Family Of 4 Relocating from Europe (Philadelphia, Springfield: house, job market, safe area)

[GeorgeBe]

We are moving from Europe, I have to attend to meetings often in NYC and Washington D.C., and looking at the map Philadelphia looks like the optimal location.

We want to buy something, budget is around 400K. We'd prefer public schools.

Which neighbourhoods do you guys recommend?

Ideally it would be:
- safe
- good schools
- not far from airport and train stations
- populated with other families with small kids
- some area where prices dropped significantly thus it makes sense as investment too

Thanks in advance!

[tarp]

The best investment areas are the ones where the prices didn't drop quite that significantly, you know.

I am sure I will take some flack for this, but, if your meetings are more frequently in D.C. you should just live in the D.C. suburbs and take the Amtrak to the NYC meetings. The D.C. suburbs offer a better environment for someone relocating from Europe. It is much more diverse and international over there, not as provincial as the Philly area. Your kids would likely go to school with kids from all over the world. Fairfax County VA and Montgomery County MD offer top notch schools.

[GeorgeBe]

Thanks!
I had a look at D.C. before but couldnt find anything below a million, prices are crazy there. Maybe I looked at the wrong area, will check again.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by GeorgeBe

Thanks!
I had a look at D.C. before but couldnt find anything below a million, prices are crazy there. Maybe I looked at the wrong area, will check again.

Because of the stable, often booming job market in DC, particularly in Northern Virginia, the supply of housing is lower than the demand from the preponderance of well-paid professionals. Northern Virginia doesn't offer much sticker shock relief as one might expect because of outlying job markets in Tysons Corner and the Dulles airport area. Homes can be indeed found for under a million $ but not in the areas that are most convenient, popular or featuring newer construction; households there often have to compromise on one or more factors.

If said job meetings are in NYC and DC proper, living in the Philadelphia area isn't a bad idea at all. Note that there wasn't as much of a housing boom here as other places (including the DC metro) so the "bust" isn't as pronounced. While it is rare to find a suburban neighborhood that isn't safe with reasonably good schools, the area in and around Media would satisfy your preferences with the added convenience of a local commuter train and a short commute to the airport.

Depending on how often you think your trips would be split between DC and NYC, you could also consider the Baltimore area, particularly near BWI Airport which also has a nearby Amtrak rail station. Others on the Baltimore and Washington Suburbs of DC forums would be able to give you more informed opinions.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by tarp

The best investment areas are the ones where the prices didn't drop quite that significantly, you know.

I am sure I will take some flack for this, but, if your meetings are more frequently in D.C. you should just live in the D.C. suburbs and take the Amtrak to the NYC meetings. The D.C. suburbs offer a better environment for someone relocating from Europe. It is much more diverse and international over there, not as provincial as the Philly area. Your kids would likely go to school with kids from all over the world. Fairfax County VA and Montgomery County MD offer top notch schools.

Good luck finding a decent, conveniently located home in a good school district in greater DC for $400k.

In Philly, finding a good home that fits your qualifications is not at all a feat. Assuming you're ok with sprawl, I'd recommend somewhere in the Cherry Hill-Voorhees-Evesham-Mount Laurel corridor. Good schools/amenities, convenient to Philly, and with a recent drastic drop in home prices, probably a good (longer term) investment as well. Property values have declined much less on the PA side of the river.

[drive carephilly]

It wouldn't hurt to look near 30th St. Station. Not guaranteeing that you'll be able to find a house that suits your needs for $400k but it's worth a shot.

The schools here range from OK and improving to excellent.
Schools | K-8 Public Schools & Catchment Map

There are also schools that are not on this map - in University City, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill - that also range from good to excellent.
If you're wiling to put the time into it finding a good elementary school for your kid to go to isn't really the problem here - it's the high schools that are challenging. .

I agree with the above post about those towns in NJ - the drawback being that access to 30th St. can be a little more difficult by train - but that's balanced by being able to drive up to Hamilton in 30 minutes and get the local train to NYC. Collingswood has the great elementary schools and a slowly improving (but not great) high school. Westmont has good elementary schools and a really good high school that gets overshadowed by the right-next-door and tops-in-the-state Haddonfield.

[GANGOF5]

You could also check out the northern burbs...Abington, Jenkintown or Cheltenham. Or even the New Hope area which is a bit closer to NYC.
I myself love Media and Swarthmore!

[cpomp]

If you don't mind the commute from Philadelphia to DC or new york i would say limit your search to the philadelphia area. It is the most affordable area city and metro of the three, most down to earth, that still offers all of the great amenities like top schools, safety, shopping, easy commuting and so on. Most of the suburbs and communities around philadelphia are very family oriented as well.

[Marius Pontmercy]

Yeah, the schools and communities around Philadelphia are top notch, and match anything outside DC. If you can afford the commute via Amtrak, go for it. I've gone down to DC on the train for conventions and its really not that bad if you're only doing it a few days a week or so.

[JerzBoy]

If you want a safe area with good schools and a relatively easy commute to both 30th street station and the airport, then I recommend looking on the New Jersey side of the river. Haddon Heights would probably be the most convenient commute-wise, but I'd also look at Haddon Township (aka Westmont) and Cherry Hill as well. If you'd rather stay on the Pennsylvania side, then I'd recommend the Media or Springfield area as someone else previously mentioned. Good luck!