts in Montgomery and Chester counties? (In your opinion)

2. What are the best private schools in the area? Or, perhaps, are the public schools so stellar that there would really be no need for private schools...?

3. We are looking to purchase a home in the 5k range...minimum 3 beds, 2 baths and upgraded as much as possible. Could somebody direct us towards some helpful online search sites for Philly suburbs so that we can get a general idea of home prices?

Thank you so much!!!!

1.) I believe that the vast majority of public schools in both MontCo and ChesCo are high caliber -- quality teachers, high graduation rates, etc. Instead, I'll mention a few districts you'd want to SHY AWAY from:

- Pottstown (slowly making improvements, but not quite there yet)
- Norristown
- Coatesville

These are towns that have disproportionate amounts of poverty and consequently do not have an adequate tax base to provide quality public education.

2.) In relation to my response to question one, the vast majority of public schools are excellent. Since MontCo and ChesCo are two of the most affluent counties in the country, you should expect to find quality education in MOST areas. Nevertheless, there are plenty of private schools around here as well. Here is a great resource for private schools in the Delaware Valley if that's what you end up deciding on:

http://www.advis.org

3.) This is another useful website with regard to Philly area real estate:

http://www.phillyforsale.com/ (broken link)

Good Luck!