Kansas City Native, headed to Exton, PA & Clueless (Chester: sales, real estate)

[ExtonPAorBust]

I need the communities help. Last week I accepted a promotion with my company, and my new office is located in Exton,PA. I have already added my home to the market here in KC, but I am amazed at the house prices and taxes in PA. I have been working with an area real estate agent and am traveling into town Tuesday, July 5th-July 9th to find a place. I am going to fill out the "entrance interview" to help receive some advice on what peoples thoughts are as I go from one of the lowest cost of living markets int he US, to one on the higher side.

Any and all opinions are welcome. Thank you.


When are you moving? August 1st
Where are you coming from? Kansas City, MO
Why are you moving? Job Promotion
Where will you be working? Exton, PA
Have you been here yet? For 12 hours during my interview, loved the tree lined streets!!

Will you buy or rent? Im open to both options, prefer to buy if possible.
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? I'd like to keep my mortgage payment under $2000 a month
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? <$2000 a month
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? walk up

Are you married or single? Do you have children? married, 14 month old baby girl
Do you prefer public or private schools? if public is good, publlic
Do you have pets? no
Do you want or need a yard? indifferent
Are you keeping a car? 2
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? calm, but on the edge of activity

What do you want to be closest to? Work, basic services
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
Train or subway stations

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? indifferent

Coke

[PeeAye Native]

If you're never been to the area except for a 12 hour job interview trip, you should probably rent for the first year, to get to know the area. Home prices are not necessarily going up any time soon.

[cpomp]

Congrats on your promotion! Im sure youll love pennsylvania. I would also suggest renting for a while until you have a least a few days to explore the area a bit more. Exton is a nice area surrounding by a lot of other nice suburbs, so there are a ton of possibilities as to which town to move to. Chester county in general you cant go wrong with, real estate prices vary. Overall, its expensive, especially as you move closer to delware and montgomery counties. Exton itself is a great town, all the amentities you will need, with the exception of nightlife, but west chester isnt that far away, which has a fun downtown area.

[Wisertime]

Originally Posted by PeeAye Native

If you're never been to the area except for a 12 hour job interview trip, you should probably rent for the first year, to get to know the area. Home prices are not necessarily going up any time soon.

I totally agree. Take it from some one who bought already. Definitely rent first. There are a lot of cool areas to live and it takes time to uncover and discover them all. Every neighborhood/town has it's own unique mix and personality.

[ExtonPAorBust]

First of all thank you for the quick responses. A bit of information to add that may change the "rent first" advice...

I have a company relocation program that pays all of my closing costs and transfer fees if I purchase a home. On a 300k purchase it would be a savings of right around 16k. Additionally, when I sale my house in Kansas City my comp any covers the difference in sales price to what i owe, but it counts as income, therefore I have to pay taxes on that income.

I am thinking I need the tax benefits that come with owning a house for this move to make financial sense. I also see that Thorndale & Downingtown are very close to my work in Exton and seem to be very typical suburban areas.

What I need to know from the community are their any red flags or questions & concerns I should be examining before making the commitment?

We are very suburban people (unfortunately for us) and just want a safe, affluent place to raise our daughter Olivia.

Again any and all opinions welcome.

Thank you all!!

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by ExtonPAorBust

First of all thank you for the quick responses. A bit of information to add that may change the "rent first" advice...

I have a company relocation program that pays all of my closing costs and transfer fees if I purchase a home. On a 300k purchase it would be a savings of right around 16k. Additionally, when I sale my house in Kansas City my comp any covers the difference in sales price to what i owe, but it counts as income, therefore I have to pay taxes on that income.

I am thinking I need the tax benefits that come with owning a house for this move to make financial sense. I also see that Thorndale & Downingtown are very close to my work in Exton and seem to be very typical suburban areas.

What I need to know from the community are their any red flags or questions & concerns I should be examining before making the commitment?

We are very suburban people (unfortunately for us) and just want a safe, affluent place to raise our daughter Olivia.

Again any and all opinions welcome.

Thank you all!!

Thorndale and downingtown are great communities, very strong public school and very safe. They are also more affordable compared to many other towns in the philly area. If your looking for top notch living on all levels, malvern, part of great valley school district, which is one of the best in the state. The west chester area again is also very nice. Really exton is surrounded by prime locations, some more expensive than others. I would just avoid coatesville.

[LPCJr]

Originally Posted by ExtonPAorBust

First of all thank you for the quick responses. A bit of information to add that may change the "rent first" advice...

I have a company relocation program that pays all of my closing costs and transfer fees if I purchase a home. On a 300k purchase it would be a savings of right around 16k. Additionally, when I sale my house in Kansas City my comp any covers the difference in sales price to what i owe, but it counts as income, therefore I have to pay taxes on that income.

I am thinking I need the tax benefits that come with owning a house for this move to make financial sense. I also see that Thorndale & Downingtown are very close to my work in Exton and seem to be very typical suburban areas.

What I need to know from the community are their any red flags or questions & concerns I should be examining before making the commitment?

We are very suburban people (unfortunately for us) and just want a safe, affluent place to raise our daughter Olivia.

Again any and all opinions welcome.

Thank you all!!

I have lived in Exton for 10 years. It is a very nice area and a good place to raise a family. I'm not sure if $300K is your budget or not; however, if you are looking for a single-family home, that will be tough to do here (you can get something small, but if you want a 4 BR, you will need to move more to the $350-$400K range).

Downingtown is very nice and a bit less expensive (I am actually moving there in a month). However, there are some Downingtown addresses that go to Downingtown schools and some that go to Coatesville schools. I would avoid Coatesville schools. Downingtown schools are very good. If you live in Exton, you will either go to Downingtown or West Chester schools, both of which have good reputations.

Good luck!

[thesixth]

As someone said, avoid Coatesville. All other areas within a reasonable commute to Exton will be very good for you.

[ExtonPAorBust]

I just wanted to say thank you to the community as a whole. We purchased a house in Thorndale and absolutely love the entire area! Chester County has been a dream to live in. The advice given and the threads we read here were very helpful.

Thanks!!

[Jeanie Beanie]

Stick around city-data and chime in now and then about Thorndale for other newbies. Your outsider eyes see things that long-time residents don't mention. (For instance, my California relatives always are dumbfounded by the basements around here).

Happy New Year 2012.. Hope it's wonderful for you.