Which of these towns would you choose? (Chester, West Chester: house, school district)

[Sassygirl18]

H Town Reader,

For several of the towns I listed - for example Ambler, Fort Washington, Doylestown and West Chester - the average property taxes on a $300-$350K home are around $3,000 - $3,500. I am assuming the tax amount listed on the realtor websites includes school taxes, etc. The other towns I listed (Media, Jenkintown, Wynnewood and Yardley), tend to be higher than $4,000K but occasionally I have seen a house here and there that is $4,000K or lower. Jenkintown's and Yardley's seem to be the highest of the bunch with taxes consistently in the $5,000K range.

[thesixth]

I would second Wynnewood too, simply because it is a pretty neighborhood and it keeps your commute short.

[pman]

liberal and educated means high taxes. Amazing how narberth ahs changed, used to be a middle class Republican enclave now it's liberal and rich. I think Jenkintown would be tops followed by wynnewood. I'd also consider lberal and educated Mt airy (don't know if there are single famlies there) and northeast Philadelphia off one of the train lines. if you work in the city you're already paying wage tax so why not benefit from its low property taxes? sure, you have to play the charter game (which ahs worked for a number of people I know) or send them to private/parochial

[orrmobl]

I would vote Doylestown or Media or Narberth. The parts of Wynnewood I've seen didn't impress me a bit - what am I missing? Point of information: 2 years ago I almost bought a house in the Garden City section of Wallingford - huge 6 bedroom old bungalow style home. The taxes were $3600/year. Like you said - you just have to find the right house with the right tax assessment.

[Sassygirl18]

pman, I love Chestnut Hill and West Mt. Airy, but they probably wouldn't work for us. First of all, hubby is pretty set on a single (he's worried about getting stuck attached to annoying neighbors, and I can see his point, although I would be open to a twin). The most we could get for our budget in Chestnut hill is a tiny little twin that is way too small for us. We could probably find a home of the size we need in Mt. Airy but again - we want a single and also, we need a full garage (we have a pop-up camper that we do not want to part with) and I doubt we'd get that in our price range. Re: the city wage tax, hubby works in Malvern right now so we avoid the city wage tax on him. He'll probably be changing jobs soon, but there's a good chance he will not be working in the city itself, so if we can save the wage tax on one of us that would be great. I will most likely stay working in the city, since I am in the educational/non-profit sector, but it's conceivable I could eventually work outside the city. Not a fan of Northeast Phila.

No kids, so schools (charter or otherwise) are no concern to us.

Orrmobl, you must have happened on some rare unimpressive streets in Wynnewood, because honestly it is one of the most beautiful towns (with the most beautiful old houses) and general aesthetic I have seen. Taking it all together, out of all the towns we have toured (which at this point has numbered probably 20 or so), Doylestown is the one we love the most - esp. the borough. But the commute really scares us. If it wasn't for the commute, we'd probably settle on Doylestown because everything else about that town is exactly what we are looking for. It's still in the running because of how great it is, but that commute makes it not a sure thing.

[QueensFullAces]

I would say Jenkintown and thats not because I live there now its a great community, quiet, safe, good schools if you're on the abington side of the line, close to center city, I'd recommend it.

[Sassygirl18]

We really like Jenkintown. The only downsides are - the taxes tend to be higher than what we want to spend and it's a bit cramped as far as the houses being super close together (particularly the ones in our price range). Otherwise, we love it...love how it's close to Philadelphia as well as great shopping (all my favorites stores), lots of access to public transportation (more than 1 train line). And of course we love the old-fashioned main street and charming aesthetic of the area.

[pman]

well then, you must be down to Ambler and fort Washington which are cheaper AFAIK. I can't imagine you're going to get more space in either wynnewood or narberth. doylestown is smarmy and far away. Most of the area is older and closer together. Abington might work

[Sassygirl18]

pman, Narberth is not on our list. It's too pricey. What do you mean when you say Doylestown is smarmy?

[pman]

Originally Posted by Sassygirl18

pman, Narberth is not on our list. It's too pricey. What do you mean when you say Doylestown is smarmy?

1) revealing or marked by smug, ingratiating, or false earnestness.


Ambler may be your best bet, you're asking for a lot. this is an old area of the country that was built when people lived closer together. even the crackerjack boxes known as mcmansions are generally fairly close together. for your money, you'd probably get a better house if you bought a twin. A friend of mine in abington has a very large yard but his neighbors aren't that far on either side. he bought in your range